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Brendan Rodgers' return to Celtic has been entirely seamless so far, with the former Leicester City boss taking the Hoops to the top of the Scottish Premiership once more as they look to make it a third title in a row. The champions already sit eight points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers, though they have played one more game than the Gers. Nonetheless, as things stand, it is Celtic who are on course for a comfortable title win once again in Scotland's top flight.

The January transfer window could yet improve things even further too, especially if Rodgers welcomes one specific defensive target when the winter window swings open.

Celtic transfer news

The biggest Celtic transfer news during the summer was arguably the return of Rodgers and the departure of Jota to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. Months later, and only one of those decisions has worked out, and it's not Jota's. Instead, without their former star and with the return of one of their most impressive managers, Celtic have been in flying form all throughout the current campaign. A 6-0 victory over Aberdeen in their final game before the international break summed up their league form fairly well and it's clear that those at Celtic Park are creating an attractive project once again – a project they could add to.

According to Football Scotland's Mark Hendry, Celtic's interest in Nathaniel Adjei is true and they have sent scouts to check him out ahead of a potential January move. The Hammarby centre-back has also attracted reported interest from Championship side Preston North End and Celtic's rivals, Rangers, as the battle to secure the 21-year-old's signature continues to heat up.

The fact that Adjei would be a long-term investment may reportedly put Rodgers off any deal, but with the chance to beat Rangers both on and off the pitch well within their sights, Celtic could yet make their move.

"Exciting" Adjei is one for the future

As good as Celtic currently are, they would be doing themselves no harm by considering the future under Rodgers. If they can build a squad capable of competing for silverware both now and then once more in the future, then they could repeat previous eras of success by sustaining their dominance in Scotland for years to come. And Adjei could play a large part in that if Celtic decide to pursue his signature.

Still only 21-years-old, the centre-back is already playing an impressive part for Hammarby in the Allsvenskan division, making 16 starts. If he chose Celtic over other potential suitors, Adjei could develop even further by learning from the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales – both of whom have contributed to the Hoops' record of just seven goals conceded this season.

Adjei is a player who has earned deserved praise, including from former Hammarby sporting director Jesper Jansson, who told the club's official website after the defender's arrival: "Adjei has had a very good development in HTFF. He is a centre-back with huge potential who looks very exciting for the future, and we have made the decision to buy him from his Ghanaian club."

A Liverpool legend is believed to be "turning heads" at the club as his reputation continues to rise, ahead of what could be a very popular return to Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool future

The Reds have enjoyed a wonderful period under Jurgen Klopp, who arrived at the club in October 2015, and has inspired the Reds to so much trophy success. The German ended Liverpool's long and painful wait for a Premier League title back in 2019/20, following a remarkable season that saw his team only drop two points in the opening 27 fixtures, and he has also tasted Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup success.

There will come a time when Klopp eventually leaves his post as manager, however, in what will be a sad day for anyone of a Reds persuasion, and the Liverpool boss' current deal expires at the end of the 2025/26 season.

It remains to be seen if the 56-year-old will end up extending his stay – many no doubt hope that he will – but the club will surely be thinking about eventual successors for the legendary German, ensuring they bring in the right person to take the team forward.

Liverpool eyeing Xabi Alonso as next manager

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Ben Jacobs admitted that Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso is seen as a potential replacement for Klopp one day, with the Spaniard excelling at Bayer Leverkusen currently.

"My understanding is that Alonso is obviously focused on Bayer Leverkusen and not getting ahead of himself, they’re top of the Bundesliga at the time of recording.

"He's done absolutely phenomenally at that football club, so everyone else is talking about Alonso's future, but Alonso himself is only focused at the moment on Leverkusen and rightly so, because to get a top manager job, you don't put yourself in the shop window after 11 league games, you put yourself in the shop window at the end of a season or seasons when you've won silverware.

"But there's no doubt that Alonso is turning heads at the moment and that includes with two of his former clubs, Liverpool, and Real Madrid. I think less so Bayern Munich at this stage, because Thomas Tuchel is starting to settle, but obviously, if a vacancy ever opens there, then we know that Alonso will be linked with it as well. But the Liverpool possibility is maybe the most interesting."

Alonso certainly looks like a brilliant young manager who is already making waves in the game, considering he has guided Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga table, only failing to win one of their first 11 matches.

