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Buttler aimed an expletive-laden rant at Philander during the final day of England’s Test at Newlands

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2020

Vernon Philander stares at Jos Buttler•AFP / Getty Images

Jos Buttler has escaped serious punishment for his expletive-laden sledging towards Vernon Philander on the final day of England’s Test against South Africa at Newlands.Stump microphones picked up and broadcast Buttler calling Philander a “f***ing knobhead” after the bowler stood his ground rather than get out the way of a return throw from Joe Root at mid-off, before adding “get past that f***ing gut”, an apparent reference to Philander’s weight. Sky Sports apologised on-air for the outburst shortly after it was broadcast.But Buttler was only found to have breached Article 2.3 (Use of an audible obscenity) of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, rather than Article 2.13 (Personal abuse of a player).Buttler was fined 15 percent of his match fee and handed one demerit point, but would have been in line for a more severe sentence if the umpires had judged his conduct to have constituted “language of a personal, insulting, obscene and/or offensive nature” directed at Philander.The incident was played down by Joe Root after the game.”I don’t think it was anything serious,” Root said. “It was just two guys playing hard Test cricket. Emotions were running quite high and I don’t think anyone overstepped the mark. You want a bit of spice on the TV anyway, don’t you?”Buttler admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, meaning there was no need for a formal hearing.He was given one demerit point and an official reprimand in October 2016 following a confrontation with Mashrafe Mortaza and Sabbir Rahman, but that offence was committed more than 24 months ago, meaning it has been wiped from his disciplinary record.Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS group have made it clear that Erik ten Hag is not expected to guide Manchester United to a top-four finish in 2024-25.

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• INEOS won't put pressure on Ten Hag
• Dutch manager not required to in top four
• Man Utd play Arsenal on Saturday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils are entering a new era with minority shareholders Ratcliffe and his INEOS group in charge of the football activities of the club. The British billionaire has already brought several changes off the field at the Premier League club, including changing the work culture and also roping in a sporting director, Dan Ashworth.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After finishing the 2023-24 season in eighth position in the league – their worst-ever finish in the Premier League era – fans will hope that the club will make significant improvements in the upcoming campaign.

  However, according to, Ratcliffe has not given any specific target to manager Ten Hag as he wants to make baby steps to achieve footballing success in the long run. INEOS are currently focusing on improving the existing infrastructure of the club and have sanctioned a £50 million ($64m) overhaul of the Carrington training base. As a result, the new co-owners will not pressure the Dutch manager to guide the club to a top-four finish in the league.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  United have already completed the signings of Lille defender Leny Yoro and Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna. The English giants, however, remain in search of a full-back and midfielder to further bolster their squad.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  Ten Hag's side will play their third pre-season friendly on Saturday as they take on Arsenal at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as their tour of the US begins.

Andrew Miller20-Oct-2019All the news, views, stats and hot takes as the ECB’s brand-new competition comes one step closer to fruition. If the blog doesn’t load for you straightaway, please refresh your page

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United appear to be assessing multiple candidates to replace Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford hotseat. It's recently emerged that United have "started to gather information" on Inter boss Simone Inzaghi and could be willing to offer him a £150k-per-week deal amid concurrent interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona.

Elsewhere, it's been suggested that Ratcliffe could look to the Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann to "revitalise" the Red Devils, with the former Bayern man the "leading candidate" for the job right now. Nagelsmann is apparently interested in the position and sees the opportunity to "make the jump" after the European Championships if Ten Hag is dismissed. But these two aren't the only names in the frame by any means.

Ratcliffe dreams of appointing Zidane

According to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is the dream for Ratcliffe and United. It won't be "easy" to lure him to Manchester, so the club are also considering "some alternatives".

In an article for Foot Mercato, Aouna reports that Ten Hag is yet to receive the "official" backing of United's new shareholder, with INEOS already "working on recruiting a new coach" behind the scenes.

