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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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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

A report in today’s London Times has backed claims at the weekend that a Home Office pathologist has concluded Bob Woolmer died of natural causes and was not murdered.Reports from the post-mortem, photographs and other material have been examined by Dr Nat Carey, the pathologist who examined the bodies in the Soham murder case.The original post-mortem, carried out in Jamaica, decided that strangulation was possible because a bone on Woolmer’s neck had been broken.Police are reported to be waiting for the results of a toxicology report after traces of a herbicide were found in Woolmer’s body. The chemical is sometimes used on cricket pitches as a weedkiller, and one theory is that he might have accidentally ingested it. The report will show if the level of the toxin were suspiciously high or whether they could have built up over a period of time.The Times noted that the herbicide can cause sickness and diarrhea, both of which Woolmer suffered on the night he died. The broken bone could have been the result of a fall as he collapsed in his hotel bathroom.The report also claimed that the possibility that he was attacked by a disgruntled fan or player have been ruled out.There were also criticisms of the handling of the investigation by the Jamaica police, with delays in retrieving and examining the CCTV, a failure to take swabs from Woolmer’s hands and body, and the fact that the body was embalmed within hours of the post mortem.The Jamaica Gleaner published a hard-hitting editorial on Tuesday in which the local police were openly slammed. “The now-it-is-now-it-isn’t spectacle being played out in the international media over Woolmer’s death must be particularly upsetting to his family and makes Jamaica’s constabulary appear a bunch of incompetent boobs. It couldn’t hurt the investigation, we feel, to publish the pathology report so as to clear the air. There should also be some official statement why the scheduled coroner’s inquest appears to have been postponed indefinitely.”

Michael Vaughan goes through his paces at Headingley © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan is set to make his long-awaited return to competitive cricket when he turns out for Yorkshire this week. He will either play in their C&G Trophy match against Scotland on Monday or in the Championship game against Hampshire which starts on Wednesday.Vaughan, who has not played since making a brief appearance in a tour match in India three months ago, underwent surgery on his right knee in December, and has battled to return to fitness ever since.On Friday, Yorkshire physio Wayne Morton said Vaughan was “ahead of schedule” in his rehabilitation and working “extremely hard” on his recovery.In today’s Independent on Sunday, Vaughan admitted that he realised the need for him to return sooner rather than later. “Hopefully I’ll be back soon leading the team. That’s the one thing that scares me most, that I won’t get the opportunity to do that again. I would like to think that the team would allow me to come back and be their leader if I get fit again, whether it’s this week, two weeks, four weeks. I’d like to think I’d done enough to get another opportunity if I come back. That is the most important thing.”Andrew Flintoff, who has led England in Vaughan’s absence, welcomed the announcement. “It’s great news,” he grinned. “We want Vaughany back in the side as soon as possible.”Many have privately started saying that Vaughan was finished, but he was at pains to stress that was premature. “I can understand people writing what they have because we hadn’t got to the bottom of it. Now we have. It could take quite a bit longer. People have got to be patient, but next time I play cricket, it will be the right time.”It seems that much more will be known by this time next week.

Scorecard
The Roses match continued to be a closely fought occasion as both sides enjoyed moments of supremacy on the second day. Phil Jaques was the star of the day, striking an imperious 97 from 118 balls, with all his runs coming in the morning session, but he edged to Dominic Cork at second slip shortly after the interval. Lancashire had struck two early blows, with Matthew Wood being freakishly run out, via a rebound off Iain Sutcliffe at silly mid-off, as Wood backed-up too far at the non-strikers end. Glen Chapple had Anthony McGrath taken at second slip before Jaques and Lumb added 83 for the third wicket. Lumb’s 68 was his first half-century of a lean season but Lancashire continued to work away at the Yorkshire batting order. However, Craig White remained unbeaten at the close and he will be vital on the third day as Yorkshire aim to get as close to Lancashire’s 379 as possible.
Scorecard
Ben Smith struck a fluent century as Worcestershire made a strong reply to Somerset’s 408 at Bath. He built on some solid work from Stephen Moore and Graeme Hick who put on 105 for the second wicket, after Steven Davies had edged Andrew Caddick to Graeme Smith slip early on. Hick also fell to Caddick, for 55, and Moore was out 14 short of his century but Smith was already into his stride. Zander de Bruyn offered valuable support with 30 and Gareth Batty guided Worcestershire to the close with Smith. However, Batty will not be able to resume his innings in the morning as he will have joined up with England’s one-day squad. Worcestershire will be allowed a full-playing substitute. Matthew Wood, earlier, guided Somerset to a full hand of batting points in the morning session, as he was last-man out for 127.1st day
Scorecard
Durham made the most of batting first to set up a strong position in their top-of-the-table clash against Essex at Chester-le-Street. Gordon Muchall hit 123 and Dale Benkenstein, the stand-in captain while Mike Hussey is with the Australian’s, was unbeaten on 91 at the close. They added 167 for the fourth wicket, then Gareth Breese weighed in with 60 to further boost the Durham total. Essex had managed to make some early inroads into the Durham batting, with Dale Steyn removing John Lewis and Andre Adams getting the better of Nicky Peng. However, their attack has been weakened by injury and international call-ups – Darren Gough (England), Alex Tudor and Graham Napier were missing – and the support bowling couldn’t maintain the pressure. Mervyn Westfield, a 17-year-old fast-medium bowler, had a particularly tough debut as his 13 overs cost 67, while Nick Thornicroft, on loan from Yorkshire, failed to make an impression.

