Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'declares war' on Man Utd's bloated wage bill with plans to copy Todd Boehly's Chelsea contracts model

Manchester United are set to copy Chelsea's strategy when it comes to player contracts as Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to cut the club's wage bill.

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Man Utd to continue cost cuttingRatcliffe aims to reduce wage billRed Devils to adopt Chelsea modelFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ratcliffe has undertaken several cost-cutting measures since buying a minority stake at Old Trafford, including mass redundancies and the raising of ticket prices, as he and INEOS look to improve the club's financial situation.

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The British billionaire is ready to 'declare war' on United squad's wage bill to help save money and reports INEOS will adopt the same model as Chelsea. Ratcliffe wants to reduce weekly wages paid to players and instead focus more on performance-related bonuses. Under co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea have handed out long-term contracts, sometimes up to nine years, with a focus on incentives.

WHAT RATCLIFFE SAID

Ratcliffe has suggested there could be a wave of departures at Old Trafford this summer after he declared that some players are "not good enough". He said last week: "Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time. We've got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future. There are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno [Fernandes], he's a fantastic footballer."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

United sit 13th in the Premier League and will only qualify for next season's Champions League if they win the Europa League this term. Failing to do so would have a big impact on the club's finances and could hinder their efforts to strengthen the squad in the summer.

Arne Slot admits PSG giving him sleepless nights ahead of Champions League last 16 tie as he hits back at Arsenal and Bayern claims

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has admitted the prospect of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League has given him sleepless nights.

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  • Liverpool survive in 1-0 win over PSG
  • Slot admits to sleepless nights
  • Labels PSG as 'most complete' team he has faced
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Liverpool travelled to France for the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes and were dominated by Luis Enrique's side. However, the Reds managed to survive PSG's onslaught and grabbed a crucial one-goal lead, thanks to Harvey Elliott's late winner. Slot has now revealed that he has had sleepless nights as he prepares for the second leg at Anfield.

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  • WHAT SLOT SAID

    Speaking to the media, Slot said when asked if he was dreaming about facing PSG at Anfield: "No, you don't dream, you have to work really hard to prepare the team the best way. I try to do this every game. When you have a game like last week you wonder if you can even sleep! I don't dream this week; we are focused, and the week started off well Saturday, and now we look forward to tomorrow. Everyone looks forward to a game like this."

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    There were claims after the first leg that PSG players felt Liverpool hadn't been as good as Arsenal or Bayern Munich, two teams they have also faced in the competition this season, and Slot shared his thoughts on the situation.

    He said: "Some of them have said Arsenal and Bayern were better, from what I have heard, PSG improved a lot in these two or three months and they played away. I saw both of those games, PSG have improved a lot. They press all over the pitch now, so they have changed. And yea, it's up to them how they felt. I cannot influence what they felt. Don't even know if it is true or not. I am hoping they have a different opinion tomorrow.

    "This is the most complete team we've faced so far. Of course, we have played Arsenal, Real, Man City but the quality PSG have, probably the richest club but they have so much quality with a great coach, he let's them play in a way that is not easy to play against, work-rate incredible. Why we have to be at our best tomorrow. At home we had a different performance against City than away…"

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  • WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

    With a home crowd to roar them on, Liverpool will hope to progress to the quarter-finals and a tie against either Club Brugge or Liverpool.

Zimbabwe eyeing consecutive ODI series wins in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka looked a batter short in the second ODI, with the Zimbabwe quicks triggering a collapse

