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Gary Stead can continue to work outside NZC too, like with Andhra in the Indian domestic circuit

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2025

Gary Stead has rejoined New Zealand Cricket (NZC) as the high-performance coach, just over three months after he had stepped down as the national men’s head coach after a seven-year stint – he ended as the team’s most successful coach. His new role will be “supporting player and coach development, as well as high performance programmes”, an NZC statement said.”New Zealand cricket’s very much been at my heart for the past 30 odd years and to be able to keep contributing to the game I love is really special,” Stead said. “I’m still passionate about coaching and trying to help people learn and improve. If I can pass on some of my skills and experiences to the wider cricket network and in turn help the BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS win on the world stage – than that would be really satisfying.”I’m also appreciative of the opportunity to work outside of NZC to broaden my skills and experiences and hopefully I can bring what I learn back into our cricket environment.”Related

Stead calls time on seven-year tenure as NZ coach

Stead appointed as Andhra head coach for 2025-26 season

Interview: Gary Stead did it his steady way

One such opportunity is to work with the Andhra Cricket Association in India as the head coach of the men’s team, which will continue. Stead also provided interim coaching support to Otago Cricket over the winter pre-season and has been involved in a New Zealand Under-19 camp this month.”Gary’s knowledge and experiences in cricket is immense and the fact he’s still passionate and motivated to give back to the game in this country speaks volumes about his character,” NZC chief high-performance officer Daryl Gibson said. “His role, which is a commitment of three days a week on average over the year, will see him work across much of the high-performance network, allowing our national and domestic coaches, players and staff to tap into his expertise and IP.”Gary is also able to work outside of NZC, such as his recent part-time appointment to the Indian domestic side Andhra for their upcoming four-day competition, an experience which will allow him to further grow his knowledge and experience.”Stead’s highlights as the head coach of the men’s national team included winning the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) title in 2021 and sweeping India 3-0 in India in a Test series last year.Stead first joined NZC as a coach development manager (2004-2009), before becoming an assisted coach at the NZC Academy (2005-06), New Zealand Women’s head coach (2009-12), and Canterbury head coach and director of cricket (2012-18), before he joined the men’s senior team in 2018.

The trophy belongs as much to the current players as the past, who represented India with limited means, often shuffling between jobs to make ends meet

Vishal Dikshit03-Nov-2025

India’s world champions celebrate with Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra•Getty Images

The most ironic celebratory scenes unfolded as the victorious Indian team took the ODI World Cup trophy around the ground in Navi Mumbai to Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami and Anjum Chopra and they all said “Thank you”.As a weeping Goswami towered over captain Harmanpreet Kaur on one shoulder and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana on the other, she whispered those two words with her eyes shut, almost not knowing how else to appreciate the gigantic effort of finally bringing the trophy home. Mithali then held the trophy high with the squad surrounding her, offering rapturous applause. She had come so close to winning it herself eight years ago. Now that she had it, she cuddled it as tight as she could, big, beaming smile on her face.Chopra threw her arms around Harmanpreet with “you have done it,” not long after she had said, “finally, finally, finally” on commentary, just as the Indian team’s celebrations had begun. Perhaps she was counting the two World Cup finals India went down in, in 2005 and 2017, and that the third time was the real “finally” that sparked an endless celebration for the players and their families, both at the ground and the adjacent team hotel, all the way to the wee hours of Monday morning.Related

• Harmanpreet: 'There is nothing bigger than this in our life as a cricketer'

• 'Numb' Harmanpreet tries to grasp enormity of India's greatest day

• The night Shafali Verma defied her destiny, and then owned it

• BCCI to give India women INR 51 crore cash prize for World Cup win

They took the trophy to Reema Malhotra as well, who turned out 64 times for India, and was Harmanpreet’s senior in the 2009 and 2013 World Cups. The duo reunited and sang “”, a popular Hindi song that means “give me my rights, here and now,” and largely symbolises rebellion and struggles against social and political norms.The irony of thanking the current side lay in the fact that these former players were the ones who had paved the way, laid the foundation and groomed some of these players who were wearing World Cup medals around their necks.It is the current fast bowlers who should be thankful to Goswami, who convinced her parents to let her play cricket as a teenager, for which she had to take a train every morning before dawn from her hometown in Chakdaha to Kolkata (about 80 kilometres away).It is the current batters who should be thankful to Mithali for smashing a Test double-century four months before she turned 20 and then taking up the India captaincy at 21, chaperoning the side to two World Cup finals.It was under Goswami that Harmanpreet made her international debut in 2009; it was under Mithali that Harmanpreet became vice-captain and then took over after Mithali’s departure in 2022. Chopra, too, had shown a young Harmanpreet the ropes more than 15 years ago and now fondly calls her protégé , an Indianised version of captain.8:05

