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Manchester United have this afternoon identified their “top target” to replace Ruben Amorim after dismissing their manager.

Amorim and INEOS reach boiling point

The results were never strong under Amorim, but INEOS seemed content to wait for their masterplan to work. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co. always towed the line that it was a long-term project at Old Trafford and there would be no quick fix. But then came the issue of Amorim’s formation.

It’s a system which split opinion at the club and the former Sporting CP manager looked to have finally eased his stance in recent weeks after switching things up. That, however, was simply the beginning of the end.

Amorim soon reverted back to old ways and after Jason Wilcox broached the topic of his formation, the manager reportedly blew up as tensions reached a boiling point.

Tensions hadn’t simmered by the time that Amorim was sat in front of reporters after drawing 1-1 with Leeds United either, and that led to an bombshell interview.

The 40-year-old told reporters: “I just want to say that I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach. In every department – the scouting department, the sporting director – needs to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.”

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His words have since turned into his final monologue as Man United boss and INEOS have been left to pick up the pieces, commencing their search for a new manager.

Man Utd identify "top target" to replace Amorim

According to The Telegraph’s Jason Burt on Monday afternoon, Man United have now made Oliver Glasner their “top target” to replace Amorim and INEOS are huge admirers of his work.

United’s potential move would likely fall into rumours that INEOS are unlikely to appoint a permanent manager until the summer, with an interim until then likely to either be Darren Fletcher or another option.

Glasner has around six months left on his Crystal Palace deal and there are no signs that he will be putting pen to paper on fresh terms. This should allow United to swoop in and land a free deal for a manager who needs no introduction in the Premier League.

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Compared to Amorim, the Austrian is certainly adaptable. Despite operating with a 3-4-2-1, like Amorim, at Selhurst Park, Glasner previously admitted that he picks his formation based on the squad.

It’s exactly what INEOS will want to hear, as they look to appoint the second manager of their tenure just 14 months after securing their first.

Liverpool officials have reportedly completed their scouting mission in the race to sign a young Dutch midfielder who’s been compared to Frenkie De Jong.

Liverpool sack set-piece coach

After a woeful set-piece record in the Premier League this season, Liverpool have sacked set-piece coach Aaron Briggs. The decision has been made with immediate effect and the responsibility will now be shared among the rest of the Reds’ coaching staff as they look to end a miserable defensive run in that area.

What was a key strength under Jurgen Klopp and under Arne Slot last season as Liverpool secured Premier League glory has now become their biggest weakness.

After conceding 12 goals from set-pieces this season, with the latest coming against Wolverhampton Wanderers, those at Anfield have decided that enough is enough. They will hope that, even without directly replacing Briggs for the time being, things will now improve.

That said, it may not be the only change in Merseyside in the next month. The Premier League champions could find themselves busy on the transfer front in the January transfer window.

Whilst they’re set to miss out on Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City, recent reports have claimed that Liverpool could yet make another move to sign Marc Guehi next month.

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Liverpool are weighing up a winter move for a new centre-midfielder.

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Several clubs are lying in wait to secure the Crystal Palace man when he becomes a free agent in the summer. Those at Anfield, however, could swoop in early by offering Palace one last chance to cash in.

Guehi’s arrival would certainly help solve some of their problems, perhaps including from set pieces, but he’s not the only name on their shortlist. According to TeamTalk, Liverpool have now also completed their scouting mission to sign Kees Smit in the summer.

Liverpool complete Kees Smit scouting mission

The young Dutchman is becoming the talk of the Premier League amid interest from Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur and it’s easy to see why.

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One scout went as far as to claim that the AZ Alkmaar man is the “best midfield prospect since Frenkie De Jong” in the Netherlands – telling TeamTalk: “He is a very clever footballer, many clubs actually thought they had spotted a player that others might not be aware of but it has become apparent in recent months that everyone is watching him.

“He is a genuine talent, when you think of an Adam Wharton in England – this is the Dutch version of that. He is probably the best Dutch midfield prospect since Frenkie De Jong, and he hasn’t done bad, has he? He really is superb and is someone everyone will be talking about this summer.”

As such, Liverpool could reportedly have to pay around £65m if they want to welcome the 19-year-old in the summer in what would be another expensive move from Michael Edwards and Co.