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Jan-2022Big pictureOn Tuesday, two significant weaknesses in Sri Lanka’s XI were exposed. On flat tracks, even with Dushmantha Chameera in the side, the bowling attack lacked for penetration through the early and middle overs, with only legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay claiming wickets in the first 35. Then, while chasing 303, the top order’s fragilities were laid bare. Against testing but hardly unplayable bowling, Sri Lanka were 31 for 3 inside eight overs, and 63 for 4 inside 15. Although captain Dasun Shanaka’s maiden international hundred kept Sri Lanka in the hunt, you don’t come out on top of many chases with the kind of start they had.Their strategy has come under serious review with that loss; perhaps they are a batter short. With Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka capable of contributing overs, could they perhaps push Chamika Karunaratne down to No. 8? And it is possible they did not use their better bowlers enough. Vandersay had one over unbowled; Karunaratne, who had taken a wicket and gone at only four an over, delivered only six of his possible ten.Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will be thrilled at their own bowlers’ performances. Blessing Muzarabani was the standout on Tuesday, as he, Tendai Chatara and Richard Ngarava produced arguably the defining period of the game – the early overs of Sri Lanka’s innings. In fact, such was the dominance of those three quicks, and the control of left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza, that Zimbabwe didn’t even need Sikandar Raza to bowl his offspin at any stage. The attack also held its nerve when the match seemed headed for a tight finish.A victory in the final match would give Zimbabwe their first series win of this inaugural Super League cycle after also tying a series against Ireland. And it would be the second successive ODI series they would have won in Sri Lanka, having done the same back in 2017, which amounts to serious bragging rights.Big pictureSri Lanka LWWLW (Last five completed matches; most recent first)
Zimbabwe WLLWLDasun Shanaka’s maiden ODI hundred was his first excellent innings since taking over as white-ball captain•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the spotlightIn the four years that Blessing Muzarabani has played ODIs for Zimbabwe, he has had a substantial impact. Away from home, his numbers are excellent: 25 wickets from 16 matches at an average of 27.32. And what is more, since late 2020, he is on a pretty serious run of form despite the infrequency with which Zimbabwe play. In his last nine ODIs, he has gone wicketless only once. Tall, sharp and accurate, he will likely be a menace again come Friday.While Dasun Shanaka did not have the best night as captain, perhaps mismanaging his bowling resources, he will at least be pleased that he produced his first excellent innings since taking over as Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain last year. His form had been a concern right through the last few months, and was perhaps the greatest sticking point in his captaincy so far. Another good innings will help shore up his leadership.Pitch and conditionsAnother flat surface is expected in Pallekele. The weather is not forecast to interrupt.Team newsOffspinning allrounder Ramesh Mendis is likely to come into Sri Lanka’s XI in order to target Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, the two left-handers in Zimbabwe’s middle order, as well as to bolster the hosts’ batting. Maheesh Theekshana, who has been economical without being a major wicket-taking threat, is likeliest to make way.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamindu Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Nuwan PradeepZimbabwe were unchanged in the second ODI, and will probably see no need to switch things up for this game too.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Regis Chakabva (wk), 2 Takudzwanashe Kaitano, 3 Craig Ervine (capt), 4 Wesley Madhevere, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Ryan Burl, 8 Wellington Masakadza, 9 Blessing Muzarabani, 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Richard NgaravaStats and trivia Zimbabwe have now won four of their last seven ODIs in Sri Lanka. Before 2017, they had never won a match on the island. In 12 innings in 2020, Shanaka averaged 22.45 with a strike rate of 71. But thanks to Tuesday’s knock, he averages 112 and strikes at 106 across two innings so far this year. Despite their modest overall ODI record, Sri Lanka have won three of their last four bilateral ODI series at home, defeating Bangladesh, West Indies and South Africa since 2019.

Revealed: The staggering true cost of Man Utd sacking sporting director Dan Ashworth as Red Devils also left reeling from £37.6m bill due to foreign exchange rates

Manchester United paid a total of £4.1m to hire and fire Dan Ashworth as sporting director, according to the club's latest accounts.

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  • Former England sporting director hired last summer
  • He was sacked after five months
  • Club lost huge amount due to foreign exchange changes
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    The staggering waste of money United made to have Ashworth in the role for just five months was revealed in the club's latest financial figures. The release stated: "Exceptional items for the quarter were a cost of £14.5 million ($18m). This relates to costs associated with the departure of former men’s first team manager Erik ten Hag and various members of football staff." Previous accounts showed that the club spent £10.4m ($13m) to sack Ten Hag and the rest of his coaching staff in October, meaning that the club spent £4.1m ($5m) in total to release Ashworth from his contract with Newcastle and hire him in July before firing him in December.

