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Kohli gave a peek into his preparation for ODIs by talking about his visualisation process and how he arrived early in Ranchi to prepare

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-20254:46

Takeaways – Kohli in comfort zone; Jansen, Kuldeep and Rana sparkle

Despite having played over 300 ODIs in a career of over 17 years, and 226 international matches across formats all over India, Virat Kohli arrived early in Ranchi ahead of the first ODI of the series against South Africa. Despite the wealth of experience he has and being an ODI great, he wanted to suss out the conditions and get a few batting sessions out of the way as he plays just the one format for India these days. And his mantra remains the same: giving 120%.It translated into a fine ODI hundred, his 52nd in the format, and helped India to a 17-run win in the opening ODI.”I’ve said it before if I’m arriving somewhere I’ll arrive at 120%,” Kohli said after receiving his 44th Player-of-the-Match award in ODIs. “[I came early] because I wanted to get hold of the conditions a little bit, bat a couple of sessions in the day and one in the evening, so my prep work was done. I took a day off before the game because I’m 37, I also need to look after the recovery. I visualise the game a lot in my mind, and as long as when I think about the game, if I see myself being as intense, as sharp, taking the fielders and bowlers on, then I know I’m in a good space and I kind of relax and play out there.Related

• Harshit takes the first step in fast bowlers' race for 2027 World Cup

• Stats – Kohli and Rohit smash records in Ranchi run-fest

• Kohli, Harshit, Kuldeep star to give India 1-0 lead

• Most sixes in ODIs – Rohit breaks Afridi's 15-year record

• Kohli dictates South Africa's reality from within his bubble

“Today was really nice to get into the game like that. The pitch played quite decently in the first 20-25 overs before it started to slow down. I just felt like let me just go out there and just hit the ball, not think too much about any of the other stuff, it’s just me and the ball coming at me and just enjoy the game of cricket which was the very reason I started playing this game. It was just about staying in the space of enjoyment, and of course, when you get a start and you get a situation then you know what you’ve done over so many years, the experience kicks in, and you understand the situation and you’re able to build an innings.”Being asked to bat, Kohli went out to bat in the fourth over to join Rohit Sharma after Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught behind for 18. Kohli got to his fifty off 48 balls and then his century off 102 balls in good batting conditions with captain KL Rahul at the other end. He finished on 135 off 120 balls that was studded with seven sixes – only the fifth time in his ODI career of 294 outings that he struck more than five in an innings and led India to a strong total of 349 in front of a packed house in Ranchi. It was his second ODI century of the year, the other being the unbeaten 100 against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy earlier this year in Dubai.”If you play 300-odd ODI games and so much cricket over the last 15-16 years, as I said if you’re in touch with the game and you know that when you’re hitting balls at practice, your reflexes are there, your physical ability is there to bat long, if you can bat an hour and half to two hours in the nets without taking a break, you’re kind of meeting all those markers. I understand if there’s a dip in form, you look for games and you try to get that form back. But as long as you’re hitting the ball well and you’re playing good cricket, I think at this stage with the experience that I have for me, it’s about being physically fit, mentally ready and excited to play the games that I’m playing, and more or less everything else should take care of itself.”I’ve never been a big believer of a lot of preparation. All my cricket has been mental. As long as I feel mentally I can play the game, I work physically very hard every day of my life it’s got nothing to do with cricket anymore, it’s just the way I live. So as long as my fitness levels are up and my enjoyment and mental sharpness is there, then you can visualise the game and you see yourself running as hard, reacting fast on the ball, then you know it’s fine. [I know] one of the days when the game opens up and you get a start, you’ll be able to score some runs.”

The World Cup 2026 draw has been made, with England set to face Croatia in the group stages, and the USMNT to take on Australia. Brazil have been drawn with Morocco, while France will play Senegal and Argentina must face Austria.

• England into Group L

  Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, drew his nation into Group B as the first pick, while Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum drew her nation into Group A. United States president Donald Trump then drew the United States National Team into Group D.

