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With the January transfer window now upon us, it will be fascinating to see if Manchester United make any additions to their squad. The Red Devils are in poor form once again under Ruben Amorim, having won just three games since the start of November.

Injuries are affecting them, too. The United boss is currently contending with the loss of Bruno Fernandes, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Matthijs de Ligt, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Harry Maguire are all out injured as well. Amorim will be hoping these injuries are not a theme of the second half of the season.

With that in mind, it would not be a surprise to see the Red Devils make some moves in the January transfer window.

Man United considering move for new attacker

It seems as though United’s attacking stocks this season will be cut somewhat short with a potential outgoing. Striker Joshua Zirkzee is linked with a move to Serie A giants Roma, which would see him return to the Italian top flight 18 months after leaving Bologna.

Well, with space in the squad for a new attacker, the Red Devils could well pursue a move for one of the brightest young wingers in European football, Yan Diomande.

Sky Sports are reporting at the beginning of 2026 that United are one of the clubs ‘monitoring’ the RB Leipzig star.

However, this will certainly be a tough race for the 13-time Premier League champions to win. They are facing tough competition for the Ivorian by Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, in a deal that could be as expensive as £61m.

How Diomande compares to Amad

There is no shortage of exciting young wingers in the world at the moment. The likes of Lamine Yamal will probably spring to mind here, and United have one of their own in Diomande’s international teammate Amad.

Well, the Leipzig star can surely be placed in the same bracket as his countryman. He has shone for the German side this season, with seven goals and four assists in just 16 appearances across all competitions. Nine of those goal involvements have come in the Bundesliga.

One of the great things about Diomande is the fearlessness with which he plays. The 19-year-old is more than confident to drive at a full back one-vs-one and look to beat them. As football scout Antonio Mango said, he is a “defender’s nightmare.”

To further understand just how good he is in those sorts of situations, take a look at his underlying dribbling numbers in the Bundesliga this term.

For example, he averages 4.26 completed take-ons per 90 minutes, which puts him in the top 1% of wingers across Europe, a pedestal he sits on for most key stats.

Diomande key dribbling stats

Stat

Number

Percentile

Take-ons attempeted

7.3

99th

Take-ons completed

4.26

99th

Progressive carries

6.28

99th

Carries into final third

3.95

99th

Carries into penalty area

3.34

96th

Stats from FBref

Signing the 19-year-old could certainly be like the second coming of Amad. His international teammate has shone at Old Trafford under Amorim, becoming a vital member of the side, often from right wing-back but also as a number 10.

Life under the Portuguese manager has not been easy for a few United players, but Amad has played so well in an unfamiliar role. In 44 games with Amorim in charge, he has 11 goals and ten assists, including a 12 minute hat-trick against Southampton last season.

Well, if Diomande can have that sort of impact, he will be an instant success. The similarities between the two are clear to see, with both being talented Ivorian wingers who thrive against a defender in isolated situations.

Subscribe to the newsletter for smart transfer insight Explore why targets like Diomande matter for squad building — from elite dribbling metrics to fit alongside players such as Amad. Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth transfer analysis, player profiles and scouting context.

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The addition of Diomande would be a huge coup for United. £61m for a top-level young winger with huge potential is a great fee in the current market, and if he is anywhere near as good as Amad, it will be a brilliant addition.

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKieron Pollard struck five fours and three sixes during his unbeaten 37-ball 59•Caribbean Premier League

