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Manchester United will once again cross swords with their big rivals, Manchester City, in the Community Shield on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. The traditional season opener for English clubs will see the two teams meet at the 90,000-seater stadium in North London for the second time in as many games.

Their final game of the last campaign saw the two Mancunian teams face off at Wembley, too, in the FA Cup final. That was a game in which the Red Devils ran out 2-1 winners, thanks to goals from academy graduate pair Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. Two years prior, the young duo were part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup – some rise.

Mainoo’s breakout season in 2023/24 for the Red Devils saw him play 33 times, and become a crucial part of Erik ten Hag’s midfield. His performances were so impressive that he managed to earn a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad, where he eventually became a starter for the Three Lions, too.

The Red Devils are set to have a few absentees for the game at Wembley on Saturday, with Ten Hag confirming his team news in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Man Utd team news for Community Shield

United’s Dutch manager, who is about to enter his third season at the helm at Old Trafford despite coming close to the sack last season, confirmed some key team news in his press conference before the season-opening Manchester Derby.

Much of that related to United’s defence, where they have already struggled with injury issues and players returning to the club with a lack of fitness after international tournaments. One of those players is Harry Maguire. Ten Hag explained the former United captain is a "question mark for Saturday" after he missed the end of the preseason tour with injury.

Maguire’s long-term centre-back partner Victor Lindelof could also be a doubt for the game due to injury and is not thought to have not travelled to London. However, it is not only the Swede who has not made the trip. Two of United’s most experienced fullbacks, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have also not travelled, as reported by UtdDistrict.

Shaw seems to be having his fitness managed after minimal participation at Euro 2024, which means 17-year-old left-back Harry Amass could make his debut. Wan-Bissaka is days away from a move to West Ham, which could be the reason behind his absence from, the squad.

In other team news for United, new centre-forward Joshua Zirkzee might only make an appearance off the bench against City. That comes after Ten Hag confirmed United will "need time to fit him in" as he adapts to his new club following a transfer from Bologna.

Ten Hag could start Man Utd debutant vs Man City

Another shock move that Ten Hag could pull off ahead of the Community Shield is to start 20-year-old defensive midfielder Toby Collyer. The former Brighton academy player was on the bench at the back end of last season and played a crucial part in every one of the Red Devil’s pre-season games.

Statistics

Arsenal

Real Betis

Liverpool

Minutes

45

28

62

Touches

18

21

40

Passes completed

6/12 (50%)

14/16 (88%)

24/26 (92%)

Long balls completed

1/2

2/2

1/1

Duels won

2/2

1/1

0/6

Tackles won

1/1

N/A

0/1

Interceptions

3

1

1

Given United’s injury issues at centre-back on Saturday, Brazilian midfielder Casemiro could slot in at centre-back, a role he performed seven times last term in the midst of an injury crisis. This could open the door for Collyer to slot into the base of United’s midfield.

The promising youngster could follow in Mainoo’s footsteps and become "Ten Hag’s next youth project" as football analyst H explained on X. He has a lot of impressive attributes which make him an ideal candidate to play in midfield for the Red Devils against City.

United’s number 43 is composed on the ball, acting like a metronome in the centre of the park. Whilst he does not do anything flashy, he does the basics to a very high standard, a desirable trait for Ten Hag’s side.

He is also confident receiving the ball under pressure, able to receive the ball off the back four and then turn away from oncoming defenders in order to progress United forward, which H also points out in his post on X. This is not necessarily a profile United have from a number six in their squad, so it once again makes him important to the Red Devils.

Out of possession, the former Seagulls starlet, who joined in 2022 from the South Coast, is also a good dueller out of possession, largely thanks to his long legs, which can make him an effective ball-winner.

However, H points out in a separate post exactly what makes him such an ideal academy prospect to be promoted to United’s first team. Specifically, that is the midfielder’s impressive "positional, tactical understanding and communication" when at the base of midfield, especially in build-up situations.

