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Glasgow Rangers have had multiple players stake their claim for a place in the first-team after impressing for the academy during the 2023/24 campaign.

Zak Lovelace, Cole McKinnon, and Ross McCausland have all – to varying degrees – been involved with the senior squad as a reward for their superb B team form.

Hopefully, they will go on to enjoy successful careers in the first-team but one player who was deprived of the chance to do just that was Scotland international Lewis Ferguson.

The central midfielder, who is the nephew of Gers icon Barry Ferguson, was released by the club as a teenager, before he could make his senior bow, and has gone on to emerge as a fantastic player and a target for some massive European clubs.

Lewis Ferguson's career in Scotland

After being let go by the Light Blues, the teenage whiz signed for Hamilton and went on to rack up five assists in 14 first-team matches after coming through the academy system.

Aberdeen then swooped to secure the midfield star, who was lauded as a "diamond" by former Hamilton owner Ronnie MacDonald, in the summer of 2018 to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

He eventually produced 37 goals and 23 assists in 169 appearances in all competitions for the Dons in total during his time with the Scottish side.

21/22 Premiership

Lewis Ferguson

Appearances

36

Sofascore rating

7.29

Goals

11

Assists

1

Duel success rate

61%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Ferguson caught the eye with his quality as a scorer in midfield, who can also hold his own in physical duels, during his last Scottish Premiership season with Aberdeen.

His impressive form convinced Serie A side Bologna to snap him up for a reported fee of £3m in the summer of 2022, at which point Rangers may have already been regretting their decision to release him from their academy.

European interest in Lewis Ferguson

The Gers had a big howler with the attacking midfielder, as he is currently thriving in Italy with Bologna, who he scored seven league goals for last term, and has attracted interest from some European giants.

Earlier this month, Sky Sports reported that Serie A giants Juventus and reigning champions Napoli, who boast the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen in their squad, are interested in a possible summer swoop to sign the Scotland international at the end of this season.

The National have also claimed that his current club value him at a staggering £22m, which is significantly more than the £3m they paid Aberdeen for his services, and shows that Rangers missed out on a big payday.

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Ferguson has fired in six goals and assisted four for his teammates in 28 Serie A appearances so far this season for Bologna, and has completed 88% of his attempted passes.

The 24-year-old whiz, who still has time left to develop and improve, has already showcased his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals from midfield in a major European league, and previously proved himself in the Premiership with Aberdeen.

Therefore, Rangers had a howler with their release of the Scottish sensation as they missed out on a fantastic player who has performed well enough to garner interest from European giants like Juventus and Napoli.

Philippe Clement has enjoyed a dream start at Glasgow Rangers, but he must not get carried away just yet and keep his players grounded.

The Ibrox side have an excellent chance of winning their first trophy since May 2022 when they face Aberdeen in the League Cup final next month, while progress in Europe looks attainable.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, the Belgian may be able to delve into the market and sign a couple of players who could freshen up the squad while ditching a few who don’t seem to have a future at the club.

Ben Davies is a key example, and could he find himself moving away from Ibrox in the coming months?

Ben Davies’ season in numbers

The Englishman has been a regular in the Europa League, starting all four matches so far, yet he ranks 15th across the squad for interceptions per game (0.3) and seventh for possession lost per game (11.5), which suggests he hasn’t quite been at the races.

Domestically, Davies has started only four times in the Premiership so far, with the Gers conceding four goals across those matches.

For large spells during the summer, it appeared as though the former Liverpool centre-back was ready to leave the club, with Stoke City rumoured to be eyeing a swoop for him.

Nothing materialised, however, and he remains in Glasgow, until January at least. Clement must surely utilise the services of Leon Balogun on a more regular basis, especially judging by his displays under the Belgian.

Leon Balogun has impressed recently

While the decision to re-sign Balogun during the summer wasn’t exactly met with choruses of applause by the Ibrox faithful, his spell in Scotland between 2020 and 2022 was impressive.

Under the former QPR boss, however, he made just two appearances, in games that the Light Blues both won and it seemed as though his backup stature was working.