Kieron Pollard’s unbeaten 59 and Robin Peterson’s 3 for 13 set up a 17-run win for defending champions Barbados Tridents over Jamaica Tallawahs at Sabina Park. More importantly, the victory – Tridents’ fifth of the season – helped them pull clear of Tallawahs by two points at the top of the table.Tridents chose to bat and put on an opening stand of 31 before Jerome Taylor dismissed Dilshan Munaweera in the fifth over. Tridents lost three wickets for 33 runs during the middle overs and fell to 64 for 4, but Pollard and Jason Holder led a recovery be adding 58 runs for the fifth wicket, taking the team past 120. Pollard struck five fours and three sixes for his fifty, the batsman’s second of the season. Andre Russell dismissed Holder and Navin Stewart in the 19th over to leave the visitors on 124 for 6, but the final over of Tridents’ innings yielded 22 runs, with Pollard slamming two sixes and a four. His blitz meant that Tallawahs needed 147 for the win.However, the hosts’ chase did not begin well, as Ravi Rampaul dismissed the tournament’s top run-getter Chris Gayle early to end an 18-run opening partnership. Peterson then spun Tallawahs into further trouble, picking up the wickets of Chris Lynn, Mahela Jayawardene and Jermaine Blackwood all in the fifth over to reduce the team to 36 for 4.Chadwick Walton and Nkrumah Bonner revived the chase with a 67-run stand for the fifth wicket, but with the fall of Walton’s wicket in the 16th over, Tallawahs chances of a win were dented. Holder then dismissed Andre Russell and Rusty Theron in the 18th over to all but seal the game.

Dinanath Ramnarine: accused the board of ‘a certain level of disrespect to the players and their own welfare’ © T&T Express

Confusion over the West Indies A tour of Zimbabwe remains more than a week after Cricinfo revealed that the players’ association (WIPA) had said that it was against the trip going ahead.In the six days since then, little progress appears to have been made. The West Indies board (WICB) has requested documentary evidence from WIPA to back up claims that it had been told that the players’ safety was a major concern.WIPA, in turn, has declined to provide this as much of the evidence it has gathered has been given on the condition of anonymity, especially from sources within Zimbabwe. Cricinfo has seen one mail from a senior politician which said: “While I personally would love to watch the West Indies A team play in Zimbabwe you will do more for the game of cricket generally and in Zimbabwe if you decide to decline the invitation.”The two sides remain firmly entrenched. WIPA is adamant that is has the full backing of players, and Cricinfo is aware of several who have already said they are not prepared to make the trip, although The Nation reported that it has spoken to others who were keen to go. The WICB has assurances from Zimbabwe Cricket that safety is not an issue.The relationship between WIPA and the board is almost non existent, as commented on in yesterday’s arbitration ruling, and this is hampering progress.Tony Deyal, the board’s corporate services manager, told The Nation that a decision was imminent. “Whatever decision is taken will be taken seriously and in the best interest of all the players,” he said. “We are waiting for [WIPA chief executive Dinanath] Ramnarine to get back to us. If he doesn’t, we have to make a decision and we hope to make it by tomorrow [Thursday].”We’ve asked WIPA for the sources of their information. This is not a competition. We are dealing with an issue where we are very concerned,” Deyal said. “There are not two sides in this thing. There is only one side. The question of safety of the players. What we are trying to ascertain is what information WIPA has that we don’t have. We have all the assurances of support and safety.”WIPA is also unhappy that despite claims from the WICB that a squad has been picked, it has not been named less than nine days before the side is due to land in Harare.”It is very unfortunate that the board will go to everybody else and then come to us last,” Ramnarine said. “We are the most critical people … the players, their safety. It really shows not just disrespect to the agreement, but a certain level of disrespect to the players and their own welfare. That is something that WIPA feels strongly about. We have a role and a responsibility to protect our members and we will continue to do so.”In Zimbabwe, Lovemore Banda, the board’s media manager, said that he was still optimistic. “We are just waiting to hear from them,” he said, “but we are hopeful the team will be traveling.”The Zimbabwe squad has been training for a few days in Harare. Brendan Taylor is a notable absentee – he is reported to be in London – while Elton Chigumbura is in South Africa on personal business and expected to arrive soon. A local source reported that a number of the players were waiting on the decision by West Indies before deciding what to do in the longer term.