New Zealand have announced two new players for their forthcoming series against England and Australia. Ingrid Cronin-Knight and Lucy Doolan will make their debuts, while there was a recall after five years for Katey Martin, who has played three ODIs and a Test. She last played aged 18, and turns 23 on Thursday.Suzie Bates is unavailable for the entire series through her basketball commitments: New Zealand have qualified for the Olympics, so she is waiting to hear if she is in the squad. Louise Milliken continues to recover from her knee reconstruction surgery, while Maria Fahey is also out with an illness.Helen Watson is unavailable for the England series through work commitments – she has just started a new job after having to give the previous one up to go to England last year. Beth McNeill is undertaking a university course and so she can also only make one series, so she will face Australia as the two will have a direct swap, much like Holly Colvin, who couldn’t make the New Zealand leg and arrived late for the Australia part, and Charlotte Russell.As this is a building year ahead of the 2009 World Cup, the selectors have named three separate squads: one for England, one for Australia and an A side who will play a warm-up match against England and from whom the selectors could call on.”Choosing three teams, including the A squad, gives us the opportunity to expose some new players to international cricket,” said head coach Steve Jenkin. “It also allows selectors flexibility to make some changes between series, as a number of experienced players will miss either or both tours.”Although we will miss those players, we are confident the other White Ferns have proven their talent in recent seasons, and that the new and recalled players will take the opportunity presented.”New Zealand squad for Australia seriesHaidee Tiffen (capt), Nicola Browne, Sarah Burke, Rachel Candy, Lucy Doolan, Sara McGlashan, Aimee Mason, Katey Martin, Rachel Priest, Amy Satterthwaite, Sarah Tsukigawa, Helen Watson.New Zealand squad for England seriesHaidee Tiffen (capt), Nicola Browne, Sarah Burke, Rachel Candy, Ingrid Cronin-Knight, Sophie Devine, Ros Kember, Beth McNeill, Sara McGlashan, Aimee Mason, Katey Martin, Amy Satterthwaite, Sarah Tsukigawa.New Zealand A squad Ingrid Cronin-Knight (capt), Kate Broadmore, Saskia Bullen, Abby Burrows, Lucy Doolan, Tamara Gould, Holly Huddleston, Prashilla Mistry, Megan Murphy, Katie Perkins, Rachel Priest, Sian Ruck, Megan Wakefield.

Tom Moody feels Chamara Silva’s performances have been ‘stunning’ © Getty Images

Tom Moody, Sri Lanka’s coach, has singled out Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva and Lasith Malinga as key members of Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign. According to Moody, the trio has come through with some incredible performances over the last 12 to 18 months that have given Sri Lanka the right balance in the batting and bowling departments.”Tharanga’s introduction to international cricket has been quite stunning,” said Moody before embarking on his first World Cup as coach. “A young 21-year-old coming into the set-up from nowhere and doing what he’s done in both forms of the game is absolutely impressive. He is one who is quite likely to have a very successful World Cup.”Tharanga, a left-handed opener, broke into international cricket 19 months ago and has made rapid strides, as his six centuries in 43 ODIs indicates. Five of those came in 2006, a year in which he was one of four Sri Lankan batsmen to reach 1000 calendar runs.Moody felt the development of Silva, a right-handed middle-order batsman, was simply ‘stunning’. “He came from a pair in his first Test to back that up with a magnificent Test hundred, a big hundred. It was the same when he got his opportunity in the one-day arena. It hasn’t taken him too many goals to get there.”I’ll never forget the day when he was involved in a Twenty20 practice match about four months ago at the SSC. I’ve never seen this guy bat before and I asked, ‘Who is this batting?’ I just couldn’t believe that he wasn’t involved in any form for Sri Lanka A or the national teams. He took his chances in the A team, scored runs and the rest is history. He’s got stunning talent and he’s got some exciting years ahead of him.”Moody admitted that the biggest concern he had a month ago was the middle order, but that the performances of Silva has dispelled all doubts.On Malinga, he of the slinging action and searing toe-crushers, Moody said: “Lasith Malinga’s development has been incredible and impressive. He also could have a huge impact in this World Cup”. Malinga, 23, took 30 ODI wickets from 18 matches last year, and Moody felt his ability to generate extra pace, get early breakthroughs and then return towards the latter part of the innings to stifle the run-rate brought a new dimension to the Sri Lankan bowling line-up and given captain Mahela Jayawardene more options.There were also words of confidence for the more experienced players in the side, including Sanath Jayasuriya – “There’s no reason why he cannot have a World Cup like he had in 1996. He’s focused, his technique is better than it’s ever been, he’s fit and he’s hungry” – Kumar Sangakkara – “Sanga’s consistency in both forms of the game and his focus and concentration is something that we all should admire” – and Mahela Jayawardene, struggling for runs but still a vital member of the side.”Sanga, Mahela, Silva, all could have a big World Cup and make a difference,” Moody added. “It won’t be one player that will help Sri Lanka have a successful World Cup campaign. All these players will have to play an important role in that success.