Under the 49-year-old, however, Balogun has started three of his first seven matches and performed admirably, especially against Livingston on the weekend.

The 35-year-old was a titan at the heart of the defence alongside Connor Goldson as he won all four of his ground duels along with nine out of his 11 aerial duels – working out as 86% of his total duels won – and the Livi forwards just couldn’t find a way past him.

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The Nigerian wasn’t even dribbled past during the tie and made three interceptions, two tackles and four clearances in what was a commanding performance at a ground in which the club have occasionally struggled on in the past.

While not a long-term option for Clement, Balogun’s class has shone through over the last month or so and it's clear that the club have been better defensively in the games that he has started.

Rangers have yet to concede a goal from open play across Balogun’s five appearances thus far and this could make Clement’s decision on who should partner Goldson at the back slightly easier.

Davies has sparkled in spells, yet his lack of consistency could lead to him being moved on in the foreseeable future.

Manchester United stand a 'very realistic chance' of being able to bring in Fiorentina defensive midfielder Sofyan Amrabat this window, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Sofyan Amrabat moving to Manchester United?

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the state of play surrounding Amrabat's prospective move to Manchester United on Twitter X, stating: "Sofyan Amrabat, not called up for next Fiorentina game. Manchester United, expected to open formal talks for Amrabat soon as Fred and Donny Van de Beek are close to leaving the club. Amrabat wants Manchester United, this has never changed."

According to La Repubblica (print edition) via Man Utd News, Fiorentina are demanding a fee of €30 million for Amrabat; however, they would be willing to sanction his exit for €25 million with add-ons built into the structure of a potential deal.

Fred and Donny van de Beek look likely to leave Manchester United this window according to Italian journalist Romano, which could in theory clear the way for Amrabat to join Erik Ten Hag's project at Old Trafford.

Last season, £31k-a-week earner Amrabat, who has been hailed as a "monster", made 49 appearances in all competitions for Fiorentina, notching a solitary assist, as per Transfermarkt.

Young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo sustained an injury in pre-season, highlighting the need for Manchester United to enter the market to bolster the engine room between now and the end of the window, as per Telegraph Sport.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jacobs has indicated that Manchester United will be 'optimistic' that they can seal a deal for Fiorentina enforcer Amrabat.

Jacobs stated: “Amrabat has had plenty of options throughout the window. There is a desire from Saudi Arabia, as there is with lots of players available in the market, but it's not his preference.

“And obviously, we've heard of interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid throughout the transfer window in the player. But at this stage, nothing is decided.

“But what's clear is if Manchester United move, they stand a very realistic chance because the player has certainly had his head turned by the interest to date.

“And now we have to wait and see what happens with Fred and Donny van de Beek and then see whether from there Manchester United choose to move.

“If they do, they will be optimistic that they can strike a deal with Fiorentina and the player.”

What other business could occur at Manchester United this window?

According to The Independent, Manchester United are in the process of performing a minor clearout as Ten Hag looks to trim his squad and raise funds for reinforcements.

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Dean Henderson, Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Eric Bailly, Van de Beek and Fred have all been linked with moves away from Old Trafford this window and could leave if the right offer comes along.

Anthony Martial could also be set for a shock move to West Ham United and he has been placed on a shortlist of potential targets at the London Stadium, according to Caught Offside.

Transfer guru Romano has provided some information that suggests that Manchester United are in the market for another central defender, stating on Twitter X: "Manchester United had contacts to be informed on the conditions of Jean Clair Todibo deal. No bid or talks at this stage as the option could only be activated if Harry Maguire leaves. Juventus already left the race for Todibo last week."

Manchester United’s stance on hiring a young British manager whose fans “worship” him has now been revealed after they made the decision to sack Ruben Amorim.

Man Utd sack Amorim with Southgate among favourites to come in

For a manager who finished in the bottom half last season, lost the Europa League final and welcomed £200m in investment in the summer, Amorim was certainly vocal in recent days.

The former Sporting CP boss hinted at an issue before the Leeds United game and then didn’t hesitate to rant after watching his Man United side draw 1-1 for the second game on the bounce.