For someone so young to understand the game to such an extent is also a crucial trait to possess. Ten Hag might not worry if he has to slot Collyer straight into the midfield against City, given his understanding of the game and talent in and out of possession.

The Dutchman is certainly not afraid of giving an opportunity to a young midfielder. Last pre-season, United fans saw Mainoo play a key role in the tour of the USA like Collyer did, and only an injury disrupted his path to the first team. They could well be looking at the second coming of the England international in that sense.

In Collyer, United could have their next star academy graduate, and although it would be a baptism of fire, a first-team opportunity against City on Saturday could be the best chance to give him a competitive debut.

Personal terms no issue: Man Utd closing in on their own Amadou Onana

The Red Devils could be set to make a third signing of the summer…

ByRobbie Walls Aug 9, 2024

Multan Sultans coach backs the decision to change captains just days out from the start of the 2021 PSL season

Umar Farooq17-Feb-20213:12

Flower: ‘Rizwan has the qualities to make him a very successful leader’

The decision to elevate wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan as captain of Multan Sultans was an acknowledgement of his inherent leadership qualities rather than his recent red-hot form, according to head coach Andy Flower. Flower said his franchise hoped to play a part in Rizwan’s development for the good of Pakistan cricket.Multan’s decision to replace Shan Masood, who led them to the playoffs last year, days before the sixth season was surprising – Masood was integral in trialling a system of signals between coaching staff and the captain on-field, a kind of real-time strategising as play went on. That was a system England later used in their T20Is against South Africa – Nathan Leamon, England’s white-ball analyst was also with Multan. But at least partly it would appear the change is a result of a shake-up within the franchise. ESPNcricinfo understands that Alamgir Tareen, a prominent businessman, has now taken complete ownership of the franchise, in a move that has seen Ali Tareen, his nephew and hitherto the face of the franchise, moved out.Multan insisted, however, that the decision was a cricketing one.”Rizwan has shown that he’s got leadership qualities when he captained Pakistan while Babar (Azam) was injured,” Flower said. “He’s also got a really good record in domestic cricket, recently won the T20 tournament for his state (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) so he’s got the qualities to make a very successful leader. I don’t know him well, but obviously been doing a bit of research on him and he had some of the leadership qualities that we’re looking for for a new way forward. In saying that, I would say that I really enjoyed working with Shan Masood last year. I thought he captained very well, played very well, and was very much a part of us doing well last season.Mohammad Rizwan made his maiden Test and T20I hundred this month•AP Photo

“However, nothing stays permanent in life and this is a change that we’ve made. Shan is still a very important part of the Multan group. In whatever way, as a batsman or an internal leader, he’ll still play a very big part in this upcoming tournament. But for the moment, Rizwan is our captain and we’re very much looking forward to him leading the side and us getting to the play-offs again. It’s not a short-term decision. Rizwan has shown leadership qualities over a longer period of time and It’s not just his form with the bat.”The move is further confirmation of Rizwan’s swiftly rising status within Pakistan cricket, having for so long been back-up to Sarfraz Ahmed. He has now firmly established his place across formats with PCB naming him vice-captain in Test cricket. He announced himself in England last year to win a Player-of-the-Series award and his stocks rose further in New Zealand where even though the team lost both Tests under his leadership, he continued scoring runs in crisis situations.Though he’s scored first-class runs for a while now in much the same vein, the surprise has been his T20 form. In the National T20 Cup before the New Zealand series, he scored four fifties, including an unbeaten 99 against Central Punjab, which helped him finish as the highest run-scorer. His tournament tally of 389 runs at 38.90 – and a strike rate of 127.96 – led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the 2020 title.”We would like to be a part of his development for his own good, and also for the good of Pakistan cricket,” Flower said. “All of the franchises, I think, need to keep in mind the development of Pakistan cricket and its long-term good and Rizwan is case in point. In our particular example, Shan is a really good young man and a strong young man. He’s had various speed bumps and hurdles to overcome in his young career and this will be another one for him. It’s not easy for him and we can empathise with him, but we all grow stronger from some of these hurdles that we have to overcome. And in this case, I am absolutely certain that that is the way Shan will react.”Although he is yet to play T20Is for Pakistan, Masood rose to prominence with good run in domestic cricket last year scoring 569 at 27.09 at a strike rate of 125.60. However, he isn’t an explosive opening batsman and with Rizwan likely to play in the top order Masood’s chances of keeping his place seem bleak with James Vince, Chris Lynn, Sohaib Maqsood, and Rilee Rossouw also around.”We’ve got a good number of options for the top order, but there are also people in that line-up that have batted at Nos. 3 and 4 quite regularly,” Flower said. “So we’re not concerned about the order. I think it’s a strength for us. That we have players that are adaptable and that we can adapt either to the conditions that are at play or the opposition and some of their tactics. So we think that the number of options that we have at the top of the order and in the middle order is a strength. If you’re asking about what particular order we’re going to use, I’m not going to tell you right now, we’ve got a couple of practice matches now, but obviously sharing that sort of information for our opposition, we wouldn’t do that.”

