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The January transfer window is officially open for business and Manchester United could use this month to bolster their squad after a worrying start to the campaign.

They have already lost nine of their opening 20 Premier League matches and have been knocked out of Europe after they finished bottom of their Champions League group.

It was recently reported by AS that United and Liverpool are both interested in a possible swoop to sign Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich.

His contract with the German giants is due to expire at the end of next season and the uncertainty around his future in Bavaria has led to interest from a host of European clubs.

Erik ten Hag must now push to complete a deal for Kimmich, whether that is this month or in the summer, as he would be a big upgrade on current number six Sofyan Amrabat.

Amrabat's season in numbers

United signed the Morocco international on loan from Serie A side Fiorentina during the summer transfer window and he has failed to hit the ground running in England.

The 27-year-old enforcer has made ten Premier League appearances for the Red Devils so far this term and averaged 2.5 tackles and interceptions combined and four ball recoveries per match.

He has not contributed with a single goal or assist and is currently averaging 0.4 key passes per match for his side, which shows that the midfielder does not produce much quality in possession to help United's attack.

However, Amrabat does rank within the top 13% of top-flight midfielders for progressive passes (7.34) per 90 and this means that he is not completely ineffective on the ball as the summer signing is able to break lines to find teammates further up the pitch.

The statistics that show why Kimmich would be an upgrade on Amrabat

Kimmich, however, is an exceptional progressive passer who can also provide more quality in the final third whilst also being a reliable defensive presence in front of the back four.

The £322k-per-week ace, who was once hailed as "phenomenal" by Jose Mourinho, has started 11 Bundesliga matches for Bayern so far this season.

Appearances

Six

Sofascore rating

7.63

Big chances created

Five

Tackles per game

2.2

Interceptions per game

1.3

In that time, the 28-year-old star has made 2.8 tackles and interceptions combined and 6.3 ball recoveries per game to win possession back for his team.

He has also scored one goal, provided one assist, and made an eye-catching 2.7 key passes per game. These statistics show that Kimmich has the quality to make a greater impact than Amrabat with his quality in and out of possession – by winning the ball back more often and creating 2.3 more chances per game for his teammates.

The Bayern magician currently ranks within the top 3% of Bundesliga midfielders for progressive passes (10.51) per 90 this season, whilst he also ranks within the top 3% for shot-creating actions (5.78) per 90.

This shows that Kimmich can offer more than Amrabat defensively, offensively, and as a progressive passer from a number six position, which is why he would be a big upgrade on the Morocco international.

Super Kings and Royal Challengers missed their talisman players in their last game and their returns could make their rematch in Bengaluru all the more spicy

The Preview by Sruthi Ravindranath20-Apr-20198:24

Dasgupta: It’s too late for RCB, they should look at next season

Big pictureHad Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers met before their respective previous matches this season, this contest would have had just one familiar favourite. Take these stats into consideration: The last time Royal Challengers won against Super Kings was in 2014, and right now, they are a full 10 points behind the table toppers. CSK fans have enough to put any debate to rest against the supporters of the team in red.Yet they were left bruised by Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday and Royal Challengers overcame an Andre Russell-special on Friday. All that sets this clash up beautifully.Form guide

Royal Challengers: Beat Knight Riders by 10 runs, lost to Mumbai by five wickets, beat Kings XI by eight wickets
Super Kings: Lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets, beat Knight Riders by five wickets, beat Royals by four wickets