‘What dream? We’re living it’

“Yes, Jhulan was my biggest support,” Harmanpreet said after the final. “When I joined the team, she was leading it. She always supported me in my early days when I was very raw and didn’t know much about cricket.”I used to play with boys, and the school principal picked me up, and within a year, I started representing the country. In the initial days, Anjum supported me a lot. I always remember how she used to take me along with her team. I learnt a lot from her and passed it on to my team.”Both of them have been a great support for me. I’m very grateful that I got to share a special moment with them. It was a very emotional moment. I think we all were waiting for this. Finally, we were able to touch this trophy.”Even though Harmanpreet was feeling “numb” at the press conference, she explained how this historic feat belonged to a myriad of people behind the scenes – families, close friends, coaches, who stood by them through the highs and lows. And all the former players, some of whom laid the foundation stone of women’s cricket in India decades ago.Two of them are Diana Edulji and Shantha Rangaswamy, who watched the players from the stands at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday night. They are two pioneers of the game who started with nothing and continue to contribute in administrative capacities to date.Rangaswamy was India women’s first official captain in 1976, and was the first to lead them to a Test series win. Born in a family full of academicians, Rangaswamy didn’t have the means to take a bus to college but went walking around Bangalore (now Bengaluru) to study and train for multiple sports. Early in her career, she even played with her father’s broken bat against Australia before establishing herself as an allrounder.Edulji, just two years younger than Rangaswamy, forced her way into boys’ cricket teams in South Bombay and came from the generation that had to raise funds on their own for India women’s first overseas tour of New Zealand in 1976-77.Mithali Raj has been a role model for a lot of the current players•ICC/Getty ImagesExpectedly, the finances accrued weren’t enough and they were forced to stay in the houses of a few Indian families and local players, which then became the norm for some of the future tours. Edulji was the first to lead India in a Women’s World Cup, in 1978 at home, before Rangaswamy did it in 1982.The trophy that the Indian team are still shooting reels with, perhaps belongs as much to the players who represented India, not just without contracts or match fees but especially under the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), a body set up by lovers of the game in 1973.The WCAI’s history is dotted with its own share of financial difficulty before every overseas tour, before every World Cup – which even made India miss the 1988 edition – and until the BCCI took the women’s game under its wings in 2006. By then, India had featured in six World Cups without much formal support or money.The prize money of INR 51 crore that the BCCI announced the day after the World Cup glory in a way also belongs to those who shuffled between jobs to make ends meet while playing cricket. To those who defiantly fought against gender norms and initial administrative hurdles to set in place a system for girls to start thinking about cricket professionally, even after the likes of Harmanpreet and Mandhana had picked up their bats.”This one’s for those who were before us and set the foundation,” Jemimah Rodrigues wrote on her Instagram on Monday.It has taken generations of players, their parents, close friends and relatives to make all these efforts materialise into a World Cup trophy. The role of the media to popularise the game was also not lost on Harmanpreet.As soon as she finished her press conference after the final, she called some reporters to the podium – especially those who have contributed to the coverage of women’s cricket – and took selfies with nearly all of them holding the trophy. Coincidentally, they used the same words everyone around Harmanpreet had been saying: “Thank you.”

Australia 202 for 0 (Healy 113*, Litchfield 84*) beat Bangladesh 198 for 9 (Mostary 66*, Haider 44, King 2-18, Wareham 2-22) by 10 wicketsThis one followed the script, even if it wasn’t a flawless performance by Australia.With back-to-back centuries, Alyssa Healy led Australia to a 10-wicket victory against Bangladesh in Visakhapatnam, some 24 hours after the Colombo weather intervened to ensure there would be no twist featuring Pakistan and England in what has been a predictable World Cup results-wise so far.An unbroken partnership worth 202 with Phoebe Litchfield, who was unbeaten with 84, kept defending champions Australia unbeaten during this edition and moved them ahead of England at the top of the points table, guaranteeing a place in the semi-finals.Alana King was pivotal in restricting Bangladesh to 198 for 9 with an impressive 2 for 18 from her 10 overs, which included four maidens. Fellow legspinner Georgia Wareham finished with 2 for 22 from seven.Meanwhile, Australia coughed up a rare six dropped catches, missed an appeal for another and leaked 28 runs from the last three overs of the Bangladesh innings, most of them to Sobhana Mostary who posted a spirited 66 not out.Sobhana Mostary punches one straight down the ground•ICC/Getty Images