Scottish Premiership champions Celtic have now reportedly joined the race to sign a Serie A star who just rejected a move to Italian giants Inter.

Celtic transfer news

It's not been the busiest transfer window for the Bhoys so far, but things have picked up recently with the arrival of former Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. The Dane arrives to replace the retired Joe Hart in a like-for-like swap for Brendan Rodgers' side. Just their second signing this summer with Viljami Sinisalo arriving from Aston Villa, Celtic have just over a month to welcome further reinforcements.

Welcoming Schmeichel, Rodgers told Celtic's official website: “I am really pleased to bring Kasper to Celtic. He is a real quality keeper and someone with the ability and personality to be great for us.

He is a guy I trust and someone who knows how to win. He lives for football and he is coming to a club where he will feel the same passion that he has for the game. I know he will feel right at home at Celtic and we look forward to working with him as we all aim for more success.”

Not stopping there, the Bhoys have seemingly turned their attention towards the Italian top flight. According to Sky Sport's Gianluca Di Marzio, Celtic have joined the race to sign Tanner Tessmann from Venezia this summer after the American rejected a move to Inter, having failed to agree personal terms with the Serie A champions.

Celtic could land better signing than Idah in swoop for 12-goal star

The Hoops have been linked with an interest in the forward, who wants to leave his current club.

ByDan Emery Jul 20, 2024

Opening the door for Celtic to potentially make their move, Tessmann could still find a new club before the window shuts at the end of August.

"Clever" Tessmann would thrive with O'Riley

If Celtic manage to keep hold of Matt O'Riley this summer amid interest from the likes of Liverpool, the Hoops could form quite the midfield partnership between the Dane and the more defensive Tessmann. It would also be some coup given how close Inter reportedly were to landing the United States international, who earned high praise whilst at FC Dallas.

Former Dallas captain Reto Ziegler previously told the MLS website: "I really like Tanner in the midfield. I think the technique he has for his size is quite high. Tactically, he's very clever. I see him having a good career at a high level, he's one of my favourite players in the midfield, he's very good. I'm proud to have talented players like him."

Currently just eyeing a move, it remains to be seen whether the Bhoys will take serious steps towards the midfielder's signature as they look to continue their resurged summer transfer window.

Nottingham Forest have reportedly tabled a £4m offer to sign a teenage gem from Brazil this summer, it has emerged.

Forest chasing Brazilian goalkeeper

Following their Premier League survival on the final day of the season, Nuno Espirito Santo's side have turned their attentions to the summer transfer window. Under some pressure from financial fair play rules, they have already seen several players leave.

Harry Arter, Wayne Hennessey, Cheikhou Kouyaté, Loïc Mbe Soh, Scott McKenna and Felipe have all reached the end of their contracts at the City Ground and will not be offered fresh terms, leaving as free agents.

Meanwhile, Gonzalo Montiel, Divock Origi, Gio Reyna, Rodrigo Ribeiro and Nuno Tavares will all leave at the end of their loan spells with the club, with none having done enough to earn a permanent move to Nottingham.

