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Cristiano Ronaldo pleaded with the referee not to give him a penalty despite the official pointing to the spot in Al-Nassr's clash against Persepolis.

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Ronaldo went down in Persepolis boxReferee pointed to penalty spotAl-Nassr star told him to reverse decisionWHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo was brought down in the Persepolis box in the early stages of the AFC Champions League clash in Riyadh. Chinese referee Ma Ning quickly pointed to the spot but the Portuguese star joined the Persepolis players in protesting against the decision, wagging his finger at the official and telling him it was not a penalty. Ning then went to review the incident and decided to reverse his initial decision.

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Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr team went on to draw 0-0 with Persepolis, with the 38-year-old missing the home side's best chance – lashing narrowly wide of the target in the second half. The point saw his side progress to the round-of-16 of the AFC Champions League, with Persepolis sitting five points behind them.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

Al-Nassr have one more AFC Champions League group game to come – against Istiqlol Dushanbe on December 5. Before that, however, they will take on Al-Hilal in a top of the Saudi Pro League clash on Friday. Al-Hilal are four points ahead of Ronaldo's team heading into the tie.

GOAL reviews how stars from the continent performed in the Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, and in Scotland with their respective clubs

Rangers.Review of Africans in Europe

Different African stars were in action across the weekend in different leagues and some, unfortunately, found themselves writing unwanted history.

AdvertisementNapoli.Too Good: Victor Osimhen

The 23-year-old Super Eagle was among the goals as Napoli recovered from their previous 3-2 defeat against Empoli to hammer Sassuolo 6-1 in a Serie A fixture at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Saturday.

Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly put the Partenopei ahead before Osimhen grabbed the second and assisted in the entertaining fixture which also saw Hirving Lozano, Dries Mertens (2) and Amir Rrahmani inscribe their names on the scoresheet.

The attacker is currently ranked joint seventh in the Serie A goalscoring charts with a tally of 13 goals this campaign, as well as being the team’s top league scorer.

GettyToo Bad: Edouard Mendy

The 30-year-old Senegal international conceded yet again courtesy of a clinical finish from Richarlison as Chelsea suffered a 1-0 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Going into the fixture, Mendy had also failed to keep a clean sheet for the Blues as they battled to a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford last Thursday.

So far in this campaign, the Lion of Teranga has kept 13 clean sheets, which is tied for the third-most in the competition. In last season's Premier League, he played in 31 games for Chelsea and kept a clean sheet in 16 of those fixtures.

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Rangers.Too Good: Fashion Sakala

The Zambia international was on target as Rangers snatched a 1-1 draw against Celtic in the Old Firm derby at Celtic Park on Sunday.

After the Bhoys took a deserved lead courtesy of Jota, the 25-year-old Chipolopolo star popped up with a goal for the Gers in the 67th minute, beating goalkeeper Joe Hart with a powerful left-footed effort.

Sakala, who joined Rangers from KV Oostende, has managed eight goals in the Scottish Premiership from 28 appearances and he will hope to add to his tally when Rangers host Dundee United at Ibrox Stadium on Sunday.

The Arsenal and Man City stars headline the group as the six nominees for the Men's PFA Young Player of the Year award are revealed

The PFA Awards have been a highlight of the footballing calendar for 50 years, and the organisation has now revealed the shortlist for the 2023 Men's Young Player of the Year, with six hugely exciting talents aged 21 or under nominated for the prestigious award.

Manchester City's goal-scoring phenom Erling Haaland and Arsenal's dazzling winger Bukayo Saka find themselves among the nominees for both the young player and players' player of the season awards for 2022-23. Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey and Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli also make the shortlist, along with Brighton duo Evan Ferguson and Moises Caicedo. The latter has just completed a British-record £115 million ($146m) move to Chelsea.

