Em uma parceria com a plataforma de recompensas “Socios.com” e a fintech blockchain, sistema de transações financeiras, o Corinthians lançou o fan token $SCCP, ativos digitais criptografados (criptoativos), que dará aos torcedores que fizerem parte do projeto benefícios exclusivos na participação direta em situações do dia a dia do clube.
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Os fãs poderão, por exemplo, participar de pesquisas para decisão de homenageados, fóruns, quizzes, competições promoções de acesso restrito, conteúdos exclusivos, brindes e recompensas.
– Temos o orgulho de anunciar esta parceria com a Socios.com e a Chiliz como resultado de nossa intensa busca por inovações e novas plataformas de engajamento com nossa torcida. Agora, mais de 35 milhões de torcedores no Brasil e muitos mais ao redor do mundo poderão interagir com o Corinthians de formas emocionantes, onde quer que eles estejam. Como nossos tempos exigem muito avanço no ambiente digital, este é um passo importante que comprova nosso foco na modernização – afirmou o presidente corintiano Duílio Monteiro Alves, sobre a parceria.
As empresas parceiras darão ao Timão as ferramentas para a interação e monetização nesse relacionamento entre o clube os torcedores agregados ao $SCCP.
O Corinthians junta-se a grandes clubes europeus, como Barcelona, Juventus, Milan, Machester City, Paris Saint-Germain etc, que compõem a carteira composta pela Socios.com.
Monday marked 11 years to the day since Manchester United last clinched the Premier League title, Robin van Persie netting a stunning hat-trick against Aston Villa to mark the perfect send-off for departing manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Over a decade on, the Red Devils look no closer to ending that lengthy barren run, with potentially yet another change in manager looming in the Old Trafford dugout, amid reports that Erik ten Hag may not reach a third season in charge at the club.
Despite prior claims that Sir Jim Ratcliffe was set to keep faith with the former Ajax boss, the weekend's dismal FA Cup collapse against Coventry City may have served as a tipping point or turning point in the Dutchman's reign, even despite the eventual progression to a second successive Wembley showpiece in the competition.
Ten Hag – who branded the media "embarrassing" for their reaction to that 3-3 draw – remains bullish even amid the heightening scrutiny, albeit with even the most ardent of his supporters likely to be doubting his United credentials.
If this summer is to be the endpoint for the 54-year-old, the likelihood is that his two-year stint will be branded a failure, having been unable to steer the club back to the top of the domestic and European game – even crashing out of the Champions League group stage this term.
However, there are perhaps a handful of reasons as to why Ten Hag's legacy could stand greater than any coach since Ferguson's retirement, with his faith in young talent at the centre of that.
Of course, Louis van Gaal was responsible for blooding Marcus Rashford – who has scored 131 goals since his debut in February 2016 – while Jose Mourinho put his trust in a certain Scott McTominay, who now boasts ten goals in what is a career-best season.
Scott McTominay's full PL debut – May 2017 – 2-0 win vs Crystal Palace
GK – Joel Pereira
RB – Tim Fosu-Mensah
CB – Eric Bailly
CB – Phil Jones
LB – Demetri Mitchell
CDM – Axel Tuanzebe
CM – Paul Pogba
CM – Scott McTominay
RW – Jesse Lingard
ST – Wayne Rooney
LW – Joshua Harrop
The likes of Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also turned to Anthony Elanga and Mason Greenwood, respectively – while David Moyes promoted Belgian wizard, Adnan Januzaj during his ill-fated stint in charge – yet for varying reasons, none of that trio remain part of the first-team squad in Manchester.
While each coach following Ferguson has had at least one standout academy talent to be responsible for, Ten Hag, meanwhile, could leave a stronger legacy after unleashing two potentially formidable future stars – Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
Alejandro Garnacho's record at Man Utd
Ten Hag may not have been responsible for plucking the 16-year-old Garnacho from Atletico Madrid for mere peanuts – £420k to be precise – in 2020, but boy has he afforded the Spain-born, Argentina international the chance to flourish in the senior ranks.