Wage savings at the City Ground
Player	Weekly wage
Harry Arter	£20,000
Cheikhou Kouyaté,	£45,000
Wayne Hennessey	£15,000
Scott McKenna	£20,000
Felipe	£80,000
Gonzalo Montiel	£25,000
Divock Origi	£120,000
Gio Reyna	£40,000
Nuno Tavares	£30,000
Rodrigo Ribeiro	£7500
Total savings via Capology: £405,000 per week

That will free up significant wages in the Midlands, and while there remains pressure to sell before the June 30th deadline, the club are hoping that they can avoid cashing in on any of their star men, with the likes of Joe Worrall, Emmanuel Dennis and Lewis O'Brien thought to be free to leave and the latter attracting interest from Ipswich Town.

As a result, there is confidence that compliance will be achieved, and now they have turned their attentions to incomings. One player seemingly on the verge of joining the club is goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, with the club having triggered his £3.4m release clause and a medical expected this week to bring the shot-stopper to the Midlands. But Forest have also made another offer for a Palmeiras player.

Teenager in the Reds' sights

Now, reports from Brazil have revealed Forest have made a bid for young striker Riquelme Fillipi, who plays among the youth ranks with Palmeiras. The 17-year-old is yet to play senior football, and has only scored four times in 14 games for the U20 side this season, but that has not stopped the club from taking a keen interest.

Nottingham Forest must finally sell flop who earns more than Elanga

The club are looking to raise funds before the PSR deadline later this month.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jun 19, 2024

As per UOL (via Sport Witness), they have tabled an 'official proposal' for the teenager, which totals 5m euros (just over £4m). This consists of half up-front, with the other half in bonuses, though there is no discussion of what those bonuses may be, while Palmeiras are yet to respond to the offer.

It is added that European giants Paris Saint Germain and Porto are both also interested, though neither side have made a bid for the youngster as of yet. Should any side prove successful in their hunt for the signature of Fillipi, they will have to wait until September before he could arrive, with the youngster not turning 18 until then.

MatériaMais Notícias

Matheus Nascimento vai voltar ao Botafogo com atuações positivas na bagagem. O atacante marcou dois gols nos dois jogos que fez pela Seleção Brasileira sub-17 nesta semana, ambos contra o Paraguai, em Assunção, e sai da Data Fifa com um saldo positivo.

+ Botafogo passaria Cruzeiro e estaria fora do Z4 na Série B só com pontos conquistados sob Enderson Moreira

Os amistosos da equipe comandada por Paulo Victor Gomes foram visando o Sul-Americano da categoria. Matheus Nascimento deixou a marca dele no triunfo por 3 a 0 na quinta-feira e voltou a repetir a dose neste domingo, dessa vez com uma vitória por 3 a 1.

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A seleção sub-17 abriu o placar com Matheus Nascimento, em grande jogada de Savinho.pic.twitter.com/zlMLeYg9F5

— Olheiros (@olheiros) September 2, 2021

O atacante do Botafogo é titular da Seleção de base e deve ser o titular da Canarinho sub-17 no Sul-Americano, ainda sem data marcada por conta da pandemia do novo coronavírus.

Após os compromissos com a Seleção, Matheus Nascimento retorna para o Brasil já nesta segunda-feira. A delegação canarinho desembarca em São Paulo e, de lá, o atacante parte para o Rio de Janeiro. Desta forma, ele deve ficar à disposição de Enderson Moreira para a partida contra o Confiança, pela Série B do Brasileirão, no próximo sábado.

