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Ruben Amorim’s swift dismissal at Manchester United may have come as a surprise following the weekend draw with Leeds United, although the writing had been on the wall for almost a year for the Portuguese coach.

The 40-year-old had swept all before him at Sporting CP, yet ran into almost immediate difficulties at Old Trafford following his appointment 14 months ago, with reports even claiming he was ready to walk away as early as January 2025.

A resignation may not have come, but there is a sense that he eventually talked himself out of a job in his final days, while his stubborn refusal to move away from a 3-4-2-1 setup appeared the ultimate undoing.

In a way, Amorim came as close as any post-Sir Alex Ferguson manager to looking the right fit with his charm and honesty, although nor has the club ever looked further away from truly competing again, after last season’s 15th place Premier League finish.

It said it all that there was no outpouring of fury or frustration when the announcement was made, with INEOS ready to move on from this forgettable stint by naming his successor.

Senior Man Utd players choose preferred Amorim replacement

While the Red Devils currently reside in sixth place and firmly in the Champions League race, recent evidence has highlighted the difficulties of taking the job mid-season, with both Amorim and Ralf Rangnick enduring particularly dismal spells.

That is why a permanent replacement is likely to have to wait until the summer, with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner deemed to be the leading candidate by all accounts.

The Austrian coach – who claimed the FA Cup last season for the first time in Palace’s history – is a fine manager, but is he really worth waiting for?

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A short-term pick could perhaps provide a longer-term solution, with talkSPORT highlighting that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the frontrunner for the caretaker post, with advanced talks already held with the INEOS regime.

The Norwegian is keen on making a return to the Theatre of Dreams, and hopes that a fruitful interim spell could lead to securing the post on a full-time basis, even with the likes of Glasner set to be preferred.

The move to bring the treble winner back to the club, even just on a short-term basis, has been given the backing of senior United figures, such as Harry Maguire and captain Bruno Fernandes.

Why Solskjaer would be a better fit than Glasner

There may have been those asking what year it was when the news initially broke of Solskjaer’s interest in the vacancy, with the baby-faced assassin having replaced Jose Mourinho in December 2018, prior to embarking on a stunning interim stint.

By March 2019, following that night in Paris, the Scandinavian coach was snapped up permanently, subsequently leading the club to respectable second and third-place finishes in his two full seasons at the helm.

Lauded as “incredible” by Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola, Solskjaer may have fallen short in the hunt for silverware, but he set the club firmly on the right course, having perhaps only been derailed by the last-gasp homecoming of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2021.

So many may scorn this ‘jobs for the boys’ policy, yet United is a special beast, while after a decade or so of exploring an array of different options in the managerial market, Solskjaer arguably remains the best of the lot.

And so, there is no reason why this interim spell can’t move into permanent territory, with the 52-year-old likely to prove a better fit than Glasner for the position.

That may be bold to say, although a glaring issue is the Palace man’s current tactical set-up, mirroring Amorim in deploying a 3-4-2-1, both at Selhurst Park and with former employers Eintracht Frankfurt.

Would he really be ready or willing to adapt away from a system that has brought him such success? Maybe he could at least make United a proper outfit with a back three, although it appears to be at odds with the club’s history and ‘DNA’.

Solskjaer’s interim spell

Stat

Record

Days in charge

99

Games

19

Wins

14

Draws

2

Losses

3

Players used

28

Points per game

2.32

Average goals scored

2.11

Average goals conceded

0.89

via Transfermarkt

For all the negativity that surrounded him, Solskjaer was as adaptable as they come, typically utilising a 4-2-3-1, albeit while using a back three if needed, such as in his final win away at Tottenham Hotspur.

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He is no philosophy coach, merely a club legend who’ll do what it takes to win. That’s not to do him a disservice, however, with the aforementioned Maguire labelling that period between 2019 and 2021 as the “best” of his time at United, while hailing his former boss as “tactically excellent”.

A concern for Glasner too would also be his inability to juggle competing across multiple fronts, albeit with a limited squad, with Palace forced into the Conference League play-off round, while having now lost four of their last five league games and failing to win at all since early December.

The step up from a club of that stature to Manchester United is immense – just ask David Moyes – with it seemingly too much of a gamble be waiting around for a figure like Glasner.

Maybe, it’s the safe choice returning to Solskjaer, but after another period of woe for United, why not go back to something that did, largely, work well for the club.

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Posts 2 BySean Markus Clifford

Arsenal battled their way through an entertaining game against Bournemouth at the Vitality to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table and make it five wins in a row to boot.

That’s five points of breathing room from second-place Aston Villa, who won earlier in the day; Manchester City, in third, trail by a further point, though they will be looking to reduce the deficit at home to managerless Chelsea in a Super Sunday header.