Appearances

210

Goals

18

Assists

20

The 41-year-old was such a popular figure at Liverpool in his playing days, not only possessing endless quality, but also understanding what it means to represent a club of such tradition and stature. His influence in the 2005 Champions League final will never be forgotten, with his rebound effort from a penalty miss making it 3-3 on the night against AC Milan.

Assuming the classy Alonso continues to thrive in the coming years, he definitely looks like a standout current option to be Klopp's eventual replacement, although the majority of Reds fans will hope that the latter remains in charge well beyond 2026.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association (FA) after his red card against Chelsea last week.

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• Kompany protested against Chelsea penalty
• Burnley manager was shown red card
• Has been charged by FA for misconduct

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Clarets boss was outraged when Chelsea were awarded a penalty late in the first half of the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge. Lorenz Assignon was shown a second yellow card for the foul on Mykhailo Mudryk and Kompany protested to the referee Darren England.

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  While Burnley fought back and ultimately managed a 2-2 draw, Kompany went on to vent his anger in the media, saying: "The frustration comes from that it’s a succession of mistakes and it is always debatable… I have said it to the officials, that the refereeing has not been good enough this season. I have said that in a constructive way. Last year I said English refereeing was the best in the world, I felt there was always common sense being applied – this year I have not felt like this."

• WHAT THE FA SAID

  The FA have since confirmed the charges for abusive or insulting language towards officials and the Belgian could be hit with a suspension.

  "Vincent Kompany has been charged with misconduct following Burnley’s Premier League game against Chelsea on Saturday, 30 March," a statement read. "It’s alleged that the manager’s language and/or behaviour around the 40th minute was improper and/or abusive and/or insulting towards a match official and/or questioned their integrity. Vincent Kompany has until 18:00 on Friday, 5 April, to provide his response."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BURNLEY?

  After drawing 1-1 with Wolves on Tuesday, Kompany's team sit second-bottom of the Premier League table and six points from safety after 31 matches. Their next game is away to fellow relegation candidates Everton on Saturday.

Aston Villa have made an impressive start to the 2023/24 campaign, however sources have suggested that Unai Emery may not be done altering his squad quite yet.

The Spaniard has transformed the outlook at Villa Park following his arrival in October 2022, and after orchestrating a stellar summer of business, his squad was bolstered ready to embark on the challenges ahead.

As time ticks on and the January transfer window edges closer, rumours are beginning to recirculate, with the Villans named as having interest in one dazzling talent that could see history repeated in the Midlands.

Who could Villa sign in January?

20-year-old Norwich City midfielder Jonathan Rowe has caught the eye of a host of clubs in the top flight after his strong start to the season.

As reported by TEAMtalk this week, Villa are joined by Brentford, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sheffield United in having interest in the Englishman, who is a product of the Canaries’ academy.

The report claims that Norwich are hoping to fend off any interest from Premier League clubs by offering the graduate a refreshed contract, as he currently earns a mere £4.6k-per-week, a small sum in the midst of a highly lucrative workplace.

What could Jonathan Rowe offer to Aston Villa?

TEAMtalk’s understanding reinforces the hype currently surrounding Rowe, which is warranted as he’s started the 2023/24 campaign with seven goals and two assists in 13 appearances.

His goal tally of six in the Championship places him as the joint-second highest goalscorer in the league, which is an impressive feat on the back of a 2022/23 season in which he secured only three appearances due to injury woes.

Taking Villa’s reported interest into consideration, the links are an exciting prospect for the Villans, who know first-hand just how beneficial capturing a star from the second tier can be.

First-team heroes such as Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia made the moves from the Championship to the Premier League to join Villa, with the Argentine paving the way for Rowe to potentially follow the exact journey the 26-year-old took.

Buendia departed Norwich on the back of a phenomenal season during the club’s push for promotion, in which he scored 15 goals and registered 17 assists in the Championship.

Villa could go down the route of raiding the talent at Carrow Road once more, with Rowe poised to have a blockbuster campaign if his form is to continue.

The comparisons between Emery’s playmaker and the 20-year-old go far beyond them both donning the yellow and green of Norwich, with the academy graduate inhabiting the same position and role as Buendia.

Lauded as a “real threat” by journalist Sam Ingram, the attacking midfielder averages 1.2 key passes per game in the Championship so far this season, as well as averaging 2.3 shots per game to highlight his presence in the final third, via Sofascore.