Logistical challenges have caused the PCB to replace Multan, which was one of the venues lined up to host Zimbabwe’s limited-overs series in Pakistan later this month, with Lahore. ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB and the city government in Multan had a disagreement over the financial outlay, with the PCB deciding it would cost less for Lahore to host the leg of the tour that had initially been planned for Multan.The tour, comprising three ODIs and as many T20Is, remains as scheduled with the exception of the venue switch. It will begin when a 32-man Zimbabwe squad arrives in Lahore on October 20. Multan was scheduled to host the ODIs on October 30, November 1 and November 3, followed by three T20Is in Rawalpindi on November 7, 8 and 10. The dates of the matches are most likely to remain the same, but it is not yet clear which venue hosts which format.The change of venue means a five-member Zimbabwe delegation will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow to assess arrangements for the bio-secure bubble. The delegation will begin its reconnaissance in Lahore and will travel to Rawalpindi on Monday before flying back to Harare on October 14.This tour is the second by Zimbabwe to Pakistan in the last five years. In 2015, they became the first Full Member nation to visit Pakistan since the Lahore terror attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in March 2009. Since then, Pakistan has played host to an increasing number of high-profile matches, beginning with the PSL final in Lahore in 2017. An ICC-sanctioned World XI arrived to play three T20Is later that year, and the entirety of the PSL took place in Pakistan this year. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh came to Pakistan to play international cricket as recently as February 2020, before a Test match against Bangladesh scheduled in Karachi in April was postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.The Zimbabwe tour will make Pakistan just the second Full Member country to host international cricket at home during the pandemic. England hosted to a full summer of cricket that saw West Indies, Pakistan and Australia play bilateral series, while the IPL, currently ongoing, was moved to the UAE.After enduring a rough period in May and June with regards to the transmission rates of Covid-19 in the country, Pakistan has been largely spared the worst of the pandemic. Even so, no crowds will be permitted for the series against Zimbabwe, or indeed the three remaining knockout fixtures of the Pakistan Super League, scheduled to be played in Lahore next month. The PCB accrued some experience of the requisite Covid-19 procedures when Pakistan toured England, and has created a bio secure environment which is currently in force for the ongoing domestic season.

Thurston reaches a century, Curran 82 in strong reply to Glamorgan

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2020

Charlie Thurston acknowledges the applause from his team-mates on reaching his century•Getty Images

If Northamptonshire’s policy of using the Bob Willis Trophy as a development competition is to be deemed a success, they need more stories like this second day at Wantage Road when Charlie Thurston made 115, his maiden century for the club, and Ben Curran 82 as they responded to Glamorgan’s 259 with 288 for 5.Thurston and Curran have limited top-level experience but have been handed extended opportunities this season and both have looked comfortable in their first XI appearances but were in need of scores to underline their potential.So it would have been to the relief of the pair and the club – taking some flak for their results despite their stated intentions – that both delivered. They shared a second-wicket partnership of 176 as Northamptonshire finally realised runs from their top order.Thurston has been on the fringes at Northamptonshire for a few years after making a century against them for Loughborough MCCU in 2017, also at Wantage Road. He was handed county debuts in all three formats in 2018 but never a proper chance to launch his career.This has been his opportunity. He made 96 in the second innings at Edgbaston in the first match of the Bob Willis Trophy, part of a tremendous rearguard that saved the game from a helpless position.And this should have been an even closer near-miss if Kieran Bull had held a regulation chance at slip off Tim van der Gugten with Thurston on 99. Next ball he worked a single to long leg and raised his century in 145 balls with 10 fours and a six.He was very fluent and soon built on his overnight 30. He played a beautiful back-foot punch to bring the 100 up, then flicked van der Gugten for two to reach fifty in 67 balls with six fours. He then uppercut Marchant de Lange over point for six to take the stand into three-figures.But with his career-best in sight after lunch, he dragged Callum Taylor – who enjoyed a dream first-class debut with a whirlwind century on day one – into his stumps trying to cut a ball from the offspinner round the wicket that was too tight to do so.Curran was also impressive. Initially more watchful than Thurston, he took an hour to find his first boundary of the day. He edged de Lange over the slips cordon before hooking him for four over square leg. He cut the same bowler for his seventh four to reach fifty in 112 balls, his second of the season and seventh of his 17-match career.Curran had one moment of fortune as he reverse-swept Bull in his first over and edged to first slip, only to find the fielder had moved away trying to anticipate where the ball might have gone had Curran made his intended contact.But he enjoyed no luck three overs after lunch as a thick outside edge from van der Gugten was spectacularly held by Nick Selman diving one-handed to his left at second slip. It left Curran one short of his first-class best made against Sussex in September 2018 in his fifth appearance. This was his 12th game since.The partnership broken, Northamptonshire wobbled from 202 for 1 to 234 for 4 as Luke Procter drove van der Gugten lazily to mid-off to fall for just 3 and the hosts were made to wait by the rain to take the lead.Play resumed at 5.10pm and Rob Keogh got in a mess trying to defend Dan Douthwaite and was bowled for 20 but Ricardo Vasconcelos, down the order this week with him both keeping wicket and captaining the side in place of the rested Adam Rossington, ensured Northamptonshire went to the close in a strong position.

