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The two will also train at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane and be part of Queensland Bulls’ pre-season preparations

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2022Chetan Sakariya and Mukesh Choudhary will headline the overseas presence at the KFC T20 Max series in Queensland next month. They will also train at Cricket Australia’s National Cricket Centre in Brisbane and be involved in Queensland Bulls’ pre-season preparations, as part of the old exchange programme with the Chennai-based MRF Pace Foundation, which had been paused because of Covid-19.Sakariya, 24, made a name for himself during IPL 2021, playing for Rajasthan Royals, and has turned out in an ODI and two T20Is so far while also playing for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022, while Choudhary was impressive in his debut IPL season, this year, for Chennai Super Kings, picking up 16 wickets in 13 games. The two will be joined by three Papua New Guinea internationals: Norman Vanua, Chad Soper and Charles Amini.Related

How 'systematic', 'quiet' Choudhary made it from Bhilwara to CSK

Meet Sakariya – who overcame personal tragedy to make it to the IPL

Sakariya will play for Sunshine Coast, while Wynnum-Manly will have the services of Choudhary. Sandgate-Redcliffe have all the three PNG players – regulars with their national side, which finished third at the recent World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe – in their ranks. Vanua and Soper are medium pacers, while Amini is a legspinning allrounder.There will also be a strong list of current or recent BBL players, some of them internationals, in the mix too: Jordan Silk, Beau Webster, Cameron Boyce, Ben Cutting, Liam Guthrie, Nick Larkin, Clint Hinchliffe, Josh Lalor, Nick Hobson, Jake Lehmann, Arjun Nair, Chris Sabburg, Nick Bertus, Ryan Gibson, Spencer Johnson and Nathan McSweeney.In a note on its website, Queensland Cricket said, “Due to the popularity of the concept and a surge in the number of players expressing interest, Queensland Cricket today updated the competition rules to allow each Premier club to sign an additional interstate or international recruit, moving from three players per club to four.”Several regionally based players have already brokered arrangements with teams, while contracted Queensland Bulls and Brisbane Heat players will be available for selection as part of their pre-season preparations.”The tournament will be played over three weeks, from August 18 to September 4, at the club grounds as well as at the refurbished Allan Border Field, under lights.Exchanges between the MRF Pace Foundation, founded in 1987, and Australia began in 1992, when the academy opened its doors to players from beyond India’s shores.Among the first to come and train under Dennis Lillee, then the director at MRF, was Glenn McGrath, who later took up the directorship once Lillee retired after a 25-year stint in 2012. Fast bowlers from many other countries, including Mohammad Asif (Pakistan), Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), Heath Streak (Zimbabwe), and premier quicks from Australia like Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, have all trained at the academy over the years. Similarly, young Indian quicks have been given the opportunity to spend time in Brisbane as part of the programme. The last of these, in 2019, were Prasidh Krishna, who has since played ten ODIs for India, and Mukhtar Hussain, the 23-year-old right-arm quick from Assam.

Fans have vented their fury at Sir Jim Ratcliffe over Manchester United's "awful" post-season tour of Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong announcement.

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Man Utd to play final PL game on May 25Will fly out immediately to the Far East for two matchesFans slammed Ratcliffe for neglecting 'player welfare'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Back in February, United head coach Ruben Amorim admitted that the first-team squad carries a heavy responsibility in driving the club’s financial "engine". In today’s game, global tours are seen as essential tools for engaging with international fan bases and securing commercial revenue — something United have long prioritised. Yet, while Amorim understands the need to grow the club’s global footprint, the decision to immediately embark on a tour across Asia following the end of the 2024-25 campaign has not gone down well with supporters.

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United confirmed on Tuesday that the squad will travel to Malaysia and Hong Kong shortly after their final domestic fixture of the season. They will first play in the Malaysian capital on May 28 against an ASEAN All Stars side in the massive Bukit Jalil Stadium, which accommodates over 80,000 fans. Just two days later, United will head to Hong Kong for a fixture on May 30 at the Hong Kong Stadium, which has a 40,000 capacity. The timing has especially upset fans, with United potentially featuring in the Europa League final on May 21, followed by their last Premier League game at home to Aston Villa on May 25 – leaving barely any recovery time before the long-haul travel begins.

WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

Many fans voiced their disapproval online, expressing disbelief at what they see as another example of the club chasing profits at the expense of footballing priorities under the Glazer family and part owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS.

A United fan, @majorlaw2008, warned on about potentially repeating the mistakes of last summer, when Erik ten Hag saw a number of players suffer injuries before the start of the new season: "How about prioritizing tactics and match fitness of the players. Remember what happened with Ten Hag in the last pre-season."

Another fan, @TheNorthernLad_, bluntly wrote: "Money money money."

While, @charlesmarr22, added: "Awful. No wonder half the side is injured."

Meanwhile, @left_unheard, said: "This needs to be banned. Managers moan about fatigue and player welfare then 2 days after the season ends jet off to the other side of the world for a friendly in 30c weather all for money. Fans are bored of this and the over-commercialisation of football."

@ClairClair211, wrote: "No wonder they're knackered players deserve a proper break, not to be money-making robots for the club."

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WHAT OMAR BERRADA SAID

An elated Omar Berrada, chief executive officer at Manchester United, said of the tour: “We appreciate the amazing level of support that Manchester United enjoys around the world and this summer we are delighted to deliver a schedule that provides our fans in Asia, Scandinavia and the United States the opportunity to connect with the club and watch the men’s first team play live in local settings.

“Importantly, Tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which helps make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch. They also create unique opportunities for us to collaborate with our valued commercial partners, and to deepen relationships with our fans in regions such as Asia and the US.”

Liverpool meet West Ham United at the London Stadium this evening as Arne Slot looks to claim another victory in the Premier League. First-placed and flying, the Reds have been rampant this season.

However, West Ham have a point to prove after a disappointing start to life under Julen Lopetegui but have hit a degree of good form in recent weeks, unbeaten across their past four top-flight fixtures (two wins, two draws).

While Liverpool have won ten of their past 12 matches against the Hammers in all competitions, they drew at the London Stadium last term in a heated contest that saw tempers flare between Mohamed Salah and outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp.

23/24

Premier League

2-2 draw

22/23

Premier League

2-1 win

21/22

Premier League

3-2 loss

20/21

Premier League

3-1 win

19/20

Premier League

2-0 win

Slot will demand cooler heads, but the harmony woven together within this Reds team is sure to remain intact and puts the visitors in a great position to continue their incredible title-chasing campaign.

Liverpool team news

Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley won’t be risked in east London, but both are in contention to return against Manchester United next weekend. The defenders have been sidelined since the beginning of December.

In midfield, Slot won’t be able to call upon the tireless energy of Dominik Szoboszlai, for the Hungarian has been suspended for one match after picking up his fifth yellow card of the year during the Boxing Day victory over Leicester City.

Up front, Liverpool might be tempted to unleash an unchanged line, but given the task at hand, Slot might be tempted to drop two members.

Slot must boldly drop Cody Gakpo

Salah, of course, will retain his starting spot on the right wing, looking to continue his staggering form this season, notching 19 goals and 15 assists across 25 appearances.

However, Darwin Nunez failed to take command at number nine on Boxing Day despite plenty of huff and puff. He brought energy and impetus, but Liverpool need Diogo Jota for this one.

Jota has been reduced to off-the-bench roles since returning from injury this month, with Liverpool’s coaches wary of his fitness record.

He should be fit enough for a starting role now though. With nine victories from ten matches against West Ham, the Portugal forward could be the difference-maker, bringing a clinical edge that Nunez simply doesn’t possess. As per FBref, Jota actually ranks among the top 15% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90.

If Jota is to start up top, Liverpool’s Dutch coach might want to boldly drop the in-form Cody Gakpo too. The 25-year-old has scored four goals across his past seven Premier League starts but Luis Diaz might be preferable to ensure Jota’s chances of scoring are maximised.

Once hailed for his “special skillset” by Pep Lijnders, Gakpo has been a revelation this season, taking the positives from his season-and-a-half under Klopp’s wing and playing almost exclusively on the left flank this year, something that has sharpened his goalscoring edge and then some.