The star of United's FA Youth Cup win in 2022, the winger netting a brace in the victory over Nottingham Forest in the final, Garnacho was handed his debut at the tail-end of 2021/22, prior to truly establishing himself under Ten Hag's watch the following season.
After overcoming a difficult start under the new boss following criticism of his attitude during pre-season in the summer of 2022, Garnacho scored his first goal for the club against Real Sociedad in the Europa League in the November – and hasn't looked back since.
Likened to a "young Cristiano" by club legend, Paul Scholes, the teenager ended that first season with five goals and four assists in all competitions, notably striking late goals away at Craven Cottage and Elland Road.
As for this season, the 19-year-old has become a firm fixture of the side after starting over 30 successive games in all competitions, plundering nine goals and four assists in that time to remain a real shining light amid a turbulent collective campaign.
The youngster's recent indirect social media criticism of his manager may suggest otherwise, but Garnacho must surely be thankful for being given such a prominent role so young, with Ten Hag having been rewarded for his bold approach.
The same can also be said of the aforementioned Mainoo, with the pair looking like the type of players that any future manager can build the side around for years to come.
Kobbie Mainoo's season in numbers
Also part of that triumphant FA Youth Cup side, Mainoo has had to bide his time since 2022, only making just three first-team appearances last season under Ten Hag – including a start against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup.
As the 19-year-old has himself admitted, he was grateful for the way in which Ten Hag was keen to "push" him during his time in the youth ranks, prior to eventually making his mark at senior level, with the Dutchman's patient approach paying off.
An injury sustained in pre-season did play a factor in Mainoo's 'late' entrance to the first-team set-up, but since making a full Premier League debut against Everton in late November, he's only gone from strength to strength, racking up three goals in 25 appearances.
Dubbed a "bright light" for the side by Gary Neville, the Stockport-born starlet – who has also now picked up two caps for his country – only looks set to kick on from here, with a place at Euro 2024 potentially in the offing.
Now set to be a "key player" for the club moving forward, as per former Arsenal and Chelsea hero Cesc Fabregas, Mainoo could be the heartbeat of the team for a decade or so, thus saving United millions in the transfer market in the process.
Again, Ten Hag was not responsible for the midfielder's growth prior to his arrival in the dugout, yet the experienced coach deserves great credit for the way he has handled him since then, with few managers likely to have been willing to promote the playmaker so swiftly.
Perhaps, there may be even more academy talents to emerge before too long…
The academy stars who could follow Garnacho & Mainoo
One look at the bench at Wembley on Sunday showcased those who could be next off the famed production line in Manchester, with left-back star Harry Amass – who has been dubbed "Luke Shaw's successor" by journalist Alex Turk – notably among them.
That injury-depleted matchday squad also included another of those to feature in the FA Youth Cup final almost two years ago in the form of 18-year-old centre-back, Louis Jackson, with fellow teenagers Ethan Wheatley and Habeeb Ogunneye also earning an inclusion.
There is also excitement surrounding 19-year-old Omari Forson, who came off the bench against Mark Robins' side, while another fledgling forward – Shea Lacey – is also setting tongues wagging for his displays in the youth set-up.
What the Man Utd team could look like once Shea Lacey becomes a regular
A look at how the Red Devils could line up once teen sensation Shea Lacey breaks into the side…
ByRobbie Walls Apr 16, 2024
All in all, the future certainly looks bright even despite the overall doom and gloom at the Theatre of Dreams, with Ten Hag warranting praise for his hands-on approach toward the academy, which has played its part in the success stories of Garnacho and Mainoo.
Having such talents at your disposal is one thing for a manager, but to actually utilise them and put faith in them at such a young age is another matter entirely, hence why Ten Hag's legacy – which includes last season's Carabao Cup success – will live on even if Ratcliffe and co decide to cut ties this summer.
One of Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle players has opened up on the "surreal" experience of working with the former Manchester United star.
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Rooney took charge of Plymouth in May 2024Pilgrims just secured survival in the ChampionshipPlymouth open their league campaign on SundayGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
Rooney is set to take charge of his first game as Plymouth boss on Sunday against Sheffield Wednesday but he has already made an impact among his players early on in pre-season.