Leaving no stone unturned, Amorim told reporters: “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.”

Amorim played with fire and has since been burned by INEOS, who have made the decision to sack their manager following just 14 months in charge.

In the end, it was not the results that got the manager sacked, it was his words. The first appointment of the INEOS reign will now be looked back on as the ultimate failure.

So, what next for Man United?

Related Man Utd next manager: The 6 most likely Ruben Amorim replacements

The Portuguese boss was sacked after a 1-1 draw at Leeds.

Posts 3 ByBen Goodwin

Previous reports have shared INEOS’ admiration for Sir Gareth Southgate and he could now emerge as a candidate again.

With Dan Ashworth long gone at Old Trafford, the former England boss no longer has that close link at Old Trafford, but has been named amongst the favourites to be United’s next manager.

Rank

Manager

Odds

5

Xavi Hernandez

12/1

4

Gareth Southgate

10/1

3

Darren Fletcher

5/1

2

Oliver Glasner

5/1

1

Enzo Maresca

7/2

Currently a free agent, Southgate represents a cheap option and has already worked with the likes of Harry Maguire and Mason Mount in the past. Alas, what he doesn’t have much of is Premier League experience and that could force the Red Devils to turn elsewhere.

Man Utd big fans of Kieran McKenna

As it would happen, Southgate isn’t the only British manager who has admirers in Manchester. According to talkSPORT’s chief correspondent Alex Crook, Man United really like Kieran McKenna and viewed the Ipswich manager as a “strong contender” to take the job before they appointed Amorim.

Unlike Southgate, McKenna has recent Premier League experience, albeit one he’d rather forget after suffering relegation with Ipswich. Meanwhile, in terms of system, the former Man United coach would have no trouble slotting straight into INESO’ vision, given that he prefers to play with a 4-2-3-1 formation.

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Brenner Woolley, Ipswich commentater for BBC Radio Suffolk, said last season “the vast majority (of Ipswich fans) worship him”, and that positive relationship between dugout and stands has been missing at Old Trafford.

So, although previous reports have mentioned Southgate, McKenna could be the leading British candidate on Man United’s shortlist if both make the cut.

He knows the club well and would take the Red Devils away from the dreaded back three that they were playing under Amorim.

Everton are now reportedly keen to sign an AFCON star in the January transfer window who could finally replace veteran defender Seamus Coleman.

Moyes believes Garner is on par with best in the Premier League

Whilst it’s been a mixed, yet improved season for the Toffees, it’s been one to remember for James Garner. The former Manchester United man has enjoyed his best campaign yet in an Everton shirt, just as he enters the final six months of his contract, and David Moyes believes he’s up there with the best midfielders in the Premier League.

Everyone involved at the Hill Dickinson Stadium should be desperate to tie Garner down to a new, long-term contract rather than watching him leave in the summer. It should be among the Friedkin Group’s top priorities amid rumours that he could yet make a shocking return to Man United.

Alas, if his exit is on the cards then Everton must act. To that end, reports have already suggested that they could be busy in the January transfer market, with targets such as Ivan Toney and Leeds United’s Jayden Bogle emerging.

Related Everton plotting move to sign one of the best players in the Championship

He’s blown away scouts who have been left hugely impressed…

Posts BySean Markus Clifford

The latter would particularly make sense, given the fact that Seamus Coleman is not getting any younger and Nathan Patterson could do with competition.

That said, it seems unlikely that Bogle would leave Elland Road midway through the campaign – opening the door for Everton to welcome an alternative target.

Everton keen to sign Ryan Alebiosu

According to ESPN, Everton are now keen to sign Ryan Alebiosu from Blackburn Rovers in the January transfer window in a move that would fend off interest from Wolfsburg.

Valued at around £4m at Blackburn, Everton won’t have to break the bank to welcome the 24-year-old right-back, who’d add key depth to Moyes’ side this month.

If Everton were to sign Alebiosu, however, then they could have to wait until the end of AFCON to see him in action. As things stand, the full-back is with Nigeria at the competition and has topped Group C.