Zidane, who left Real Madrid in June 2021, has been waiting for the "ideal project", and has recently indicated a willingness to coach in Italian football after spending five years of his playing career at Juventus. The question now is whether Ratcliffe can convince him to have a crack at the Premier League, with a response expected "in the coming weeks".

United offer may arrive at ideal time for Zidane

Zidane has, of course, had two stints as the Real manager, the first from January 2016 to the summer of 2018 and the second from March 2019 to June 2021. It was hard for the second spell to live up to the first, when Zidane became the first manager in history to win three straight Champions Leagues and won La Liga too, but he was able to add another Spanish title and a Spanish Super Cup to his cabinet.

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"Zidane has been key," Real captain Sergio Ramos said in 2020. "He's the captain of the ship and he led us right from the start of the season. He put a lot of faith in all of us players and we have always felt protected with Zizu. He believed in us, we've all believed in the work we have done and let's hope that it's valued properly. He's a unique coach."

Rank

Manager

Club(s)

Titltes

1

Carlo Ancelotti

AC Milan, Real Madrid

4

=2

Pep Guardiola

Barcelona, Manchester City

3

=2

Zinedine Zidane

Real Madrid

3

=4

Ottmar Hitzfeld

Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich

2

=4

Vicente Del Bosque

Real Madrid

2

=4

Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United

2

=4

Jose Mourinho

FC Porto, Inter

2

=4

Jupp Heynckes

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich

2

Virtually every elite club who have had a managerial vacancy in the past three years will have made checks on the availability of Zidane, but now it seems he's finally preparing to make his comeback. Could United be in the right place at the right time?

Nottingham Forest could be set for a major windfall in the coming transfer windows after it has emerged that the club hierarchy are already expecting to receive a record fee for one of their "outstanding" Premier League stars.

Forest finding their feet under new boss Nuno

After parting ways with club legend Steve Cooper, Forest have struggled for results under new boss Nuno Espírito Santo. Their 2-0 win over West Ham in their most recent outing was their first Premier League win of the calendar year, and they continue to look down nervously at the relegation spots.

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As things stand, they sit four points clear of Luton Town, with the Hatters occupying the final relegation spot. Between the two sides sit Everton, with the Toffees only above Luton on goal difference. But with 40 points considered the benchmark for guaranteed Premier League survival, Nuno's side are still in need of a string of results to ensure that they do not spend next season in the second tier of English football, especially with a potential 10 point deduction looming should they be found guilty of breaching financial fair play regulations.

Forest's next five Premier League fixtures

Aston Villa (A)

Liverpool (H)

Luton (A)

Crystal Palace (H)

Fulham (H)

Despite the lack of results, there have been some standout performances at the City ground, and one man in particular has been catching the eye.

Reds chiefs expect to eclipse Johnson sale

Undoubtedly currently the jewel in the Forest crown, young defender Murillo has made a massive impact in a short time at the club.

Murillo has reportedly previously caught the eye of Manchester City, but opted for regular Premier League football with Forest and his short stint in the Premier League has left him no shortage of suitors. Still just 21 years old, the Brazilian centre-back has been hailed as an "outstanding" talent by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, and placed in the same bracket as exciting Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite.

“I remember being a young lad going in myself at Liverpool and it’s an unforgiving position, I had to go to full-back for the next three or four years and then go back to centre-back, so you can see the quality we have”, he told Monday Night Football.

“(Jarrad) Branthwaite has been outstanding, Murillo I think has been outstanding too.”

Now, The Telegraph report that the Midlands outfit are already expecting Murillo to become their new-record sale, overcoming the summer departure of Brennan Johnson. Johnson joined Tottenham for £47.5m, but there is an expectation that Murillo will now be far more expensive than that should anyone wish to try and prise him away from the City ground any time soon.

It would represent a major return on the £11m investment that Forest made on the young defender, and is further evidence of the good business that has been done by the club in recent windows, though there have too been some mistakes.

Under contract until 2028, Forest will be under no pressure to part ways with Murillo unless they are in danger of breaching financial fair play again, something that they are currently under investigation for alongside Everton.