  Brazil were the first non-host team drawn by Birmingham shareholder Tom Brady, and were drawn into Group C, while Germany were drawn into Group E, the Netherlands into Group F, Belgium into Group G, Spain into Group H, Argentina into Group J (because they cannot meet Spain in their pathway), France into Group I, Portugal into Group K and England, the final team out of the pot, into Group L. 

  Thomas Tuchel's side will subsequently be playing their first game in either Toronto or Dallas, their second in Toronto or Boston, and their third in New York or Philadelphia. 

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  The draw in full

  Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA legend, drew from Pot 2, before NFL star Aaron Judge drew from Pot 3, and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky drew from Pot 4.

  Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, Denmark / North Macedonia / Czechia / Republic of Ireland.

  Group B: Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, Italy/ Northern Ireland / Wales / Bosnia and Herzegovina.

  Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland.

  Group D: USMNT, Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye / Romania / Slovakia / Kosovo.

  Group E: Germany, Curacao, Cote D'Ivoire, Ecuador.

  Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Ukraine / Sweden / Poland / Albania.

  Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand.

  Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia

  Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq / Bolivia / Suriname

  Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan.

  Group K: Portugal, Congo DR / Jamaica / New Caledonia, Uzbekistan, Colombia.

  Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama.

• Familiar opponents for England

  The 2026 World Cup will begin with the clash between Mexico and South Africa in Group A. The game will take place on Thursday June 11, 2026, and from there, the tournament will begin. England will face Croatia in a rerun of the 2018 World Cup semi-final and will also meet familiar opponents in Panama, having played them at the same tournament. That game ended in a 6-1 win for the Three Lions, a Harry Kane scored a hat-trick. Tuchel's side will also face Ghana, but have only played them once before, doing so in a friendly in 2011. That game resulted in a 1-1 draw. 

  England's first game will take place on June 17 against Croatia, before their second game on June 23 against Ghana, and they then round out the initial phase of the tournament on June 27, with their clash against minnows Panama. 

  Pundit Dion Dublin said on BBC Sport: "Regarding England, I think the African nations always give England a hard game. I'm expecting England to do what they need to do against Panama. Ghana and Croatia I'm a little bit worried about."

  Scottish pundit Scott Brown added on their draw: "We've got to look to beat Haiti, it will be a huge game for us. Morocco, we'll be underdogs from looking at the world rankings, it's a hard game. Brazil is the big one. Everyone will want to be at that Scotland v Brazil game. Seeing that yellow shirt, they've got top quality players. As do Morocco. We've got to beat Haiti and try to pick up points somewhere else. There is hope for us."

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  What next?

  The tournament will kick off soon enough next year but first, come the playoffs, with the competition's field set to be rounded out. The semi-finals will take place on Thursday March 26 and the finals on Tuesday March 31 with kick-off times of 5pm or 7.45pm.

  The winners of the four play-off finals qualify for the World Cup and complete the field of 16 European participants.

If Father Time is truly undefeated, he was nowhere to be found Thursday night.

During a busy night on the jam-packed October sports calendar, it was a trio of athletes in their 40s who shined the brightest. It felt like 2012 again on when 40-year-old Joe Flacco and 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers battled head-to-head in a tight game between the Steelers and Bengals. Over in the ALCS, the Blue Jays handed the ball to 41-year-old Max Scherzer in a game they needed badly on the road.

The result: One of the most fun nights of prime-time sports in recent memory. Maybe these guys play forever?

Joe Flacco, Bengals quarterback

Leeds United are keen to revive their Premier League fortunes after a poor start to the season under Daniel Farke, who has now found out where he stands ahead of their trip to face Manchester City.

Leeds United and Daniel Farke caught in awkward situation

There is no point in beating around the bush. Farke has come under significant pressure recently at Elland Road, and a run of five losses in his last six matches has done little to win fans over in West Yorkshire.