Super Kings’ batting has been largely dependent on MS Dhoni this year, and his absence from the side on Tuesday showed that. He’s bailed them out of danger in at least three instances this season and is also the side’s highest run-getter so far. And without him, the middle order (No. 4 to 7) could add only 37 runs to the total against Sunrisers.Royal Challengers were also missing a key player in their last game – AB de Villiers – but their captain ensured his absence was never really felt. Kohli’s century made sure RCB posted a par-plus total at Eden Gardens while Super Kings – without their talisman – fell below this year’s average first-innings score at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium. Should the weather at home co-operate, RCB might just have a good chance to break their losing streak against CSK.MS Dhoni flexes his muscles•BCCITeam newsSuper Kings’ coach Stephen Fleming said on the eve of the match that Dhoni (back spasm) and Bravo’s (hamstring) availability will depend on “how they scrub up” at the end of the training on Saturday. The CSK captain was, however, seen practising his big hits for nearly an hour.De Villiers is understood to still be recovering from taking a bouncer to the head from Jasprit Bumrah and his availability will be subject to a return to full fitness.Previous meetingThe highly-anticipated season opener where these two teams met ended up being one-sided with Super Kings routing the Royal Challengers for 70 on a slow surface at the MA Chidambaram. The hosts had chased it down with 14 balls to spare.Likely XIsRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers/Heinrich Klaasen, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Akshdeep Nath/Shivam Dube, 7 Pawan Negi, 8 Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Mohammed SirajChennai Super Kings: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Scott Kuggeleijn/Mitchell Santner, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Imran TahirVirat Kohli paced his fifth IPL century to perfection•BCCIStrategy PuntDe Villiers scored a cracking 30-ball 68 last year against Super Kings in Bengaluru. He had also scored a crucial 14-ball 28 in Royal Challengers’ last win against Super Kings, in 2014. There’s no doubt he’ll slot right back in if he’s fit. So, how can Super Kings stop him? Since IPL 2015, he’s lost his wicket 12 times in 31 games to legspinners. He’s also been having trouble picking the wrong’un, as he was exposed by Rajasthan Royals’ Shreyas Gopal earlier this month. Super Kings could use Tahir, who’s been their highest wicket-taker this season, against him. De Villiers has lost his wicket twice in three IPL games to his South African team-mate, and averages just 19.5 against him. Dhoni boasts an average of 75.8 in IPLs at the M Chinnaswamy. His unbeaten 34-ball 70 had helped Super Kings chase 205 here last year. Royal Challengers could use Dale Steyn to weaken the Dhoni threat, considering the fast bowler has dismissed him twice in seven IPL innings. Stats that matterSuper Kings need one more win to claim the joint-highest consecutive wins against a team. They have seven against Royal Challengers. Kohli has the most runs (738) by any player against Super Kings, but he has not made a 30-plus score against them since their return last year and has averaged just 10.66. In the last three games, Deepak Chahar has leaked 78 runs during Powerplay, bowling a total of eight overs. In the first six matches, he had conceded at an economy rate of just 5.6 in this phase.

It has been a real Jekyll and Hyde kind of season for Arsenal so far this year. Just a few weeks ago, they were leaving Anfield with a point and spending Christmas Day atop the Premier League table, and yet after back-to-back league losses, they now find themselves fourth and five points off the top spot.

Worse yet, Mikel Arteta's men then crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool to leave their campaign in limbo.

The biggest problem for the team has been scoring goals, and so, with the transfer window now open, they have been linked to a plethora of forwards and the latest, Bologna's Joshua Zirkzee, has been compared to one of the best players of the Emirates era, Alexis Sanchez.

Arsenal transfer news – Joshua Zirkzee

According to a report from the Daily Telegraph's Sam Dean, Arsenal are looking for a new striker in 2024 and are "keeping a close eye" on Bologna's exciting 22-year-old talisman.

However, the bad news for the Gunners is that it will be a pricey move to complete, as the Serie A side are holding out for offers in the region of £50m, and after the summer of spending that Arsenal had, that could prove difficult.

That said, with the north Londoners still just about in the title race, they might push the boat out and get their man, as his nine goal involvements in 18 starts suggest that he could be a real difference maker.

Moreover, the comparison to former Arsenal star Sanchez might be enough to convince Arteta, as he was still playing for the club when the dynamic forward was blowing teams away.

Zirkzee could be Arsenal's next Sanchez and solve their goalscoring woes

Now, while Sanchez's time with the Gunners ended poorly – to put it mildly – when he was on song, he was magnificent, often winning games single-handedly, having scored 80 goals and provided 45 assists in just 166 games for the club.

So, if an Arsenal-linked forward is to be compared to any player, the Chilean star is pretty good going.

The comparison stems from FBref, which lists the ten most similar players for most footballers in their database. These comparisons are made and ranked based on characteristics that stars share with one another.

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The 21-year-old could help fix the Gunners’ misfiring frontline.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 12, 2024

So, the most significant similarities between Sanchez and Zirkzee lie in their passing, dribbling, and positional characteristics. For example, the Dutch forward is among the top 15% of strikers in Europe's top five leagues for attempted passes, while the Inter Milan man is among the top 11%.

Likewise, the "elite" Serie A striker, as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, is among the top 17% of forwards for successful take-ons, while the former Manchester United winger is among the top 15%, and these are just some of the ways they mirror one another.