Sahara One has bagged the satellite rights for the upcoming series against England. It will telecast all three Tests and seven one-day internationals. This follows the signing of an agreement with Nimbus which owns the global media rights for cricket matches to be played in India till 2010.The agreement was signed late last night, Sahara spokesman Abhijeet Sarkar told PTI. Sarkar said that Sahara was continuing talks with Nimbus to acquire the rights for a four-year period. He, however, refused to divulge the financial details of the deal.Announcing the deal, Shailendra Singh, head of Sahara One Media And Entertainment Limited, said, “We are delighted to partner with Nimbus and Indian cricket in this new strategic initiative to take Indian cricket to the next level. Sahara India Pariwar has deep commitment to cricket and we are sure that our massive reach in cable homes will ensure that this exciting series achieves record-breaking ratings.”Incidentally, Sahara One is free-to-air channel. Commenting on the deal, Akash Khurana, MD & CEO, Nimbus, said “Our choice of the Sahara One platform was dictated by the fact that the channel has near 100% distribution in cable homes compared to sports channels that barely reach 50% of cable homes; and by the amazing commitment and vision for cricket of the Sahara India Pariwar.”

Younis Khan, at the centre of Pakistan’s comeback in the Test series, will have a huge role to play, especially if Pakistan bat first© AFP

The Dhoni frenzy has caught on in the Steel City, the Indians are on a roll, and scorching temperatures or not, the Keenan Stadium will be choc-a-block when the third one-day international gets underway at Jamshedpur tomorrow. From the organisers’ point of view, Dhoni’s blistering 148 at Visakhapatnam couldn’t have come at a better time – with Ranchi, Dhoni’s hometown, just a couple of hours’ drive from Jamshedpur, plenty of people are flocking to see their local hero in action, forcing the authorities to hoist temporary stands with which they hope to accommodate about 6000 more. If Dhoni fires again, and if India win tomorrow, the crowds will, to quote Dhoni, “go mad”.However, there are two teams involved in this series, and if the last few weeks are any indication, expect Pakistan to mount a strong counter-attack here. On many occasions on this tour, they have been down and ready for the taking; on most of those instances, they have shown the gumption to get up and fight hard. Younis Khan, who has recovered from his illness and is available for selection, said as much when asked about the pressure Pakistan were under: “We are used to it. We came back in the Tests, and we can do it here as well.”And in a one-day match, it doesn’t take much for the wheels to come off for the team in the driver’s seat. In both the matches so far, India have been lucky to win the toss and bat first. If the coin rolls the other way tomorrow, it’s easy to visualise Pakistan’s top order belting the ball all around the park. Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana form a handy enough line-up, and with the firepower which follows in the lower order, the Indian attack may well have their task cut out for them if they have to bowl without the cushion of a huge total. More so, because the pitch seems a belter – its whitish shade is typical of the Keenan Stadium track, and a good layer of straw-coloured grass should ensure that the pitch stays firm throughout the game. Add a well-manicured outfield and short boundaries, and there’s every reason to believe that the team batting first will target, and quite likely attain, a score in the region of 300.