But with only Rubya Haider joining Mostary in passing 19 among the Bangladesh batting line-up, their total looked too lean.So it proved as Healy followed her 142 against India at the same venue with 113 off just 77 balls to lead her side to the highest successful run chase without losing a wicket at a Women’s World Cup and the second-highest in women’s ODIs.She finished with a flourish, striking three consecutive fours through the off side off Ritu Moni and Litchfield ended their pursuit with 25.1 overs to spare via back-to-back boundaries in the next over off Fariha Trisna.That said, Trisna, playing her first match of the tournament while fellow seamer Marufa Akter was rested, opened with a maiden and Nishita Akter Nishi, brought in for injured spinner Nahida Akter, conceded just three off her first over as Healy and Litchfield settled into a rhythm.But from there, Australia’s top-order duo pressed the pedal, racing to 78 without loss at the end of the first powerplay, Healy managing to slash one through Fahima Khatun’s hands at midwicket and edging just shy of her off stump for back-to-back fours in the 10th over.Litchfield was particularly proactive early, advancing down the pitch and manipulating her crease en route to a 46-ball fifty shortly after Healy raised her half-century off 43.Nigar Sultana, the Bangladesh captain and regular wicketkeeper gave the gloves to Rubya and directed traffic from the outfield but Ritu Moni looked aghast when Rubya fumbled a stumping chance of her bowling when Litchfield was on 46. Healy received her own slice of luck when her top-edged sweep off Shorna Akter was put down at short fine leg.Alana King finished with figures of 10-4-18-2•ICC/Getty Images

King and Wareham had kept Bangladesh in check despite Mostary’s efforts as she scored the second half-century of her ODI career – and second at this World Cup – to help Bangladesh to their highest ODI total against Australia.Rubya added a valuable 44 runs amid an uncharacteristic rash of missed opportunities by Australia. She was twice dropped on 22, Litchfield failing to hold a tough chance at slip off Megan Schutt and Healy spilling one behind the stumps off Darcie Brown. She moved to 44 off 59 balls before picking out Tahlia McGrath at mid-on to give Ash Gardner her first wicket.King took two wickets for just one run in the space of 23 balls through the middle overs. She extended Nigar’s lean run with the one that enticed her out of her crease then turned away as Healy whipped off the bails in time, and then drew Shorna into an edge which went low to Beth Mooney at slip.Wareham tightened Australia’s grip with her first five overs yielding just six runs and the wickets of Ritu and Rabeya Khan to make it 162 for 8. Interspersed with those dismissals, Annabel Sutherland removed Fahima and Nishita, the latter after overturning an lbw decision, and she now sits at the top of the leading wicket-takers’ list outright for the tournament with 12.Mostary could have been gone on 32 when she flicked at a short ball down the leg side from Brown that was signalled wide to a muted Australian appeal with replays showing it had come off her glove before Healy gathered.Mostary launched a campaign for late runs, steering a Gardner delivery through deep third for four to bring up her fifty. Gardner saw Mostary put down twice off consecutive balls when Sutherland couldn’t hold what would have been an excellent catch running to wide long-on and Wareham parried one to the boundary rope from deep midwicket.But Australia’s efforts with the ball and the bat papered over some cracks they will certainly be aiming to fill permanently ahead of next Wednesday’s clash with England.

Dominik Szoboszlai has denied taunting Ireland players after the Liverpool midfielder became embroiled in a social media storm following Hungary's World Cup qualifying loss against Heimir Hallgrimsson's side. Ireland dramatically clinched a 3-2 victory in the dying moments as Troy Parrott completed his hat-trick to help his nation secure a spot in the play-offs.

Szoboszlai accused of mocking Irish fans

Liverpool star Szoboszlai was visibly distraught at full-time as Hungary twice gave up the lead to an Ireland side that refused to give in. Daniel Lukacs handed Hungary a third-minute advantage before Parrott scored an equaliser 12 minutes later. Barnabas Varga then made it 2-1 in the 37th minute as Hungary went in at the break with their noses in front.