A breezy five-over chase helped them pick up their first points of the season

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy20-Aug-2020Is the DLS method a fair way to determine targets in rain-shortened T20 games? Graeme Smith, the former South Africa captain, recently said he doesn’t think so, and he could have used Thursday’s CPL game between the Barbados Tridents and the St Lucia Zouks as an example to support his argument.It was shaping up to be a slow-scoring tussle between two spin-heavy attacks on a two-paced pitch. Rain arrived, ate away more than two hours of action, and transformed the nature of the contest. Rather than a 20-over target in the region of 145, the Zouks had to chase a far less challenging 47 in five overs, and they got home with ease, with five balls to spare.The Zouks attack – Mohammad Nabi in particular – bowled well enough to be deserving victors, but rain and the arithmetic of DLS rendered everything about the first innings almost irrelevant. To rephrase the cliche about games of two halves, this was a game of two games, or maybe even two entirely different sports.Luck favours the chasing sideLuck plays a fairly influential role in T20 contests; over five overs, with the batting team still having ten wickets to play with, this role is magnified. The Zouks hit seven fours and two sixes in their chase, and of those nine boundaries, four were miscues – including the first two that Rahkeem Cornwall edged behind the wicket in the first over to set the tone of the chase – and one was a chance that Mitchell Santner couldn’t wrap his hands around at long-on.Over a longer contest, these moments of fortune play a smaller role in deciding the result. The Tridents, moreover, had an attack made for this Tarouba surface, with four frontline spinners, but three of them didn’t get to bowl at all. The fourth, Rashid Khan, picked up two wickets and could have had a third (the chance Santner failed to grab off Nabi) but ended up going for 24 in his two overs.Rain interrupted the Barbados Tridents innings•CPL via Getty ImagesTridents hurry off the blocksPerhaps the one thing the Tridents got wrong was Jason Holder’s decision at the toss – why bat first if rain is imminent? – but the opening exchanges suggested they were on the right track. The two-paced nature of the pitch was already in evidence – and the Tridents had an attack to make full use of it later on – but in the meanwhile, Johnson Charles was taking full toll of some ordinary new-ball bowling from the Zouks. He slapped the first ball of the match – a short one from the left-arm spinner Saad Bin Zafar – to the cover point boundary, and then hammered a wildly inconsistent Obed McCoy for two fours and a six in the second over. By the time he was out for 35 off 19 in the fourth over, his opening partner Shai Hope had only faced two balls and was yet to open his account.Nabi applies the strangleCharles and Corey Anderson – who slapped a full-toss straight to cover – fell in successive Scott Kuggeleijn overs, and the Tridents ended the powerplay 53 for 2. At the other end, Nabi bowled a typically shrewd spell of strangulating offspin, varying his pace, reading the batsmen’s intentions, giving neither right- nor left-hander any room, and getting his arm ball to deviate like a legcutter. He got the wicket of Hope, for an unconvincing 19 off 16, with one of these arm balls, and ended with figures of 4-0-19-1.Zouks wrest control despite Holder cameoFew batsmen in world cricket time the ball as well as Holder does when he’s on song, and on a pitch where most of his team-mates struggled to middle the ball, the Tridents captain strode in at No. 5 and dispatched the ball to all parts – a pulled six off Kesrick Williams was particularly jaw-dropping in its effortlessness – while scoring 27 off 12 balls. But once he fell to a Williams slower ball, the Tridents innings lost all momentum. Roston Chase and Mark Deyal – two of four offspinners used by the Zouks – picked up three wickets in the space of nine balls, before Santner and Ashley Nurse added an unbroken, run-a-ball 22 for the eighth wicket. That left the Tridents poised for a bit of a slog, with 11 balls remaining and the dangerous Khan still to come, but the rain came down and rendered everything that came before meaningless.