Of course, he could thrive alongside Jota at the London Stadium, but Liverpool could do with Diaz’s electricity and multi-faceted threat.

The Colombian’s hardly a non-existent goal threat himself, bagging seven goals from 11 league fixtures this season.

Such exciting depth is a reflection of Liverpool’s devastating frontline, as deadly as it is deep. Slot’s success has been in large part down to Diaz and Gakpo being able to rotate and attack problems with their own distinct formula.

Whatever Slot picks, Liverpool will feel they have what it takes to complete the job, but Diaz might be the better man for the job today.

Dream Diaz replacement: Liverpool may have Mane 2.0 in "frightening" teen

Liverpool’s academy has risen to elite status in recent years – and this teen might be the pick of the bunch.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 28, 2024

Northamptonshire seamers keep it tight at start of Warwickshire reply

ECB Reporters Network27-Jun-2022Oliver Hannon-Dalby celebrated 250 career first-class wickets as he ran through Northamptonshire’s lower order on day two of this LV= Insurance County Championship game at Northampton.In a miserly four-over spell, Hannon-Dalby claimed four victims for just five runs as Northamptonshire added 31 runs to their overnight total to close on 451 all out. The 33-year-old-seamer is now the second leading wicket-taker in Division One with 29 scalps, just behind Keith Barker’s 32.But despite his efforts Warwickshire still face a tough task in this game after some highly disciplined Northamptonshire bowling restricted scoring to just 1.8 an over with only two boundaries coming in the first 25 overs of the visitors’ reply.Alex Davies looked to regain the initiative with some lusty blows but Jack White soon ended the resistance when he trapped him leg before for 31. Dom Sibley was still there at the close unbeaten on 30 as Warwickshire ended the day on 71 for 1, still a mammoth 380 behind.Play did not start until 3.10pm after heavy rain but Hannon-Dalby struck immediately with the second ball of the day. Tom Taylor became his 250th victim when he was caught behind playing an expansive shot.In his next over Hannon-Dalby picked up Lewis McManus in similar fashion, to give Warwickshire keeper Michael Burgess his 100th career dismissal.Ben Sanderson was greeted with some short stuff from Nathan McAndrew but responded by hooking him twice to the boundary and then punching him through the covers for four more before he edged Hannon-Dalby to Sibley at first slip.Simon Kerrigan, who was struck on the helmet trying to take evasive action to a short ball from McAndrew, hit the same bowler through midwicket and cover to take Northamptonshire past 450. But Hannon-Dalby ended proceedings soon afterwards by knocking White’s stumps out of the ground.Northamptonshire’s seamers Sanderson, White, Taylor and Luke Procter found plenty of movement on offer to beat the bat and keep openers Davies and Sibley contained. There were few signs of aggression and any attempts to find the boundary were hampered by some ill-timed shots. Just two balls crossed the ropes in the first 25 overs with Northamptonshire turning the screw further with four consecutive maidens.Davies had a reprieve when he offered a sharp return catch but Taylor could not quite hold on in his follow-through. Davies started to find his groove against Procter, dispatching him for three boundaries in two overs including an imperious drive down the ground, before White trapped him lbw for 31 with Warwickshire on 53 for 1 in the 28th over.Chris Benjamin nicked his first ball from White but the ball bounced just in front of first slip. He remained 8 not out with Sibley as the day ended in bright sunshine.

ESPNcricinfo has obtained a screenshot of a message sent to a fan, from what is widely believed to be the batsman’s official Facebook account, containing foul language and threat of physical harm