Haaland's City team-mate Phil Foden was the winner last year. Find out more about the six-man shortlist for 2023 below…

GettyMoises Caicedo | Club: Brighton | Nationality: Ecuador

Caicedo, considered one of the brightest up-and-coming talents in all of world football, had a brilliant season for the Seagulls that saw them complete their best-ever finish in the Premier League and earn European football for the first time. The Ecuador international has since completed a move to west London side Chelsea for a British-record fee.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesEvan Ferguson | Club: Brighton | Nationality: Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland international had a breakout 2022-23 campaign for Brighton, helping them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League with 10 goals and three assists. The 18-year-old forward is poised to have an important role in their first season of European football this time around.

GettyErling Haaland | Club: Manchester City | Nationality: Norway

Following a stunning campaign where he helped City to both a historic treble with his goal-scoringe exploits, Haaland has found himself nominated for both prestigious men's PFA awards. His 52-goal season across all competitions sees him as a frontrunner for the gong.

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GettyBukayo Saka | Club: Arsenal | Nationality: England

The 21-year-old winger had a brilliant campaign for Arsenal that saw them finish second in the Premier League – their best league performance of the last decade. He contributed 15 goals and 11 assists across all competitions and is set to become a superstar for club and country.

The Gunners likely would have been toasting a derby-day victory this evening, if not for a poor mistake from their substitute midfielder

Arsenal fans experienced a technicolour dreamcoat of emotions during their 2-2 draw with hated rivals Tottenham on Sunday. But, when the full-time whistle sounded, only one feeling lingered – frustration.

When Bukayo Saka stroked home from the penalty spot in the 54th minute to make it 2-1, it felt like the momentum generated would carry the Gunners to victory. They had edged things in the first half after all, with Cristian Romero's own goal being cancelled out by a rare Spurs moment of magic involving James Maddison and Son Heung-min.

However, North London derby games so rarely follow the conventional script and a matter of seconds after Saka's spot-kick, Son and Maddison were performing a highly-choreographed celebration to toast their second equaliser of the game.

Jorginho was the villain of the piece, dawdling on the ball in midfield and allowing Maddison to nick it away before setting the South Korean free. Arsenal did have chances to rectify the error, with the impressive Saka forcing a good save out of Guglielmo Vicario in second-half stoppage time, but it wasn't to be and the spoils were shared.

GOAL rates Mikel Arteta's players from the Emirates Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

David Raya (7/10):

Produced a truly miraculous save to deny Johnson just before the break. Made an odd decision to slap the ball back into play just before Spurs' opener. Distribution was good, barring one or two mishaps.

Ben White (6/10):

Should have got out to Maddison a little quicker for Spurs' first. Other than that, he was typically assured.

Gabriel (6/10):

May have conceded twice, but it's hard to point the finger at him for either goal. Continues to prove his manager wrong for dropping him earlier this season.

William Saliba (6/10):

Largely dominant and did not allow Spurs too much joy in behind.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (6/10):

Probed the opposition with some excellent passes from midfield. Defensively, he might have got tighter to Porro and Kulusevski on a couple of occasions.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Martin Odegaard (6/10):

Led the Arsenal press effectively. Not as influential on the ball as we know he can be.

Declan Rice (5/10):

Missed an interception in the lead up to Son's goal. Probably his least impressive display in a red shirt so far, though that has likely due to a niggle. Taken off at half-time and reappeared on the bench with a bandaged calf.

Fabio Vieira (5/10):

Struggled to get into the game and was replaced by Havertz at the break

Getty ImagesAttack

Bukayo Saka (7/10):

Had the beating of Udogie all afternoon and it was little surprise when he created enough space to open the scoring via a deflection. Beaten a little too easily in the build up to Spurs' first-half equaliser, but made up for that with a cool penalty.

Eddie Nketiah (5/10):

Worked exceptionally hard and ignited the crowd with a pair of slide tackles early on. Was presented with a few half-chances which he didn't convert. A few reckless moments as he fed off the electric atmosphere.