AdvertisementWHAT THEY SAID
Plymouth director of football, Neil Dewsnip said to The Daily Mail: "There are times I will find myself saying “Oh my God!” when he does something in training,’ says 23-year-old midfielder Adam Randell. ‘It’s all surreal. I never thought that he would come down here but now he is here, I want to learn as much as I can from him.
"There are times he will drop a name or tell a story from his career and you realise the level he was at. He’s so into the tactical side of things and he is more than happy to have a conversation with you. He’s so approachable."
Plymouth director of football, Neil Dewsnip, added: "He’s got great people skills and that’s important to us. The squad have taken to him incredibly well. They obviously respect him for what he was as a player, one of the best three of his generation — you don’t need me to say the names of the other two.
"But respect has to be earned as a coach and his way of doing that is to show his great personal qualities. He is an excellent communicator, brilliant in one-to-one situations. I don’t think he’s realised yet how powerful he is with his words."
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
This is Rooney's fourth job as a head coach, and despite a positive start to managerial life at Derby, his stock has dropped considerably after a spell in MLS and a disastrous 15-game stint in charge of Birmingham City. He has impressed so far and will have his first proper test today against Sheffield Wednesday.
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WHAT NEXT FOR ROONEY?
He will hope to guide Plymouth to a more fruitful season in the Championship, and keep them further away from relegation then his predecessors had. He has kept hold of Morgan Whittaker who had a resounding season in the second division, and will hope to bring the best out of him.
It was a mixed evening of Champions League football for Arsenal on Tuesday night, as they were held to a draw at home to Bayern Munich but also managed to fight back from 2-1 down.
The fact that Mikel Arteta's side were seen as favourites by so many before the first whistle is a testament to how far they have come, but there was still a lack of clinical finishing at the top of the pitch.
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were lively for the Gunners but never really looked like scoring themselves, so it's not surprising to see reports linking the north Londoners to one of the best strikers in Europe once more this week, a striker who could seriously supercharge Martin Odegaard's numbers.
Arsenal's search for a striker
According to a recent report from Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda, Arsenal and Chelsea have maintained their interest in Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres.
In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners are now "preparing an offer" for the prolific Swedish marksman, knowing that his €100m—£86m release clause remains.
Sporting CP strikerViktor Gyokeres.
Unfortunately for the north Londoners, the Blues are also said to be putting together an offer of their own, so there is a real chance that one side will end up having to pay the clause to prevent the other from getting ahead in the potential bidding war.
There is some good news for the two London clubs, however, as the striker's agent has confirmed that "if Rúben Amorim leaves, it will be more difficult for Gyokeres to stay." As things stand, it looks like the Portuguese manager is on his way to Liverpool.
It looks good for Arsenal, and if they could get this deal done, it would be brilliant news for Odegaard.
Why Viktor Gyökeres could boost Martin Odegaard
So, the first thing to clear up is that Arsenal are not in desperate need of a new striker. Their 75 league goals tally is the highest in the Premier League, and unlike their slight blip in the festive period, the Gunners' frontline has started to put away chances at a reasonable rate.
However, that doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement.
For example, according to Understat, Arteta's table-toppers are still underperforming their open-play expected goals by 1.1. While that's not an enormous number, it proves that a more clinical striker could get more joy out of the side's creative players.
Appearances
35
Expected Goals
20.3
Goals
27
Expected Assists
8.8
Assists
12
Expected Goal Involvements per Match
0.83
Actual Goal Involvements per Match
1.11
So far this season, the Swedish "game-changer", as Statman Dave dubbed him, has scored 27 goals across all competitions from an expected goals figure of just 20.3 and provided 12 assists from an expected assists figure of 8.8, per FBref.
Now, an overperformance of almost seven is bound to come down slightly in the Premier League, but it shows just how clinical the 25-year-old can be when given the chance, and considering Odegaard creates the third most chances in the league – 78 – he'll get plenty of those.
Moreover, with the Norwegian scoring ten goals in all competitions from an expected figure of 7.1, he might be able to rack up even more goals with the former Coventry City man's impressive assist rate.