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2018The BCB will investigate Sabbir Rahman for allegedly abusing and threatening two fans on social media after Bangladesh’s second ODI in Guyana on Wednesday. The incident comes while he is serving a punishment for physically assaulting a child during a first-class game in December 2017.BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the board would take “appropriate action” after looking into the possible breach in conduct.”Players, especially national players, are given definitive guidelines on how to behave with fans and on social media,” Chowdhury told the Dhaka-based . “They have been told that they must be very careful when interacting with the public on social media. Since it is out in the public and when it has come to the board’s knowledge, if such a breach has occurred it will be referred to the disciplinary committee and appropriate action taken.”ESPNcricinfo has obtained a screenshot of the message sent to one of the fans, from the Facebook account of “Shabbir Rahaman Roman” (the name also used in BCB’s official emails to the players and media), which has more than 90,000 followers and is widely believed to be Sabbir’s personal account. The message contains foul language and threat of physical harm.It came hours after the fan had posted a sarcastic comment on Sabbir’s current form; he has managed only 15 runs in the two ODIs. Another user had tagged Sabbir on to the post, after which the messages were sent. Both fans were blocked by the “Shabbir Rahaman Roman” account thereafter.The account itself has now been deactivated, which, according to the Daily Star report, happened after the BCB was informed of the incident on Thursday evening.Sabbir has got into trouble with authority in the past, apart from being punished for assaulting a child during a Rajshahi Division first-class game, for which he was also stripped of his central contract, and fined $25,000. During the 2016 BPL, Sabbir was fined USD 15,000 for “disciplinary breaches”.

Cristiano Ronaldo spent some quality time with his children as he took a stroll down the beach.

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Ronaldo shared a heavenly family momentTook a stroll down the beach with his childrenScored in Al-Nassr's win over Al-AhliWHAT HAPPENED?

The Al-Nassr star took to Instagram to share a video of him spending time with his family as he could be seen taking a stroll down the beach with his four children. He shared the video with the caption, "Close to heaven."

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The 39-year-old ended Al-Nassr's painful winless run earlier this week as he scored from the penalty spot to secure a narrow 1-0 win for his team over rivals Al-Ahli. It was an important win for Ronaldo and Co. who were on the back of a heavy defeat and draw in the league and had also faced elimination from the AFC Champions League quarter-final.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star will now shift his focus to international football as he is all set to don the Portugal shirt and face Sweden and Slovenia in friendlies on March 21 and March 26, respectively.

Imran Tahir, playing for his seventh county at the age of 39, took four wickets in a T20 match in England for the first time

ECB Reporters Network06-Jul-2018
ScorecardThe irrepressible Imran Tahir turned the match on its head as Durham Jets claimed their first win of the Vitality T20 Blast season and Leicestershire Foxes suffered a first defeat.The Pakistan-born South African leg spinner, playing for his seventh county at the age of 39, took four wickets for 14 in his four overs, his best figures in England and the sixth time in his T20 career he has taken four wickets or more.He was the main architect of a Leicestershire collapse from 83 for 2 in the 12th over to be 120 all out in 18.3 overs, the turning point in the chase occurring when Tahir had Neil Dexter stumped at the second attempt by Stuart Poynter and bowled Colin Ackerman within the space of four deliveries.Having hung on to a stinging return catch earlier to remove Cameron Delport, Tahir claimed his fourth success when Mohammad Nabi hit him straight to long on.Tahir said: “”I always believe I will take wickets. Sometimes I go for a few but you have to gamble to get wickets and if you put people under pressure you will get wickets. This is my seventh county in England but everywhere I go I enjoy my cricket and I meet different people and I always want people to remember my cricket and remember my character.”The Foxes struggled to build any momentum on a very humid evening. They were 33 without loss after the Powerplay overs but neither Delport nor Dexter were timing their shots particularly well and quickly fell behind the required run rate.After slipping from 83 for 2 to 86 for 5 in the space of nine deliveries they were facing an uphill struggle and their attempts to up the scoring rate simply cost them more wickets as big hits found the fielders, James Weighell and Nathan Rimmington each picking up a couple of cheap wickets. Dexter top scored with 35.Download our T20 Blast Podcast