Gabriel Jesus (6/10):

Had a few bright moments and his substitution was greeted with some frustration around the Emirates. Could be fielded as a left winger again if Martinelli and Trossard remain sidelined.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Kai Havertz (5/10):

Another pretty anonymous display. Needs to start producing the goods and justifying his hefty transfer fee.

Jorginho (4/10):

Made a heinous error which allowed Spurs to make it 2-2. Recovered well in fairness, making a key block to deny Richarlison at the death, but his mistake will sting for some time.

Reiss Nelson (6/10):

Not massively involved in the closing stages.

Emile Smith Rowe (N/A):

Only brought on as a very late sub.

Mikel Arteta (6/10):

His side started really well, causing Spurs serious issues with their high press. Did not get much wrong tactically, but he missed the guile of Trossard and the pace of Martinelli in the final third.

Asghar Stanikzai, the Afghanistan captain, has welcomed the call from a trio of former international captains for greater opportunities to be given to Associate nations

Andrew Miller in Delhi22-Mar-20163:16

Chappell: Consider a combined Associate team for World Cup

Asghar Stanikzai, the Afghanistan captain, has welcomed the call from a trio of former international captains, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Michael Vaughan, for greater opportunities to be given to Associate nations, and has challenged cricket’s senior sides to offer his team bilateral series in which their true ability and progress could be assessed.In the wake of Afghanistan’s spirited showing against South Africa in Mumbai on Sunday, in which Mohammad Shahzad’s blistering 44 from 19 balls briefly threatened an upset, Vaughan took to Twitter to reiterate his criticism of the 10-team format that has been agreed for the next World Cup in 2019.”Such a shame we won’t see Countries like Afghanistan in the next WC.It’s refreshing and great for the game.Please change your minds @ICC,” he wrote.His sentiments were echoed by Lara and later Tendulkar, who added: “Completely agree. Spirit & performance of teams like Afghanistan & Oman echo the need for more teams at WC & beyond!”Speaking on the eve of Afghanistan’s penultimate Group 1 showdown, against England in Delhi, Stanikzai said that his players had been emboldened by the support, and stated that their ambition was to claim at least one Full Member scalp in their remaining two Super 10s fixtures.”Definitely, it’s been highly proud for us that we are hearing such tweets from cricket legends,” he said. “It is true that the team is playing good cricket, so definitely we need ICC support for the upcoming World Cup [in 2019].”In this World Cup many people thought that our games would be one-sided, but now [our opponents] are really preparing and planning, and scaring to be honest, that this is a side which can beat us.”Our guys have the potential so we need the ICC’s support,” he added. “Definitely we are eager to play in each and every World Cup, and we have requested Full Members to play a series with us. If you only play one game with a team, you cannot compare how good they are, but if you play two or three matches, you have a good chance to beat them.”

Completely agree. Spirit & performance of teams like Afghanistan & Oman echo the need for more teams at WC & beyond! https://t.co/H190gk7YdE

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 21, 2016

In the past six months alone, Afghanistan have proven this point handsomely with home and away series victories against Zimbabwe, in both ODIs and T20Is. They won 3-2 and 2-0 respectively in Bulawayo in October, before repeating the same scoreline in Sharjah two months later.”We have beaten them in all of them, we have won four series against a Full Member,” said Stanikzai. “So you can see how competitive we would be if we were given the chance in the upcoming World Cup.”Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, also leant his support to Afghanistan’s cause, adding that his experiences with Ireland in the early part of his international career demonstrate the importance of nurturing emerging nations.”I think it is very important for the sport to grow,” said Morgan. “Associate nations are key in evolving our sport and giving them as much opportunities as we can.”Asked whether he would welcome the prospect of playing Afghanistan in a bilateral series in the future, Morgan was cautiously positive about the prospect.”Certainly, as an England captain sitting here and captaining guys who play in all three formats of the game, I know the gruelling schedules they go through and the need for time off.”But I can see a time when we do play tri-series against different sides, not necessarily with our strongest side, but with as good a side as we can at the time and giving some guys a bit of a break. I see that coming down the line.”