Glasgow Rangers have four Premiership matches remaining of the 2023/24 campaign, needing to win them all while hoping Celtic slip up along the way.

With the final Old Firm clash taking place at Parkhead, the odds are against the Light Blues, but it is clear Philippe Clement will push his team to the limit.

Firstly, the Light Blues face Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon in what is a must-win match for the club.

Clement delivered an injury update in his pre-match press conference on Friday, saying Oscar Cortes and Danilo won't play again this season, while Connor Goldson suffered an injury during training in midweek, also ruling him out for the season.

The Belgian did give a positive update on Ridvan Yilmaz, claiming that he was a “maybe” for Sunday. Hopefully, the Turkish defender can return to the starting XI as the Gers have missed his presence on the left side of the defence.

With this news in mind, here's a look at the starting XI that could take to the Ibrox pitch on Sunday afternoon.

1 GK – Jack Butland

The Englishman picked up both the Men’s Player’s Player of the Year and Men’s Player of the Year awards last week in the annual Rangers award ceremony, signifying how vital he has been this season.

Across 53 games in all competitions, Butland has kept 25 clean sheets and conceded 44 goals. Another few between now and the end of the season could give the club a great chance of adding another trophy or two to the cabinet.

2 RB – James Tavernier

Despite there being five games left of the season, Tavernier picked up the Sam English bowl, which is awarded to the club’s top scorer.

The captain has scored 24 times already this term, which is his best-ever career total during a single campaign.

3 CB – John Souttar

The centre-back has started every single Premiership match of 2024 thus far and due to Goldson suffering a season-ending injury, he will be in the starting XI for the final five games of the season.

Following an injury-disrupted debut season in Glasgow, Souttar has shown his class under Clement, emerging as one of the first names on the team sheet in recent months.

4 CB – Leon Balogun

The Nigerian defender is out of contract at the end of the season, but it looks as though contract talks will be placed on hold until after the Scottish Cup final.

He returned to the starting XI against Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-final recently, as Goldson was surprisingly dropped, but the duo of him and Souttar will be the backbone in the remaining games.

5 LB – Ridvan Yilmaz

Borna Barisic will be dropped from the starting XI, as it feels like even a half-fit Yilmaz would be a better option.

The Turk has been missing since returning from international duty with a hamstring injury, but if he is ready to go, then Clement should unleash him from the start against Killie.

The £5m signing in 2022 has shown plenty of class under the Belgian and could be an important player next season, if he stays fit, that is.

6 CM – Mohamed Diomande

Although technically just at the club on loan right now, Diomande will officially join the Light Blues on a permanent deal in the summer.

At 22 years old, he represents the type of player which Clement will be hoping to add more of this summer; young, limitless potential and the chance of selling them on for massive profits.

His control of the game could be crucial against Killie.

7 CM – John Lundstram

Another player who is out of contract in a few weeks, Lundstram might well be coming to the end of his spell in Glasgow as no talks have commenced.

He has missed just one game since Clement arrived, a 2-0 win over Motherwell on Christmas Eve, but his influence has waned in recent weeks.

8 RW – Ross McCausland

The young winger’s previous league start came against Killie coincidently back in February, but he should be unleashed on Sunday.

The Northern Irishman has plenty of work to do in order to make himself a regular in the first team, but the more often he plays, the better he will get.

Two goals and three assists aren’t the greatest of returns, something which McCausland will be hoping to add to over the next few weeks.