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    The Red Devils' co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had hailed Ashworth as "a 10/10 sporting director" while pursuing him but their relationship soon deteriorated after the sporting director told the media he had not had any say in the decision to keep Ten Hag in charge over the summer. It was widely reported that Ratcliffe was disappointed with Ashworth's recommendations for the Dutchman's successor, favouring the appointment of an English coach such as Gareth Southgate or Graham Potter. The club's CEO Omar Berrada instead led the move to appoint Ruben Amorim and Ashworth did not make any statement when the Portuguese was unveiled.

  • DID YOU KNOW?

    The accounts show that United were forced to pay £37.6m in net finance costs compared to just £0.3m from the previous year. This was due to "an unfavorable swing in foreign exchange rates". The club also experienced a 12 per cent drop in revenue due to the decline in broadcasting revenue after missing out on Champions League qualification. However, United increased commercial revenue by 18 per cent, driven by its new shirt sponsorship deal with Snapdragon.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

    The accounts stated that the club "remains committed to, and in compliance with, both the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations". The club's balance sheet was also strengthened by an £80m cash investment from Ratcliffe's INEOS group. A club source said the results "demonstrate the underlying operational strength of the club, while highlighting the financial challenges we are facing".

Ratcliffe ready to accept £40m+ loss on another Man Utd star with Maguire

Manchester United and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are now willing to accept a £40m+ loss on another Red Devils star alongside Harry Maguire.

Ratcliffe and INEOS terminate Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd deal

It has been an eventful period both on and off the pitch at Old Trafford ever since Ratcliffe came in as new co-owner, with the club eventually deciding to keep manager Erik ten Hag over the summer.

The Red Devils backed Ten Hag in the transfer market with several new signings and there have also been plans to potentially redevelop Old Trafford. Ratcliffe has also put various cost-cutting plans into place, with reports in the summer claiming that Man Utd intended to cut 250 jobs, and that has now reached iconic manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The legendary boss had been in a multi-million-pound ambassadorial role with Man Utd after stepping down as manager back in 2013, but it was revealed in the week that INEOS have now terminated Ferguson’s agreement at Man Utd.

Ferguson was reportedly told in a face-to-face meeting with Ratcliffe regarding the decision, with Man Utd ‘no longer in a position to continue paying him beyond this season’. The Scot remains a non-executive director with the Red Devils and accepted the decision, and there could also soon be various departures on the playing front.

Recent claims have suggested that Man Utd are ready to sell Maguire in the January transfer window and could accept an offer as low as £10m after paying Leicester City £80m back in 2019. And now, another Red Devils star could be on the way out of Old Trafford in 2025.

Man Utd ready to accept £40m Antony offer

According to The Daily Mail, Man Utd are ready to part ways with winger Antony in the January transfer window. The report states that the Brazilian, who joined from Ajax for £86m in 2022, could leave on loan for the second half of the campaign. It is also added that ‘the club would listen to offers of around £40m for the 24-year-old’, who is currently fourth choice out wide behind Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo.

Antony picks up a whopping £200,000-a-week at Old Trafford and has been linked with both Crystal Palace and Newcastle United recently.

He has scored 12 goals in 86 Man Utd appearances and has featured in just four games in 2024/25, playing 139 minutes of action. Antony’s only goal this season came from the penalty spot against Barnsley, with Ten Hag praising the decision to allow the winger to take the penalty.

“Like the penalty, when Antony needs some confidence, then Rashy gives the pen to Antony, which is good in a team that they are with each other, they are together. It seems how this team is together. Antony has some difficulties because he has to fight for his place and then the players decided themselves they want to encourage him and give him some confidence. They want to show you are also part of this. We are together. It’s a long season and we need everyone.”

However, now, by the looks of things, his days at Old Trafford could be numbered and the club could make a £46m loss if their £40m asking price is matched.

Celtic messed up with rarely-seen signing who’s now worth less than Scales

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was backed by the board in the recent summer transfer window, as he brought in a host of new signings to bolster the squad.