Former Tottenham forward Parrott, however, had a different plan as he once again equalised in the 80th minute before scoring a last-gasp winner. With three points, Ireland finished second in their group behind Portugal and progressed to the qualifying play-offs, which will be played in March.

After Varga's goal, Szoboszlai was seen making a tear-wiping gesture. The video went viral on social media after the clash, as many believed the Reds midfielder attempted to mock the Irish fans. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSzoboszlai speaks out

However, the Hungary international has claimed his gesture was a joke between his Hungary team-mates. 

Speaking to , the 25-year-old said: "It is still difficult to accept what happened. Unfortunately, we have to live with it and move on. There is certainly a reason why this always happens to us. But we try to take the positives out of the most difficult times. We had a chance until the end; we believed that we could make the playoffs. This (the celebration) is a joke between my own teammates, András Schäfer, Barnabás Varga and Péter Szappanos. If it was meant for the Irish, I would tell them."

Ex-Premier League star's live TV gaffe

Former Ireland international Kevin Doyle, who represented the likes of Wolves and Reading in his playing days, was helping to cover the game for RTE Sports. At full-time, after Parrott scored the match-winning goal, the 42-year-old celebrated wildly inside the studio. RTE posted an edited version of his celebration, but the full scenes were captured off camera – with an uncut video making its way onto social media. 

In that, Doyle appeared to bellow in the direction of Szoboszlai: "Suck on that, you Liverpool c***!" He, however, quickly apologised to former Reds midfielder Dietmar Hamann, who was also on punditry duty.

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AFPWhen will Ireland play in the World Cup play-offs?

Ireland will now take their place in the play-off draw, which will be held on Thursday, November 20. The semi-finals are set to start on March 26, 2026, with the finals taking place five days later.

There are 16 teams that are fighting for just four places at the World Cup finals in North America. Having kept themselves in the hunt for tickets, Ireland could be paired with the likes of Wales, Slovakia, Scotland, Czechia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo. 

Van Niekerk’s 19-ball 41 took South Africa to their second consecutive 200-plus total, which laid the foundation for a 65-run win

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2025Dane Van Niekerk’s late blitz on the back of a sedate half-century from Faye Tunnicliffe helped South Africa beat Ireland by 65 runs in the second T20I in Paarl and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Opting to bat, South Africa racked up 201 for 5 in their 20 overs. In reply, allrounder Orla Prendergast scored an unbeaten 43-ball 51 while Leah Paul hit 40 off 29 balls, but Ireland could only manage 136 for 3, falling well short.In her comeback series, van Niekerk thrashed a 19-ball 41 in the back half of the first innings, taking South Africa past their second consecutive 200-plus total of the series. She struck three fours and three sixes in her knock. By the time van Niekerk fell to Arlene Kelly, South Africa’s run rate had jumped past ten an over. Chloe Tryon’s unbeaten seven-ball 16 in the final overs took them to 201, as she also broke Lizelle Lee’s record for most sixes by a South Africa batter in women’s T20Is (49).Van Niekerk’s cameo complemented a slower – but equally crucial – knock by Tunnicliffe at the top of the order. She reached her maiden T20I half-century off 40 balls: the majority of her innings was played alongside fellow opener, Sune Luus, as the two put up a 78-run opening partnership to lay the foundation.Aimee Maguire dismissed both of them, as well as captain Laura Wolvaardt, returning 3 for 43 in her four overs.Ireland’s batters were slow in their response, scoring 33 runs in the powerplay despite losing no wickets. Tryon sent back both openers – Amy Hunter and Gaby Lewis – as Ireland were reduced to 35 for 2 in the seventh over.Their run-rate never picked up, but Prendergast and Paul stayed solid in the middle to share a 76-run partnership for the third wicket. Paul finally fell for 40, but Prendergast stayed around till the end to bring up her half-century in the final over, off 39 balls. By then, the result of the match was a foregone conclusion.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational overhead kick on Sunday night in the Saudi Pro League as table-toppers Al-Nassr maintained their perfect start to the 2025-26 season with a ninth win from nine games. The 40-year-old rolled back the years with an eye-catching acrobatic effort in stoppage time and promptly set a challenge for fans on social media after the victory for his side at Al-Awwal Park.

