Phil Simmons, the Afghanistan coach, was pleased with the side’s preparation but stressed on channeling white-ball temperament in Test cricket

Shashank Kishore in Bengaluru13-Jun-20182:34

Rashid will come out as the best spinner in this Test – Simmons

Asghar Stanikzai was asked about “nerves” as he arrived for his first official press conference as Test captain. “I’m hearing this for the first time,” he shot back, setting the tone for the next 15 minutes during which he and coach Phil Simmons talked all things Test cricket and the build-up to their inaugural Test.It was in Bengaluru seven years ago that Simmons truly left his imprint as a coach, when Ireland upset England at the 2011 World Cup. Now, he returns to the venue of that famous triumph in charge of another side, who he just helped qualify for the 2019 World Cup two months ago.Having witnessed the turmoil West Indies went through towards the end of his career, Simmons is aware of the immediate challenge to channel Afghanistan’s white-ball temperament to the longest format.”I was with Ireland for a long time, but they haven’t produced the amount of youngsters in the last four-five years like Afghanistan have,” he said. “The batting is a little bit less but the bowling, you will see a young fast bowler in this Test match hopefully. It shows that they have young talent coming up. And exciting prospects for the future.”Preparation wise, Afghanistan picked two vastly different squads for the T20Is against Bangladesh and their inaugural Test. Only Stanikzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman featured in their 3-0 T20I whitewash of Bangladesh in Dehrarun earlier this month. This decision of allowing players time to prepare for the Test by monitoring their training schedules was a conscious one.”Our preparation has been good. We still had 12-13 players training with red ball,” Simmons said. “Fortunately the three fast bowlers (Wafadar, Sayed Shirzad and Yamin Ahmadzai) were not in T20I squad and they have been concentrating on Test preparation. The two senior spinners Nabi and Rashid am sure will be able to adjust themselves.”Afghanistan are under no illusion about how the pitch will behave and expect India’s three spinners to come hard at them. Having two wristspinners themselves – Rashid and Zahir Khan – along with Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s variations should help cope to an extent.Afghanistan’s players attend the BCCI awards ceremony•BCCI”You prepare for what you expect. We expected Jadeja, Ashwin, Kuldeep,” Simmons said. “We have had our own Kuldeep in young Zahir. We have bowlers of similar ilk and they have been bowling at the batsmen. My feeling is that I can’t tell you how to prepare for a particular player. When you practice it against a spinner you learn how to play him. So we have put that in front of them and I think they have worked hard enough to be put out there.”Simmons cracked up when asked about “grass on the surface” for this Test. “When I played with them (Afghanistan) in Ireland, it was a little more greener than this and it still turned,” he said. “I think our bowlers are experienced enough to turn on that. It looks a lot darker today than it did two days ago, so I think by the time tomorrow (Thursday) comes it will be dry enough to spin on it.”The surface aside, it was also inevitable Simmons was going to be asked about Stanikzai’s remarks of Afghanistan’s spinners being better than India’s. My captain knows what he is talking about,” Simmons laughed with Stanikzai also grinning beside him. “When you look at it, all spinners in this contest will be excellent.”We know that right now, Rashid is the most difficult spinner to play around. He has not played Test cricket. We have to look and see what happens. but his professionalism will help him to adjust and am sure he will come out well.”Afghanistan have trained in India regularly since making Greater Noida their home base last year. Access to different training wickets and modern facilities has been maximised so much that Simmons downplayed the prospect of being undercooked. He stressed more on the temperament needed to succeed and hoped the team had learnt from experience.”The mental part comes from the way you train, how long you bat and how long you bowl and train in the nets,” Simmons said. “That’s the only way you prepare mentally because when you get out there then you understand what it takes. They have played four-day cricket so they have a fair idea…the good thing about it is that they learn quickly.”The press conference was lit up further when Simmons was asked about Virat Kohli’s unavailability. His answer elicited laughter among those in attendance.”I think there will always be a bit of disappointment in the players not to be on the same field as Virat, but at the same time we look at it as win the Test match and beat India, we don’t beat Virat,” he said. “So we are disappointed he is not playing, but little bit happy that we are not going to bowl to him all the time. We are happy to be here and playing India, Virat is not India.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers have had a testing time of late, having juggled financial, managerial and on-pitch woes while maintaining their status in the Premier League.