Mahendra Dhoni: If he fires at his home ground, the crowd will “go mad”© AFP

From the Indian point of view, it’s time for some of the big guns to fire. Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid have been consistency personified so far, but the rest of the line-up – apart from Dhoni, of course – has been virtually non-existent: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif have together contributed 53 runs in eight innings. Those are damning statistics, and numbers which are in urgent need of correction.What should encourage the Pakistanis is the record of the teams at this venue – Pakistan have won both their matches here – against India in 1986-87 and against Sri Lanka in the Pepsi Cup in 1998-99. The Indians, on the other hand, have a dismal record – their win against South Africa in 1999-2000 is their only one in seven tries. (Click here for the results of all matches at Jamshedpur.)Meanwhile, the hectic schedules and the extreme conditions have already had their impact on the sides, with both teams making changes due to, or to prevent, injuries to their lead bowlers. India have been forced to omit Lakshmipathy Balaji, who has a side strain, while Pakistan will rest Mohammad Sami. Irfan Pathan or Ajit Agarkar will make the final XI – Dravid suggested at the press conference that there were enough part-time spinners in the team for the Indians to omit Murali Kartik – while Iftikhar Anjum will replace Sami. The other change Pakistan are almost certain to make is the inclusion of Younis, in place of Mohammad Hafeez. With the conditions so batsman-friendly, they might even be tempted to drop a specialist batsman – probably Shoaib Malik – and bring in Danish Kaneria.India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.Pakistan (probable) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Shahid Afridi, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Arshad Khan, 9 Iftikhar Anjum, 10 Naved-ul-Hasan, 11 Danish Kaneria.

Sourav Ganguly: has a problem with the higher authorities © AFP

Even if the rain made a result impossible at the Gabba, India, despite their sensational showing on Friday, would perhaps be happy to walk away with a draw and their dignity, but they will live the next days in the fear of their captain being put out of action for the next Test in Adelaide. In the second Test against New Zealand at Ahmedabad earlier this year, Sourav Ganguly became the first player in the history of cricket to be docked a couple of runs for ignoring the umpire’s warning about running on the danger area of the pitch. Now he runs the risk of being the first Test captain to be suspended for slow over-rates.Admittedly, it will be a drastic step for the match referee to consider, but Mike Proctor will be well within his rights to impose a one-match suspension on Ganguly if India are unable to substantially reduce their deficit, which currently stands at 10. “Such decisions are always taken at the end of the match,” Proctor told Wisden Cricinfo last night, “I have had a word with Ganguly and the team management and I will be watching them closely.”This is not the first time the Indians have fallen foul of Proctor on this count. He had fined the entire team 35% of their match fee for slow over-rates in the Hamilton Test during India’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year. While he would not accuse India of slowing down deliberately, Proctor said it was a serious issue. While the Indian management sought to play down the issue, a senior official admitted privately that the matter was of concern to the Indian camp.The new playing conditions of the ICC lay a greater responsibility on the captain for any tardiness on the field. While players can be penalized 5% of the match fee for every over bowled short, the captain is liable for a 10% penalty. If the shortfall is more than five overs, the fine is raised to 10% for regular players and 20% for the captain. At end of the first day, Ganguly was liable for a penalty exceeding his match fee, giving rise to speculations that if the trend continued Proctor would be left with no choice but to hand out a one-match suspension. A shortfall of more than five overs amounts to a Level Two offence under the new ICC Code, which translates to “bringing the game in to disrepute.”While that description can be challenged, it is undeniable that the Indians were markedly lethargic on the field on Thursday, with the wicket keeper and the slip fielders changing ends gingerly. The contrast was remarkable following Proctor’s warning. The fielders sprinted so quickly between the overs that a televsion producer was overheard remarking that it was costing his channel considerable advertising revenue.Wisden Asia Cricket