On the face of it, the German is a talented coach who deploys an exciting brand of football that has won plenty of adulation, albeit the Whites have been undone too often by the fine margins of the top-flight.

Facing Manchester City is a daunting task at the best of times, not least when they managed to give a rest to key players during their Champions League exploits in midweek.

Another misstep and Farke could be in serious trouble, with former Union Berlin boss Bo Svensson and ex-Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers on Leeds’ shortlist should they decide to call time on his spell at Elland Road.

Survival is a difficult ask for any newly-promoted side, and nobody was expecting the Whites’ return to the Premier League to be straightforward. However, results are critical, and they appear to be in short supply at the moment.

Ultimately, only time will tell whether Farke gets an extended period to turn things around. As supporters hunt for clarity, a new update has now emerged regarding his future.

Daniel Farke given Leeds United sack ultimatum

According to sources from Football Insider, Leeds boss Farke has two matches to save his job at Elland Road, and the 49ers Enterprises are now ‘exploring new manager options amid growing fan discord over the performances and results under Farke’.

Carlos Corberan and Marcelo Bielsa are also mooted as options alongside Rodgers and Svensson, though whoever takes on the mantle, should the 49-year-old be relieved of his duties, will face some tough festive fixtures in the cold light of day.

For now, Farke remains in post, but the fact that his club are already on the lookout for alternatives paints a bleak picture for his future unless Leeds can string together a run of meaningful results in the near future.

Leeds have a "laughable" signing who's a bigger waste of time than Perri

Leeds United fans must now be scratching their heads as to why their beloved side ever signed this dud.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 28, 2025

Truthfully, the Whites’ boss has been uncompromising in his methods and is willing to go down on his own terms rather than be forced to deviate from his tactical style.

While that is admirable in theory, it remains to be seen if he can evade doubters over the coming weeks with his job well and truly on the line.

The allrounder is now a T20 freelancer and struck a deal with the selectors to miss the West Indies and South Africa series

Matt Roller14-Aug-2025It is mid-afternoon on a hot summer’s day in London, and Marcus Stoinis is sitting on the members’ benches in the lower tier of the Lord’s Pavilion. He has spent the last two hours training on the Nursery Ground and, yet to look at his phone, he is anxious to learn the result of Australia’s T20I against South Africa, more than 8,000 miles away in Darwin.”Has it finished?” Stoinis asks. It has: Australia have lost by 53 runs, their first defeat in 10 matches. “I was watching it on the bus, but we just had training so I missed most of our batting innings,” he explains. It is an unusual scenario for him, albeit one that he is growing used to: a regular in Australia’s T20 team since 2018, he has now missed two series in a row.The curious aspect is that Stoinis has not retired from T20Is, nor has he been dropped. His non-involvement owes to conversations he instigated with Andrew McDonald and George Bailey – Australia’s coach and chief selector – earlier this year, and he still hopes to be selected for upcoming series against New Zealand and India with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup.Related