The Old Gold have put in some impressive performances so far under Gary O’Neil, who joined the side just four days before their campaign opener against Manchester United, however have not been able to determine which way the results have gone.

Only three points have been recorded from Wolves’ opening five fixtures, with a late 1-0 win at Everton the high point of the first few weeks which have seen the side miss out on points despite causing threat.

Much-needed sales were sanctioned in the summer to balance the books to adhere to Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions, leaving the club’s margin to replace such talents very small.

As a result, O’Neil’s squad options have been minimised, leaving room for talents outside the first team to hope to show their worth while the squad is in transition.

One star who could find a way into the senior side in the future is winger Fabian Reynolds, who joined Wolves’ academy in 2021 from AFC Kingston Youth.

Who is Fabian Reynolds?

Deployed primarily on the right wing, the 17-year-old has advanced tremendously well in the Midlands so far, seeing him excel through the ranks and earn minutes at U21 level as well as for the U18s.

Last season in the U18 Premier League, the forward had a hand in four goals, scoring two and assisting two in 21 appearances in the 2022/23 campaign for the Old Gold.

At the point of his signing for the Premier League side, his former club dubbed the forward as “formidable”, saying on their official site that he was “destined for greatness” after his performances prior to leaving.

At U13s level, the 2006-born whiz scored a remarkable 39 goals in the SYL Premier Division, demonstrating form that hinted just how much of a star he could one day become in the game.

What does Fabian Reynolds play like?

The winger has got his 2023/24 campaign off to a strong start, scoring a terrific solo goal most recently against Derby during the U18s thrilling 3-2 win.

If the tricky youngster can continue his rise through the ranks and have another impressive season for Wolves, there could be a gap in the squad for the youngster to thrive in senior surroundings, with him showing signs of having a skill set similar to a recently departed favourite.

Adama Traore bid farewell to Molineux this summer after a five-year association with the club, leaving behind a gap in the wide threat department in his absence.

In his last campaign, the Spaniard ranked in the top 5% of wingers in the Premier League for his one-on-one threat, averaging 2.95 successful take-ons per 90 to assert his dominance going forward, as per FBref.

As highlighted in the goal he scored against Derby just last week, Reynolds has strengths to his game similar to those of the dazzling dribbler that is Traore, giving O’Neil the potential to have the heir to the dangerous winger within the club’s ranks already.

Wolves' financial situations could see the club opt to promote more youth prospects as an alternative to being active in the transfer window, making this season one for O’Neil to harvest some unearthed gems in the academy.

For the first time, Women’s World T20 will be a standalone event and DRS will be used in a World T20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2018

West Indies Women celebrate after beating Australia Women in the final•Getty Images

Defending Champions West Indies will take on the winner of the World T20 Qualifier under lights on a triple-header opening day on November 9 in the Women’s World T20 in the West Indies.

Group A: West Indies, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Qualifier 1
Group B: Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Qualifier 2