It took nine overs for South Africa to make the 44 runs, required to win the Durban test match by 10 wickets. 36 runs came of the 5 angry overs bowled by Sami, a senseless display of short-pitched bowling , the equivalent of banging one’s head against a wall.By contrast, England made Australia sweat it out for the 107 runs it needed, losing 5 wickets. It was an inspiring piece of cricket.England bowled with passion, pride and commitment, qualities of heart missing in Pakistan effort. It would have been nice if Pakistan had taken a wicket or two. It goes to show a frame of mind, an attitude.Waqar Younis, perhaps, believes that he himself is two bowlers because he goes in with a bowler short in both versions of the game. In the Durban test match, Pakistan played 4 bowlers and to compound the mistake, won the toss and sent South Africa in, as if it had McGrath, Gillespie, Lee and Warne in the team.The first calculation, a captain must do, is whether he has the bowling resources to take 20 wickets to win a test match. There’s no point in packing the batting if you can’t get the other side out.Besides, if your top five batsmen don’t fire, what can we expect an additional batsman to do? Shahid Afridi does not seem to fit into the team management’s planning, for whatever reasons, what is Mohammad Zahid in the team for?In the three-day game preceding the test match, by some quirk of fortune, or absent-mindedness, Mohammad Zahid played and he took 5 wickets. Perhaps, this was not considered good enough. Sent in, South Africa made 366 in ideal bowling conditions.True there was no Wasim Akram or Shoaib Akhtar, one back home and the other still in Durban, ostensibly undergoing treatment though hardly incapacitated: All the more reason to have batted first and put some runs on the board.Batting was always going to be difficult and Shaun Pollock let loose his battery of quick bowlers and they blasted Pakistan out. The openers, about whom so much concern has been shown, gave Pakistan a solid start but once Taufiq Omar was out, the door was opened.Inzamam got out to a brute of a delivery and, suddenly, the South African bowlers seemed to grow horns. Hanif Mohammad was in the dressing-room, watching the proceedings as the batting coach. His mind must have flashed back to his monumental innings of 337 against the West Indies and Gilchrist was part of the attack and Gilchrist was ferociously fast and he ‘chucked’ his bouncer and the batsmen wore no helmets.Hanif the batting coach can pass on some tips but he can’t pass on the application and steely resolve he brought to his batting. He put a very high price on his wicket.It is not that the Pakistan batsmen are not talented. It is simply that they don’t bat as a team. Pakistan batted better in the second innings. Another hundred runs and Saqlain could have won the match for Pakistan.The batsmen should see the videos of how they got out and they will be able to see how poor the shot selection was. Youhana twinkled like a diamond. But he played an ambitious shot seeing that a fielder had been posted at fly-slip and he took the bait.One hopes that Pakistan will do better at Capetown. It will be the last international match before the World Cup and Pakistan needs to take back some pride from South Africa before it returns to do battle.Teams that refuse to play in Zimbabwe will forfeit match points. This is not enough. Zimbabwe as a venue is a part of the package of the World Cup.The pressure is coming from England even the government has weighed in with Claire Short, a cabinet minister saying it would be “shocking and deplorable” if the England team went to Zimbabwe. The irony is that Zimbabwe’s team is mainly made up of whites.Yet, they seem to be willing to play but the high-minded English find it morally repugnant to play in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. By introducing politics into sport, the World Cup is being put to risk. People like David Graveney are entitled to their opinions but are singularly unqualified to make political judgements.I would guess that they have no idea about the imperatives of Zimbabwe’s politics nor any idea of the white man’s rule in that country and how the best lands in that country were ‘stolen’ from the Zimbabwe blacks. It is a shameful history. The ICC must take a tough stand.Pakistan’s team for the World Cup will have been announced when this column appears in the print. I expect to see no surprises and if they are, I will comment on them next week.But one hopes that no one will be picked if he has a question mark hanging over him about his fitness. It’s time that PCB’s medical panel showed some teeth. Players who carry injuries don’t get better by playing.This would seem fairly elementary to even a layman. And unfit players are bad for the morale of the team and morale is a key component of a team. This too is elementary.