Scorecard

Ed Smith pulls one away during his 114 © Martin Williamson

Last night was the mid-season meeting for Middlesex members and they would certainly have had plenty to moan about after their side’s feeble effort in the first innings against Lancashire. While the team will still lose sometime before lunch tomorrow, at least centuries from Ed Smith and Scott Styris showed some backbone and pushed this match into a fourth day that had appeared unlikely.Smith’s century was his second of the season and will have brought welcome relief for a player who has become more acquainted with single figure scores in recent matches. However, he lived a charmed life and was put down on 96 when Kyle Hogg dropped a sitter at mid-on off Brad Hodge as Smith got a leading edge. He also flirted with Lancashire’s deep-set field on the legside with a number of his pulls on just falling short of the fielders.Hogg’s drop came on a day when, on a rare occasion this summer, things didn’t go Lancashire’s way. At the start of the morning they needed to replace Luke Sutton with the second team wicketkeeper, Gareth Cross, after Sutton sustained a broken thumb on the second day. He had been struck by Mohammad Ali during his 72, but continued to bat and kept throughout Middlesex’s first innings and the start of the follow-on. However, overnight the injury was assessed – via a trip back to Manchester – and Sutton is expected to be out for around a month, which rules him out of the Twenty20 zonal round.For most of the morning session Cross and the rest of the fielders had watched Smith and the nightwatchman Chris Peploe. The bowling was not as impressive as the first innings and Smith was quick onto anything loose. Peploe showed an admirable defence although he could have been dislodged on 18 if Iain Sutcliffe had not been on his heels at short-leg.It took the introduction of Hodge to break a stand of 127 when People slogged him straight to mid-on in his opening over. Hodge should have had Smith, too, but the century arrived off 136 balls. After lunch, though, Lancashire appeared to have made the killer breakthroughs. Smith was well held at mid-on by Cork then Owais Shah fell to a stunning reflex effort by Sutcliffe, at short-leg, who clung onto half-volley that Shah clipped cleanly off his toes.

Dominic Cork celebrates his catch to remove Smith as Lancashire cause a middle-order collapse© Martin Williamson

The collapse continued as Eoin Morgan was bowled round his legs by Gary Keedy then Paul Weekes was snapped up at silly point off the face of the bat. Keedy was rewarded for perseverance although he never actually bowled that well; too dragging the ball short and being easily dispatched.Styris found a stubborn partner in David Nash, who has made himself very hard to drop after two gusty innings, and they added 134 in nearly two hours as the bowlers tired. Nash survived a huge appeal against Keedy first ball, but Mark Chilton had to use seven different options to try and remove him. It took the second new ball, and Cork running on empty, to do the job as Nash edged a flashing cut to Cross, after Tom Smith had added to the fielding blunders by dropping him on 27 at second slip.Styris crossed to his first ton of the season off 113 balls and continued to play his shots with the bowlers for company. Chilton spilled him at point on 121 but he was finally removed by Cork during a commendable show of stamina on a flat pitch. Cork ended with a worthy four-wicket haul, and eight in the match, when he bounced out Mohammad Ali in the second over.Middlesex’s extra fight means Lancashire couldn’t quite secure the day off they would have liked ahead of their C&G clash against Warwickshire, but by lunchtime tomorrow they will have consolidated their position at the top of the table as the Championship takes its Twenty20 break.

South Africa 193 for 3 in 45.5 overs (Dippenaar 74) beat Pakistan 192 in 49.3 overs (Abdul Razzaq 38, Pollock 3-33) by seven wickets, and won the series 3-2
Scorecard