The champions have conceded as many goals in their last three Premier League games as they had in their opening 11 matches. What's gone wrong?

Pep Guardiola may be the most admired coach in the world for the spell-binding, attacking football his sides have played down the years, from Barcelona to Bayern Munich to Manchester City. However, his thrilling brand has always been built on a platform of defensive solidity. In his 14 full seasons in elite coaching, Guardiola's side's have only not had the best defensive record in the league on three occasions.

The Catalan is a devotee of Johan Cruyff, who famously said that if you have the ball, the opposition cannot score. And despite all of the beautiful football the coach has overseen, he always been obsessed with taming the opposition. Above all, he has valued controlling the play.

But right now, Guardiola's side seem to be able to do everything but control games. His team are still playing thrilling football, but they have forgotten how to defend.

City have conceded eight goals in their last three Premier League games (drawing 4-4 at Chelsea, 1-1 with Liverpool and 3-3 with Tottenham) – as many as in their first 11 matches of the season. And if you count their 3-2 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League, they have shipped a remarkable 10 goals in their last four matches.

So what's happened to Guardiola's ever-reliable defence? GOAL investigates…

GettyGundogan's departure & Rodri reliance

Ilkay Gundogan was pretty much the perfect midfielder. He was able to dictate the pace of a game and exert his own control on it with his subtle touches and passing, and was also more than capable of scoring crucial goals, stepping up in clutch moments like the final day of the 2021-22 season or in last season's FA Cup final.

The German's departure to Barcelona left City with an enormous hole and they could never fill it entirely, but they brought in Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes to at least plug some of the gaps. Unfortunately, the new signings have had their share of injury problems, making just 12 starts in all competitions between them.

The pair's absences, coupled with John Stones' long stretches out, has put too much pressure on Rodri to anchor City. The Spaniard has done an amiable job and the team are almost lost without him, but he has naturally struggled to give the team the same control they had last season.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesStones' injury troubles

Guardiola's greatest tactical tweak of last season was to reinvent Stones as a holding midfielder, giving the defender license to move forward when City were in possession. He had originally experimented with Rico Lewis in the role, but found that Stones was better suited to it.

The result was that City enjoyed greater possession and control, as Stones was able to slow the pace down when needed or step it up, helping his side break the press with his renowned ball carrying skills.

The former Everton man has, however, been injured for the majority of the season, depriving Guardiola of his ideal link-man between defence and midfield. Stones injured a hip muscle in the Community Shield, missing the first two months of the season. He only got three-and-a-half games under his belt before picking up another injury against Young Boys and is yet to make his return.

Guardiola has mostly played Manuel Akanji in the role in Stones' absence, and he has had some success there, especially against Liverpool, when City managed to control most of the match but failed to kill off Jurgen Klopp's side, allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold to equalise with a late howitzer.

But the Swiss' limitations compared to Stones' aptitude for the role became more apparent against Tottenham, above all in the second half. The good news is that 'the Barnsley Beckenbauer' is set to return imminently and could feature on Wednesday against Aston Villa.

Getty ImagesDe Bruyne's absence looms large

City have also had to make do without Kevin De Bruyne, their captain and talisman of the last eight years, for the entirety of the season, not counting the 20 minutes he played on the opening day against Burnley before tearing his hamstring.

De Bruyne is known more for his attacking threat than his defensive contributions, but his absence means City are missing one of their main focal points on the pitch. The Belgian ranked second within the team last season for progressive ball carries and progressive passes completed, and third for progressive passes received, which shows his influence on the team's overall play beyond the more obvious metrics of goals and assists.