Similar averages were recorded by Buendia last campaign in the Premier League, where he registered an average of 1.1 key passes and 1.3 shots per game for the Villans, scoring five goals in 38 appearances.

A prominent factor of what Rowe could offer to Emery’s side is a further threat to goal than the Argentine, considering the fact that he has already netted more league goals in 11 appearances this term than the 26-year-old did in the entirety of 2022/23 in the Premier League.

Emery could strike while the iron is hot and make a move for Rowe in 2024, with the potential there for the Spaniard to replicate Villa’s history by welcoming one of Norwich’s star performers to the fold.

Sri Lanka have done some soul-searching after a spate of poor results in ODIs, and identified that they need to become better across a variety of conditions and not just prosper on turning tracks

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Aug-2018Sri Lanka have done some soul-searching. It was perhaps overdue, given the number of ODIs they have lost over the past 19 months. But even if there are only 10 months to go until the World Cup, it has finally happened, and problems have been identified. Essentially, Sri Lanka have been left behind in a format they were once pioneers in, and must now “change the way [they] play”, as Angelo Mathews puts it, to have any hope of closing the vast gap with the best teams.”We have to take a look at where we have gone wrong in the past,” Mathews said ahead of the third ODI against South Africa, in which Sri Lanka will attempt to avoid a series loss. “In the last 36 ODIs, we have won only nine games and we keep giving excuses. We can give excuses like we have had too many captains, or we’ve rotated too many players. The fact remains that in the last ten series or so we have won only one. We need to change the way we think and our strategies. We sat as a group and we are going to change the way we play.”One of the changes Mathews hopes to make is to become more proficient across a variety of conditions, rather than simply being specialists on spinning tracks at home. The first two matches in Dambulla were played on more batting-friendly tracks than were seen in the Test series – perhaps a purposeful shift, to allow Sri Lanka to accustom themselves to the style of pitches expected in England next year.”Ten months away from World Cup we need to find out whether we are going to gain anything by playing on dusty slow wickets against a team like South Africa,” Mathews said. “Usually what we do when we play teams like England, South Africa and Australia is to give them turning wickets. We rely on our spinners too much, I think. In Tests that is fine, but you cannot do that in ODIs, as you need to look at the bigger picture, which is the World Cup.”We have got to start playing on good wickets. Yes, it might take a bit of time but I can assure you that the team will improve going forward and once the guys get used to it, we can win overseas. The last nine series if you take we have chassed more than 300 three times. That shows that we are a good team and we can play on good wickets. That is the change that we need to make.”Aside from an over-reliance on spin, poor fielding has also plagued Sri Lanka since the start of 2017. On Wednesday, in the second ODI, Sri Lanka dropped two straightforward catches inside the first 10 overs of South Africa’s chase, and had also been woeful in the field. Mathews had said Sri Lanka had fielded like “school kids” right after the loss, and he had more harsh words on his team ahead of the third ODI. “It was a terrible day for us when it comes to fielding. The first 40 minutes was like a joke – I have never seen my team fielding as bad as we did in the last game. Hopefully it was just a one-off.”

Liverpool are keeping close tabs on an exciting forward from overseas, and a fresh report has revealed that Premier League chiefs have actually been interested in him for quite some time.

Who are Liverpool linked with?

Over the summer, Jurgen Klopp signed four fresh midfielders in the form of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch, but before the deadline, FSG failed to recruit a new centre-back despite assessing their options in the market.

The Reds have therefore been recently linked with three potential candidates that they are looking at ahead of the next transfer window opening in January: Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio, Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie and Benfica’s Antonio Silva.

However, Mohamed Salah continues to be linked with a future move to Saudi Arabia so a final-third replacement will be needed should he depart, and if the following update is to be believed, Montpellier’s right-winger Mousa Tamari has been identified as an ideal successor.

The Jordan international only joined Michel Der Zakarian’s side three months ago from OH Leuven (Tamari transfer history), but having already emerged as their second best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Montpellier statistics), the 26-year-old has been brought onto the radar as a possible target at Anfield.

Mousa Tamari transfer update

According to Anfield Watch, which shared a transfer update on Mousa Tamari, Liverpool are “watching” the attacker at Montpellier, and have in fact been “keeping a close eye” on his progress even before the summer.