Shaun Pollock celebrates trapping Yousuf Youhana lbw for a duck © Getty Images

South Africa completed a remarkable turnaround in this one-day series, winning the fifth and final match at Rawalpindi by seven wickets to come back from 0-2 down to take the series 3-2. Their heroes were Boeta Dippenaar, who anchored the innings with an accomplished 74, and Mark Boucher, the stand-in captain, who had an inspired time in his first ODI in charge. He had to step up to lead in the absence of Graeme Smith, who like Andrew Hall was banned from this match for misdemeanours back in the second game at Lahore.South Africa looked likely winners from early on, when Andre Nel made two important early breakthroughs. Shaun Pollock finished with the best figures, but Nel and Robin Peterson, the inexperienced slow left-armer, both took two important wickets as well.The return of Inzamam-ul-Haq after a leg injury did little to help Pakistan, who have underperformed after those two early victories. Batsman after batsman prodded and jabbed … and perished. None of the top-order batsmen was capable of playing the sheet-anchor role that was badly needed.To add to Pakistan’s woes, Boucher had a plan for every batsman, plus some inspired bowling changes and field-placings. And when South Africa batted, Dippenaar showed the Pakistanis how to go about building an innings, and with help from Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis he ensured that the victory was completed without much ado.South Africa took control as early as the second over of the day, when Mohammad Hafeez’s miserable run continued. His middle stump was uprooted by Nel, and when Yousuf Youhana was lbw to Pollock, it was 16 for 2. Pollock, who was economical throughout these five matches, and Nel – whose intensity was contagious – never let up on the discipline and were pivotal in the context of the series triumph.Younis Khan joined Yasir Hameed, and though both tried in vain to unsettle the bowlers by standing outside their crease with a middle-stump guard, the scoreboard ticked over only slowly. Then Boucher pulled the first rabbit out of his cap. In the 10th over, bowled by Nel, Boucher moved Kallis from second slip to short midwicket. The next ball was well pitched up and homing in on leg stump, and Hameed obligingly chipped it straight to Kallis (35 for 3).Inzamam was struggling with his leg injury, and his notoriously suspect running was further hindered. Boucher encouraged his team to shy at Inzamam’s end whenever they could, and it paid off when Jacques Rudolph threw down the stumps with a direct hit from mid-on. And finally, when Younis and Shoaib Malik were playing the seamers comfortably, Boucher quickly brought on Peterson. He duly obliged with two quick wickets, with generous assistance from the batsmen. Malik holed out to Nel, while Younis played back to one that kept very low.With Rashid Latif nudging intelligently in partnership with Abdul Razzaq, who played some lavish drives on both sides of the wicket in his 38, a spot of late-order carnage seemed on the cards. But Boucher didn’t let things drift and brought back Makhaya Ntini, who responded by persuading Razzaq to edge a catch behind (152 for 7). Latif, who nurdled 25, received some useful support from the tail and managed to lift the total from meagre to remotely defendable.If Pakistan were to win they needed early wickets, and Shoaib Akhtar nearly obliged during a fiery opening spell. But Dippenaar and Herschelle Gibbs managed to keep him out, and also kept the score ticking over at four an over. Akhtar’s first over nearly did the trick: first a huge appeal for leg-before against Dippenaar was turned down, then he completely missed a yorker-length ball that fizzed past the off stump. Dippenaar played and missed a couple of times in Akhtar’s next over, but with Mohammad Sami getting his length all wrong, he grew in confidence and slowly unveiled some neat cuts and pulls.Dippenaar was ably supported, first by Gibbs and then by Kallis. They eased the pressure by collecting the odd boundary to raise the rate. Danish Kaneria, the legspinner, bowled an impressive spell in which he turned the ball appreciably, and his awkward bounce unsettling the batsmen. He was rewarded with the wicket of Gibbs, who danced down the track, missed, and was stumped by a distance (75 for 1). But then Kallis and Dippenaar added 93 at a steady rate, and apart from one stray yorker that nearly castled Kallis, and a wayward chip that sailed between two fielders, both were very assured and picked off the singles easily.Sami came back in the 39th over, with 25 needed, and caused a minor ripple. He bowled Kallis with one that kept low, and finally trapped Dippenaar leg-before. His matchwinning 74 occupied 125 balls, and contained five fours. But Rudolph and Neil McKenzie survived some edgy moments to guide South Africa to a 3-2 series win with 25 balls to spare – a final outcome that seemed almost impossible after those two defeats in Lahore at the start of the series.