And if you believe in the mantra that attack is the best form of defence, then De Bruyne's lengthy absence explains City's problems at the back even more. The playmaker has scored 96 times and assisted 153 goals for the Blues, and last year was as effective as ever, with 10 goals and 31 assists.

If De Bruyne were fit and available, it's easy to imagine that City would have taken care of Liverpool and Tottenham long before their late fightbacks, as well as tamed the chaos at Stamford Bridge.

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(C)Getty ImagesDoku's electricity leads to instability

Jeremy Doku has been one of the most exciting things to happen to City this season and taken almost no time at all to impose himself on the Premier League. The winger has also quickly won over the fans at the Etihad, who rise to their feet in anticipation every time he picks up the ball.

Doku has been a revelation and City are a much more vibrant and unpredictable team with him in it. But the other side of the coin is that the 21-year-old's exhilarating dribbles make City more vulnerable to turnovers, giving the opposition the chance to counter-attack when they are out of shape.

He is also not the best player when it comes to tracking back or jockeying his marker, and Son Heung-min was able to comfortably dribble past him and score Tottenham's opening goal on Sunday. When the Belgian plays, City look less balanced and less assured than when Jack Grealish is on the left wing.But lately, Guardiola seems to have been willing to accept the defensive downside of playing Doku over Grealish for the attacking upside, starting him in the last three matches.

Grealish was one of City's best players last season largely down to his willingness to follow Guardiola's orders, frequently hugging the touchline and slowing play down so his team-mates could get forward, but he has had his own fitness struggles, missing a month with a thigh injury and falling victim to a vomiting bug before the Liverpool game.

BCB has awarded Top of Mind, a media planning company, the team sponsorship rights for Bangladesh’s home series against Pakistan this month

Mohammad Isam07-Apr-2015BCB has awarded Top of Mind, a media planning company, the team sponsorship rights for Bangladesh’s home series against Pakistan this month. The agreement was reached on Tuesday after their contract with Aamby Valley, an affiliate of Sahara India Parivar, was cut short 15 months before it was scheduled to end.It is understood the BCB had hoped for a deal over Tk 2.5 crore (approximately US$ 321,000) and the winning quote was for more than Tk 3 crore (approximately US$ 385,000).BCB revealed last Friday that they had issued an advertisement seeking a new team sponsor after the two parties’ deal ended in March. On April 5, BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that a number of companies had submitted their bids but none of them quoted a price to BCB’s liking on the last day of submission. Top of Mind and Grameenphone, which was the team sponsor for the eight years before Sahara, were the two highest bidders and were asked by the BCB to bid again.”We asked the top two bidders to re-bid,” BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said. “They did so and we are pleased to announce that Top of the Mind has won the team sponsorship rights. We cannot disclose the amount but we are more than happy with it.”Their four-year deal with Sahara, which included branding rights for the national team and the national cricket academy, title sponsorship and in-stadia sponsorship for 2012-13, was worth USD$ 14 million.

The Red Devils are no strangers to a transfer stumble, with a number of players sold too soon or simply never delivering at Old Trafford

Paul Pogba's turbulent time in a Manchester United shirt perfectly epitomises the club's struggles to get the best out of some players.

The Red Devils' inability to stop Pogba going to Juventus in 2012 cost them dearly when they eventually brought him back to Old Trafford and it's a transfer misstep the club is familiar with.

Gerard Pique, who will return to Old Trafford on Wednesday night in the Champions League with Barcelona, is another player whose career really took off after swapping the Red Devils for the Blaugrana in 2008.

Getty1Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace, 2015)

Man Utd arguably pounced too soon for Wilfried Zaha in 2013 when they paid Palace £10 million for the attacker.

Making just four appearances for the Red Devils, Zaha was never given the chance to impress and was ultimately sold back to Palace for £6m two years later.

Since then, the 26-year-old has become a star for Palace – with numerous clubs linked to big-money moves – and Zaha is now valued at around £30m.