That said, while it is always good to measure up with one of the club's most impressive players of the last decade, how do his underlying numbers compare to Gabriel Jesus? As after all, the Brazilian would be his main competition in N5.

Well, in most of the relevant attacking metrics, it's the "out of the world" Zikzee, as described by Mattinson, that comes out on top.

Stats per 90

Zirkzee

Jesus

Expected Goals + Assists

0.44

0.60

Goals

0.40

0.29

Assists

0.11

0.10

Progressive Passes

2.71

2.69

Progressive Carries

1.30

2.02

Goals per Shot on Target

0.33

0.09

Aerial Duels Won

1.02

0.96

All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season

He produces more progressive passes, wins more aerial duels, scores more goals, and produces more assists from a smaller expected goal and assists figure than Jesus.

Ultimately, with the Gunners in real need of a reliable number nine at the moment, Arteta should be pushing hard to get Zirkzee through the door.

Mauricio Pochettino reportedly had doubts over big-money midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo during his time at the club.

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Fernandez and Caicedo signed for huge feesPochettino had doubts over both playersPreferred Conor Gallagher to duoWHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea have invested heavily in players under Todd Boehly and Co., notably splashing out more than £100 million ($127m) each on Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. However, Pochettino had doubts over the two midfielders while at Chelsea despite their massive transfer fees, according to . The Argentine had question marks over whether Fernadez was "destructive" enough to play as a No.6 or had enough creativity to play further forward. Pochettino also felt Caicedo lacked "positional discipline" and felt both players did not have the "size and power" required to thrive in the English top flight.

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The report adds that Pochettino's favourite midfielder was actually academy graduate Conor Gallagher, who regularly captained the side last season in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell. The Blues are believed to be willing to sell the 24-year-old this summer due to concerns over meeting Profit and Sustainability Rules.

DID YOU KNOW?

Caicedo struck his first goal for Chelsea on the final day of the season with a stunner from the halfway line against Bournemouth, while Enzo missed the end of the campaign having undergone surgery on a hernia.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA AND POCHETTINO

Chelsea will now search for a replacement for Pochettino. Ipswich Town managerKieran McKennaand Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca have emerged as possible options for the Blues. Meanwhile, Pochettino is thought to be interested in taking over the England job from Gareth Southgate or heading to Manchester United to replace Erik ten Hag.

Rory Burns holds Surrey together again, eyes on Will Jacks for final day

ECB Reporters Network16-May-2019Lewis Gregory’s second County Championship century gave Somerset the upper hand on the third day of the match with Surrey at Taunton.Gregory made an unbeaten 129 from 153 balls with 10 fours and five sixes as his side were bowled out for 398, from an overnight 243 for 5.That gave Somerset a first-innings lead of 18 and Gregory was soon in the thick of the action again, claiming two wickets as Surrey, without the ill Dean Elgar, struggled to 152 for 5 at the close.The hosts were also without a key player in seamer Jack Brooks, sidelined by a calf problem. First innings centurion Rory Burns again held Surrey together with 78 to guide them from a perilous 43 for 3 just before tea.The day began with Somerset trailing by 137. Steve Davies had added only four to his overnight score of 54 when falling lbw to Gareth Batty, but Gregory, who started the morning on 18, moved confidently to his half-century off 69 balls.Craig Overton contributed 15 to a seventh-wicket stand of 51 before Conor McKee had him caught behind off a glove.The second new ball was taken at 303 for 7 and saw Gregory start to cut loose. Twice he effortlessly lifted deliveries from Ryan Patel over long-off for six and when Morne Morkel dropped short he was dispatched over the longest boundary at mid-wicket.It was 353 for 7 at lunch, with Gregory on 96. The first ball of the afternoon session saw him dropped at cover off Morkel and he went to three figures off 121 balls.Tim Groenewald helped add 64 and Jack Leach a further 32 in stands dominated by Gregory. But Somerset fell agonisingly short of a fifth batting point when last man Brooks, nursing his calf injury, had his middle stump uprooted by Rikki Clarke.The slender advantage still looked useful as Surrey plunged to 19 for two, Mark Stoneman edging Gregory to Marcus Trescothick at second slip and Scott Borthwick falling lbw to Overton.With Elgar unable to bat, Somerset pressed home their advantage. Leach bowled Patel between bat and pad with some flight and spin and at tea the visitors were 49 for 3. That became 94 for 4 when Gregory continued his memorable day by hurrying a ball through Ben Foakes’ defence to trap him leg before for 9.Skipper Burns was in defiant mood. Using his feet well to Leach, the left-hander brought up his second fifty of the game off 108 balls.Will Jacks, on a pair, needed to be patient getting off the mark, but helped Burns add 54 before Leach produced another key breakthrough. Burns advanced down the track once too often and was stumped by Davies as the ball beat his outside edge. The celebrations of bowler and fielders confirmed it as potentially a match-winning moment.Morkel was sent out as nightwatchman to join Jacks, who had shown good temperament in moving to 31, and the pair safely negotiated the last two overs of the day with their side leading by 134.