Ultimately, while Arsenal are proving that they can score plenty of goals in their current guise, adding the clinical Gyökeres into the mix could take them to another level entirely, as well as supercharging Odegaard's creativity and goalscoring numbers for good measure.
Arsenal leading race to sign £69m Gabriel upgrade ahead of Chelsea
The exceptional talent could help further improve the Gunners’ biggest strength.
Ederson has been described as utterly crucial to Manchester City's era of dominance by former Cityzens' goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.
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Schmeichel talks up Brazilian's qualities
Ederson considered move to SPL
'One of City's most important players'
WHAT HAPPENED?
Ederson was heavily linked with a move away from City to the Saudi Pro League over the summer although he has since declared he will be remaining at the Etihad Stadium. And Schmeichel, who ended his career with City, believes that is a huge boost to Pep Guardiola's side.
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WHAT SCHMEICHEL SAID
"I think Ederson is one of Man City's most important players, if you take him out I find it difficult to see how they can be so dominant," Schmeichel told GOAL. "Yes he's been injured and maybe [Stefan] Ortega has come in and done really well. Maybe Ortega is somebody who can play ahead of Ederson, but with all the respect to Ortega, no one is Ederson, noone uses their feet better than Ederson does."
Getty
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Ederson had a compelling battle with City's reserve goalkeeper Stefan Ortega last season, with the German being frequently called upon due to the Brazilian's injury troubles. Ortega thrived in Ederson's absence and made a Premier League title-winning save against Son Heung-min in City's penultimate game of the season. However, Schmeichel still believes Ederson is irreplaceable.
"People focus on the work he does with his feet, and it's the best in the business. They never talk about how good a goalkeeper he is, because he really is a fantastic goalkeeper. So any team that loses somebody like Ederson are gonna lose out. It doesn't matter who the No. 2 is. I know people will say Ortega came in and did really well, yeah fine. But to come in for two or five games, it's different to playing 55 or 60 games per season."
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'LETHAL PASSING'
"The way Man City play, if they're lucky enough to have teams being brave and pushing up against them, then he's lethal," added Schmeichel, who was talking on behalf of , who today launch their Official Premier League Trading Card game . "He's got the pass that can cut through a team, I'm not necessarily talking about the 50-yard pass, just a 12-yard pass straight up the middle, a lot of goalkeepers are straying away from doing them but just with one pass he's by-passing four or five players. I've never seen anybody do that."
West Ham United have returned to form after an abject run of results throughout January and February but will need to fight hard if a successful end to the campaign is to be clinched.
David Moyes' side are into the Europa League quarter-finals but will face stern test in Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, top of the German Bundesliga and undefeated all season.
Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso.
But an impressive squad has been assembled in east London and the improvements made across multiple positions over the past several years have sculpted this exciting era, with Vladimir Coufal replacing Ryan Fredericks, aged 31, one of the most underrated tweaks of system.
Why West Ham let Ryan Fredericks go
West Ham signed Fredericks from Championship outfit Fulham on a free transfer back in 2018 after chalking up 144 appearances for the Cottagers, racking up 16 assists.
His first campaign in Hammers colours was marred by the inconsistency that would shape much of his time at the London Stadium.
21/22
7
3
0
0
20/21
14
6
1
1
19/20
27
25
0
3
18/19
15
12
1
0
His second season at the club, 2019/20, was the only Fredericks featured in over half of the Premier League term's fixtures, and while he impressed that year, averaging three tackles per game and winning 56% of his contested duels, as per Sofascore.
But those one-time displays of fortitude were left firmly in the past and given Coufal has surpassed expectations at right-back over the past few years, pronounced as "ridiculously consistent" and "one of the best signings the club have made in recent history" by content creator Dan Woffenden.
Vladimir Coufal.
How much Ryan Fredericks cost West Ham
Admittedly, Fredericks was “unlucky”, as was said by The Athletic's Roshane Thomas, but football is an unforgiving results business and he can hardly go down as money well spent, even if rotten injury issues precluded his chances of sustaining high levels of performance.