A jubilant Michael Vaughan – and a downcast Brian Lara – faced the press after England’s seven-wicket victory at Port-of-Spain:

Brian Lara congratulates Michael Vaughan© Getty Images

Michael Vaughan
On the match
We expected to win, but to be 2-0 up after two Tests is way beyond what we thought. It’s taken a hell of a lot of hard work to get in this position. It hasn’t been easy. We came through some tough periods – Butch and Nasser’s partnership was crucial to our victory. I think the cloud cover on the first two days helped both sets of bowlers, but Steve Harmison’s spell was a gem and Simon Jones’s was fantastic. It’s great having them both in the side, with a different bowler to fall back on. But both games could have gone either way. It’s important that we don’t get too complacent, we know West Indies will fight back.On the bowlers
I thought Steve Harmison bowled brilliantly at the end of last summer against South Africa at The Oval. He’s a real threat – just ask the Aussies, they’ve always said he’s a hard bowler to face. He’s swinging the ball now, and putting it in the right area. He’s worked hard for two months and it shows. But don’t forget Matthew Hoggard. He’s done a fantastic job. We’ve asked him to do a role, and he’s kept things tight with good swing and bounce. Simon Jones is not the finished product, so we need to treat him with care. It’s important we keep all the guys fit. They’re all keen and eager to learn and improve as well. Steve wasn’t happy with the way he bowled after the first morning, so he was straight onto the computer seeing where he went wrong and how he could improve. To me, that’s the sign of a focussed player.On his own form
I feel fine. I’m hitting the ball OK, I feel in good nick. I got a good ball in the first innings and got out in the second, but that’s part of the game. I’m sure a big score is just around the corner.Brian Lara
On the series
It’s still there, we can still level it. We need to learn not to make the same mistakes again. If we had taken advantage of certain situations then it could have been different, it’s not fair to say we’ve been dominated. We’ve lost one or two sessions, and that has cost us dearly. The senior batsmen are not producing. That is where the team needs to get its impetus from, like the English team does with Hussain, Butcher and Thorpe. We’ve got to perform better than that. The team are trying their best. They’re embarrassed and disappointed in our performance. The entire team know they’re not performing. We need to so some soul-searching. We had some discussions and a long meeting last night on how to get things right.On his own form
There’s no excuse for my batting. I’ll get back to the nets. I need to keep my head a little more still and not shuffle across my crease as much. But it’s a situation I’ve been in before, and one I’ve climbed out of.On the team’s batting
So far, we’ve been having problems between Nos. 3 to 5 in the order … we’ve been falling apart quickly. Ridley’s [Jacobs] managed to repair some of the damage, so we thought we’d give him the opportunity to bat with us rather than the bowlers. It almost worked, and I have to commend his performance. He set upthe platform, but myself and Dwayne [Smith] could not use that opportunity.On the way ahead
There are still positives in the team. We have to take responsibility and go forward from here. We’re not putting the entire game together. The England players are putting their entire game together and that is what we need to do.