The overloaded one-day calendar just became even fuller, with news that three of the game’s key superpowers – Australia, India and Pakistan – will stop off in the Netherlands on their way to this year’s Champions Trophy in England.Each side will play each other once with the top two sides going through to a final. The tournament will reportedly run from August 22-29, coinciding with the Athens Olympics.In 25 years of tri-nation one-day tournaments it will be only the second time these three countries have faced off in a triangular tournament. In their previous three-way encounter, the Carlton & United Series of 1999-2000, Australia won nine straight matches.It will be the first multi-nation series to take place in the Netherlands, who staged one World Cup game in 1999.A Cricket Australia spokesman could not confirm the dates but said the Australians are scheduled to arrive in Holland on August 20. The 12-nation Champions Trophy begins on September 10.The Australians have already played 17 one-day internationals this year, more than India (15) and Pakistan (10). The new, as yet unnamed, tournament means they are so far scheduled to play a possible 28 ODIs in 2004 – down from 35 last year and their 1999 peak of 37. But it’s only May.

Tickets
Tickets for the tournament will be available from June 22 through the Dutch agency Top Ticket Line. Book through their website, www.topticketline.nl (beware: it’s in Dutch), telephone (+31) 20 2061084, or write to Topticketline, PO Box 12850, 1100 AW Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Mumbai stormed into the Ranji Trophy Elite Group final on Sunday after yet another sorry capitulation by Baroda’s batsmen. The 34-time Ranji champions bundled out their opponents for 122 in their second essay to complete an innings and 138 runs victory at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation Ground, Vadodara.Baroda, who began the day needing another 244 runs to make Mumbai bat again, lost their second wicket after the addition of just 20 runs to the overnight total of 16 for 1. Two more wickets quickly followed as the hosts were reduced to 40 for four.Then came the only meaningful partnership of the day with Rakesh Solanki (38) and Ajit Bhoite (19) putting on 50 runs for the fifth wicket. But once Bhoite fell to leg-spinner Sairaj Bahatule, the steady procession of batsmen resumed. Bahatule went on to claim a further four wickets, including that of last man Zaheer Khan, to end up with flattering figures of 5 for 21 in 13.2 overs.Mumbai now await the winner of the other semi-final between Tamil Nadu and Delhi, being played at Feroz Shah Kotla.

The present reported unrest in parts of Zimbabwe has received wide coverage by local and international press and various agencies around the world are calling for the possible cancellation of the above tours.The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has discussed the above tours with the management of the United Cricket Board of South Africa and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and we believe there is no good reason why these tours should not continue as scheduled, and further more we are of the view that there is no risk to our visitors in visiting Zimbabwe to play matches in Harare and Bulawayo.Adequate security has been part and parcel of all visiting teams to Zimbabwe and this will be no different for the forthcoming tours.The Union is monitoring the situation on a regular basis and will continue to advise the boards of South Africa and England on the latest situation. Both the UCBSA and ECB have confirmed that these tours will take place at present, and senior administrative officials from both countries have also confirmed their acceptance of invitations from our Union to visit during these respective tours.The streets of Harare and Bulawayo remain some of the safest in the world. The information received from the Central Statistical Office indicates that in the five months to May 2001, some 635,000 tourists have visited Zimbabwe from destinations throughout the world, which numbers include no less than 244 000 from South Africa and 43 000 from the United Kingdom/Ireland in the same period under review.The Zimbabwe Cricket Union is consistent in it’s policy of ensuring for the safety of our visitors, and this policy will be followed regarding the tours by South Africa and England to Zimbabwe in September and October of this year.