AdvertisementGetty2Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City, 2012)

Having joined Man Utd’s youth academy at the age of nine, Danny Drinkwater would never make a senior appearance for the Red Devils before being sold to the Foxes for a reported fee of £810,000 in 2012.

Once in Leicester, he helped secure the club's promotion to the Premier League before playing a regular role in the Foxes' stunning title win in 2015/16.

On the back of that success, Drinkwater sealed a £35 million move to Chelsea in 2017 as Leicester netted a huge profit at United's expense.

While he was unlikely to ever shine at Old Trafford, the Red Devils will surely regret selling him so soon and so cheaply.

Getty Images3Memphis Depay (Lyon, 2017)

Signed for £25 million in 2015 and inheriting the weight of the legendary number seven shirt, Memphis Depay's inconsistency saw him sold for a cut-price fee of around £16m less than two years later.

Though he showed fleeting glimpses of brilliance for United, it's only since he's joined Lyon that Depay has really stepped up for club and country with his value now sitting at triple of what the Red Devils sold him for.

Liverpool have been recently linked with a move for the Dutchman and it's a potential transfer United fans will no doubt be watching closely.  

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Mike Hewitt/Getty Images4Carlos Tevez (Manchester City, 2009)

What's worse than seeing a player leave for a rival club? Seeing a player do much better at a rival club than at yours.

And that's exactly what Carlos Tevez did after deciding against signing permanently for United following a mixed two-year loan spell with the club.

In 2009, he put pen to paper with Man City in a then-record deal and immediately bettered the number of goals he had scored in his United career by netting 23 times in his debut campaign at the City of Manchester Stadium.

The Gunners' £50m defender has been one of the stars of the season in north London – just don't ask him if he saw the game last night!

Arsenal fans knew exactly what was coming when Ben White was asked in the aftermath of the win against Leeds whether he had paid much attention to Manchester City’s victory at Liverpool earlier in the afternoon.

“I don’t watch football,” the right-back replied stoney faced.

Immediately that quote was clipped up and plastered all over social media. ‘Never change Ben’ was the overriding message from supporters, who just can’t get enough of their right-back.

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White may not be overly appreciated by England and Gareth Southgate at present, but he is absolutely loved at Arsenal. And that is no surprise given the performances he has been putting in for Mikel Arteta’s league leaders this season.

“I’m really pleased with him,” Arteta said after the win against Leeds, which saw White score his second goal of the season in the 4-1 success.

GettyMoney well spent

When White first signed from Brighton in the summer of 2021, there were plenty of questions raised over the £50 million price tag. Those doubters have long been silenced, however.

The 25-year-old has been exceptional, whether that be at centre-back last season or at right-back during the current campaign, where he has excelled having been switched out wide by Arteta to accommodate William Saliba.

Very few central defenders could move into a full-back role and look as assured as White has done in this Arsenal side, but such is his level of ability that he has made it look easy.

“Ben has been incredible all season,” Bukayo Saka said, while discussing his team-mate. “We are building a great partnership, with Martin [Odegaard] on that right side.”

AdvertisementGettyA master of the dark arts

It’s not just his performance levels that have made White so popular at Arsenal, however – it’s the way he handles himself. Never has the term ‘sh*thousery’ applied more to a player than it does to Arteta’s right-back. 

Reminding Spurs fans of the score during the north London derbies, the tactical fouls, the little digs to the opposition keeper while waiting for a corner to come in, the sly smile he gives when he gets a reaction. It all just adds to his cult hero status in north London.

As do his post-match interviews, as we witnessed after Saturday’s win. White wasn’t joking when he said he doesn’t watch football.

"I watch myself for analytical reasons,” he explained earlier in the season. “I just wouldn't just sit down and watch a game. After I’ve trained all day and had four or five meetings about football, the last thing I want to do is watch more.”