As the old saying goes, 'When it rains, it pours,' and it sure is pouring for Crystal Palace this season.

The Selhurst Park faithful have been put through the wringer of late, with a loss to Everton in the FA Cup, Premier League humblings from Arsenal and sworn rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, and now an injury crisis that sees the likes of Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Marc Guehi set to spend a significant amount of time on the sidelines.

With so many things going wrong at once, it's not hard to understand why fans have been making their displeasure at the board and Steve Parish known in recent games, and while it isn't all his fault, Roy Hodgson's lack of results and tedious football has made his position at the club untenable.

So, with news that he's not long for the hot seat, who's set to replace him?

The Eagles search for a new gaffer

The fan protests seem to be working in south London, as a report from The Guardian has revealed that Parish 'strongly contemplated sacking Hodgson' in the aftermath of the club's embarrassing 4-1 defeat away to Brighton over the weekend.

However, the report has also revealed that finding a suitable replacement willing to take over before the end of the season is proving to be complicated.

One of the names on the list is former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper, a man who helped guide the Tricky Trees to topflight status, was once tipped for the England job, but was ultimately let go when his team hit a bad vein of form.

So, would the 44-year-old be a good choice to succeed Hodgson?

How does Cooper compare to Hodgson?

Now, while Cooper might not necessarily be the most glamorous of managerial hires, and the way it ended at Forest will inevitably be held against him, his body of work is impressive, and there isn't an apparent reason why he would fail at Selhurst Park.

His journey in coaching started at Liverpool, where he worked his way up to become manager of the U18s for the 2012/13 season before landing the job of England's U16 manager for a year between October 2014 and June 2015. At that point, he became the manager of the U17's for three years and took the team to World Cup glory in 2017.

A triumph as impressive as this understandably turned heads in the Football League, and two years later, he took over Swansea City before finally landing his most recent job in charge of The Garibaldi in September 2021.

So, with a career path like that, data analyst Ben Mattinson's claim that he would be "the next England manager" makes a lot of sense.

However, for all his impressive experience, he can't compete with the decades that Hodgson can call on, including spells as the Inter Milan boss and England manager.

That said, in terms of their most recent jobs, the junior coach comes out ahead, as in his 107 games with Forest, he won 42 games, drew 27, lost just 38 and collected 1.43 points per match.

Steve Cooper vs Roy Hodgson

Manager

Cooper

Hodgson

Games

107

37

Wins

42

12

Draws

27

10

Losses

38

15

Points per Match

1.43

1.24

All Stats via Sofascore

In comparison, Hodgson has taken charge of 37 games since returning to Palace last year, won just 12 of them, drawn ten, lost 15 and collected just 1.24 points per match.

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Ultimately, though it may be harsh on a man who clearly cares about the future of Crystal Palace, it would be a smart idea from Parish and Co to give Cooper the job, as he has an impressive track record both with junior and senior sides.

Among the other injury concerns that Bangladesh have, Tamim Iqbal, who missed the warm-up against India, is expected to be fit for the South Africa match

Mohammad Isam29-May-2019

Mashrafe Mortaza delivers a ball in his opening spell•AFP

Despite picking up a hamstring strain during the practice match against India in Cardiff on Tuesday, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza is expected to play his side’s World Cup opener against South Africa on Sunday, although it is not clear whether he will be fully fit.Mashrafe said he had been trying to bowl an extended spell against Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, when he ended up getting injured. He finished with economical figures of 0 for 23 in six overs.”A lot of times in such cases, I face trouble bowling the first one or two overs. Once I get through that, I don’t face any more problems. I also wasn’t facing any problems today [on Tuesday],” Mashrafe told the Dhaka based . “But I pulled a hamstring during the sixth over. I could have stopped after four or five overs but Rohit and Kohli were looking to score runs quickly during that period. I felt that I needed to practice bowling in such a situation.”Mashrafe was seen in the dressing room for most of the India innings with his deputy Shakib Al Hasan captaining the side in his absence. Mashrafe also did not come out to bat as Bangladesh fell 95 runs short of India’s 359 for 7. After the game Mashrafe admitted Bangladesh had a few injury concerns in the squad. Shakib has recently recovered from a side strain, while Mustafizur Rahman is nursing a calf injury.Tamim Iqbal, too, didn’t play against India due to a minor thigh strain he suffered in training couple of days ago. He is also expected to be fit for the South Africa game.