Hosts Goa lived to fight another day in their South Zone Ranji Trophyencounter against Andhra at Margao on Saturday. After Andhra declaredat their overnight 514/5, presumably satisfied by a handsome lead of351, the hosts progressed to 249/5 before stumps were drawn. The pickof the batsmen was Goa import Tanveer Jabbar who made 94 before beingrun out in the final session of the day.Goa were in troubled waters at lunch, going into the break at 87/3.The top three in the batting order, Messrs. Rane, Kolankar andAmonkar, all fell in their twenties, failing to push for a big scoreafter getting their eye in. Jabbar and Sagun Kamat gave Goa somesolace, batting through the post-lunch session. Their 110 run standwas finally broken when Kamat gave off spinner YS Ranganath his thirdwicket of the innings.Jabbar found another dependable partner in Anant Bhagwat, the pairadding 51 before the former fell just 15 balls before the curtain wasbrought down. His 94 had come off 174 balls and included 11boundaries. Bhagwat who made a brisk unbeaten 41, negotiated Goathrough to close of play in the company of skipper Pravin Amre on whommuch will depend if the hosts are to provide any semblance ofresistance on Sunday.

Match facts

Sunday, April 20, 2008
Start time 20:00 local, (14:30 GMT)

	If fit, Tendulkar will captain a high-profile Mumbai side © AFP

The Big Picture

This could well be a game where both guests and hosts are likely to play the more traditional cricket than the hard-hitting stuff that has been evident so far. The Mumbai Indians and the Bangalore Royal Challengers both have batsmen who prefer finesse to powerplay. Mumbai not only represent the IPL’s richest franchise but also possess two batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya – who have between them played more than 800 ODIs and piled up 28671 runs. However, Mumbai’s middle and lower order, apart from Shaun Pollock, comprise local and untried international talent. They will also miss the pace of Lasith Malinga, absent due to injury, and will have to rely on Dilhara Fernando and Pollock.

Watch out for …

Tendulkar who, if he recovers from his groin injury – indications are that he will – can inspire his team to take the fight to the opposition. As he showed during the two back-to-back finals in the CB Series, he can still make bowlers bow. Then there is the ferocity of the aging, but still dangerous, Jayasuriya, who could just provide the impetus in which this short format.

Team news

Tendulkar’s groin injury remains a concern and the final decision will be taken by the physio on Sunday morning. A squad of 27 was pruned to 17 but Mumbai will have to wait till the second game for the services of Dwayne Bravo, who arrives on Sunday. Fernando might partner Pollock with the new ball with a support cast of Abhishek Nayar and fast bowler Dhaval Kulkarni or the allrounder Musaveer Khote. But Harbhajan might prove to the thorn for Bangalore with his experience in playing the restrictive hand in ODIs as well as Twenty20 games in the past.Mumbai (likely) 1 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Saurabh Tiwary, 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 Shaun Pollock, 8 Abhishek Nayar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Dhaval Kulkarni/Musaveer KhoteAfter a classic faux pas in the opening game Bangalore are likely to open with Shivnarine Chanderpaul instead of Dravid and Wasim Jaffer, a pairing more suitable for the longer form of the game. Dravid confirmed Anil Kumble wouldn’t be available for the match, as he is still recovering from his groin injury. Ashley Noffke, the Australian fast bowler, will miss out after suffering a groin injury in the first game where he had figures of 1 for 40. That might allow B Akhil to hold on to his spot .Bangalore (likely) 1 Rahul Dravid (capt), 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Wasim Jaffer, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Cameron White, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 B Akhil, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Sunil Joshi

Stats and trivia

In 14 Twenty20 matches, Sanath Jayasuriya has taken 23 wickets at an average of 13.86, and a strike rate of 11.3 balls per wicket.

Luke Ronchi, the Mumbai wicketkeeper, has struck 45 boundaries (34 fours, 11 sixes) in 139 balls in Twenty20 matches, which is an average of a boundary every 3.1 balls

Bangalore’s 140-run defeat against Kolkata on Friday is the fourth-largest in Twenty20 cricket.

Quotes

“To motivate this diverse bunch of players is not difficult. But we had to make them (the foreign players) understand the Mumbai tradition which we discussed in a few meetings about what institutions like Shivaji Park means to a Mumbai player. I also made them aware of the support the Mumbai crowd will provide – the noise the Mumbai crowd makes is unique. You need to enjoy and not get overawed.”
Tendulkar