That’s the sort of the thing that makes White stand out so much from the crowd. He’s just not the type to personality we are used to seeing in the Premier League, and Arsenal fans love him for that.

They love that he has that edge to him, that he has that ability to wind up the opposition players and their fans. 

The Saka link-up

Occasionally, White’s antics can backfire, as they did at Leicester when the VAR cameras picked up his tug on Danny Ward and so ruled out Leandro Trossard’s stunning goal. But you won’t find an Arsenal fan who would want White to change his ways because of that.

Of course, if you have that side to your game like White has, you have to be able to back it up on the pitch, and he can certainly do that.

The partnership he has struck up with Saka down that flank has been so integral to Arsenal’s success. The understanding they have, along with Odegaard, is one of the great strengths of Arteta’s side.

Although Trossard filled in excellently for Saka against Leeds, it was very evident in the first half how much White was missing having his usual partner in crime operating in front of him.

But one of White’s biggest attributes, which can be said for Trossard as well, is his level of intelligence and technical quality, and so it didn’t long for either player to adapt and make a big impact on the game.

White’s goal just after half-time was crucial, as it gave Arsenal the breathing space they needed. 

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Getty Images'He’s timing his runs very well'

Gabriel Martinelli understandably took a lot of credit for his excellent ball in, but when you look at White in the replays, he is pointing exactly where he wants it. He was clever enough to see the space and get in front of his defender to score. It was just reward for his industry and his vision. 

It was also his second crucial goal in a matter of weeks, following on from his strike against Bournemouth.

“He’s timing his runs very well and he’s a threat,” said Arteta. “Even on set-pieces, he’s improved a lot to be more dangerous and to drive more attention to the opponent. “

The reaction of his team-mates in the celebration that followed White’s goal against Leeds told its own story. You can see how popular he is within the squad by the way he was mobbed by everyone.

It was also very apparent how much joy his team-mates were all taking in giving him a series of head slaps. Oleksandr Zinchenko even kicked him up the backside.

This was clearly some payback for all the times he had done it to them during various celebrations over the course of the past few months.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe could reportedly take key inspiration from Todd Boehly's ownership model at Chelsea after their investment deal is complete.

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Ratcliffe to secure 25% stakeCould mimic Boehly's model of multiple directorsFirm focus on modernising United's recruitmentWHAT HAPPENED?

According to a report in Ratcliffe intends to reshape the club's recruitment structure after taking over football operations of the club following a £1.3bn investment deal that would see him gain 25 per cent ownership. The departure of CEO Richard Arnold is a move in that direction which indicates a significant shakeup at the board level, with Ratcliffe keen to adopt a modern approach to recruitment.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The INEOS chief plans to take cues from Chelsea and appoint multiple sporting directors, deviating from the initially expected single director. The Chelsea model, led by two sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, which has seen the Blues spend close to £1.4bn in transfers, seemingly serves as a blueprint for a potential resurgence at Old Trafford. This move aims to enhance control over transfers while allowing manager Erik ten Hag to remain focused on managing first-team operations.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

As part of Ratcliffe's planned overhaul at Manchester United, two notable figures have been linked to permanent roles as director of football – Paul Mitchell and Dougie Freedman. Interestingly, Mitchell, who has worked with clubs like Tottenham and Monaco, was previously overlooked by the club when John Murtough was appointed. Freedman, currently serving as the sporting director at Crystal Palace, is another contender for the director of football role, as his work at Crystal Palace has received widespread praise. He played a crucial role in securing transfers for key players at the London club, including centre-back Marc Guehi and winger Michael Olise, who have been instrumental for the Eagles. Ex-AC Milan player and official, Paolo Maldini, and former Liverpool sporting director Micahel Edwards are other names in the mix.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

The impending completion of the £1.3bn investment deal marks the beginning of Ratcliffe's transformative era at United, focusing on a collaborative leadership approach and strategic recruitment decisions. The confirmation of the takeover could potentially be announced by the end of November.