• Stoinis and David shine light on future of Australia's contracts system

• Starc announces retirement from T20Is to focus on Tests, 2027 ODI World Cup

• Australia in unfamiliar territory in T20I series decider against South Africa

• 'Cose to all guns blazing' – Australia plan to power through

• Bailey declares Weatherald 'in the mix' for Ashes

Stoinis has been a freelancer – without a national or state contract – for the past year, and remains in high demand in leagues around the world. It is a lifestyle that suits him, and deals like his £200,000 direct signing with Trent Rockets are hard to turn down. “There’s no better place to play,” he says, ahead of Thursday’s fixture against London Spirit at Lord’s.”The nature of it is that you can’t select yourself in an Australian jersey, but you can sign a contract to come and play in the Hundred,” Stoinis explains. “When this opportunity came up, I spoke to Cricket Australia, I spoke to Ron [McDonald] and we made a plan around that, really… When you’re planning it in advance, that makes it easier.”He has retired from ODIs but remains available for T20 selection, and Bailey confirmed last week that he will be “firmly in the mix” for next year’s World Cup. “We are very lucky,” Stoinis says. “We do it very well in Australia. The relationships that I’ve got with both Ron and Bails means you just have those conversations pretty openly.”His absence has created opportunities for 23-year-old allrounder Mitchell Owen in the middle order, who impressed in the Caribbean last month. “Maybe it’s because I’m older, but I want him to do well,” Stoinis, who turns 36 on Saturday, says. “We were just with each other during the IPL [at Punjab Kings] and it’s been good for him to play different roles.Marcus Stoinis’ most recent appearance for Australia came last November•AFP”I’m also fully aware that myself and Maxi [Glenn Maxwell] – and, more recently, Timmy David – have been holding that spot through the middle of Australian cricket for a long time. It’s very hard for other, young people to come through and have a crack at that… You need to bring through the next generation as well. It’s no-one’s spot.”He has found it “weird” watching his team-mates from afar but seems at peace with the decisions that he has made. “You share a few messages after the games and have a laugh… They say playing for your country should be the best time of your life, and for me it has been. But I don’t feel like it’s done yet.”Life as a freelancer has meant the best part of five months on the road for Stoinis. He spent from mid-March to early June in India for the IPL – contracting Covid-19 during a short trip home when the league was suspended – then flew back to Australia to get his visa sorted for Major League Cricket. He had two weeks off after that, then was back to the UK for the Hundred.He occasionally employs a personal chef in India and, along with Tim David, trains with Jim Allenby – the former Glamorgan allrounder, now a coach – when he is back in Perth. But he generally looks after himself and relies on the staff at his various teams, rather than travelling the world with an entourage in tow as a tennis player or a golfer would.Marcus Stoinis shakes hands with Harry Brook•Andy Kearns/Getty ImagesIt is a happy coincidence, then, that his Melbourne Stars coach Peter Moores is involved in the Rockets’ backroom staff, and he has also worked with Andy Flower before at Lucknow Super Giants. Graeme Swann has been arranging the team’s golf days, and they are a happy bunch after starting the season with wins over Birmingham Phoenix and Northern Superchargers.Stoinis played in the Hundred three years ago with Southern Brave, and says that he has wanted to return ever since. He will have family at Lord’s on Thursday night, and his girlfriend Sarah arrives next week: “Whenever an Aussie plays in England, the family sees it as a good opportunity to make the trip over. It’s somewhere where everyone wants to be.”He has noted the presence of new team owners in the Hundred, and expects Cricket Australia will follow suit with the BBL. Players have an obvious vested interest in private investment and Stoinis is unsurprisingly supportive, arguing that it is the obvious direction of travel – even if he still sees the chance to play in next year’s T20 World Cup as his main personal ambition.”Thinking about the IPL owners and what they’ve done with the IPL, you want people that have got a track record of building something that’s very good. If they do that, it’s great for them, but it’s also great for English cricket or for Australian cricket… It’s a pretty clear path to me, as to where most of cricket’s going.”

The India allrounder has ambitions of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-20259:02

Chopra on Iyer vice-captain, Axar over Jadeja and more

Ravindra Jadeja has said that he isn’t surprised by his non-selection for India’s upcoming ODI series in Australia and that the communication from the team management has been smooth. Jadeja, who will turn 37 this December, had retired from T20Is after winning the World Cup last year, but has ambitions of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup.”[Selection] is not in my hands. I want to play, for sure,” Jadeja said at his press conference after the second day’s play against West Indies in the Delhi Test. “[At the] end of the day, team management, selectors, coach and captain have their thoughts and they will have their reasons for not selecting me for this series. They have talked to me, it was not a surprise for me after the squad was announced.Related

• Kohli and Rohit selected in India's ODI squad for Australia

“It is a good thing that they communicated the reason behind my omission. I am happy about that. But whenever I get a chance next, I will try and do what I have done all these years. If I get a chance in the World Cup and there are many ODIs before and if I do well there, it will be a good thing for Indian cricket. Winning a World Cup is everyone’s dream. We had narrowly missed out the last time, the next time we will try and make up for it.2:56