TINO BEST hasn’t become down-spirited as a result of a few dangerous, full-pitched deliveries in what has been an otherwise impressive performance in the 2003 Carib Beer Series.The exciting Barbadian fast bowler’s 23 wickets are the second highest and his average of 16.86 is the second best among bowlers with more than ten wickets in the competition.His season has, however, been spoilt somewhat by two instances in which umpires have ordered that he be removed from the attack for delivering two deliveries over the level of the batsman’s waist in quick succession."I consider myself a fighter. I know one or two people might be disappointed, but that is cricket, that is life," Best said yesterday ahead of Barbados’ sixth-round match against the Leeward Islands, starting today at Kensington Oval."I think I have performed reasonably well for Barbados. Every time I have a bad day, I just think of good days and I get through it. I am just going to keep working hard."During Barbados’ third round match against Jamaica on February 16 at the North Stars Club ground in Crab Hill, St Lucy, Best was stopped from bowling for the remainder of the innings after sending down two over-pitched balls to Robert Samuels and Mario Ventura in consecutive overs.The 21-year-old suffered a similar fate at Kensington Oval last weekend when two similar-type balls went to Trinidad and Tobago last man, Mukesh Persad.He has, however, apologised to both teams for the unfortunate incidents."I was trying for too much pace. I was just trying to finish the innings as quickly as possible," Best said. "I was trying to bowl a yorker. People always tell me that with my pace, if I can get a yorker going, I would be devastating. The balls just slipped."I try hard. Any time I play for Barbados, I put in 180 per cent all the time, no matter what situation we are in. Sometimes you try too hard and things happen."Best reckons it is a fault that can be easily corrected.Hendy Wallace, a knowledgeable seasoned professional in Ireland who has been working with Barbados’ fast bowlers in the nets in the last few days, is trying to help him overcome the problem."He was saying that when I am about to deliver the ball, my bowling arm was going away from my body and sometimes the ball comes out at the back of my hand. That is really horrible for a fast bowler," Best said."He is trying to get me come a bit straighter. I just hope that everything works out well for me."Best comes throughThose incidents aside, Best has done everything captain Courtney Browne has asked of him this season.He has consistently bowled at good pace, even on an Albion pitch in Berbice that hardly encourages fast bowlers."It all has to do with team work and captaincy. I think Courtney has bowled me beautifully," said Best, who has described Jamaican pacerJermaine Lawson as one of his biggest role models."I am just running in, putting my head down and trying to bowl as fast as possible. I’m just trying to carry out my captain’s instructions."Very often, Browne has used him for short bursts, something he appreciates very much."As a young fast bowler, just because you are quick, it does not mean you should bowl ten overs on the trot," Best said."Sometimes Courtney gives me three overs, then three, then four. Every time I come back, I am fresh and I am bowling quicker and quicker. It has really helped me to bowl better and not get too carried away."Wherever Best has bowled, be it Kensington, Albion, North Stars or Sabina Park, he has had tongues wagging because if his raw pace. But for him, it is not a priority to generate excitement among spectators."I don’t set out to please the crowd. I set out to please Barbados’ cricket," he said.Prior to the start of the season, he set himself a goal of 30 wickets. With the possibility of Barbados having another four matches, the confident youngster has revised the figure."If we do go to the finals, which would be a very good achievement, I think I’ll be looking for about 45 to 50 wickets," he said."Given the way Courtney has bowled me, once I keep concentrating and putting the ball in the right area, I should get that quite easily."

Surrey coach Keith Medlycott has confirmed that Pakistan have approached him over the job of national coach in place of Richard Pybus.Medlycott, who guided Surrey to the B&H Trophy in last Saturday’s final at Lord’s, told CricInfo: “I have been asked for a CV. That’s the level it’s at so far.”The 36-year-old continued: “I’m in year one of a four-year contract at Surrey so I’m happy here. There’s no real information on me leaving at the moment.”However, he said: “If someone came in and offered £500,000, you never know.”Having led Surrey to back-to-back championships, Medlycott, a former Surrey and England A slow left-armer, is currently the most successful coach in the English game.As such, sources disclosed it was unlikely that Surrey would be keen to let him go unless it was to coach England.