India women and New Zealand women kick off the tournament at Providence Stadium in Guyana before three-time champions Australia women face Pakistan women at the same venue later in the evening. The West Indies-Qualifier 1 clash, which will also be hosted by Providence Stadium, will round out the first day.Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, meanwhile, will host the two semi-finals on November 22 as well as the final on November 24.Notably, the Decision Review System (DRS) will be used for the first time in a World T20 tournament and for the first time, the Women’s World T20 will be a standalone event, after the previous six editions were organised alongside the men’s World T20.Hosts West Indies are placed in Group A along with 50-over World Cup Champions England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Qualifier 1. Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Qualifier 2 make up Group B.With two spots up for grabs, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda and United Arab Emirates will fight it out in the Women’s World T20 qualifiers in the Netherlands from July 7 to 14.All 23 matches are set to be broadcast live and will be played across three venues – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia and Providence Stadium in Guyana.In addition to hosting the triple-header on the opening day, Providence Stadium will also host two marquee clashes: India v Pakistan on November 11 and Australia v New Zealand two days later.Schedule:November 9, Providence
New Zealand v India
Australia v Pakistan
West Indies v TBCNovember 10, Gros Islet
England v Sri LankaNovember 11, Providence
India v Pakistan
Australia v TBCNovember 12, Gros Islet
England v TBC
Sri Lanka v South AfricaNovember 13, Providence
Pakistan v TBC
Australia v New ZealandNovember 14, Gros Islet
Sri Lanka v TBC
West Indies v South AfricaNovember 15, Providence
India v TBC
New Zealand v PakistanNovember 16, Gros Islet
England v South Africa
West Indies v Sri LankaNovember 17, Providence
India v Australia
New Zealand v TBCNovember 18 , Gros Islet
West Indies v England
South Africa v TBCNovember 22, North Sound
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2November 24, North Sound
Final

USWNT star Catarino Macario scored for a second successive game since returning from injury as Chelsea won away at Everton in the FA Cup.

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• Macario scores again
• Chelsea win in FA Cup quarter-final
• Hoping to win quadruple in Hayes' final season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Macario returned from a 22-month spell on the sidelines after injuring her ACL. The American scored on her debut in the previous round of the cup against Leicester and added a second in as many games to help her side reach the semi-finals. For Chelsea, who are without Sam Kerr through an ACL injury of her own, the return of the scoring attacking midfielder could not gave come at a better time.

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  If Macario was emotional last time out against Leicester, then she will be even more so if she helps the Blues win silverware this season. Chelsea are vying for four trophies this season as they dream of sending Emma Hayes off in the best fashion. The young American may have feared her career could have been over but has returned to action with a point to prove and hit the ground running.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MACARIO?

  It is still early-days for the American in London, but she will be keep putting minutes in the tank and building confidence with each match. Macario will hope to get her first taste of WSL action next Friday in a massive clash with title-rivals Arsenal.

Heart of Midlothian recorded a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock in the League Cup quarter-final during the week which sent them through to the last four of the competition for the first time since the 2019/20 season.

It has been a tough start to the 2023/24 campaign for Steven Naismith as an encouraging first few weeks were then followed by a run of four straight defeats up until the international break which rocked the confidence at the club, especially after they missed out on European group stage football.

Naismith dived into the transfer market to bolster his first-team squad during the summer, eventually signing seven players and while some have had an immediate impact, such as Frankie Kent, a few have failed to really hit the ground running thus far.

This has resulted in the manager putting his faith in players who were key to former boss Robbie Neilson, asking the likes of Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland to continue impressing and showing the new signings exactly what it takes in order to stand out for the club.

Shankland has been a wonderful signing for the Tynecastle outfit and is perhaps one of their finest pieces of transfer business conducted in the previous few seasons such was his impact last term.

This has led Hearts to place a big price tag on him in order to deter any potential suitors who may be willing to prise him away from the club.

How much did Hearts sign Lawrence Shankland for?

The striker played for a variety of different Scottish clubs during his formative years in his career, including Queens Park, Aberdeen, and St Mirren, but it wasn’t until he joined Ayr United in 2017 that he became the lethal machine everyone is witnessing now.

Indeed, over the next two seasons, he plundered 61 goals in just 73 matches for the club, chipping in with 24 assists too and this sealed a move to Dundee United in 2019. His goal-scoring exploits didn’t let up in Tayside either, scoring 40 in 74 games before Belgian side Beerschot V.A swooped in to sign him back in 2021.

It didn’t quite work out for the striker on the continent and Hearts shelled out £500k to bring him back to his homeland last summer as Neilson looked to get his career back on track.

Neilson managed Shankland during their time at United, and he lauded the player on his arrival, saying: “I’m really happy that we’ve been able to bring Lawrence to the club.