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Durham were 48 for 1 after the Powerplay overs, their return swelled by a 17-run over by the left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson, whose first three deliveries went for four-four-six off the bat of the visiting captain, Tom Latham. The only other maximum of the first six overs came from Paul Collingwood, who drove his first ball back over the head of Ben Raine and almost into the radio boxes on the top level of the Grace Road pavilion.Collingwood and Latham added 30 in 15 balls but Latham gave his wicket away somewhat by smacking a wide full toss from Zak Chappell straight to the fielder at backward point.Durham needed Collingwood to score heavily with Ben Stokes, who made an unbeaten 90 in a losing cause as he returned from injury in his side’s opening fixture against Yorkshire, not available this time.The 42-year-old former England man used all his experience with some nicely improvised shots but fell for 36, run out by a direct hit by wicketkeeper Lewis Hill as he tried to steal a run as Mohammad Abbas appealed for leg before.Abbas, the Pakistan pace man, was easily the pick of the Foxes attack, delivering a tantalising mix of yorkers and slower balls to concede only 15 runs in his four overs, just six of them at the death. He surrendered only one boundary and bowled 14 dot balls and deserved more than just the wicket of Weighell, whom he yorked with his next ball after Collingwood’s dismissal.Chappell took two wickets in five balls to reduce Durham to 62-4 in the ninth over, bowling Ryan Pringle with the help of the bottom edge of the bat and beating Will Smith’s head-back swing across the line.But Ryan Davies hit 22 off 14 balls on his Durham debut before becoming Afghanistan off-spinner Mohammad Nabi’s first victim as a Leicestershire bowler, and Poynter’s unbeaten 29 off 26 balls ensured Durham’s bowlers had something to defend.

Burnley co-owner JJ Watt has extended an invite to supporters to join him at Turf Moor for breakfast, where he's hoping for some extra baked beans.

Watt invites fans to Turf MoorOffers include a full English breakfastBurnley enduring tough season in Premier LeagueWHAT HAPPENED?

Watt is offering fans the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Burnley. The lucky winners of the competition will also get the chance to enjoy a full English breakfast with the NFL legend and wife Kealia at the Premier League side's Turf Moor stadium ahead of a match.

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He wrote on X: "Kealia has breakfast with me everyday. She’s sick of me. Come join us for a Full English. If you don’t like the beans, I call dibs. All-expenses paid trip to Burnley to join us on The Turf for a match."

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Burnley fans haven't had too much to cheer this season with Vincent Kompany's side looking destined for a prompt return to the Championship. The Clarets have won just three games all season in the English top flight and sit in 19th place in the table, level on points with Sheffield United and only off the bottom courtesy of goal difference.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BURNLEY

Burnley have just 10 games left this season and currently sit 10 points away from safety. The Clarets had looked set for a rare win last time out against West Ham but let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2. Burnley host Brentford next at Turf Moor on Saturday.

Chelsea transformed into a powerhouse when Roman Abramovich arrived at the club in 2003, flexing his deep pockets in the transfer window and bringing a whole host of stars to Stamford Bridge.

In the mid-2000s, his appointment of Jose Mourinho, famously known as the "Special One" was the catalyst to achieving success as the eccentric Portuguese delivered back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.

Backed by a spine of world-class talent, namely Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, that quartet helped deliver a glittering decade of success, including a Champions League triumph in 2012.

During that period, the club were relishing their tussles with Manchester United at the top of the table, prior to Manchester City forming a winning juggernaut that continues to flex their domestic and European dominance.

Chelsea can only dream of replicating that success now and although Todd Boehly has spent over £1bn since taking over the reins from Abramovich in May last year, Mauricio Pochettino's side are still no closer to challenging Man City for the title.

Overspending for the sake of isn't just an issue that has popped up since the club's ownership changed hands, it was prominent during the Russian's tenure, as the Blues made countless errors in the transfer window and one of those was the decision to sign Danny Drinkwater from Leicester City in 2017.

How much did Chelsea sign Danny Drinkwater for?

Danny Drinkwater and N'Golo Kante's indispensable partnership was crucial in landing Leicester their fairytale Premier League title in 2016.

Kante's ability to break up play and Drinkwater's exceptional passing range created the perfect blend and offered Claudio Ranieri's side a solid platform to build from.

The Frenchman, in particular, caught the eye with his monstrous ball-winning abilities as he ranked higher than anyone in the league that season for interceptions (156) and tackles (175), earning him a £30m transfer to Chelsea that summer.