It speaks volumes that Nigeria teammate Victor Osimhen heaped such high praise on Alebiosu, telling reporters: “When he came to us, with his training, he’s an exceptional player.”

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All signs point towards what would be a solid signing for Everton to get their January business well and truly underway.

ScorecardA collapse – six wickets for 21 runs – by Windward Islands in their chase of 217, gave Trinidad and Tobago a 16-run victory in St Vincent.Windwards top order had led them to a comfortable 181 for 3, with No. 3 Andre Fletcher and Liam Sebastien scoring half-centuries. But legspinner Yannik Cariah ripped through the middle order, and the final six batsmen scored 16 runs together, with three batsmen dismissed for 0, to be bowled out for 202 in the final over. Cariah finished with 5 for 44, his best performance in his three-match List A career.T&T’s innings revolved around a solid top-order performance, led by an unbeaten half-century from Jason Mohammed. Besides Justin Guillen, who was dismissed for 2, all other batsmen scored atleast 20. Spinners Sebastien and Shane Shillingford took two wickets each.
ScorecardA balanced and collective effort by Jamaica helped them clinch the contest against Combined Campuses and Colleges by four wickets at Sabina Park, and lead the points table.Having being asked to field, Jamaica kept chipping away at their opponents, as none of the batsmen could anchor the innings. Floyd Reifer and the captain Kyle Corbin got starts, but departed after scoring 32 and 24 respectively. Spinner Nikita Miller was the chief wicket-taker, with three wickets.The home side two wickets early, with opener Jermaine Blackwood and No. 3 Nkrumah Bonner dismissed for a duck. However, Andre McCarthy (45), the captain Tamar Lambert (34) and David Bernard (28) helped them reach the target in the 46th over.

Peter Phillips, the Jamaican security minister, has called for a review of the investigations into the death of Bob Woolmer. This comes two days after police closed the case stating that Woolmer’s death was due to natural causes.Justice Ian Forte, a former president of the Appeal Court, will lead the probe. Reuters quoted Phillips saying that the review would look into “the appropriateness of the techniques and the standards of professionalism employed by the police investigators, as well as the medical and other professional personnel.”Phillips said the exercise was to be completed within six weeks and a report submitted by July 31.Phillips declined to comment on the conclusions arrived at by the Jamaican police in the Woolmer case and said that given the high-profile nature and the circumstances surrounding the case, he believed it necessary to commission a review of the investigations.

ScorecardIreland stormed to a surprisingly comprehensive 85-run win over Scotland in the 3rd match of the European Cricket Championships at Ayr.Despite possessing the services of Warwickshire’s Dougie Brown, Scotland’s performance was limp – especially from their bowlers who suffered with their line and length. Eoin Morgan, the young Middlesex left hander, was the chief beneficiary with a fine 99. He and Niall O’Brien came together with Ireland in the tricky position of 19 for 2, but soon steadied the innings by adding 70 for the third wicket. Morgan played the anchor to O’Brien’s aggressive role, bringing up his fifty from 83 balls.O’Brien, looking settled and increasingly confident after smashing four fours, fell to Craig Wright, the Scotland captain, but Morgan found strong support from Kyle McCallan who struck a brisk 46 to take Ireland to an impressive 240 for 8.Scotland, though, were never in the hunt for 241. Navdeep Poonia, Brown’s Warwickshire team-mate making his debut for Scotland, looked settled and confident at the crease, crunching four boundaries before David Langford-Smith sneaked one through his defence to begin the procession of wickets. When Brown fell for just 11, leaving Scotland on 72 for 4, their hopes were shattered and despite a plucky 31 from the No. 10, Paul Hoffmann, Scotland were dismissed for just 155.Scotland now face the Netherlands tomorrow at the same ground, while a confident Irish side take on Italy, on Monday, at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow.