9 AM – Todd Cantwell

The 26-year-old has endured plenty of highs and lows this term. The attacking midfielder has missed 13 games due to injury, but he has scored six times while registering six assists across all competitions this season.

Against St Mirren, Cantwell made one key pass, attempted four shots, succeeded with 100% of his dribbles and took 52 touches as he looked keen to make things happen for the Light Blues in their eventual 2-1 win.

10 LW – Dujon Sterling

The utility man might be called upon to feature on the left wing due to Clement’s injury issues in that position.

The Englishman has played on the right wing a few times this season, which means a stint on the opposite flank shouldn’t faze him too much, especially as he knows it isn’t a permanent move.

Sterling will give 100% commitment to the cause regardless of where he plays and this will show during the clash against Killie.

With the end of the campaign fast approaching, the question remains as to whether Erik ten Hag will still be in charge of Manchester United for the start of next season, following what has been a turbulent second year in the dugout for the Dutchman.

While the hope of securing silverware still remains ahead of next week's FA Cup semi-final showdown with Coventry City, on the Premier League front, the Red Devils now look almost certainties to miss out on Champions League qualification.

The suggestion at present is that Ten Hag will still be given time to work under the new Sir Jim Ratcliffe regime, although after failing to win any of their last three league games, the pressure is on to get results over the coming weeks – starting away to AFC Bournemouth this evening.

GK – David De Gea

RB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka

CB – Raphael Varane

CB – Victor Lindelof

LB – Luke Shaw

CDM – Casemiro

CM – Christian Eriksen

CM – Bruno Fernandes

RW – Antony

LW – Jadon Sancho

ST – Anthony Martial

Amid that desperation, perhaps the former Ajax boss could trial something that he is yet to do during his time at Old Trafford, with Mason Mount set to be central to this novel approach…

Mason Mount's season in numbers

There's no denying that United's new number seven has endured an underwhelming first season in Manchester following his £55m switch from Chelsea, the England international looking like a certainty to miss out on Euro 2024 amid what has been an injury-ravaged campaign.

Only one goal and one assist to show for his efforts this term, Mount has failed to replicate the consistent form that he showcased for much of his emergence at Stamford Bridge, where he chipped in with 68 goal involvements in 195 games in all competitions.

Dubbed the "complete midfield player" by Ten Hag upon his controversial arrival in his new surroundings last summer, the one-time Derby County loanee has since been restricted to just 16 appearances in all competitions – including just four league starts.

However, with the versatile playmaker now fit and available once again – and with Scott McTominay now enduring his own stint on the sidelines – perhaps tonight's trip to the Vitality Stadium could be the perfect time for Mount to be unleashed from the start once again.

Why Mount should start vs Bournemouth

During Sunday's thrilling 2-2 draw with rivals Liverpool, Ten Hag opted for a midfield trio of Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro, although there is certainly justification to drop the latter man, as he won just five of his 11 duels and lost possession on 16 occasions at the base of the midfield.

In the absence of McTominay – and with the "unhappy" Christian Eriksen hardly in the picture at present – Mount could be the biggest beneficiary of Casemiro's continued woes, with the Brazilian having been 'really poor' at the weekend, as per GOAL's Richard Martin.

For the first time, Ten Hag could then take the somewhat risky approach of dropping young Mainoo into a deeper berth, with Mount and Fernandes completing that midfield trio, thus providing a more mobile and energetic unit in the centre of the park.

Fresh from scoring a stunner in a more advanced role against Jurgen Klopp's side, it may seem counterproductive to relocate Mainoo further back, although the teenager does boast impressive defensive prowess, having averaged 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game this season.

With Sofyan Amrabat – who looks set to depart at the end of his loan this summer – now an afterthought, there are few other alternatives if Ten Hag does wish to oust Casemiro, ensuring the 18-year-old may have to be re-housed and Mount can come into the fray.

While that midfield unit of Mount, Mainoo and Fernandes has yet to be trialled from the start this season – with the former Blues man having been absent for much of Mainoo's rise this term – now could well be time for the United boss to truly take the handbrake off against the Cherries.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.