“He’s a player I know well from our time together at Dundee United. I know exactly what his qualities are and what he’ll bring to the team, and that’s why we really pushed hard to make him a Hearts player. I know he’ll get a great welcome and I’m looking forward to working with him again.”

He certainly went on to impress for the Gorgie side during the 2022/23 season and this attracted plenty of interest for his services.

How much is Lawrence Shankland valued at now?

During the summer transfer window, there appeared to be plenty of interest shown in the 28-year-old, despite playing just one season at Hearts.

Clubs from Saudi Arabia and England were keen on the hitman according to the Edinburgh Evening News (via the Scottish Sun), yet Hearts were having none of this reported interest.

Naismith ended up placing a £3-£4m valuation on his prized asset, and it certainly worked as he remains at the club, until January at least.

If using the top end of the valuation, it represents a staggering 700% increase from their initial £500k just 12 months prior, and it indicates that Hearts have hit the jackpot by signing Shankland.

Why is Lawrence Shankland worth this much?

The 6-foot marksman scored only five times in 28 appearances for Beerschot, yet Neilson managed to restore his confidence by making him an integral part of the side which featured in the group stages of the Europa Conference League.

Shankland ended up registering an impressive 32 goal contributions across all competitions last term – 28 goals and four assists – and although it couldn’t secure third spot in the table for the club, they would have been a lot worse off if it hadn’t been for his ruthlessness in front of goal.

Journalist Joel Sked rightfully praised him towards the end of 2022 following a wonderful first few months at the club, saying: “Lawrence Shankland has been different class for Hearts. So much more to his game than goals.

"His ability to drop in, act as that focal point and link player, his awareness and the way he creates space for himself. All so good and so vital.”

It is perhaps no surprise that the striker ranked first across the Hearts squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.11), goals and assists (28) and scoring frequency (a goal every 127 minutes) while also finishing top of the pile for shots on target per game (1.4), clearly demonstrating how effective he was in front of goal throughout the season.

Naismith has had to rely on him during the embryonic stages of 2023/24 too as the 28-year-old has scored five goals in 12 appearances, yet he may need to do more as the club are currently sitting in sixth place in the league table, eight points adrift of third spot.

It hasn’t been an easy ride so far for Naismith yet if he can secure some much-needed wins in the coming games, confidence will hopefully grow.

One of the best decisions the club made was signing Shankland and giving him a platform to succeed as he is currently one of the most natural finishers in the country at the moment.

More interest in the player will be inevitable across the coming months, especially if he maintains his current form and the most important thing is Hearts keep a hold of him until they have a suitable replacement lined up.

When he does depart, Shankland will rake in the Tynecastle side a major profit and this could in turn, allow the club to vastly improve their squad as they aim for success.

Morne Morkel claimed match figures of 9 for 120 as Surrey wrapped up a win that extended their lead at the top of Division One

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge24-Jul-20182:07

Morkel stars as Surrey smash Notts

Surrey 592 (Burns 153, Clarke 111, Stoneman 86, S Curran 70) beat Nottinghamshire 210 (Morkel 4-60) and 199 (Patel 55, Morkel 5-60) by an innings and 183 runs
ScorecardRealistically, this match was only ever going to end one way with Nottinghamshire one down overnight and still 325 runs short of requiring Surrey’s openers to pad up again. Yet the supporters who turned out anyway might have expected to be entertained a little beyond 1.58pm, which was scarcely long enough to digest lunch.This is a Surrey side, though, that takes no prisoners, as their opponents in their last five matches have discovered. That sequence includes Hampshire and Somerset as well as Nottinghamshire, all beaten by an innings by the middle session of the third day. Yorkshire, beaten by and innings at the Kia Oval and seven wickets at Scarborough, at least managed to detain them until the final morning.Rory Burns and Ollie Pope are the leading scorers in a powerful batting unit, Ben Foakes is a very useful wicketkeeper-batsman and Surrey can assemble a seam quartet as formidable anyone’s. Nottinghamshire think there’s is none too dusty but Morne Morkel, Sam Curran, Jade Dernbach and Rikki Clarke outbowled them comprehensively here. Add to their capabilities the fresh potency of Amar Virdi’s offspin and Surrey are a side with no obvious shortcomings.Your crazy ideas for The Hundred