Neal Maupay shared a hilarious response on social media when a fan posted a tattoo the striker dared him to get.

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Fan asked Maupay what tattoo to get on social mediaBrentford striker opted for 'you're a cheat'Pair share funny exchange after posting the resultWHAT HAPPENED?

X user @bfclewis2 tagged Maupay in a post that said: "if @nealmaupay_ replies i’ll get a tattoo of his choice". The 27-year-old replied telling him to get a line from the famous clip produced by AFTV regular Ty, who called the striker out for an incident in a match against Arsenal, saying: "Maupay you're a cheat, I hope Brighton get relegated."

Lewis stuck to his word and posted a picture of the finished art on his arm, which included a Brentford shirt and the words.

AdvertisementWHAT MAUPAY SAID

The former Brighton man saw the reply and was quick to respond once again, saying "Oh my f*****g god he actually did it 😭😭😭". His reply ensured thousands of others saw the finished product, with the post gaining over 40,000 likes.

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

In a world where most elite players are media trained to ensure they do not say anything out of line, it is nice to see Maupay engage with fans on a personal level. The controversial forward has been involved in plenty of incidents across the season – most notably his exchange with James Maddison after mocking the Tottenham man's celebration when he scored against them – but his character and representation across social media is refreshing.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MAUPAY?

Maupay's spell on loan at Brentford has come to an end and he will head back to Everton ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. His contract runs until next summer with the option of a further year, so he will have the chance to either impress with the Toffees and Sean Dyche or perhaps find another loan in the Premier League.

Everton's priority will undoubtedly be to avoid Premier League relegation this season, but away from the pitch, they would be wise to begin plans to move away from season after season scrapping away with the bottom three. If the Toffees can build Sean Dyche a squad that balances both experience and players capable of becoming future stars, then the former Burnley boss could finally take them back into the Premier League's top half and even challenge for Europe.

With that said, reports suggest that those at Goodison Park are eyeing a move to sign an exciting Championship gem for Dyche in the summer transfer window.

Everton transfer news

On paper, the table reflects that Everton have so far endured yet another season to forget, but there's more to it than that. The Toffees were hit with a 10-point deduction earlier in the campaign for breaching Financial Fair Play rules and would be sitting as high as 12th, had they avoided such punishment.

Forced to face their current reality nonetheless, Everton must now ensure that the final standings reflect their performances rather than allowing the deduction to form the narrative of a disastrous season. If they do survive, meanwhile, the Merseyside club could turn their attention to summer additions.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Everton are eyeing a move for Tom Fellows, who is out of contract at West Bromwich Albion in the summer. Romano posted the news on X, saying:

Planning ahead, Everton could yet secure a right midfielder ready to play his part in both Dyche's current squad and whatever the future holds at Goodison Park.

"Excellent" Fellows can become better than Harrison

Whilst Jack Harrison has slotted straight into Dyche's side since arriving at Everton in the summer, a player of Fellows' potential can eventually prove to be an upgrade the winger. The West Brom youngster is already impressing in the Championship and has more than earned the chance to step up to the Premier League.

The fact that his current deal expires this summer too could hand Everton a free, bargain deal, and Fellows' stats show that he's certainly one to watch.

Player

Progressive Carries Per 90

Progressive Passes Per 90

Successful Take-ons Per 90

Key Passes Per 90

Tom Fellows

7.25

3

2.75

1.75

Jack Harrison

2.42

2.74

1.13

1.29

At just 20-years-old, Fellows is only likely to get better, and the fact that he has such impressive ball-carrying ability could be a standout skill for those on Merseyside. Often looking to hit the big spenders of the league on the counter attack, Fellows' ability on the ball would prove to be a valuable asset at Everton. As his West Brom contract continues to tick by, the right midfielder could leave the Championship to make a Premier League impact.