The Merseyside-based outlet, however, claim that the hierarchy view the left-footed star as someone who could complement Salah or even provide backup for him rather than being a long-term heir if he was to depart at any stage in 2024.

How many goals has Mousa Tamari scored?

Since putting pen to paper at Montpellier, Tamari has posted five contributions, three goals and two assists in six appearances in Ligue 1 (Transfermarkt – Tamari statistics), with this type of prolific form that he’s capable of in the opposition’s area seeing him nicknamed the 'Jordanian Messi', and here is a short lowdown of the qualities that he has in his locker:

Dribbling

Concentration

Likes to dribble

Blocking the ball

Tackling

Likes to play long balls

Indirect set-piece threat

(All data via WhoScored)

Likes to cut inside

Gets fouled often

Does not dive into tackles

Sponsored by Nike, Klopp’s target is also currently averaging two dribbles per league game, indicating he is a forward who loves to use his pace, take on his marker and create chances for both himself and his teammates in the final third (WhoScored – Tamari statistics).

Furthermore, Tamari, who pockets £7k per week (Montpellier salaries), is a versatile operator having been deployed in six different positions over the grass since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even two roles in the midfield, so his ability to easily adapt to the manager's demands gives him the potential to be an exciting addition for Liverpool.

Arsenal and Manchester City have become fierce Premier League rivals following their recent title battles.

While they share a rivalry on the pitch, they have also shared a fair number of players. The likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko even made moves directly to Arsenal from City, while Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure have headed in the opposite direction.

They are among the 14 players to have played for these two giants of men’s football in the Premier League era – here is a list of all those to have done it.

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal 2006-2009; Man City 2009-2012)

Emmanuel Adebayor is the first man on the list, and given that he was brave enough to cross the north London divide, his famous celebration against Arsenal makes all the more sense.

Adebayor made the move to London from French side Monaco and then spent three seasons at the Emirates.

One memorable moment in the red of Arsenal saw the striker sent off for supposedly punching Frank Lampard in the 2007 League Cup final when his side lost to Chelsea.

He switched the capital for Manchester, and whilst he was unable to make a more prolonged impact there, he did score in each of his first four league games for the club – which just so happened to be against his former employers. To celebrate this strike, he famously ran the length of the field to celebrate in front of the Arsenal faithful.

Nicolas Anelka (Arsenal 1997-1999; Man City 2002-2005)

Nicolas Anelka played for a number of English clubs during his glittering career. As well as stints at Bolon Wanderers and Chelsea, he can also count Arsenal and Manchester City among his long list of former employers.

The Frenchman has trophies to show for his time in red and white as the Gunners won the league title and FA Cup in 1997/98, as well as the Community Shield the following summer.

Anelka left Arsenal for Real Madrid and won the Champions League there, before signing for City in 2002.

Two of his best four Premier League goal returns came for Man City, and given that he arrived years before Sheikh Mansour took over – and following City’s last promotion to the top tier – his transfer was quite the coup.

Gael Clichy (Arsenal 2003-2011; Man City 2011-2017)

From one Frenchman to another – and the trend of playing for Arsenal before Manchester City continues.

Gael Clichy arrived in north London from Cannes, where Arsene Wenger had been a big admirer of his, and then lifted the coveted golden Premier League trophy in his first season.

The Invincibles remain one of the great teams to ever compete in England’s top division and Clichy played his part, even if he did make just 12 appearances.

He was a highly respected fullback for the best part of a decade and then carried on his success with Man City. With the Citizens, he won a further two league titles as well as a host of other domestic trophies.

Paul Dickov (Arsenal 1990-1996; Man City 1996-2002)

Paul Dickov is one of the earlier names to feature on this list, having joined Arsenal prior to the formation of the Premier League.

He came through their academy, but was unable to establish himself as a regular in the first team.

As a result, the Scotsman is better known for his stint with Man City, although he enjoyed something of a journeyman career, playing for several English sides until his retirement in 2011.

City were a second-tier club when Dickov joined in 1996 and went through the highs and lows with them, playing in the Premier League but also in the third tier, where his finest hour came in 1999 following his dramatic play-off final equaliser against Gillingham. Who knows where City would be but for that goal?

Gabriel Jesus (Man City 2017-2022; Arsenal 2022-present)

Gabriel Jesus is one of the two current ex-City stars at Arsenal, where his time in north London has been stunted by injuries.