Our listeners’ madcap suggestions on how to improve The Hundred. David Hopps and Dan Norcross are in disbelief as they pore through your wildest schemes on our Talking T20 Podcast

They stretched their lead over Nottinghamshire to 43 points from one game fewer and even if Somerset overtake the Trent Bridge side and go second by completing a win over Worcestershire at New Road they will still have a daunting gap to close with only six fixtures remaining. It is hard to see any destination for the title now other than The Oval, but then it has looked that way for a while.Surrey are reaping the benefits, too, of having players, such as Burns, Pope and Foakes, who are on the radar of the England selectors but are not imminent picks; others, such as Curran, Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman, who have been considered worthy of a look but are not currently needed; and a third category, into which Dernbach and Clarke fall, who have substantial experience at international level but are not likely to add to it.Burns again reinforced his candidacy here with the keystone innings of the Surrey innings, in which the patience, stoicism and astute judgment his supporters have been talking up for at least the last 12 months were his most reliable assets. He is growing nicely into the role of captain, too.It was one of those days when, with the outcome almost guaranteed, it would have been easy to go through the motions, let things drift. Instead, he kept thinking, trying different things to make sure the batsmen did not settle and to keep his bowlers on their toes.Morne Morkel has been an influential Surrey signing•Getty ImagesIt worked handsomely. Will Fraine, the 22-year-old debutant in a Nottinghamshire team that is in transition, did himself no harm at all, extending his stay to almost 90 minutes against bowling, from Morkel in particular, that was as challenging as anything he has faced so far and though he was disappointed to be out on 30, well caught by the diving Foakes off a decent delivery by Clarke, he had many reasons to feel pleased with himself.Otherwise, only Samit Patel threatened to be an obstacle in Surrey’s path and his half-century was a breezy affair rather than anything with a stubborn quality. He was undone easily enough by Morkel, who tempted him into a loose drive that saw him comfortably caught at second slip by Borthwick.Patel’s wicket prompted the final collapse, the last seven Nottinghamshire batsmen disappearing for 46 runs in eight-and-a-half overs as Surrey applied the boot to the throat. Morkel, who bowled with a controlled hostility throughout that only Luke Fletcher on the Nottinghamshire side was anywhere near matching, finished with 5 for 60 and 9 for 120 in the match. Five Surrey bowlers now have between 24 and 30 wickets each, which is a factor as important as any in where they are.”To bowl them out in under two sessions today was really outstanding,” Burns said afterwards. “Morne Morkel takes the plaudits with a five-for today but the way the bowling unit went about it to bowl out a very good Notts side for 200 twice shows the way we are going about our business.”We are winning our games in a dominant fashion and it makes it easy for me as captain but we have to keep on going about our processes the right way and doing what we have done well so far.”Peter Moores, the Nottinghamshire head coach, believes the title is Surrey’s to lose. “They look a good side so credit to them,” he said. “They’re in a great position and if they keep playing this cricket they’ve got a great chance. Morkel is key. He opens things up for them.”If we win our last five games we can create a bit of pressure but in this game we have to accept that we didn’t bat, bowl or field well enough.”