Fredericks earned a healthy salary of £40k-per-week during his time at West Ham and when working out the cost of this across his four campaigns at the club, Fredericks drained the capital-based outfit some £8.5m in salary despite not costing a penny when acquired.
This is not the largest sum in the world but it does work out to around £189k per Premier League start and £2.6m per goal (he scored three times), hardly bespeaking value for money in that sense.
Released in 2022, Fredericks was snapped up by newly-promoted Bournemouth on a free transfer and he did feature sporadically throughout the campaign, starting five Premier League matches.
However, even this was interspersed with setbacks and after sustaining a calf injury last March, the Englishman has yet to return to the field, with his Cherries deal set to expire at the end of the season.
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ByAngus Sinclair Mar 26, 2024
Fredericks played a part and was unfortunate with some luckless periods in the medical room, but there's no question that the 31-year-old's departure was the right move. West Ham levelled up.
There hasn't been much to celebrate for Chelsea fans this season.
Mauricio Pochettino's inexperienced side are currently in 11th place in the Premier League and lost the League Cup final to Liverpool in heartbreaking fashion last month.
However, the west Londoners still have a chance to win the FA Cup, thanks to a 4-2 win over Leicester City in the quarter-finals a couple of weeks ago.
It wasn't a vintage performance from the Pensioners, but Cole Palmer, as he so often does, put on a brilliant display and showed why he's the team's most important player, something reflected in his new valuation.
Latest Chelsea transfer news
Palmer moved to Chelsea last summer for a fairly hefty fee of around £42.5m from treble winners Manchester City. This represented about 8.5% of their total summer spending, which amounted to a staggering £498.6m.
However, according to a report from Football Insider, the Wythenshawe-born sensation is now considered to be worth substantially more than that to Todd Boehly and Co. The club now values their star player at around £85m, or double the fee they paid for him just six months ago.
The former City ace has already established himself as one of, if not the best, attacker in the entire squad, and according to another Football Insider report last week, he could be set for a new contract to better reflect this.
That said, just how good has the youngster been in west London?
Why Palmer is worth so much
So far this season, the "exceptional" talent, as Pep Guardiola dubbed him, has made 34 appearances for the Blues, in which he has scored 14 goals – the most in the team – and provided 12 assists.
Chelsea's top scorers this season
Position
Player
Goals
Assists
1
Cole Palmer
14
12
2
Nicolas Jackson
12
4
3
Raheem Sterling
8
10
4
Enzo Fernández
7
3
5
Mykhaylo Mudryk
6
3
All Stats via Transfermarkt
He hasn't just been scoring tap-ins, consolation goals, or the fourth in a 4-0 thumping; the 21-year-old star has been scoring and assisting big goals for the club and, at times, single-handedly winning games for Pochettino.
For example, away to Luton Town, he scored a brace and provided an assist as the Blues ran out 3-2 winners; at Stamford Bridge, he scored a late equaliser against Manchester City; and away to Brentford earlier this month, he provided the assist for Axel Disasi's late equaliser.
It's not just his goals and assists that are impressive, either.
The 6 foot 2 ace's underlying numbers are brilliant, with FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, placing him in the top 4% of attacking midfielders for assists, the top 10% for pass completion and progressive passes, and the top 12% for non-penalty expected goals and assists, all per 90.
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By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Mar 27, 2024
In all, while a price tag of £85m might seem like an awful lot of money for a player who hasn't even played a full season of regular first-team football yet, it's probably justified given the impact he's had in west London and the number of goal involvements he has produced in such a short period.