Arsenal spent a lot of money over the summer, and while the jury might still be out on Kai Havertz and David Raya, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't see Declan Rice's move as an unequivocal success so far.

The former West Ham United captain has arguably been the 'the most influential player in the Premier League this season' – according to pundit Jamie Carragher – not only acting as a sponge in the centre of the park mopping up anything that gets through the press of his attacking teammates, but he has, at times, joined in on the attacking side of the game as well.

Last-minute winners against Manchester United and Luton Town have already solidified his place as one of the Emirates' favourite adopted sons. Still, there is just that lingering feeling – somewhat spurred by these moments – that the Englishman could be even more influential in games were he playing as a number eight in place of the uninspiring Havertz.

The latter man is still yet to truly find his feet at the Emirates, with ex-Chelsea man Frank Leboeuf notably describing the German as an "enigma", while going on to state:

"In the middle of the park, because you have [Martin] Odegaard you need two strong midfielders to get the ball back. So, you don’t need him."

Mikel Arteta and Co might have the same thoughts, as the club has been linked to a number of impressive sixes that could unlock Rice's potential as an eight this month, so let's look at three of them.

1 Douglas Luiz – Aston Villa

The first name on the list, Douglas Luiz, has been touted for a move to the Emirates for well over a year now.

Arsenal's interest in the Brazilian was first reported in summer 2022 when they saw several deadline day bids rejected by Aston Villa. That interest has seemingly not faded, though, as a report from Football Insider earlier this week revealed that the Gunners were still 'pushing hard' to get a deal done.

Unfortunately for the north Londoners, though, the midfield "monster", as football writer Raj Chohan described him, is valued at around £100m, so Edu and Co will have to push the boat out to get their man.

That said, he would be worth every penny based on his performances over the last couple of seasons and his underlying numbers from this year.

Per 90

5.67

0.31

0.15

85.0%

1.29

2.84

1.24

0.72

2 Amadou Onana – Everton

The second player on the list is another that has been constantly linked with the Gunners this month, Everton's Belgian titan, Amadou Onana.

According to a report from TEAMtalk earlier this month, Arsenal are big fans of the former LOSC Lille man and have been contemplating making an offer for the player that talent scout Jacek Kulig described as a "one-man army in midfield."

He certainly looked like a one-man army when he singlehandedly played the Gunners' midfield off the park last season when the Merseysiders emerged as shock 1-0 winners from their game at Goodison – a performance Havertz could only dream of as things stand.

However, the most significant problem for the north Londoners regarding this particular deal is the price Everton are supposedly after.

According to the report from TEAMtalk, the relegation-threatened side will not entertain offers below £70m and are looking for offers closer to the £90m mark, which could put him just out of reach.

3 Martin Zubimendi – Real Sociedad

The final player on this list could be the most realistic of them all: Real Sociedad's midfield magician, Martin Zubimendi.

The Gunners have been reportedly chasing the young Spaniard since last summer, and according to reports from Spain (via Football365) earlier this week, he has now 'picked' the Gunners as his next destination.

His name might not be overly familiar to fans in England, but make no mistake, Zubimendi is an incredibly talented player and thought of just as highly.

For example, Kulig has made comparisons between the youngster and Real Madrid royalty Toni Kroos, and he isn't the only one to do so, as the CIES Football Observatory ranked him as the seventh-best holding midfielder in 2023 on the same top-ten list as the German legend.

While his reported release clause of £51m isn't cheap, it would make him the most affordable option on this list.

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The 20-year-old could transform Arsenal’s midfield.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 24, 2024

If he can get even remotely close to the level of Kroos while continuing to develop his defensive attributes, then Arsenal could have a genuine world-beater on their hands – if they can seal the deal, of course.

Ultimately, any of these stars would improve the Gunners' midfield and allow Rice to supersede the underwhelming Havertz as Arteta's go-to number eight.