ScorecardGlamorgan were denied their second win of the season by the Derbyshire tailenders at Swansea, where Tony Palladino – who faced 108 balls for his unbeaten 30 – and Duanne Olivier batted out the final 14.3 overs to earn the visitors a draw.When Derbyshire lost their eighth wicket, Glamorgan were favourites to win but, with stubborn resistance and some good fortune, the visitors held out.Glamorgan had resumed at their overnight score of 201 for 3, making rapid progress in the opening session as 107 runs were scored in the first hour at the rate of six runs an over. Kiran Carlson and Usman Khawaja shared a record partnership of 289 for the fourth wicket, the highest for any wicket for Glamorgan against Derbyshire, surpassing the previous record set by Mark Cosgrove and Michael Powell.Khawaja was to the first to reach his century, and he also became the first Glamorgan batsman to score successive hundreds in his fist two games for the club. Carlson reached his landmark shortly afterwards before racing to his next fifty from only 20 deliveries.Both batsmen surrendered their wickets in the quest for quick runs, and after David Lloyd had struck a brisk undefeated 43, Glamorgan declared to leave Derbyshire a target of 325 from a minimum of 63 overs.The visitors were soon in trouble as Harvey Hosein had his middle stump uprooted in Michael Hogan’s first over, then Ben Slater was lbw to Andrew Salter – also in his first over – with Derbyshire struggling at 18 for 2.Much depended on Derbyshire’s best batsmen Wayne Madsen, and he responded with some aggressive shots, notably against Salter, whom he struck for three fours in one over. However, Alex Hughes was the next to go when he edged Hogan, who had changed ends, to second slip.Derbyshire resumed after tea on 77 for 3, with 40 overs remaining, but there then followed a flurry of wickets. Ben Godleman was the first to go when he chipped Prem Sisodiya to midwicket, before the 19-year-old debutant took the vital wicket of Madsen, who was caught at backward point.When Matt Critchley became Hogan’s third victim, Derbyshire had slumped to 93 for 6, but Gary Wilson and Palladino provided stubborn resistance for 15.2 overs. Wilson faced 72 balls before he was lbw to Lukas Carey for 26, a decision he clearly didn’t agree with, as he stalked back to the pavilion.Hamidullah Qadri quickly followed for a pair in the game to give Hogan his fourth wicket – but there was further frustration for Glamorgan as Olivier joined Palladino to defend on a fourth-day pitch that offered little to the bowlers.

Sir Alex Ferguson didn't often get it wrong in the transfer market when in charge of his great Manchester United sides.

This is a manager who signed Wayne Rooney, nurtured the development of Cristiano Ronaldo, poached Robin van Persie from his great rival Arsene Wenger, acquired Rio Ferdinand from fellow rivals in Leeds United and brought Ole Gunnar Solskajer, the scorer of a Champions League final winner, to great fame.

There are, of course, plenty of other names. But for every Ronaldo and Rooney, there is a Bebe, a Phil Jones of the world to plague Fergie's success in the transfer market.

The Scot is renowned as one of the best, if not the best manager the game has seen, but that doesn't mean he didn't get a few things wrong.

After all, the great tactician once suggested that Jones could become the greatest player in the Old Trafford club's history. That was a prophecy that never came true. Indeed, Jones is now 31 and without a club having endured injury hell in Manchester.

That said, he is perhaps not the biggest example of lost potential. Step forward a certain Juan Sebastian Veron.

How much did Man United sign Veron for?

Back in 2001, United went to great lengths to welcome the Argentine to the club. Indeed, they would eventually part ways with £28m to secure his services.

That was a British transfer record at the time, a record that has now soared to Moises Caicedo's £115m in today's market. How times change, but keep that in mind for later.

Learning his trade in Argentina as a young star, it was in Italy where Veron really rose to prominence. Enjoying time with Sampdoria, Parma and then Lazio, the box-to-box midfielder who seemingly had it all in his locker, registered 25 goals and 43 assists at those clubs before moving to United.

It was clear, therefore, what Ferguson thought he was getting. A playmaker who could boost their hopes of winning the Champions League after three successive league titles.

Not just a player capable of influencing play in the final third, United signed the midfielder due to his ability to make an impact defensively. Indeed, as per Sofascore's historic World Cup statistics, Veron made four key passes per game during the 1998 edition, while also making three interceptions and 2.2 tackles per game.

To put those numbers into modern-day context, Bruno Fernandes tops the charts at United for key passes per match this season with 3.2. Casemiro, meanwhile, leads the way for average tackles with 2.7 and Aaron Wan-Bissaka holds the title of most interceptions with 1.4, as per Sofascore.

When considering his multi-faceted style of play, it's hard to believe he underwhelmed at United, but that's exactly what happened.

How many games did Veron play for Man United?