Australia batsman plays down chance of flash points but asks for “respect” from South African crowds
Firdose Moonda20-Feb-2020The short, sharp nature of the upcoming white-ball series between South Africa and Australia may rob the teams of the time required to recreate the drama of 2018, according to one of its chief protagonists, David Warner.A little less than two years ago, when Australia toured South Africa for a four-Test series, Warner was involved in tense on- and off-field battles with the opposition and their fans, culminating in the ball-tampering scandal that saw him, Steven Smith and Cameron Bancroft hit with lengthy bans – but he doesn’t expect anything similar this time.”It’s one-day cricket and Twenty20 cricket and you don’t really have much time over the short period of the time to get underneath each other’s skin or anything like that,” Warner said. “And you don’t go out there to do that. Obviously they [South Africa] had some heated exchanges with the English and that was during the Test matches. For us, our focus is moving forward and trying to get the wins on the board and send a message to everyone that the World Cup is in our backyard and we want to be a team to be beaten.”ALSO READ: ‘Play along with the crowd and have fun’ – Smith on SA returnSouth Africa’s new white-ball captain, Quinton de Kock was not quite so sure of the same.”If something ignites, maybe if a player decides to take on another player, then maybe the fierceness from both of teams will reignite again,” de Kock said. “Who knows? Maybe not. Maybe we just play the game hard but not with you know…”De Kock was the catalyst for the “you know” last time, when he said something to Warner as they walked off the field for tea during the Kingsmead Test. By then, de Kock had taken sustained abuse from Warner about everything from his appearance to his weight, in silence, until at the last moment, he lashed out. De Kock’s comment was never fully made public but the Australian camp said it was personal and the South African crowd believed it had to do with Warner’s wife, Candice, and a previous liaison.As the matter snowballed, de Kock is understood to have wanted to seek out Candice Warner to personally apologise, but didn’t get the chance.Has he done so since, to either of the Warners? “We haven’t really had any conversations. Me and him have moved on from there,” de Kock said. “We look to just play cricket. We both love to play the game really hard. I don’t think anything will happen. We will just carry on. We won’t worry too much about it.”Warner expects an equally cordial relationship with de Kock. “I don’t have his number and I speak to a few of the South African guys but I’ve never played in the same team as him or anything like that,” Warner said. “Obviously it’s a little bit different. I’m sure if I see him on the field and that we’ll just treat each other how we normally would as respectful opponents.”Ultimately, respect is what Warner wants from all involved, chiefly the South African fans who were very much part of the 2018 fracas. Their taunting of Candice was condemned as sexist. Asked if he expects more of the same, Warner hoped that would not be the case and reminded spectators that they have responsibilities as well.”For me, it’s about you’ve got to have some form of respect as well,” Warner said. “It was poor and from my behalf, it’s about moving forward. If people want to go to the game and carry on like that, then it’s upon themselves, and they’ve got to look at themselves in the mirror and if they want to act like that, so be it.”It doesn’t bother me but it shows at the end of the day. They’re representing their country as well, they’re spectators watching a game of cricket, I’m pretty sure you don’t want to be walking away here with teams criticising the way that their fans are acting, it’s up to them. We’ve got to come here and put our best foot forward and try and win the game.”So far, though, Warner’s experience of being back in South Africa has been positive, despite the painful memories. “Obviously echoing Steve’s words yesterday, about walking into first the airport and then walking into here, obviously the memories weren’t great,” he said. “But the last few days, every single person that we’ve come across that’s asked for a photo, or that we’ve come into contact with or spoken to, have had nothing but great words to say and welcoming us to the country and being really, really polite.”It’s been incredible how much support we’ve had from people in the public. I just played golf and they went over and above to make us feel more welcome. It’s actually a great feeling.”
أشاد محمد بركات، عضو الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم السابق، بقرار حسام حسن المدير الفني لـ منتخب مصر.
وقال بركات في تصريحات عبر قناة “mbc masr”: “أنا كنت سعيد جدًا في مباراة مصر والرأس الأخضر عندما شاهدت 6 لاعبين من المنتخب الأولمبي يُشاركون أساسيين، هذه شهادة بأنهم طوروا من أنفسهم وشهادة للمدرب روجيرو ميكالي الذي كان يُدربهم”.
تابع: “هؤلاء اللاعبون عندما بدأنا العمل معهم منذ سنتين لم يكونوا بهذا المستوى، لكنهم طوروا أنفسهم بشكل جيد، وأصبحوا نجوم كبار ويلعبون ولا يخشون، ومع مشاركتهم المستمرة سيظهرون بشكل مختلف تمامًا”.
