Manchester United are on the hunt for a few new additions to their squad in January. Ruben Amorim’s side are still not exactly in prolific form, having won just two of their last eight games in the Premier League.

However, a signing in the winter window could lift things. One of the players they are linked with is Antoine Semenyo, and Fabrizio Romano has reported once again that they are ‘pushing’ to sign the Bournemouth winger. His release clause of £65m will expire on January 10th, so United must act quickly.

Semenyo is not the only target United are said to be considering a move for this winter.

Man United targeting teen starlet

It is no secret that the Red Devils also want to sign a midfielder within the next couple of transfer windows. Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton, two of the most talked-about players in the Premier League, are both targets but valued at upwards of £100m.

Instead, the Red Devils are ‘lining up’ a move to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to Caught Offside.

The Frenchman, who is just 18 years of age, has made a real impression in his short career so far, and United ‘may move fast’ to win the race, having scouted him for a long time.

However, they will not be alone in this race. Bouaddi is a player in demand, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all showing interest from within the Premier League.

Across Europe, the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are keen. As for a fee, Bouaddi could cost upwards of £44m.

Why Bouaddi could be a better signing than Semenyo

“Youth, courage, success” is a key motto of United. Signing 18-year-old Bouaddi certainly fits the bill in that sense. He is one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Europe, described as an “elite level” player by Como scout Ben Mattinson.

His talent is reflected in the fact that he’s played so much for Lille this season. The midfielder, who was born in Senlis, just outside of Paris, has played 20 times across all competitions for the French side, chipping in with one assist.

Bouaddi tends to sit at the base of the midfield for the Ligue 1 outfit, looking to progress play forward with his ball-carrying ability. He’s yet to score a goal at professional level, but does have four career assists, including one this season. It showcases just how good he is with the ball at his feet, with his slick dribbling creating space to slide Felix Correia in.

Indeed, his underlying stats further reinforce this. Bouaddi is averaging 1.4 completed take-ons per 90 minutes so far this season in Ligue 1, and has created one chance each game on average, too.

Bouaddi key stats in 25/26 Ligue 1

Stat

Per 90 mins

Season total

Chances created

1

11

Forward passes

8.3

96

Take-ons completed

1.4

16

Duels won

5.3

61

Ball recoveries

5.6

64

Stats from Squawka

There is certainly a case to be made that the signing of the French U21 international would be better than that of Semenyo.

That is not to say the Cherries winger would be a bad addition to United’s attack. He has 11 goals and assists in 16 games in the Premier League this term.

He is, of course, one of the best attackers in the league. In the summer, he did individual training with Saul Isaksson-Hurst, who later described him as a “Champions League-level player.” It would be a huge coup for United.

Yet, there is an argument to say a midfielder is a priority for Amorim’s side. It is probably the area in the squad where United have the worst depth.

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Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are first-choice in the pivot; Manuel Ugarte is not good enough, and Amorim still won’t give Kobbie Mainoo an opportunity.

Signing Bouaddi would add depth to the midfield, which is desperately needed right now. On top of that, he is a player for the future, as well as the present. At just 18 years of age, United will get the best out of him over the years.

£44m is not the biggest fee for such a highly-rated youngster like Bouaddi. Signing Semenyo would be another good attacking reinforcement, but the French youngster would help solve depth issues and could be the wiser addition.

Related Dream for Bruno: Man Utd are in talks to sign "explosive" £65m star

This attacking ace could add firepower for Man Utd in forward areas.

Posts ByJoe Nuttall

Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez shone for Colombia in their 3-0 win against Poland in their latest 2018 World Cup fixture on Sunday, and Manchester United fans have urged their club to sign the ace, rated at £63m by Transfermarkt.

The 26-year-old joined the La Liga giants having finished as the top goalscorer at the 2014 World Cup, but he has struggled to make the impact that was perhaps expected of him despite having a record of 36 goals and 40 assists in 111 appearances for them.

He spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich and he may well be in demand this summer too if his latest display in Russia is anything to go by, having provided two brilliant assists for Yerry Mina and Juan Cuadrado against their European opposition at the weekend.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255883″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Man United’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

Man United supporters, who have also urged their club to sign another 24-year-old World Cup star with one describing him as “better than Perisic”, were quick to have their say on Rodriguez’s performance via social media, and while one said “sign him up and sell lazy Martial”, another said “I’d happily smash the world record fee to sign James Rodriguez”.