During his stint under Fergie, Veron played 82 times, scoring 11 goals and registering 15 assists. For a midfielder, contributing a goal once every three games isn't an awful number.

You would, however, expect more for the price tag. Paul Pogba, for context, bagged 39 goals and supplied 51 assists in 226 games after returning to United, contributing to a goal once every 2.5 games.

So, why was he thought of so poorly? Well, these words from Sir Alex will help you to understand.

"Juan Veron was capable of exceptional football and was talented. But, at times, he found the Premiership a bit difficult," Ferguson stated. "He was a European player and that was where we got our best form from him."

That was seen in the stats too, with the Argentina international having a hand in 14 goals during 22 Champions League outings, to just 11 involvements in 51 Premier League appearances.

Not moving abroad, and instead heading to Chelsea for £15m perhaps wasn't the best idea, therefore. After scoring just once in west London, a loan move to Inter followed and then he headed back to his homeland with Estudiantes.

What are the best quotes about Veron?

When Veron arrived at Man United's training base, a session that was currently in progress ground to a halt.

As Mike Phelan recalls: "He turned up at Carrington when we were doing a training session. He walked across and the training session stopped. All the players were like, ‘Wow, it’s Veron!’ — Scholes, Giggs, Keane, the lot. They all shook his hand. He made such an impact.”

Unfortunately, that impact was seldom replicated on the pitch, as Paul Scholes once remembered. Detailing why Veron didn't succeed in England, he believed it was due to a lack of their understanding together in the middle of the park:

"Yeah, me and Veron were a disaster," Scholes told Gary Neville. "I think me and Anderson did it once – just, no, it's not working, is it? Just two lads who don't care about defending – don't know the [DM] position that well. But it worked better with a Michael [Carrick] or a Roy [Keane] or a Nicky [Butt], who were brilliant playing a position they knew."

Such an eventuality was frustrating for a player who held so much talent in his locker. Ferguson may well have grown tired of Veron's tendency to fluctuate, but he still holds fond memories.

"He hit a pass for Beckham with the outside of his foot, and no back-lift, and it bent away round the defence. Beckham ran onto it and lobbed the goalkeeper. In moments, he might be sublime," Ferguson remembers.

How much would Veron be worth in today's market?

The inflation of transfer fees in football throughout the years has been rather ridiculous. Only this summer we saw the British transfer record that Veron once held broken twice.

First Declan Rice joined Arsenal for £105m, before Caicedo headed to the Argentine's former employers Chelsea for £10m more.

So, if the United flop was on the move now, how much would he cost? Well, the Transfer Index at Totally Money suggest he would be worth a staggering £86m if the same transfer happened from Lazio to Old Trafford.

They took the 100 most expensive transfers each season in Europe’s big five leagues – England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France – since the dawn of the Premier League in 1992 and armed with that data, produced the TotallyMoney Transfer Index to calculate football's unique inflation.

£158m

£129m

£122m

£121m

£119m

£118m

£88m

£87m

If you're wondering what the stars of today cost, then it hasn't changed a great deal. A further flop in Harry Maguire hasn't seen his transfer value impacted by inflation.

A staggering £80m signing from Leicester City, his career at United has been a tumultuous affair. That said, considering in today's money he only cost £6m less than Veron, he has been a more successful signing.

A club captain, the defender has appeared 176 times, suggesting that for longevity alone, it was a more prudent deal than Veron at the time, who would leave after just two seasons, now to be mentioned among the biggest flops we have seen in England.

England have added James Vince to a 14-man squad for the fourth Test against India, starting at the Ageas Bowl next Thursday. Vince will provide cover for Jonny Bairstow, who sustained a fractured finger during England’s defeat at Trent Bridge.Vince played the last of his 13 Tests in April on England’s tour of New Zealand, before being dropped at the start of the home summer. He averaged 30.54 over the winter – as opposed to a career mark of 24.90 – and scored all three of his Test fifties to date; he has also been in good form for Hampshire, with innings of 74 and 147 against Nottinghamshire this week.Vince is only likely to play if Bairstow is deemed unfit, however. England are hopeful that Bairstow will be able to feature as a specialist batsman, with Jos Buttler set to remain behind the stumps after taking over wicketkeeping duties during the third Test and subsequently scoring his maiden hundred.