Arne Engels, Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo, Auston Trusty, Luke McCowan, Viljami Sinisalo, and Kasper Schmeichel arrived on permanent deals, whilst Alex Valle signed on loan from Barcelona.

Trusty joined from Championship side Sheffield United and has started the last three games in all competitions, amid Cameron Carter-Vickers’ absence, alongside Liam Scales.

He has been picked ahead of centre-back Maik Nawrocki to partner the Ireland international in these recent games, and it appears as though the Hoops have had a mare with the Polish flop.

How much Celtic paid for Maik Nawrocki

In the summer of 2023, Carl Starfelt left to join Celta Vigo and that left Rodgers in need of reinforcements at the back, which led to the signing of Nawrocki from Legia Warsaw.

The Scottish giants reportedly splashed out a fee of £4.3m to sign the 22-year-old colossus, seemingly in the hope that he would partner Carter-Vickers at the back.

Appearances

25

Pass accuracy

86%

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.5

Ground duel success rate

53%

Aerial duel success rate

61%

As you can see in the table above, Nawrocki played regular football for Legia Warsaw in the Ekstraklasa during the 2022/23 campaign, showcasing his dominant defensive work and his comfort in possession.

Unfortunately, though, the right-footed titan did not translate that over to the Scottish Premiership for Celtic and his value has plummeted during his time in Scotland.

Maik Nawrocki's current market value

At the time of writing (10/10/2024), Transfermarkt has his current market value at €3m (£2.5m) and that is less than the £4.3m that the Hoops paid for him just over a year ago.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Meanwhile, Scales has a market value of €3.5m (£2.9m) on Transfermarkt, which means that the Irish star is currently more valuable than the Polish dud.

That makes sense when you consider that the former Aberdeen loanee was the player who stepped up to become Carter-Vickers’ centre-back partner under Rodgers last season, rather than Nawrocki.

Scales went on to play in 34 of the club’s 38 Premiership matches, starting 33 times, and started all six of Celtic’s games in the Champions League. His performances even earned him a place in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, alongside Carter-Vickers.

Nawrocki, meanwhile, only made ten appearances in the league, starting seven times, and did not make a single outing in the Champions League, which means that he has rarely been seen in a Hoops jersey since his arrival last year.

The 23-year-old flop has also yet to feature in the league or in Europe this term and has been an unused substitute four times, with one appearance off the bench against Falkirk in the League Cup, as Carter-Vickers, Scales, and Trusty have all been preferred ahead of him.

Celtic have found their new Jota in "magical" Hoops star

The Hoops star has enjoyed a phenomenal start to the 2024/25 campaign.

ByDan Emery Oct 9, 2024

Therefore, Celtic messed up with the signing of Nawrocki from Legia Warsaw as they paid £4.3m for a player who is not currently one of the top three first-choice options for Rodgers in his position, and his value has plummeted well below that price over the last 14 months.

Man Utd now expected to make first move to sign £25m star to partner Ugarte

Still unsatisfied with the current squad, INEOS have reportedly turned their attention back towards the transfer market and are expected to make their first move to sign one particular Manchester United target.

Man Utd transfer news

On paper, Manchester United enjoyed an incredibly successful summer transfer window. They beat Real Madrid to Leny Yoro, boosted their frontline with Joshua Zirkzee, added their back line with the arrivals of Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt and then rounded things off with Manuel Ugarte to end Casemiro’s run in the side. All that was left for Erik ten Hag to do was form a side capable of returning to the Premier League’s top four.

Goldbridge called the deal crazy: Man Utd star is now their "best signing"

He has been superb this season for Manchester United.

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 10, 2024

So far, however, what looked good on paper has proved to be anything but on the pitch to culminate in Manchester United’s worst start to a season in Premier League history, somehow eclipsing last season’s dire opening.

The pressure, as a result, is mounting on Ten Hag, but INEOS look set to give the Dutchman more time before then turning their attention back towards the transfer window for further reinforcements.

According to reports in Spain, INEOS and Man Utd are expected to make their first move to sign Rodrigo de Paul from Atletico Madrid, who could part ways with their Argentine midfielder to hand Manchester United an ideal partner for Ugarte in 2025.