Jadeja: ‘I don’t think about captaincy and vice-captaincy anymore’

Jadeja’s omission was among five changes from the ODI squad that had won the Champions Trophy in the UAE in March. After announcing the squads, Ajit Agarkar, India’s chief selector, however, suggested that Jadeja is still part of their future plans in ODI cricket.”With regards to Jaddu [Jadeja], I mean look, at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is, but there will be some competition for places,” Agarkar said at the time. “Of course he was there in the Champions Trophy squad, because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there [in UAE].”At the moment we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washy [Washington Sundar] and Kuldeep there as well. I don’t think we are going to need more than that in Australia. It’s a short series, you can’t accommodate everyone and unfortunately at the moment he is missing out, but it’s nothing more than that.”Jadeja has played 204 ODIs so far, taking 231 wickets to go with 2806 runs. In his most recent ODI assignment, the Champions Trophy, he came away with five wickets in five innings at an economy rate of 4.35.India will play three ODIs in Australia on October 19, 23 and 25, followed by five T20Is between October 29 and November 8.

Mets pitcher Nolan McLean debuted ably Saturday with 5 1/3 shutout innings against the Mariners, striking out eight while allowing just two hits.

The Willow Spring, N.C., native, however, went above and beyond to help his own cause in the field.

With one out and the bases loaded in the top of the third inning, Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez sent a screaming grounder McLean's way. McLean went behind the back to snare it, threw to Brett Baty at second base, and watched Baty find first baseman Pete Alonso to complete a double play.

The play kept the Mariners off the board and paved the way for a much-needed 3–1 New York victory, which increased the Mets' cushion over the Reds in the National League wild-card race to one game.

McLean joined the squad with a scintillating minor-league season under his belt. He's 8-5 with a 2.45 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Triple-A Syracuse Mets.

If SRH had a bit of a hole at No. 3 last season, they may have found the perfect candidate to fill it this time around

Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Mar-20252:46

Rapid fire: Are Kishan and SRH a perfect match?

Did you see that?Did you see Abhishek Sharma step out, realise that Fazalhaq Farooqi had followed him with a bouncer into his body, and still have the time to lean back, manufacture room, and carve the ball over backward point?Did you see Sanju Samson hook Mohammed Shami for six, and slap and chop him either side of point for a pair of surgical first-over fours?Did you see Dhruv Jurel welcome Pat Cummins to IPL 2025 with a 90m six over long-on, with a bat-swing like the smoothest golf drive?Related

• 'Do I have to come and hit every ball?' – Kishan's thoughts on being bought by SRH

• SRH fall one run short of their own record IPL total

• Ishan Kishan revelling in 'a lot of freedom' at SRH

• Kishan's 106* ensures SRH ease to win in 286 plays 242

This was quite a match if you were a top-order batter, keeper-batter, or keeper-batter who bats in the top three and has been part of India’s recent T20I squads. Abhishek and Samson are India’s current opening pair in the format, and Jurel their reserve keeper in their most recent series.Between them, they scored 160 off 83 balls.It wasn’t quite the match for Yashasvi Jaiswal, but it could so easily have been that. If he had uppercut Simarjeet Singh a few inches higher, or if Abhinav Manohar had mistimed his jump at point by a few milliseconds, you might be reading an open-mouthed appreciation of his gifts.2:06

‘Kishan hammered everyone to every corner’