When available, the Brazilian has proven to be an important piece of the Gunners’ attack under Mikel Arteta, but his manager certainly will have wanted to use him more regularly. Jesus had a fine start to life at Arsenal before a long-term injury sustained at the World Cup halted his progress.

Prior to playing in red, he was first introduced to English football fans wearing Man City’s blue after making the move to this country from Palmeiras.

As can be said for everyone who has been managed by Pep Guardiola, he has an impressive trophy haul, although he’d end up leaving before they finally broke their Champions League duck.

However, a perfect chipped finish against Southampton on the final day of the 2017/18 season secured City’s historic 100-point tally, and so he is etched into the club’s history books already.

Samir Nasri (Arsenal 2008-2011; Man City 2011-2017)

Samir Nasri was electric when he came into his own at Arsenal, and so their fans weren’t best pleased when he signed for Man City in 2011.

Winning four trophies during his time at the Etihad, including two Premier Leagues, one can’t begrudge him the move, but that won’t make it hurt any less.

The duo of Nasri and Cesc Fabregas made football a true joy to watch with pinpoint passing and delightful dribbling.

Whilst his accolades from a team perspective came in blue, it was in red when his personal performances were most noted, winning a variety of individual awards as an Arsenal man as well as featuring in the 2010/11 PFA Team of the Year.

David Rocastle (Arsenal 1985-1992; Man City 1993-1994)

David “Rocky” Rocastle, who was very close friends with Ian Wright, was Arsenal through and through. He was in the academy for a few years before he made the breakthrough in 1985 aged just 18.

Rocastle was a constant in the Arsenal first team for seven years before joining Leeds United in 1992, becoming their record signing at the time.

The midfielder signed for Man City after a single season at Elland Road, though the finest moments of his career undoubtedly came with Arsenal, where he was part of two title-winning sides under George Graham.

Bacary Sagna (Arsenal 2007-2014; Man City 2014-2017)

Gael Clichy wasn’t the only French full-back to play for both of these sides. Bacary Sagna arrived at Arsenal a few years after his compatriot, before leaving English football alongside him in 2017, having joined City three years prior.

Although he did get his hands on the FA Cup in his final Arsenal game, Sagna’s trophy cabinet looks very different to his defensive partner’s, and you have to feel for him, as he missed out on Premier League titles with both clubs by a few years at either end of his career.

That said, while Patrice Evra’s presence meant that Clichy didn’t get the number of French caps he perhaps deserved, Sagna notched 65 himself, as well as making nearly 300 appearances for Arsenal.

David Seaman (Arsenal 1990-2003; Man City 2003-2004)

One of two goalkeepers on this list is David Seaman. Again, he is best known for his time with Arsenal having played there for over a decade.

The shot-stopper made his name at Peterborough United, Birmingham City and Queens’ Park Rangers before joining the Gunners, where he replaced John Lukic as the undisputed No 1 at Highbury. Three league titles and four FA Cups later – including one in his final Gunners game – he had assured his status as an Arsenal legend.

Seaman was 39 when he left Arsenal for Man City, where he managed less than one top-flight season for them prior to his retirement.

Sylvinho (Arsenal 1999-2001; Man City 2009-2010)

Sylvinho played the majority of his European club football in Spain with Celta Vigo and Barcelona, but these spells came sandwiched in between periods of play in England.

The Brazilian, who currently manages the Albanian men’s national team, was a part of the PFA Team of the Year for 2000/01 during his time as a Gunner.

As a two-time Champions League winner and three-time La Liga champion with Barcelona, that is the club he is most linked to in Europe, though he did end his career with a brief spell at Man City under Mark Hughes.

Fresh off of a 2008/09 treble with Barca, Sylvinho returned to England to play for City before hanging up his boots altogether.

West Ham United have been handed a boost ahead of the January transfer window, with a report revealing one of their summer targets is set to be available.

Who did West Ham sign in the summer?

West Ham had a busy summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse to strengthen their midfield, following the departure of Declan Rice, while Konstantinos Mavropanos was signed to bolster the backline.

However, while Mohamed Kudus was brought in to improve David Moyes' attacking options, the Hammers did not bring in an out-and-out striker, meaning Michail Antonio has been leading the line in the opening stages of their Premier League campaign.