The 30-year-old would go against the Red Devils’ new transfer policy which aims to avoid players who are at the back end of their peaks, but the experience of a World Cup winner could see those at Old Trafford make an exception to the rule.

"Superb" De Paul can solve Man Utd problem

Whilst there was some belief that the introduction of Ugarte may solve Manchester United’s midfield problem once and for all, the former Paris Saint-Germain star was always unlikely to complete that task on his own. Instead, it’s the addition of De Paul alongside the Uruguay international that could form the midfield that Ten Hag so desperately needs at his disposal.

Progressive Carries

73

16

Progressive Passes

202

87

Tackles Won

21

57

Ball Recoveries

145

181

The numbers indicate that Ugarte and De Paul would provide quite the balance at the heart of United’s midfield, with both players counteracting their weaknesses on and off the ball in ideal fashion. Where Ugarte struggles to progress play, De Paul thrives. Meanwhile, where the Argentine is weaker defensively, the Manchester United man is a statistically excellent ball-winner.

Dubbed “superb” by journalist Zach Lowy, those at Old Trafford would be wise to make their move for the De Paul, valued at £25m by Transfermarkt, should the opportunity arise. Whether or not Ten Hag is still the man in charge to potentially welcome De Paul and other fresh faces remains to be seen, however.

Rain forces washout after William Porterfield and Andy Balbirnie score fifties

An 87-run second-wicket stand between William Porterfield and Andy Balbirnie anchored Ireland and put them in a solid position before persistent rain washed out the first ODI in Malahide.Rain delayed the start of the match by 45 minutes, and there was another 75-minute pause after the 35th over of Ireland’s innings. The match was reduced to 43 overs a side at that point, but there were only a further 32 balls played, as rain returned and continued past the 5.30pm cut-off for a 20-overs DLS-adjusted chase.Under heavy cloud, Temba Bavuma opted to bowl first in the hope that conditions would aid his attack in running through their hosts but despite significant seam movement and some turn, wickets were hard to come by. Ireland had plenty in hand but their scoring rate remained sedate until they returned following the first rain break. They scored 50 runs in 32 balls thereafter before rain arrived once again.Porterfied, who was an injury doubt after hurting a finger in the lead-up to the match, scored his first fifty since May 2019 while Balbirnie brought up his second half-century in three innings. The pair were steady against a three-seam, two-spin South African outfit, who were economical without being overly aggressive.South Africa’s new-ball pair, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, asked questions of the Ireland openers, beat them several times and induced edges in the first 10 overs. They would have been disappointed not to have any wickets to show for that as Ireland worked their way to 28 without loss.Ireland’s first boundary came off Porterfield’s outside edge, when he was squared up by a short-of-a-length Rabada delivery and the chance eluded Aiden Markram at second slip. His second boundary was more convincing. Porterfield flicked an attempted Rabada yorker through square leg. Paul Stirling took a little longer to settle in after an outside-edge off Rabada and an inside-edge off Ngidi. His first confident stroke came off the 20th ball he faced, when he pulled Ngidi over short midwicket.Andile Phehlukwayo, who did not feature in any of the T20s in the Caribbean, was introduced in the 11th over and was the only South African to have success until the 31st over. He had Stirling caught at extra-cover, top-edging a pull to end an innings that never really got going.Kagiso Rabada picked up a pair of wickets in the brief period of play between rain interruptions•Getty Images