India’s T20I present was there, as was India’s all-format future, in a clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) that produced an aggregate of 528 runs, the second-highest in IPL history.The defining innings of this match, however, came from someone else – another top-order batter who keeps wickets, who could easily be a defining face of India’s present and is young enough to be their future too, but whose innings on this day, for complicated reasons, felt like a blast from the past.A blast, perhaps, from November 2023, when Ishan Kishan was India’s Test keeper in the long-term absence of Rishabh Pant; their back-up opener in ODIs, with a double-hundred in that format; and possibly their first-choice T20I keeper, with his last three innings in that format including two blistering fifties against Australia.November 2023 wasn’t all that long ago, but try measuring that in Indian cricket time. The Kishan of March 2025 is a cricketer who hasn’t played for India in nearly 16 months and is out of the BCCI’s central contracts list. Others have taken his place in India’s squads, and taken full ownership of their roles. Time has stood still for Kishan, seemingly, and Indian cricket has simply kept moving.An unfettered version of Ishan Kishan was on show on his SRH debut•BCCIBut then, he’s only 26. And did you see that?Did you see Kishan step out to Maheesh Theekshana on Sunday afternoon and send him whistling over the ducking umpire’s head with that trademark, unfettered follow-through? Did you wonder why the sight of this familiar figure kitted out in unfamiliar colours made so much sense?The shot brought up SRH’s fifty, and it was just the fourth over of their innings. It was just the third ball Kishan had faced. Travis Head and Abhishek had put on 45 in 3.1 overs, and it made so much sense that another no-holds-barred intent machine would follow them to the crease. This has been the SRH way since their revolutionary 2024 season, and this has always been the Kishan way.Interviewed between innings, Kishan gave a glowing endorsement of the SRH management, particularly their captain Pat Cummins, and if you were so inclined, you could have listened to his words and heard less-than-glowing assessments of previous captains and managements.”The captain especially, the skipper in our team is just giving a lot of freedom to everyone, doesn’t matter if you get a lot of runs or if you get out early. [As long as] you’re doing everything for the team, it’s all fair, and that is the confidence every player needs, so hats off to him, and hats off to the management.”Now everyone says pretty much the same things about the captains and managements they happen to play for, but SRH can only play the way they do if they fully empower their batters to keep taking the high-risk option. There’s a clarity to how Abhishek and Head bat, a seeming absence of the thought of failure or its consequences, and Kishan, at his best, plays the same way.Ishan Kishan slammed his first IPL hundred•BCCIOn 25, for example, he went after a short ball from Sandeep Sharma that was angled away from him, aiming for the gap to the left of deep point. The ball bounced a little more than ideal for this horizontal-bat slap, and there was perhaps less width than ideal, but Kishan threw himself into the shot. He didn’t quite middle it, and was perhaps lucky that the ball didn’t quite carry to the fielder. But from the way he played that shot, it was clear it would have been okay for him to get out that way.On 39, he leaned across to the off side to try and scoop Jofra Archer over short fine leg, and this shot was almost entirely premeditation, hugely dependent on guesswork as to the bowler’s intended line and length. He guessed the line right, but not quite the length, and only managed a top-edge, but it went for six anyway.It’s precisely this sort of educated abandonment of control that unlocks the ability for teams to score at 14 or 15 an over as SRH did right through their innings. It was the first ball of the over, and Kishan had shown Archer he was coming for him, no matter what. Under these circumstances, the bowler running in can’t just think of the field he’s set and the line and length he wants to bowl, but also the means by which the batter can manipulate those things. Kishan hit two more sixes in that Archer over, the 13th of the SRH innings, and they too were all about manipulation – both times he stepped away to the leg side and freed his arms to launch full balls aimed at the base of the stumps over the cover point boundary.Kishan hit 11 fours and six sixes in all, and while some of these flew unstoppably off the middle of his bat, there were others that could count as miscues or chancy hits that could have led to his dismissal on other days. Those, though, were in one sense his best shots of the day, because they fully captured the spirit of his innings: that top-edged scoop that put Archer under pressure; that low full-toss that was close to being a well-executed wide yorker, stabbed off the toe-end to just elude mid-off; the collapsed back-knee slog-sweep that barely cleared deep square leg.This is the SRH way, and this is the Kishan way. If they had a bit of a hole at No. 3 last season, they may have found the perfect candidate to fill it this time around. And along the way, he could yet find a way to force himself back into conversations about India’s present and future.