It was not for a lack of trying, with the Irons making an approach for Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri, who was identified as a replacement for Gianluca Scamacca, amongst others, including Paris Saint-Germain forward Hugo Ekitike.

There were reports that West Ham had even reached a full agreement to sign Ekitike on deadline day, with the striker prioritising a move to the London Stadium over Eintracht Frankfurt, but they were unable to get the deal over the line before the window slammed shut.

However, despite missing out on the PSG attacker in the summer, the Hammers may have now been handed a fresh opportunity to sign him, with Football Insider reporting he is set to quit the Ligue 1 club in the January transfer window.

All parties have decided it is best if the 21-year-old moves on in the mid-season window, with PSG being left "frustrated" by his refusal to move to Frankfurt in the summer, which meant they were unable to facilitate a deal for Randal Kolo Muani.

The youngster would prefer to move to the Premier League, and held talks with English clubs in the summer in a bid to get his wish, with the Irons being named as one of the clubs that were keen on a deal.

The move failed to materialise in the summer, but the door is now open for West Ham to get a deal done in the January transfer window.

How good is Hugo Ekitike?

It is difficult to gauge whether the Frenchman would be able to make an instant impact at the London Stadium, given that he has only received limited game time for PSG, but he had a very impressive spell with Reims in the 2021-22 season.

In that campaign, the Reims-born forward managed to amass ten goals and four assists in 24 appearances for his hometown club, which is a very impressive return considering how young he was at the time.

Of course, PSG are blessed with attacking talent, so the former Reims man has not had much of a look in at the Parc des Princes this season, failing to make an appearance since an eight-minute cameo against FC Lorient on the opening day.

As such, it is probably for the best if Ekitike moves on to continue his development elsewhere, and West Ham could have a top player on their hands, considering he has been lauded as "special" by former manager Oscar Garcia.

ScorecardA huge batting collapse by Tasmania gave South Australia the chance to pull off a stunning comeback in their Sheffield Shield clash in Hobart.The Tigers began their second innings 166 runs in front after bowling out the Redbacks for 227 early on day three. Tom Rogers picked up the last wicket to finish with four for the innings.Tasmania cruised to 1 for 83 with Jordan Silk making a swift half-century. They looked poised to take the game beyond the Redbacks reach but they lost 6 for 17 in 11 frantic overs. Joe Mennie removed Silk before Daniel Worrall and Nick Winter ripped through the middle order. A late fightback from Simon Milenko pushed the lead to 331. Worrall finished with 4 for 17.The Redbacks moved to 1 for 49 at stumps, having only lost debutant Conor McInerney.

Fast bowler Junaid Khan has been ruled out for four weeks due to a stress fracture of the foot, a setback for the Pakistan team ahead of their limited-overs tour to New Zealand. Junaid fractured his right foot during the Bangladesh Premier League in November.He reportedly hit a ball onto his foot while playing for Khulna Titans in the BPL, and the latest assessment confirmed an unhealed stress fracture, for which the Pakistan Cricket Board’s medical panel – headed by Dr Sohail Saleem – advised the 27-year-old bowler another four weeks’ rest.Pakistan’s five-ODI series in New Zealand begins on January 6, with the three T20Is set to be played between January 22 and 28. The Pakistan selectors are expected to announce a squad later this week, with the team’s departure scheduled for December 26. Junaid is the second injury concern for selectors after Usman Shinwari, another left-arm quick, was sidelined by a stress fracture of the back last month.The injuries could boost the comeback prospects of fast bowlers Mohammad Irfan and Sohail Khan. Irfan was barred from all forms of cricket for a year – with six months suspended – in March, after failing to report details of two approaches to corrupt the game. He returned to competitive cricket in September, but has not played international cricket since September 2016.The injury means Junaid’s likely T20 comeback is set to be delayed. The bowler, who last played a T20I in 2014 and a Test in 2015, has struggled with injury in the past. In 2014, he missed matches on the tour of New Zealand due to a thigh injury and was later ruled out of the 2015 World Cup, before making a return again later that year on the tour of Bangladesh. He made a comeback to the ODI side on the tour of Australia in January this year, replacing Irfan who returned due to the death of his mother. Junaid has since gone on to play 14 of the side’s 18 ODIs in 2017, sharing the new ball with Mohammad Amir.