England squad

Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes

The only other change to the squad is Jamie Porter missing out, primarily to be available for Essex in the Championship. Keaton Jennings and Alastair Cook have been retained as openers despite neither reaching fifty in the series so far.”The selection panel felt this was the right time to reintroduce James Vince to the Test squad,” Ed Smith, England’s national selector, said. “James will provide cover in case Jonny Bairstow’s fractured finger prevents him playing in the fourth Test match.James Vince plays one of his trademark drives•Getty Images

“James returns to the England set-up in confident form and scoring runs. He has been in excellent form for Hampshire in the Specsavers County Championship, with 847 runs at 56.46, including 74 and 147 this week – runs that shaped Hampshire’s win against Nottinghamshire. James’ match-winning runs also helped Hampshire to win the Royal London Cup earlier this summer.”Jamie Porter has been part of the last three Test squads. But the selection panel did not want him to miss the opportunity of playing for Essex in the next round of Championship matches. He will return to the squad in the event of an injury to a seam bowler.”Bairstow’s injury could help provide a partial solution to England’s recent batting woes. If he is passed fit as a batsman, he is likely to move up the order to No. 4, allowing Ollie Pope, who is two Tests into his international career, to move down. Moeen Ali, who scored a double-hundred for Worcestershire at Scarborough in the week, is also an option to come in.Ben Stokes, who suffered a minor knee injury in the Trent Bridge Test, is not expected to be a fitness doubt. After being reassessed by the England medical team, he will be available to play as a batsman in Durham’s Vitality Blast quarter-final on Friday night.

Newcastle United are reportedly looking to complete the signing of an "extraordinary" renowned midfielder, as they aim to make further reinforcements in the coming transfer windows.

Newcastle transfer news…

Eddie Howe's side drew 2-2 at West Ham on Sunday afternoon, as Mohammed Kudus' late strike deprived them of three valuable Premier League points. While failure to pick up a victory in east London was slightly disappointing, it is still a draw that could be looked back on as a decent result in May, with the Hammers a strong team currently. Newcastle have really turned a corner since a poor start to the season, not least thrashing Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in the Champions League, and it feels as though they could once again be destined for big things in 2023/24.

One thing that could help the Magpies in their quest for glory is making a number of new signings in the January transfer window, allowing Howe to make his squad stronger, aiding rotation in the process. Should the right players not be available at that point, plenty of summer additions should be expected instead, even though the manager has addressed Newcastle's FFP situation, stating they won't lead to the club spending big, and that appears to have resulted in targeting a potential soon to be free agent.

Newcastle transfer update; Adrien Rabiot

According to a fresh Newcastle transfer update on Adrien Rabiot, the Magpies are interested in signing the Juventus midfielder at the end of this season, with Rabiot's contract expiring at that point. The Magpies aren't alone in expressing a keenness to snap up the Frenchman, however, with Manchester United also believed to be in the mix. Both clubs are "ready to knock on Rabiot's door again" after showing interest in the past, and they look in a better position to offer him a superior deal than Juve, as they look to keep hold of him.

Rabiot could be a really shrewd signing by Newcastle in the summer of 2024, with the free aspect of it making it far less of a gamble, too. Granted, the 28-year-old may demand high wages, but not having to pay a fee for him could make it an excellent deal. The Juve midfielder has been a top-level player for some time now, winning 38 caps for France and making a combined 412 appearances for his current club and Paris Saint-Germain, while former French striker David Trezeguet has described Rabiot as "extraordinary".

A box-to-box player who can provide both defensive nous and an eye for goal, Rabiot has averaged 2.1 aerial duel wins per game in Serie A so far this season, not to mention enjoying an 89% pass completion rate, highlighting the overall quality that he possesses in his game. He could therefore be great foil for the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, as well as providing Howe with the extra depth he may well crave.