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Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Lancashire handed the National League title they have won for the last two years to Gloucestershire by beating Somerset in a thrilling day-night match at Old Trafford.Somerset were the only team who could overhaul Gloucestershire but they fell 10 runs short of Lancashire’s 236 for four despite a brilliant century from their Australian captain Jamie Cox – with Gloucestershire’s players watching nervously in a Brighton hotel.Lancashire are still virtually certain to be relegated but at least they salvaged some pride despite the absence of four England players – Mike Atherton, Andy Flintoff and the injured John Crawley and Peter Martin.Sourav Ganguly was their hero, scoring his third one-day century of the season after stand-in skipper Warren Hegg had won the toss and chosen to bat.Ganguly, who has failed to score a century in the Championship, made 102 from 137 balls with eight boundaries, sharing stands of 82 with Mark Chilton and 115 in 19 overs with Neil Fairbrother.It took the Indian left-hander’s tally in 11 National League games to 532 runs at an average of almost 60, in addition to 262 runs from four NatWest Trophy innings.Fairbrother also played a key role with another one-day masterclass, scoring 62 from 56 balls with six fours and a pair of sixes over long on.Mark Lathwell gave Somerset’s reply the perfect start with 53 from 83 balls including six stylish boundaries.He was bowled by Gary Keedy but as long as Cox was in, Somerset’s title hopes were very much alive.The Tasmanian cruised to three figures in only 98 balls despite only hitting five boundaries, including a straight six off Chris Schofield.But Schofield played a vital part in Lancashire’s victory, claiming the wickets of Michael Burns and Ian Blackwell and also running out Keith Parsons with a direct hit from backward point.But as so often for Lancashire, it was Ian Austin who applied the finishing touches.Somerset needed 23 from three overs when Austin returned to the attack and he put Somerset under so much pressure that Cox was run out by Glen Chapple.Austin then polished off two wickets in the last over as Lancashire enjoyed only their fifth win of the season.But they will hardly have enjoyed handing the title to Gloucestershire, who virtually condemned them to relegation at Bristol on Monday after beating them at the semi final stage of both the NatWest Trophy and Benson and Hedges Cup earlier this season.

Goa chased down the highest total of their Ranji Trophy league matchagainst Kerala at Panaji to win the game by eight wickets on thefourth day.Chasing 213 for victory, Goa’s opening bats put on 113 runs for thefirst wicket before Sudin Kamat fell, having made 71 off 143 balls.When Kiran Powar also fell, for the addition of just one run, acollapse looked in the offing.Tanveer Jabbar and opener Vivekanand Kolambkar, however, played wellto see their side through to victory without any more losses.Kolambkar remained unbeaten on 74 off 209 balls, striking 11 fours anda six. Jabbar made 57 off 80 balls, with eight fours and a six. Goapick up eight points by virtue of this outright win.

Leicestershire 159 and 110 for 9 (Raine 30, Stevens 3-27) lead Kent 210 (Stevens 63) by 59 runs
ScorecardDarren Stevens, seen here against Surrey, ensured Kent took a healthy first-innings lead•PA Photos

Bad light frustrated Kent as they ended the second day of the against Leicestershire closing in on victory. The home side lead by just 59 runs with a single second innings wicket remaining when at 7pm umpires Steve Gale and Neil Mallender decided the light was too poor to continue.As on the first day, the amount of movement obtained by both sides’ seam bowlers on a green pitch, together with increasingly indifferent bounce, made batting something of a lottery. Seventeen wickets fell, but the highlight of the day was a remarkable half-century from Darren Stevens, which together with an eighth wicket partnership of 60 between Adam Ball and Calum Haggett, helped the visitors establish a first innings lead of 51.Stevens was then among the wickets, along with fellow Kent seamers Haggett and Matt Coles, to put the visitors within touching distance of what would only be their second Championship win of the season.When play began the visitors quickly lost overnight batsmen Rob Key and Sam Northeast. Key was the first to be dismissed, lbw to Ben Raine for 8, and in the following over, Northeast also went leg before, to Clint McKay for 17, leaving Kent on 60 for 4. Stevens survived a big shout for a catch behind the wicket on 11 off Raine, and then lost Ben Harmison, a well-pitched up inswinger from Charlie Shreck trapping him in front for 7.But Stevens then took the attack to his former county in spectacular style, hitting ten fours before going to his 50 with a beautifully timed six over midwicket. It came off just 48 balls, but he was dismissed shortly after lunch, throwing his bat at a wide delivery from Ollie Freckingham and edging behind. Ball and Daggett both hit well to extend the lead though, Ball’s 32 coming off 35 balls before he holed out off Freckingham.Coles, who took six wickets in the first innings, struck twice when the Leicestershire second innings began, trapping Matt Boyce on the crease and having Greg Smith caught at second slip attempting to leave the ball – the second duck of the match for Smith after his return from Nottinghamshire on a month’s loan.Haggett picked up the wicket of Robson, and Stevens that of Andrea Agathangelou, in both cases leg before to deliveries that seamed back in to the right-handed batsmen. After tea three wickets fell without addition to the score after Stevens picked up Eckersley leg before with a ball that stayed low, but Raine battled on to ensure the match would go into a third day.