Keshav Maharaj was brought into the attack before Tabraiz Shamsi and Porterfield appeared to have identified him as the bowler to target. He reverse-swept Maharaj’s second ball for four and tried to smash the final ball of the over down the ground but sliced it short of Rabada at short third. Balbirnie brought up Ireland’s fifty with a drive through the covers but could have been dismissed five overs later. He was on 15 when he tried to cut a Maharaj delivery that was not short or wide enough and top-edged to Markram at slip. Markram tried to take the chest-high catch reverse-cupped and the ball spilled out of his hands.Shamsi was brought on in the 21st over and started with a full toss that Porterfield swatted through mid-wicket. He went on to bring fifty with a heave over backward square leg off the 69th ball he faced and with almost half the innings left to bat, may have been eyeing a 12th century but fell 37 short. Shamsi was convinced Porterfield gloved a reverse-sweep that ballooned up behind the wicket-keeper and was caught by Markram, running from slip, and South Africa reviewed. Replays confirmed contact between the ball and the glove.South Africa hoped they had another when Balbirnie, on 48, attempted a sweep off Maharaj that cannoned off the pad to him in the chin. Maharaj convinced Bavuma to review. Replays showed the ball had brushed the top edge before the ball hit the pad. Balbirnie went on to bring up his second fifty in three ODI innings when he turned Ngidi round the corner for two.At the end of that over, the rain returned and reduced the match to 43 overs a side. Ireland had eight overs left to bat and their intention to accelerate was clear. Balbirnie drilled Shamsi through the covers and steered a Phehlukwayo slower ball through third man before chipping Rabada to midwicket, while Harry Tector hit the first six of the innings when he dispatched Rabada over deep midwicket but was caught behind two balls later.Pinch-hitter Mark Adair cleared the rope twice more, first with a cheeky bit of improvisation when he opened the face of the bat to ramp Ngidi over point and then sent a Rabada full toss out of the ground. The drizzle returned after 25 minutes with Ireland still due to face 16 balls, and that, eventually, was that.

India-Sri Lanka ODI series likely to be postponed to July 17

India’s limited-overs series against Sri Lanka is likely to have a delayed start as a response to the Covid-19 cases that have broken out in the host camp. It was scheduled to begin with the ODI leg, on July 13. but is now likely to begin only on July 17. According to the new schedule proposal, seen by ESPNcricinfo, the second and third ODI will take place on July 19 and 21 respectively. The T20I series is likely to begin from July 24. The proposal, it is understood, was sent to the BCCI and the broadcaster on Friday.Related

  • Grant Flower tests positive after returning from England

  • Sri Lanka's data analyst GT Niroshan tests positive

Sri Lanka’s data analyst GT Niroshan tested positive on Friday, a day after their batting coach Grant Flower also tested positive, for the Delta variant of the virus. Both of them have been moved to intermediate care units, while the Sri Lankan team has now been forced to isolate for two more days. They were originally supposed to enter the bio-bubble on Friday but now they will have to undergo a fresh set of RT-PCR tests and those results will determine whether Sri Lanka can field the players who are currently in isolation.As a contingency, the SLC had arranged for two other groups of players – one in Colombo and one in Dambulla – who could potentially stand in for the main squad.New proposed dates:

1st ODI – July 17
2nd ODI – July 19
3rd ODI – July 21

1st T20I – July 24
2nd T20I – July 25
3rd T20I – July 27

Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand names FOUR Liverpool players in Premier League 2024-25 Team of the Season

Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand named his 2024-25 Premier League Team of the Season, which includes four Liverpool stars.

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Ferdinand names Team of the SeasonFour Liverpool stars includedNo Man Utd player makes the XIFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Premier League 2024-25 campaign is almost at its halfway point as most of the teams will complete 19 matches before the end of this year. Liverpool are comfortably placed at the top of the table and are already deemed favourites to lift the league title for a record-equalling 20th time next summer.

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With the halfway mark almost reached in this campaign, United legend Rio Ferdinand named his Premier League 2024/25 Team of the Season. The best XI comprises four Liverpool stars while not a single player from the Red Devils made the cut. Erling Haaland and Bukayo Saka join Mohamed Salah, who is presently leading the Golden Boot race. Chelsea star Cole Palmer has made the midfield alongside team-mate Moises Caicedo and Ryan Gravenberch.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ferdinand's Team of the Season: David Raya; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, William Saliba, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Ryan Gravenberch, Cole Palmer; Bukayo Saka, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

The final three Premier League games of 2024 will see Chelsea take on Ipswich Town and Aston Villa face Brighton. Manchester United will lock horns against Newcastle United.

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