Manchester United have been warned they could be stepping into "extremely dangerous" territory if they push ahead with a blockbuster £100 million ($132m) move for Crystal Palace sensation Adam Wharton. Former Red Devils striker Louis Saha believes the hype around young midfielders in today's transfer market can backfire, urging caution amid mounting links to the England international.

• Man Utd show interest in £100m-rated Wharton

  Manchester United have intensified their long-running midfield recruitment discussions for the 2026 summer window, with Crystal Palace star Wharton emerging as one of the names under consideration. Having already spent big to overhaul their attack with Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, the midfield is viewed internally as the next priority, following failed attempts to secure Carlos Baleba earlier in the year. Wharton has become a standout in the Premier League and for England, naturally drawing elite interest, but he recently played down rumours regarding United's interest and insisted he remains fully focused on Palace as they prepare a fresh contract offer.

  United's interest comes amid admiration from Ruben Amorim, who wants a high-IQ playmaker capable of controlling tempo and offering long-term value. Wharton has been on their six-player midfield shortlist for January and beyond, yet Palace remain calm, with the player under contract until 2029 and no urgency from his camp to force a move. While whispers of a future Champions League dream persist, Wharton himself highlighted that transfer chatter means little without performance consistency, reinforcing that he will only entertain talks if official interest arrives.

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  Ex-striker warns Red Devils against massive transfer feee

  Manchester United icon Louis Saha urged caution when assessing a move of this magnitude, issuing a clear warning over the financial and sporting risks associated with modern transfer inflation. Speaking to , he said: "I think Adam Wharton is a young lad. I do think that sometimes you have to be careful with those big signings. I consider this new market to be extremely dangerous for clubs because you can see the hype that goes up and then you're left surprised. 

  "It took a bit of time for Moises Caicedo to settle at Chelsea as well so there are big signings and sometimes the expectations are too high. You have to really read under the lines and that's not easy. That's really not an easy market. 

  "People can throw big numbers. The agents are very pleased with that. I am not a big fan of this."

• Wharton's meteoric rise with Crystal Palace

  Wharton's meteoric rise has seen him transform from Blackburn prospect into a Premier League standout and senior England international within two years. His calm distribution, composure under pressure and elite positional awareness have drawn praise from analysts who believe he represents the modern deep-lying controller profile coveted across Europe. Palace snapped him up for around £18m in early 2024, and he immediately played a key role in their FA Cup triumph and European push.

  Interest from United has developed alongside Liverpool and Real Madrid, while the Eagles are readying an extension. Despite the noise, Wharton has maintained humility, stressing that rumours are simply part of the modern game and that his focus remains on delivering consistency at Selhurst Park.

  The Eagles believe they are the ideal developmental environment for him, especially at his age, and intermediaries have hinted they expect interest to ignite fully after the 2026 World Cup.

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  What comes next?

  Manchester United will continue to explore midfield reinforcements, but Saha's warning is food for thought as the club seeks value and stability after years of mixed recruitment success. Palace plan to intensify contract renewal discussions, protecting Wharton's value while giving him recognition for his performances, though summer interest could still reshape the landscape if bidding meets the club's expectations.

  If United decide to move forward, their pursuit will likely be met with pushback from Crystal Palace, as they will likely look to invite a bidding war for Wharton, with Liverpool and Real Madrid also credited with interest in the midfielder. Meanwhile, Wharton's continued development for club and country will only fuel the debate around whether he is worth the eye-watering fee already being touted.