Sunderland are thought to be leading the race to sign an in-demand target for Michael Beale, according to one reliable reporter.

Sunderland January rumours

The new Black Cats manager suffered a disappointing defeat to rivals Newcastle United in the FA Cup over the weekend, but prior to the game, admitted there have been transfer discussions over one or two possible additions.

“We spoke about the January window in our initial meetings, and it has been ongoing. Stuart Harvey, the head of recruitment, is someone I was familiar with before I came in, and the recruitment here is done by a number of us getting together in a room and discussing the options that we have.

“We have a clear idea on one or two of the areas we would like to strengthen this month, if we can. It’s never an easy month, but we are certainly going to try and do something to strengthen and boost the squad, and to hopefully excite the fans. Those discussions are going on in the background. This (derby) game has been a bit of a distraction, if I’m honest, but those discussions were happening even (Tuesday) morning and late on in the afternoon.”

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Players who have been linked with a move to the Stadium of Light include left-back Bohdan Mykhaylichenko, who may leave Dinamo Zagreb as a free agent. Another has been AFC Bournemouth forward Kieffer Moore in a possible loan move, and a promising update has now emerged.

Kieffer Moore transfer update

According to reliable reporter Alan Nixon sharing information on his Patreon, relayed by Football League World, it is Sunderland who are leading the race to sign Moore from Bournemouth, with four Championship clubs also linked with the Wales international.

It has been claimed that the Black Cats are the club who have moved strongly to complete the signing of the forward, something they are apparently hopeful of doing quickly.

Moore featured for the Cherries on the weekend in an FA Cup win over second-tier side Queens Park Rangers, scoring in a 3-2 comeback victory. That was the 31-year-old’s second goal of the campaign under Andoni Iraola, although he has played just 236 minutes of football all season. (Kieffer Moore stats – Transfermarkt)

The striker has also come in for praise during his career from former Cardiff manager Mick McCarthy, who said in 2021:

"He's been terrific. Not only that, when he's not scored he has been on the pitch almost every minute of every game. The shift he puts in every week is amazing. We have not got a direct replacement for him, so he has played all the games.

"Testimony to that is that he knows we haven't got a direct replacement and he knows he is going to play all the games, but he doesn't take his foot off the gas, he keeps going. He's been terrific. A real threat and a very effective centre forward.”

Beating a number of Championship rivals to win the race for Moore could be a shrewd move as the season progresses, and with the club scoring fewer than 11 second-tier sides so far, Moore’s potential arrival could help with a top-six finish.

Manchester United could look at a low-cost striker signing this month and have already made an approach to sign a former Premier League forward.

Man Utd striker rumours

The Red Devils have had plenty of issues in the final third under Erik ten Hag this season, scoring 22 goals in 20 games, with only Burnley and Sheffield United netting fewer in the top flight.Midfielder Scott McTominay is the club’s top scorer alongside Rasmus Hojlund in all competitions, although the latter has just one league goal to his name following his big-money move from Atalanta in the summer.As a result, a new forward appears to be required in 2024, and the January transfer window provides the club with the opportunity to add one for the second half of the campaign. A number of attacking players have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, including RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner, who was initially seen as a summer target.

Man Utd's rumoured striker targets for January

Latest update

Serhou Guirassy

31st December

Nico Williams

19th December

Donyell Malen

8th December

Max Moerstedt

7th December

Timo Werner

1st December

A new update has now emerged from Old Trafford, with funds looking tight this winter.