India opener explains a process that worked well for him

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2019Rohit Sharma’s batting at the top of the order in ODIs is a study in contrast to the methods in vogue at the moment, with batsmen preferring to attack hard early. Rohit is not averse to taking his time at the start and settling in, before exploding with greater force as the innings progresses.India’s limited-overs vice-captain is the only man with multiple double-centuries in ODI cricket, having hit three including a world-record 264, and he explained that he had found a process that worked well for him.”What works for me is what works for me. I’m going to stick to my plans. In those double hundreds that I have scored, you’ve got to see how many balls I had consumed by the time I reached my first 10 runs, the first 50 runs, the first 75-80 runs. It’ll rarely be five balls 10 runs, or 25 balls 50 runs,” Rohit told . “You know what I’m saying – but I’ve still got there. I’ve worked with certain trends and those trends have worked for me, in return. There will be days when I will get off to a flyer.”Obviously when you’re chasing scores of 350 and 370, you’ll have to change gears as required. There’s not much time that one can take before he can get going. I get that. But you asked me about how I like to go about – to that, I’ll say, follow what suits you, go by the conditions, the opponents, the kind of attack that’s coming at you. So, let’s say much of that is an instinctive factor.”The numbers bear out Rohit’s success with his method.

Rohit Sharma’s scoring rates during an ODI innings

Overs 0 to 10 Overs 10.1 to 35 Overs 35.1 to 50Rohit’s strike rate 74.66 101.22 153.56

Rohit Sharma’s scoring rates relative to other batsmen

Rohit’s strike-rateOvers 0 to 10 [>1000 balls (only openers)] 11th (out of 12)Overs 10.1 to 35 [>500 balls (Batsmen 1-4)] 8th ( out of 61)Overs 35.1 to 50 [>200 balls (Batsmen 1-4)] 2nd (out of 91)Rohit’s acceleration during the course of an innings is evident. Among openers in the first ten overs, he is the second slowest, ahead of only Tamim Iqbal. From overs 10.1 to 35, and expanding the list to include batsmen in the top four, he is eighth among 61 batsmen. And in the last 15 overs, only AB de Villiers scores quicker than Rohit among 91 batsmen.Rohit’s six-hitting ability also plays a part in his acceleration. Since the 2015 World Cup, he has hit 130 sixes for India, considerably more than the second-placed Virat Kohli’s 55.”Listening to people, day in, day out, it’s something that I have learnt to live with,” Rohit said. “You step out of the house and the first guy you say hello to, hellos back: ‘Cover drive (Play the cover drive like this. Improve your straight drive).’ (What do I do?). Listen and move on. One guy, I don’t even know him, gave me a 15-minute lecture on the pull shot. Don’t hit the ball in the air (laughs).”What those people don’t understand is they know and recognise me as a cricketer because of those very shots. I wouldn’t have been scoring the kind of runs I did if I didn’t take those risks. For instance, just this week, someone shared an interesting stat with me. Post the 2015 World Cup, I’ve hit 130 sixes. The next best from India is 55. The margin of 75, you see, is the margin of risk I’ve taken. Simple.”

Manchester United have been dealt a huge blow with the news that Lucia Garcia is to leave the club and join fellow Spain star Jenni Hermoso in Mexico.

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Liga MX Femenil set to make another big signingGarcia out of contract at Man Utd this summerWill join fellow Spain star Hermoso in MexicoWHAT HAPPENED?

Garcia's contract in Manchester expires this summer and fans were keen to see the Red Devils renew it. However, despite head coach Marc Skinner revealing in March that discussions were ongoing, no agreement has been reached and the Spain forward is now set for a big move.

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According to journalist Diego Armando Medina, Garcia will be the latest marquee signing for Liga MX Femenil as the division continues to go from strength to strength. As well as its exciting homegrown talent, Mexico's top-flight already boasts international stars such as Hermoso, former Barcelona defender Andrea Pereira and Colombia icon Catalina Usme, and it will add another in Garcia, who is set to join Monterrey.

DID YOU KNOW?

Garcia was not part of the Spain team that won last year's World Cup, as she was one of the players on strike due to dissatisfaction with a number of elements surrounding the national team. However, she returned to the fold shortly after the tournament and was part of La Roja's Nations League triumph in February.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR GARCIA AND MAN UTD?

With the Olympics coming up, another tournament which Spain will be the favourite to come out on top at, Garcia will be keen to get her future sorted as quickly as possible. Man Utd, meanwhile, will hope that her departure is not a sign of things to come, with the England trio of Mary Earps, Katie Zelem and Nikita Parris among those also out of contract at the club this summer.