Ollie Pope will deputise for Stokes; Woakes will lead an inexperienced seam attack with Atkinson, Overton and Tongue in

Matt Roller30-Jul-20252:35

Harmison: ‘To lose a player like Stokes is massive’

England will go into Thursday’s fifth Test at The Oval without their captain, with Ben Stokes ruled out with a torn shoulder muscle. Ollie Pope will deputise, leading for the fifth time in Tests, and England have made four changes in all from the draw in Manchester, with Jacob Bethell, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue all coming into the side.Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are both rested after heavy workloads last week, while Liam Dawson is left out altogether. Bethell and Joe Root are the two spin-bowling options, with Chris Woakes retained to lead an inexperienced seam attack: England’s other three fast bowlers have 18 caps between them.Stokes arrived at The Oval on Wednesday morning hopeful to play as a specialist batter but after discussions with head coach Brendon McCullum and England’s medical team, and 20 minutes of quiet reflection, decided against playing through the pain. “The risk was way too high for damaging this any further than it currently is,” Stokes said. “It’s obviously very, very disappointing.”Related

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England refused to reveal the exact nature of the injury, but it is understood that Stokes has sustained a grade-three tear in a shoulder muscle and that his recovery will take at least six weeks. He was not scheduled to play any more cricket this summer, and is confident that he will be fully recovered ahead of England’s first Ashes Test in Australia on November 21.Stokes bowled 11 overs on the final day of the Manchester Test but grimaced throughout his two spells. He repeatedly clutched his shoulder while bowling and said afterwards that he was “very unlikely” to miss the fifth Test despite struggling with a biceps tendon injury, but woke up feeling “pretty sore” the following morning and scans confirmed a significant tear.His absence is a major blow for England, and for Stokes personally: he is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 17, scored his first Test century in two years in Manchester, has been named Player of the Match in the last two Tests, and his injury represents yet another frustrating setback after two hamstring tears in the second half of last year.Stokes insisted he could not have prevented the injury. “When I’m out on the field, I play to win and give everything I possibly can,” he said. “If I feel there’s a moment in a game where I need to put everything I’m feeling aside, I’ll do that because of how much this team means to me, how much playing for England means to me, how much winning means to me.”Jacob Bethell has found a spot in the XI for the final Test•PA Photos/Getty Images

He also suggested that playing at The Oval could have aggravated the injury to a worrying extent. “It was risk-reward,” Stokes said. “I’ll always try to push myself as much as I possibly can. There’s absolutely nothing I could have done [differently] before. Being a professional sportsman, injuries are part of this game and I can’t do anything about that.”England were planning to head into the fifth Test without a specialist spinner as soon as it became clear that Stokes would not be fit to bowl. Dawson bowled economically in Manchester but failed to take a wicket in 47 second-innings overs, and England are expecting a match dominated by seamers at The Oval, with a healthy covering of live grass on the pitch on Wednesday morning.”The Oval generally plays that it’s your seamers who take the wickets,” Stokes said. “We felt that, here, that gives you the best chance of winning the game. The way it’s played here through the year in the Championship as well: it’s looked very similar to this, and played like that. There’s a bit of intel there, and we wanted to give ourselves four seamers.”Stokes’ absence means Bethell will bat at No. 6, having scored three half-centuries at No. 3 in his maiden series in New Zealand last year. “Being the type of player that he is, where he plays all three formats, it probably allows him to be a bit more versatile with where he bats in the order,” Stokes said. “I’m very confident in his ability. He’s a quality player.”England’s seam attack is their biggest area of concern. Woakes has never bowled more overs in a series than the 167 he has got through over the past month, while Atkinson returns from a hamstring injury that had ruled him out since May. Overton wins his second cap, and first for three years, and Tongue is back after missing out for Archer in the third and fourth Tests.Stokes will remain with the squad this week, as he did last year when he missed four Tests – three against Sri Lanka, and one in Pakistan – through injury. Pope, his vice-captain, will again stand in on his home ground and will look to Shubman Gill for inspiration after struggling to “compartmentalise” his two roles when he deputised last year.”We know that the series is still on the line here,” Stokes said. “It’s been toe-to-toe throughout the whole series so far. We know that India will be coming out fighting, because they don’t want to leave England with a loss. The next best thing for them is a draw, so we’ll be doing everything in our powers to not let that happen.”

England XI for fifth Test against India

1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope (capt), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jacob Bethell, 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Jamie Overton, 11 Josh Tongue