The players turned up, the crowd turned up, more than 7000 of them, but someone forgot to order a pitch for the New Zealand-Zimbabwe Boxing Day Test at Wellington’s Basin Reserve.Those who made the effort to shake off their post-Christmas Day torpor must have wondered why they bothered when the arrived at the ground for what has now become a New Zealand cricket tradition.For all their efforts what greeted them was a grey-looking, lifeless pitch that was a far cry from the superior pitches that have been prepared in recent years.Predictably, the play was dull with New Zealand crawling to a laborious 190/4 by stumps with Nathan Astle looking for a big score on 56 not out, off 174 balls and in 242 minutes, and Craig McMillan 20 not out.The real test of the effect of such a slow day’s batting will be seen in the number of people who bother to turn up tomorrow.New Zealand coach David Trist, never short of the right word, described the day’s play as being played at a “sonambulistic pace.”It would be a challenging Test match and the game would be played slowly, he said. The pitch would turn and once seeing the covers off the pitch that was why New Zealand decided to play both its slow bowlers, off-spinner Paul Wiseman and leg-spinner Brooke Walker.Zimbabwean coach Carl Rackemann said: “It is drier than what we expected. It is pretty much a dead sort of wicket but it is what both teams have got to deal with.”It is not an easy pitch to bat on, but it is not easy to get people out,” he said.That was reflected in the 60 runs per session during the day at a run rate of 2.11. As a result Rackemann felt the day had been “fantastic” for Zimbabwe.”Another wicket at stumps would have been deluxe for us,” he said.Trist still believes New Zealand has the chance to post a high enough score to allow it to dictate terms.”The game is poised. We have a platform and if we can bat well into the afternoon and have 330-340 that will be competitive. It should be an interesting match for the connoisseurs of cricket,” he said.New Zealand did nothing to help their cause by executing four dismissals of woeful waste.Nathan Astle, enjoying his longest and most productive Test innings since the 86 he scored in Harare earlier this summer, used the occasion well and by the end of play was starting to flow into his shots while his running between the wickets, especially in partnership with Craig McMillan, at last added some urgency to proceedings.”He batted with patience, diligence and made few errors,” Trist said of his performance.Running between the wickets was not always an asset on the day. Captain Stephen Fleming, who looked to be relishing the chance for a good, long innings, was run out just after lunch when called by Richardson, and then sent back. He seemed capable of scoring far more than the 22 achieved.Richardson, who had two lives, on 35 and 73, was sent back to the pavilion a little sooner than he might have wanted when he too was run out, the result of a fine piece of fielding by cover field Henry Olonga.Sensing that Richardson was labouring after being called through by Astle, Olonga changed his mind in mid-stride and threw to the opposite end. It fooled Richardson who was well short of his ground.Despite his 75 runs, Richardson was not happy with his effort.”I came into the match with some goals, to play with more control and composure than in South Africa,” he said.The run out of Fleming had not helped that goal.”There was a bit of head-chatter there for a while. There was a lot of stuff going on up top,” he said of the battle he had to regain his concentration.”I had to get my thoughts back in order. It is not the sort of wicket you can look good on.”My responsibility was to go through and bat the day out. I want to improve on that in the future. As the wicket turns guys will have to have a solid game plan and stick to it,” he said.Matt Horne’s return from injury was short-lived and the method of his dismissal, wafting at a wide ball that was better left alone, was probably just as painful as his original broken hand.Of all the wickets, Mathew Sinclair probably had the least control over his dismissal, sent packing leg before wicket by umpire Steve Dunne with what looked a line call from a ball bowled by Bryan Strang.

Newcastle United have been handed a big injury lift over Joelinton ahead of their Premier League match today… 

What’s the latest?

Magpies reporter Jordan Cronin has claimed that the Brazilian central midfielder has travelled with the squad to Stamford Bridge ahead of their clash with Chelsea.

The former Hoffenheim forward missed out on Thursday night as the Toon beat Southampton 2-1 at St. Mary’s and he now looks set to make his return this afternoon.

Delight

Eddie Howe will surely be delighted with this news as it suggests that Joelinton will be available against the Blues today. It also means that the midfielder has not sustained a long-term injury and will not be out for a number of matches.

This is a major boost for the Magpies as he has been in terrific form since the ex-Bournemouth boss came in to replace Steve Bruce. He has been moved into a midfield role, after playing up front and out wide under Bruce, and is now thriving in black and white.

In the Premier League this season, he has made 3.4 tackles and interceptions and won 7.7 duels per game. This shows that he has been a powerhouse in the middle of the park as he is consistently winning the ball back for the side and working his socks off to beat the opposition in his individual battles.

He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.9 or higher across each month from November to February and this illustrates the difference Howe has made to his performances. In October, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.0 across the month under Bruce and this suggests that he was struggling to find his best form for the now-West Brom manager.

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Howe has been able to get the best out of the Brazilian and his statistics show that he has been a key player for the club in recent months. This is why the head coach will be delighted to have him available for this clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Joelinton’s combative play in the middle of the park will be crucial for Newcastle if he is selected from the start. His ability to make tackles and intercept passes will allow him to dampen the effect Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho have on the game as he would be cutting out their attempts to find the likes of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount on the ball.

AND in other news,  Worse than Almiron: Howe must axe Newcastle “cheat” who averages 32.1 touches per game…