• Ronaldo scores stunner for Al-Nassr

  The Portuguese superstar may well be very much in the twilight of his sensational career but showed once again on Sunday that he's still more than capable of producing magical moments that will live long in the memory. Goals from Joao Felix, Wesley and Sadio Mane had put Al-Nassr 3-1 up and cruising against Al-Khaleej, until Ronaldo stole all the headlines with a wonderful effort deep into stoppage time to seal another victory in fine style. The 40-year-old posted footage of his goal on social media after the match and set fans a challenge. "Best caption wins!" he wrote on X, inviting supporters to have their say on his latest spectacular effort.

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• Watch the clip

• 'Who's topping this?' – Fans react to CR7 stunner

  Fans were quick to react to Ronaldo's challenge by replying to his post.

  Supporter @Cunha__utd posted: "Cristiano Ronaldo doing this at the age of 40. There’s players at the peak of their game right now who could only dream of doing this. He’s the greatest to ever do it."

  And @ararsoabdull added: "Gravity? Never heard of her! At 40, you're rewriting physics books, @Cristiano. Caption: "Aging like fine wine… or should I say, fine goals. Who's topping this?"

  Elsewhere, @sandybabyonyii wrote: "Cristiano Ronaldo hit the rewind button on Father Time and ripped in a goal that would make every young baller question their life choices. Pure, vintage carnage."

  @ProjectKMbappe added: "When gravity said no, but greatness said yes" and @ Being_Cr7fan replied: "Years change, seasons change… but Ronaldo stays inevitable."

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• Getty/X
  

  Ronaldo back with a bang after red card

  Ronaldo was back in action for Al-Nassr after seeing red over the international break during World Cup qualifying. The 40-year-old was sent off in Portugal's defeat to Ireland for an elbow on Dara O'Shea and was subsequently sent home by manager Roberto Martinez. Portugal went on to book their place at World Cup 2026 with a 9-1 victory over Armenia, achieved without their talismanic captain, with Ronaldo forced to sit out the game due to suspension. The sending off was Ronaldo's first at international level but means he could now miss Portugal's opening games of the finals in North America. Portugal have reportedly assembled an appeal to FIFA in a bid to cut a potential three-match ban down to one.

Martin O’Neill has now confirmed that he will “step aside” when Celtic find their next manager and revealed that there has not been any talks with the club about taking a permanent role.

O’Neill insists he has no idea whether he will remain at the helm for Celtic’s next match against St Mirren amid reports that the Hoops have stepped up their search for a new permanent manager.

The 73-year-old has been in caretaker charge of the Scottish champions for the last four games since Brendan Rodgers resigned two and a half weeks ago.

It has been reported this week that the Celtic board have been interviewing candidates, with Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy emerging as the new bookmakers’ favourite.

Other names mentioned includes Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town and Kjetil Knutsen. Whether the Hoops can lure either of those names away from their current positions at Portmand Road and Bodo/Glimt is the question that everyone’s asking.

Reports have claimed that Knutsen wants to at least complete his side’s Champions League campaign, which could end in January in the earliest scenario. Meanwhile, there have been no signs that McKenna will be leaving Ipswich anytime soon.

As Celtic’s search goes on, O’Neill has continued to roll back the years. In his four matches, the 73-year-old – assisted by Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham – has overseen two Scottish Premiership victories, a Europa League defeat by Midtjylland and an extra-time win over 10-man Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

Celtic now tracking Maeda replacement who Jamie Carragher called "special"

The Bhoys are in search of attacking quality.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 14, 2025

The final against St Mirren takes place on December 14 and there are some who would like to see the veteran remain in charge for the Hampden showdown in order to add to his trophy haul from his glittering first spell in charge in the early Noughties.

O'Neill insists no talks with Celtic board

To no surprise, O’Neill has been questioned a number of times about the Celtic job, but his answer remains the same. He will “step aside” as soon as the club no longer need him and, despite rumours, there have been no talks about the permanent job.

The 4-2-3-1 tactician has done a solid job so far and may yet get the chance to continue that job after the international break, but admitted that he’s not bothered whether he’s in charge for the Scottish Cup final in December, saying: “I am a romantic and have been a romantic all my life. I know the history of football and all of those particular things but that doesn’t bother me one jot.”

Celtic hold talks to sign "talented" manager who's like a young O'Neill

Arsenal “could make a move” for a “world-class” forward, who Mikel Arteta is known to be a big fan of.