If England were downcast after a 405-run drubbing in the second Investec Test at Lord’s, you would not have known it from their demeanour as they reconvened at Edgbaston after a few days downtime.Before practice, the squad larked and joked around and England’s now traditional game of football to warm up took on greater proportions than ever before, as Stuart Broad chased Joe Root almost all the way round the Edgbaston outfield and the recalled Jonny Bairstow reprised his role as goalhanger-in-chief. Bearing in mind that it was on this ground a decade ago that Glenn McGrath trod on a cricket ball while playing rugby and altered the course of a series, that may not have been sensible.Root’s press conference was conducted in much the same chipper fashion. England, he insisted, have such belief and confidence that bouncing back from heavy defeats is not an issue; downtime is crucial in a long series; and England’s order and personnel changes – with Bairstow in for Gary Ballance and Ian Bell and Root himself bumped up a place in the order – would be seamless, and that they would continue “to play their own game.”Of his old Yorkshire team-mate Bairstow – who is averaging 108.88 with five centuries in the County Championship this season, Root said: “Jonny will be so excited and he couldn’t be in better form right now. He’ll be determined to emulate that on the highest stage. It’s never easy to come in to such a big series but he’s averaging 100 with five hundreds under his belt. He’ll be desperate to carry on the great form he’s shown this season so far.”Certainly in the nets, where England used two left-arm net bowlers – admittedly not of either Mitchell’s pace – to get in the groove, Bairstow looked in fine touch, compulsively hooking the short ball – a perceived weakness in the early part of his international career – with his tweaked, higher backlift. Mark Wood, who passed a fitness test on Monday morning, bowled without obvious discomfort.Bairstow is charged with shoring up a batting order that has continually struggled in recent times, finding itself three wickets down for less than 52 eight times in their last seven Tests, and Root was quick to play down the changes in the order that have come with Bairstow’s recall.”Ian’s played a lot at three and I’ll go up to four so not a lot will be changing. Every international player is playing for their place at all times. Ian’s record is fantastic and he’s playing at his home ground. Last time the Ashes were in England he was outstanding and I’m sure he will want to out a marker down and get form that he will stay in for the rest of the season.”The top order just have to go out and play their own game. It’s not gone to plan so far but we’ve got some really talented players out there and it’s about looking after their own games and going about their business in the same way as when they’re successful. It’s about making sure we do everything we can to build big partnerships and put them back under pressure.”Throughout this summer we’ve always come back from heavy defeats well. There’s so much confidence in the camp and we’ll be looking to put them back on the back foot on Wednesday.He could not, however, offer much insight into England’s startling inconsistency which has seen three strong victories – Grenada, Lord’s and Cardiff – followed by equally thumping defeats.”It’s hard to put my finger on it. We’re just not as consistent as we’d like to be. It’s not through lack of effort. We’ve got a few young players finding their feet and it will come with time.”All, then, according to Root at least, is well in England’s garden. But with a splash of grass on the Edgbaston pitch – in more ways than one – and Mitchell Starc goading England into leaving it that way, quite how deep the psychological scars of Lord’s are, will soon become clear.

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has confirmed he will not play in the Big Bash League this year, having pulled out of his commitment to play for the Melbourne Stars. Clarke was to captain the side in the BBL this summer after signing a two-year contract in April, but following his retirement from Test cricket he has decided he needs some time away from the game.”Right now for I just think my body and my mind need some time away from the game of cricket,” Clarke told radio on Wednesday morning. “It’s been a big part of my life and I just think that with my retirement from international cricket now I just need to take myself away from the game of cricket for a little while and just see what that’s like to actually be without it.”You push yourself to the max when you’re playing sport at the highest level and now I’ve pressed stop on that part, in regards to international cricket, I just think my body and my mind just needs that break.”Clarke said he hoped to return to the field at some point in the future and would always remain involved in cricket in some way, having launched his own cricket academy last year. There is a chance he could yet play for the Stars in 2016-17.”I’ve got a two-year deal at the moment so hopefully it all turns out okay and I come back and play next year,” Clarke said, “but even if they decide they don’t want me to play, hopefully I can help the club have success in another way.”