Dilhara Fernando: back in the fold for Sri Lanka © Getty Images

Dilhara Fernando has been included in Sri Lanka’s 15-man squad for the IndianOil triangular one-day tournament which also involves West Indies and India. The squad also includes two uncapped players – Upul Tharanga, a left-handed opening batsman, and Dilhara Lokuhettige, an allrounder whose medium pace has fetched him 137 first-class wickets.Fernando has shown excellent promise as a fast bowler, but his career has been plagued by injury, especially a stress fracture of the back which kept him out of the side for long periods. However, he has shown signs of regaining full fitness, and performed superbly for the A in the one-day series against their West Indian counterparts, taking nine wickets in five games at 17.33.The tournament gets underway on July 30, with Sri Lanka taking on India under lights. This will be Tom Moody’s first one-day series as the Sri Lankan coach. Incidentally, his counterparts Greg Chappell, India’s coach, and Bennett King, the West Indian coach, are also from Australia. The first four matches will be played at Dambulla before the action moves to the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo for the last two games and the final on August 9.Squad
Marvan Atapattu (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Russel Arnold, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Farveez Maharoof, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga.

Inzamam-ul-Haq turned up for the briefest of press conferences on the eve of the Rawalpindi Test. Sourav Ganguly, meanwhile, revealed India’s playing XI, and also indicated that he and Yuvraj Singh were the contenders to open the batting.

Mohammad Sami: all set to play in the decider© AFP

Inzamam-ul-Haq
On the importance of the decider
Obviously the decider is extremely important. The boys have been working very hard and they are confident after the way they played at Lahore. We want a repeat performance here from them.On the pitch
The pitch looks good for bowling and it seems like it will help them throughout. Our bowlers performed well in the last match and they are confident of doing well on this wicket also.On the Pakistan squad
The only one we have omitted from the list of 17 is Abdur Rauf. We just want to keep our options open. Nothing has been confirmed yet – all the boys are working hard. Whoever performs well in practice will give themselves a chance of playing.On Mohammad Sami
His name has been announced in the squad of 16, which means that he is fit to play.On the importance of the toss
It will be a good toss to win, and I think bowling first is probably the best option given the nature of the pitch.On Sourav Ganguly’s return
He will obviously make a difference. His captaincy in the ODIs was very good, so that will help them. But he has missed a couple of matches now and might be rusty.On playing four fast bowlers
It is an option but we will confirm it tomorrow.Sourav Ganguly
On team composition
Ajit [Agarkar], Aakash [Chopra], [Murali] Kartik, Ramesh [Powar] and [Mohammad] Kaif won’t be playing.

Sourav Ganguly contemplates his position in the batting order© AFP

On who will open the batting with Virender Sehwag
It’s a tough call. It will be either myself or Yuvraj. When we picked Yuvraj ahead of [Sadagoppan] Ramesh in the squad, he had agreed to open if required. This is a one-off situation, and the question is, what is best for the team. At the end of the day, I’m not an opener. But it’s also difficult shifting a guy [Yuvraj] from his position when he’s done well there. But in the long run, Yuvraj has to consider himself as an opener.On the pitch
It’s become a little browner since yesterday because of the sunshine. But if there’s a lot of grass left on it, that will help the bowlers on both sides. But it could be a lot like Lahore where there was initial movement, but it then settled down to be a good batting track. As for bowling first on winning the toss, it will depend on how much moisture there is in the pitch.On dropping Chopra
It’s hard on Aakash, but it’s also difficult to ask a batsman to sit out after he has made a Test hundred. He [Aakash] is definitely part of the team, and will get his place back. This is a one-off, and we don’t play our next Test for six months. But it was certainly among the more difficult decisions I have had to make as captain.On India’s failure to close out Test series abroad
It will be a motivation for us. We have come close on several occasions. Hopefully, we can make it here. But we have to focus on the game. It’s when you start looking too far ahead, thinking of victory and defeat, that you start taking wrong decisions.On what areas the Indians need to work on
I said before the series that how we batted would determine the result. When we batted well in Multan, we won. We didn’t bat so well in Lahore.On some of the Pakistani bowlers being unknown quantities
We played Naved [ul-Hasan] in Karachi. And anyway, I believe it’s the ball that matters, not who bowls it. You saw how Umar Gul did when he came into the side.