Man Utd have made contact for Timo Werner

Reliable reporters Laurie Whitwell and Dan Sheldon of The Athletic shared a Man Utd transfer update on Tuesday, looking at the club’s plans for the January window. Not a lot of money looks set to be available to Ten Hag this month, although a new centre-forward appears to be the priority target, so ‘United might squeeze out another low-cost loan’. When it came to possible additions on a temporary basis, they said on Werner:“Contact has also been made to check on the potential cost of RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner, who has scored twice in eight Bundesliga games this season. Werner was on United’s radar before he moved to Chelsea in 2020. United are keeping an eye on the market for that kind of ready-made striker.” Another option named is Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy, although he is set to be at the African Cup of Nations in January.Werner, formerly of Chelsea, has come up against United four times in his career, all during his time with the Blues. He played at Old Trafford twice and drew on both occasions during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.Now back with Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Werner has scored 18 times in 54 appearances during his second spell with the club, taking his total tally to 113 goals in 213 games. (Timo Werner stats at RB Leipzig – Transfermarkt)Still 27 years of age, he appears to be a player of interest for a long time at Old Trafford, so if a loan move is an option this month, it could make sense to provide competition to the likes of Hojlund for the remainder of the campaign, following in the footsteps of Odion Ighalo in 2020 and Wout Weghorst last season when it comes to low-cost temporary options in attack ahead of the summer.

Manchester United are on the lookout for new reinforcements and could now look to bring in an exciting signing at the expense of Raphael Varane, according to a report.

Raphael Varane's Man Utd future…

Undoubtedly, Varane has had something of a stop-start campaign at Manchester United and injuries alongside spells in and out of the side have taken their toll on the Frenchman.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones has indicated that Varane is frustrated with his lack of first-team opportunities at Old Trafford and could look to move on in January if the right type of opportunity arises, saying:

"Varane is still a great player. He's obviously extremely frustrated about his own opportunities in that team right now, so I can understand that. But he needs the right move for himself, too, and it does seem like he's only going to consider a very specific type of club at this moment in his career.

"Whether that comes on in January is also unlikely. But yeah, I actually personally think it will be a mistake to let him go."

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According to The Daily Mail, former Real Madrid man Varane alongside teammate Casemiro, could be moved on in January to free up finances for Ten Hag to invest elsewhere in his side.

Joining from the La Liga giants for a fee of £42 million in 2021, The Athletic cite in a separate report that he is actually only under contract until the summer and could leave on a free transfer in 2024, which would be a damning reflection of the Red Devils' poor recruitment over recent years.

In light of this, United now look to have identified a potential replacement for Varane that could help to soften the blow that would be left by his prospective departure at Old Trafford.

Man Utd eye David Alaba move

According to reports in Spain, Manchester United are at the centre of a three-way battle to sign Real Madrid defender David Alaba next summer, who is also attracting interest from Serie A giants Juventus and Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad. The Austrian international is valued at around €60 million (£51.6 million) by his current employers, who would consider selling him due to inconsistent performances.

Raphael Varane vs David Alaba comparison – 2023/24 (as provided by WhoScored)

Raphael Varane (subject to change)

David Alaba (subject to change)

Interceptions: 0.1

Interceptions: 1.2

Clearances: 2.5

Clearances: 2.6

Pass success rate: 92.4%

Pass success rate: 91.6%

Aerial duels won: 1

Aerial duels won: 0.7

Average match rating: 6.45

Average match rating: 6.76

The outlet claim that the Red Devils are keen to strengthen in central defence as Varane is mooted to be close to departing the club and Alaba has been identified as someone with the requisite experience and skills to replace the Lille-born man.

Labelled a "complete player" by Carlo Ancelotti, Alaba has made 16 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos at the time of writing, registering two assists in the process (Alaba statistics – Transfermarkt).

Manchester United seem to have a habit of making high-profile signings at Old Trafford and Alaba could provide an elite-level pedigree should a move to England materialise for the former Bayern Munich star.