Michael Bevan has responded to another excellent Mark Ramprakash hundred byfiring a sweet half century of his own to afford Sussex a slight edge overMiddlesex after three days of the teams’ absorbing County Championshipfixture at Southgate.Bevan (57*) reached his milestone in smart time to lead the visitors to asecond innings mark of 118/3 by stumps, one which leaves them precisely 150runs short of victory in a contest in which they have always appeared tohave their noses slightly in front. Typically, it was the Australian’s eyefor spotting gaps in the field, and placing his shots into them with aminimum of fuss, which lay at the core of his innings. Although aninjudicious attempt from Toby Pierce (25) to loft a Phil Tufnell (2/39)delivery over mid wicket and a similarly ill-timed lapse in concentrationfrom Chris Adams (20) in pushing out an arm ball from the same bowler didnot help the cause, his efforts largely ensured that Sussex was back ontrack for success by the time that stumps were finally drawn.Just in case no-one had noticed the events of two days ago, it had earlierbeen Ramprakash (112) who had dominated the opening two sessions of theday’s play with a brilliantly crafted fiftieth first-class century. Rightnow – with another Test axing hanging over his head and his Middlesexbatting teammates seemingly doing precious little on the field to help easethe pain – he could have been forgiven for cutting a tragic figure. But,in again summoning the mental and physical resources to prove himself a cutabove his colleagues, he proved the very antithesis. It was a courageousdisplay and was full of character, no mean feat considering that he spentthe first half of it watching another succession of batsmen come and go atthe other end. It wasn’t until Richard Johnson (52) followed his lead, andbatted with unstinting application to contribute half of a priceless 104run stand for the eighth wicket, that the formidable right hander finallyattained the support that he deserved.

	On top of the world: Ottis Gibson’s 80 wickets earned him his award © Getty Images

Three Englishmen, an Indian and a West Indian have been named as the Five Cricketers of the Year, cricket’s oldest accolade, in this year’s which is published today.Ian Bell, Ryan Sidebottom and Ottis Gibson were chosen for the award alongside India’s Zaheer Khan and the West Indian, Shivnarine Chanderpaul. All were chosen for their influence on the past English season, the traditional criteria for selection. Four of the five were picked for their achievements on the international stage, but Gibson’s nomination came for his outstanding performances for Durham last season.In the autumn of his career, Gibson led Durham’s attack magnificently to end the season with 80 wickets – only ten fewer than Mushtaq Ahmed and as one of two lone seamers in the top five wicket-takers in the Championship. His coup de grace came in July when he skittled Hampshire for 115, becoming the 79th player to take all ten wickets in an innings.Bell stood out as the England batsman who grew up, even if statistically he lacked the huge scores everyone continues to expect from him. It was in one-day cricket that he progressed the most, with an un-English strike-rate of 93. “It was hard to ignore the style,” Lawrence Booth wrote. “The confidence placedin him as a senior batsman helped bring out that diminutive, almost impish,aestheticism; his cover-drive won the team’s beauty contest hands down. Thecatches he has made at short leg, or at silly point when Monty Panesar hasbeen bowling, have long indicated a ball-sense of world-class standard.”From a burgeoning talent to one man’s renaissance: Sidebottom forced his way in and, such has success been, that he is now one of the first names on the team sheet. A late developer, Sidebottom finally took his first Test wicket six years after his made his Test debut in 2001. Now, as Simon Hughes writes,” he was now sure of his ability and trusted hismethods of fast-medium-pace and probing left-arm inswing from an impressive6ft 3in frame. They soon brought rewards. After the appalling waywardnessof Harmison and Co in early summer, his steadiness was immensely reassuring,and his duel with a struggling Tendulkar in the Trent Bridge Test was, for thepurist, one of the highlights of the summer”.Another left-armer stole the limelight from Sidebottom later in the summer, however. Zaheer took 18 wickets in the three Tests, including nine during India’s seven-wicket win at Trent Bridge, leading many to consider him the best left-armer India had ever possessed. His excellence was of little surprise to Worcestershire’s supporters, the club at which Zaheer honed his variations in 2006. “Playing for Worcestershire meant playing in different conditions, pitch and weather for five months. You had to innovate, use your thinking power,” he told Pradeep Vijayakar in his piece in the Almanack.Chanderpaul’s inclusion was perhaps the most expected of all. No other West Indian batsman showed his resilience, guts and skill against England. As Ian Bishop wrote, “that no other West Indian managed a score of more than 60 in the Tests speaks of the yawning gap between his skill, commitment and experience – and theirs”.Jacques Kallis was named as the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2007, while Kevin Pietersen adorned the front cover.