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed BCCI’s plea seeking review of an earlier verdict that struck down the controversial amendment to the conflict-of-interest clause. The BCCI had filed a review petition soon after the verdict, but the apex court dismissed it, reckoning there was no merit to the case.A legal expert told ESPNcricinfo that review petitions were “rarely entertained.” “Ordinarily, these reviews are heard in the chambers,” he said. “If there is an error apparent in the face of the judgment, then they will review it.”It’s an extraordinary power and is not meant to be used lightly. If they have made a glaring error, then they will review it and correct it, otherwise they won’t exercise powers.”In January, the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment pertaining to the 2013 IPL corruption case, struck down the amendment to the BCCI constitution’s clause 6.2.4 that allowed board officials to have a commercial interest in the IPL and the Champions League T20, calling it “the true villain of the situation at hand.” The amendment to the clause was effected in September 2008, six months after the Chennai franchise was sold to India Cements, a company owned by then BCCI secretary N Srinivasan.The judgment had far-reaching consequences with the court ruling that while the BCCI was a private body, it performed a public function and was therefore amenable to judicial law and review. It was the first instance of an external agency amending the BCCI’s constitution.The rule was deemed by the Court to be “void and ineffective”, “unsustainable and impermissible in law” as it was said to have “authorised” the “creation and continuance” of a conflict-of-interest situation. The two-man bench of Justice TS Thakur and Justice FMI Kalifullah said the amendment had perpetuated the conflict.In an ostensible bid to act on the Supreme Court’s ruling, the BCCI’s current dispensation had in July asked representatives of state associations and members of the Board to sign a declaration stating they had no conflict of interest. The decision, however, met with resistance from some of the members associations, and the issue was slated to be raised at the working committee meeting on August 28, which was subsequently adjourned owing to Srinivasan’s presence.

India batsman Virender Sehwag has formally retired from international cricket. On Tuesday, his 37th birthday, Sehwag made the announcement via Twitter, with a crisp message that said he would no longer play the IPL either.On Monday, Sehwag had revealed he would be participating in the Masters Champions League, a UAE-based Twenty20 tournament that requires its participants to have retired from all international formats, and said a formal retirement announcement would follow soon. He indicated that he would continue playing for Haryana till the end of the Ranji Trophy season.”God has been kind and I have done what I wanted to do – on the field and in my life and I had decided sometime back that I will retire on my 37th birthday,” Sehwag said in a statement. “So, while I spend the day with my family, I hereby announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket and the Indian Premier League.”Cricket has been my life and continues to be so. Playing for India was a memorable journey and I tried to make it more memorable for my team-mates and for the Indian cricket fans. I believe I was reasonably successful in doing so. For that, I wish to thank all my teammates over the years – some of the greatest players of the game. I would like to thank all my captains, who believed in me and backed me to the hilt. I also thank our greatest partner, the Indian cricket fan for all the love, support and the memories.”I also want to thank everyone for all the cricketing advice given to me over the years and apologise for not accepting most of it! I had a reason for not following it: I did it my way!”Sehwag is widely considered one of India’s greatest opening batsmen, and he revolutionised the art of batting against the new ball in Test cricket with his aggressive approach, scoring at a strike rate of over 80 in the longest format. He has been out of India’s plans for over two years, having last played for the national side in the Hyderabad Test against Australia in March 2013.Sehwag played 104 Tests, 251 ODIs and 19 T20Is, scoring over 17,000 international runs and picking up 136 wickets with his offspin. His greatest moments came in Test cricket, where he made 23 hundreds including the only two triple-centuries by an Indian batsman, while his ODI achievements included the format’s second double-hundred. He was part of India’s victorious campaigns at the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup.

ScorecardThe Papua New Guinea players line up for a team photograph after beating Nepal•ICC/Saleem Sanghati

Captain Jack Vare’s match-winning 76 led Papua New Guinea to their second successive successful last-over chase against Nepal in Abu Dhabi. Chasing 225 for victory, PNG had been reduced to 141 for 7 before Vare combined with John Reva (31) to change the complexion of the game with an unbroken 84-run stand. The pair brought down the equation from 60 off 60 to 6 off 6 before Vare struck the first ball off the last over for four to effectively kill the game and complete a stunning comeback win.Earlier, Nepal got off to a poor start after choosing to bat, losing both their openers in the first over as Norman Vanua trapped them both lbw. Sagar Pun (47) and Gyanendra Malla (36) then steadied the innings with a 66-run stand which was followed by partnerships of 51 and 60 for the fourth and fifth wickets respectively, as Nepal’s middle order got stuck in to the bowling.Nepal’s captain Paras Khadka top-scored with 58 and found able company in Sharad Vesawkar (42). However, the batsmen failed to find the required impetus towards the end of the innings and finished with 224 for 8. Vanua and Assad Vala claimed three wickets each.PNG lost Lega Siaka for a duck in the first over of the chase but Vala and Tony Ura struck a brisk 42-run second-wicket partnership. The game turned again as Nepal found wickets with regularity and reduced PNG to 141 for 7 in the 35th over. Sompal Kami did the early damage, picking up figures of 3 for 51 and Basant Regmi scalped two middle-order wickets.