طالع أيضًا | تيباس: نريد استقدام لاعبين مصريين للدوري الإسباني.. ونتعاون في جانبين مختلفين
وأشار: “مشاركة هؤلاء اللاعبين دليل على أن حسام حسن المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر يُتابع اللاعبين، وقرر منحهم الفرصة في هذا التوقيت، لأنه (جمد قلبه) بعد التأهل لأمم إفريقيا، وهذه فرصة للاعبين لكي يُعبرون عن أنفسهم”.
وأضاف: “ومثلما منح حسام حسن الفرصة للاعبي المنتخب الأولمبي، في نفس الوقت يُتابع اللاعبين الذين يتألقون في الدوري ويُكافئهم، ويمنح رسالة للاعبين بأن من يجتهد سيجد له مكانًا في المنتخب”.
واختتم: “محمد ربيعة تشعر كأنه يلعب في المنتخب منذ فترة طويلة، يلعب ولا يخاف، وهو جيد جدًا، عندما كان مع فريق مودرن سبورت قبل انتقاله لـ سموحة كان يُقدم مستوى رائعًا، يُجيد في مركزي المساك والظهير الأيسر”.
Sunderland will hope their current turbulent season in the Championship is just a bump in the road on the way to a sustained promotion push happening next campaign.
Mike Dodds' men find themselves occupying a disappointing 13th spot in the second-tier standings with just three games left to play, not involved in any of the drama near the top of the division whilst being stuck in the middle.
Young gems such as Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham – who have both starred in patches this season – will have matured even more by the time a ball is kicked to start next campaign, with the future bright on Wearside when looking at the number of top youngsters coming through.
This emerging talent at the Stadium of Light could well grow to become the best of the bunch if given time, with his style of play already being likened to Jack Clarke's skill set.
Sunderland winger Jack Clarke.
The next Jack Clarke
17-year-old Tom Watson won't be fazed just yet by the outlandish praise fielded his way by football journalist Josh Bunting, who described the up-and-coming left winger as "like Jack Clarke" in terms of his directness marauding forward for the U21s.
Watson is also playing like a goal machine for the U21s like the former Tottenham Hotspur man is for the first-team, bagging in his last two Premier League 2 appearances to take his goal total for the season in the youth ranks to eight strikes from 14 games.
Managing 23 goals from 57 appearances overall now, Watson will be itching for a first-team opportunity very soon and it wouldn't be out of the ordinary if Dodds opts to throw the teenage sensation into the deep end based on his team selections as interim boss.
Rigg, who is one year younger than the 17-year-old starlet, has accumulated 18 Championship appearances this season whilst Bellingham – who is just one year older – has managed to fire in seven strikes in the league even during such an up-and-down campaign for his side.
Throwing Watson into the first-team mix for Sunderland's final Championship games could mean Abdoullah Ba is pushed down the pecking order to accommodate, with the 20-year-old attacker notably lacklustre when his team has struggled this season.
Why Abdoullah Ba could be replaced by Watson
Ba could be sweating about his immediate future on Wearside if Watson is bumped up to the senior ranks and thrives, meaning his position as back-up to Clarke is filled by someone fresher and more exciting.
The Frenchman has been largely below-par this season for the Black Cats, shockingly winning just two of his 14 duels in Sunderland's 4-2 collapse at St. Mary's last month amongst other dire displays.
Dan Neil and Abdoullah Ba of Sunderland.
Ba did put in a competent performance during Sunderland's 2-0 win over Cardiff City to end March – with the 20-year-old winger finishing with a 100% successful dribble completion rate – but the out-of-favour youngster hasn't been in the first-team since and has found himself mainly rooted to the substitutes bench.
The time might be right, therefore, for a different youngster to move into the spotlight over the inconsistent 20-year-old in the form of Watson.
With Sunderland not playing for anything anymore whilst the season winds down, and Ba finding himself on the sidelines as a fringe figure, Watson could perfectly slot into the senior fold in the coming weeks to test if he's made of stern stuff and whether he can live up to his Clarke comparisons.
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