Kante ended up proving to be instrumental in luring the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge as Antonio Conte's first season in charge was a resounding success.

Following that triumph, the Italian was hungry for more silverware and spent a whopping £224m (€260m) on a whole host of talent, including a £35m deal to prise Drinkwater away from Leicester in the hopes of rekindling a title-winning partnership.

Instead, the Englishman's time at Stamford Bridge unravelled into a nightmare.

What happened to Danny Drinkwater at Chelsea?

Drinkwater rose to prominence as an excellent deep-lying maker during his time at Leicester. He exhumed calmness in possession and controlled the tempo of football matches with his brilliant passing range.

Chelsea thought the midfielder could become their conductor in midfield alongside Kante and bring his wealth of Premier League and Champions League experience to the party, however, the legacy he left behind in west London is one he'd want to forget.

In five years at the club, which included loan spells at Burnley, Aston Villa and Reading, the 32-year-old only made 23 appearances and bled the club dry in excess of £50m, when adding together his initial transfer fee and the amount of wages he earned, as per Capology.

Weekly wage: £98,000

Yearly wage: £5.1m

Total wage accrued: £15.3m (excluding time on loan)

Cost per game: £2.1m

Data via Capology

Going down as one of the worst signings in Premier League history is a tag nobody wants, but Drinkwater's time on the pitch spiralled into a nightmare time off it as he claimed to have wasted potentially some of the best years of his career and revealed how it impacted his mental health.

In an interview with Sky Sports, he commented: "When football is going well, everything else seems easier to deal with, but when this isn't going so well, everything seems so heavy. I definitely think that's the lowest I'd been."

Drinkwater's struggles at Chelsea are a timely reminder that footballers are only human and personal issues off the field can quickly get in the way of performances on it and unfortunately, the 6-foot flop fell victim to this narrative.

Derby County have been handed a boost after learning that one of their first-team stars is set to return to action for tomorrow night’s game vs Blackpool in League One.

How have Derby started the season?

At Pride Park, Paul Warne’s side have had a mixed start to the new campaign having secured four wins, two draws and suffered three defeats from their opening nine matches, so having taken 14 points from a possible 27, they find themselves 12th in the table, as displayed by Sky Sports.

The Rams manager currently has Liam Thompson, Joe Ward and Elliot Embleton all on the sidelines through injury, with the latter having returned to his parent club Sunderland to undergo his recovery, and he’s also since confirmed that Callum Elder will be out for two to three weeks having had keyhole surgery on his hernia.

The Midlands outfit have additionally been without the services of Conor Hourihane in recent weeks having sustained a hamstring problem during the 1-1 encounter against Portsmouth last month, but the boss has now delivered a positive update on the fitness of the central midfielder from the Republic of Ireland.

Is Conor Hourihane injured?

Speaking after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Cambridge United, Warne confirmed that Hourihane should be available vs Blackpool having stepped up his training. As quoted by The Derby Telegraph, he said:

“He should be fit. He's trained today (Saturday) and Friday. He's ticked all of the boxes and I am told he is going to train with the group on Monday. But as it is with Birdy and everybody else who has had an injury, they have to try to get back into the team.

"It will be nice to have him back and his set-piece delivery as well. We go into two away games that we have got to go and try to grab points in.”

How old is Conor Hourihane?

Despite Hourihane being 32 years of age, he’s firmly established himself as Warne’s overall best-performing player so far this season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.31, therefore, it will be a huge boost that he is available once again for Derby.

The Bandon native, who pockets £12k-per-week, has posted four involvements (two goals and the same number of assists) in seven third-tier outings this term, and his prolific form in the final third isn’t the only positive attribute that he brings to the starting line-up.

The Momentum Sports Management client is a versatile operator having been deployed in seven different positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the midfield, at left-back and even out wide on the left wing, which allows the manager to be a lot more flexible in his formation and team selection.

According to journalist Josh Bunting, Hourihane is a “quality” veteran, and of course being the club’s captain, the excellent leadership that he brings to the centre of the field is another reason why his return to the pitch will be a major lift at Pride Park.