Gunners eyeing new forward after "painful" Aston Villa defeat

Arteta’s side suffered one of their first real setbacks of the season on Saturday, with Aston Villa emerging as 2-1 winners after Emiliano Buendia’s late winner, and the manager was left frustrated by the manner of the defeat.

The Spaniard said: “Last kick of the game we have the chance with the cross from Declan for Noni and Viktor. We don’t score. Goal kick long, second ball, clear the ball, individual action. The ball comes inside the box and you end up losing it. It is painful.”

On the brighter side, the Gunners remain two points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, and a number of Arteta’s summer signings have hit the ground running at the Emirates Stadium.

Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke have received praise for their performances, with Eberechi Eze also catching the eye, most notably scoring a hat-trick in the emphatic 4-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur last month.

Despite signing Eze and Madueke, however, Arsenal remain interested in signing another new forward, and journalist Pete O’Rourke has revealed they “could make a move” for AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

Speaking to Football Insider, O’Rourke confirmed that a number of top Premier League clubs are in the race for Semenyo’s signature, namely Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Ghanaian’s £65m release clause will become active in the January transfer window, but the interested clubs may also choose to wait until the summer, at which point he will be available for just £50m.

Related Arsenal make strong move to sign "special" £111k-p/w Paris Saint-Germain star

The Gunners are looking to sign a new forward, who has been in impressive form this season.

Posts ByDominic Lund 5 days ago "World-class" Semenyo may be ready for Emirates move

Lauded as “world-class” by Bournemouth teammate Justin Kluivert, the 25-year-old got off to a very impressive start to the campaign, and ranks third in terms of total goal contributions in the Premier League.

Player

Club

Goal contributions

Erling Haaland

Manchester City

18

Igor Thiago

Brentford

11

Antoine Semenyo

AFC Bournemouth

9

Arteta is known to be a big fan of the London-born forward, who is also impressive in the air, averaging 2.14 aerials won per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 97th percentile, compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers.

The former Newport County man has been impressing in the Premier League for quite some time, scoring a remarkable solo goal against Burnley during the 2023-24 campaign.

Clearly, Semenyo could now be ready to make the step-up to a top club, but having signed the likes of Madueke, Eze and Viktor Gyokeres in the summer, there are question marks over whether Arsenal need to bring in another new attacker next month.

Manchester United have an exciting production line of stars for the future, and now appear to be interested in adding to that by capturing a gem that shone at the Under-17 World Cup.

The Red Devils will have enjoyed taking some time over the international break to digest what has been a credible start to the Premier League campaign, even if Ruben Amorim came under pressure during the early stages at Old Trafford.

Sitting tenth with a game in hand, Manchester United could move as high as fourth position with three points against Everton on Monday night, albeit they could be without Matheus Cunha due to a surprise injury concern.

Ben Jacobs confirmed on X that the Brazilian had suffered a head knock during training, forcing him to miss Altrincham’s Christmas light switch-on as a result, sparking attention on social media.

Nevertheless, the nature of his injury looks only to be minor, so there may still be a chance that he features against the Toffees if deemed fit to do so by the Red Devils’ medical staff.

As ever, Manchester United will hope to avoid a mounting list of absentees over the festive period. However, that is bound to affect everyone, especially with a heavy fixture schedule.

The January window could prove pivotal at Old Trafford, and the Red Devils are now favourites to sign Ajax prodigy Jorthy Mokio ​​​​​​amid concerns over Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo.

Now, they also have eyes on a gem who performed at his best during the Under-17 World Cup, which has garnered attention from clubs around Europe.

Man Utd make approach to sign Mohamed Zongo

According to Africa Foot, Manchester United have made an approach to sign Tenakourou Academy star Mohamed Zongo, who they are now keen to hold discussions over signing on a permanent basis.

At only 15 years of age, the Burkina Faso youth international shone at the Under-17 World Cup with two goals and three assists to his name, leading to him being dubbed a “revelation” in some quarters.

Earning man of the match awards several times during the competition, his highlight came in a 1-0 victory over Germany where he was the only scorer in a famous victory for his country.

An attacking midfielder by trade and capable of featuring across the forward areas, Zongo is also on the radar of Manchester City, Villarreal and Anderlecht, illustrating how high his ceiling could potentially be with the correct development path.

Ultimately, he still has a tonne of growth left before coming into contention at first-team level overseas. However, Manchester United may be the best environment to earn his stripes.

Mainoo 2.0: Man Utd can axe Ugarte for one of England's "best young players"