But who can contest that Mikel Arteta has created the most complete team in the Premier League this season? And with so many elite players involved, it was Declan Rice’s brace that fired the Gunners further into the ascendancy, underscoring his credentials as one of the very best in the business.

Declan Rice is leading Arsenal's title charge

It really is great to see Martin Odegaard fit and in form once again, but it’s Rice who has emerged as the talismanic force for Arsenal this season, the sure-fire Premier League Player of the Year should the club steer themselves over the finish line in first place.

The England midfielder scored not one but two of Arsenal’s goals on the south coast, taking his haul to four this season. Not only an additional dimension in front of goal, Rice is consumnate general in the engine room, all-consuming and a leader for his teammates to draw from.

As Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley put it, “they don’t come much bigger” than the 26-year-old, who also won four duels and recovered eight balls, as per Sofascore.

However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Arteta’s men, with several players flattering to deceive. Viktor Gyokeres struggled to produce the goods (though he worked hard in the build-up to Rice’s first) as Gabriel Jesus continues to breathe down his neck, but it was another frontman who will be sweating over his starting spot.

Arsenal struggler may now lose his place

Arsenal continue to dazzle this season, but of the three thirds of the field, the frontline has probably left the most to be desired. Gabriel Martinelli is very much a part of this, and he didn’t produce his finest display against Bournemouth.

Martinelli remains a talented winger, but he’s not dynamic enough, perhaps a bit predictable. The Cherries gave it their all against Arsenal, and the 24-year-old still lacks the initiative to step up and drive the side forward.

In fairness, he gave Alex Jimenez a tough game, but his delivery wasn’t on the money and that’s now ten Premier League matches without a direct goal involvement for the Brazil international.

Gabriel Martinelli vs Bournemouth

Stats

#

Minutes played

67′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

25

Shots (on target)

1 (0)

Accurate passes

13/17 (76%)

Chances created

0

Crosses

1/3

Possession lost

7x

Dribbles

1/2

Recoveries

3

Tackles won

1/1

Duels won

4/5

Data via Sofascore

Having lost the ball every 3.5 touches but failed to create a significant chance of note, it wasn’t the greatest display, especially as Gyokeres continues to toil.

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Arsenal content creator James Clark even remarked that the Brazilian winger is “too one-dimensional”, thus negating some of Arsenal’s threat down the left-hand side. This is exacerbated when Piero Hincapie sits behind him.

All told, Arteta showcased masterful rotation against a dangerous team in Bournemouth. It wasn’t enough for Andoni Iraola’s side to combat, even if they gave it a good go.

Rice may continue to defy standards, but Martinelli has been unable to match his one-time level for some time now, and with the transfer window currently open, perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst thing for technical director Andrea Berta to sniff around for an upgrade on the attacking left flank.

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Uncapped left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando has been named as a replacement for the injured Dhammika Prasad in Sri Lanka’s Test squad for the two-match series in New Zealand. Prasad sustained a back injury during the tour game against New Zealand Board President’s XI in Queenstown, where he bowled only four overs for 20 runs.Fernando has featured in Sri Lanka’s Test squads to the UAE and Bangladesh in 2014 and was also picked in the squad for the home series against India in August this year, but did not get a game.Fernando was the second-highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka A with five wickets in two matches, behind legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay in the two unofficial Tests against New Zealand A in October. He had come into prominence after claiming 40 wickets in nine Premier League tournament matches, Sri Lanka’s first-class competition, in the 2014-15 season at 21.97.Meanwhile, Prasad’s injury comes as a significant blow to Sri Lanka. He had been their most penetrative seamer in the past year and was expected to lead the attack in New Zealand. Prasad is unlikely to regain fitness in time for the ODI series, for which he was named in Sri Lanka’s squad.Fernando has been named as a Test replacement only, for now, but Sri Lanka have made tentative plans to keep him in New Zealand for the ODIs as well.

India A 291 for 2 (Pujara 100, Patel 76*, Uthappa 67) v Zimbabwe SelectThe India A batsmen dominated play on the first day of their second match against Zimbabwe Select at Queens Sports Club as they reached 291 for 2 at the close.Mohammed Kaif won the toss and batted on a good, even-paced pitch, a decision vindicated when Cheteshwar Pujara and Robin Uthappa reached lunch without alarm.Ed Rainsford, who had a wretched day suffering from constant overstepping problems with 16 no-balls, broke the 110-run stand when he had Uthappa caught by Vusi Sibanda at first slip but Pujara and Parthiv Patel took over in a second-wicket partnership of 110. Patel should have gone when he had scored 23 but Sibanda spilt the slip catch off Prosper Utseya.Utseya eventually got a wicket when he had Pujara caught off the glove by Tatenda Taibu for exactly 100, following which Patel and Kaif put on an unbeaten 67-run stand. Although Patel’s 76 not out contained only five fours, he managed to score at a strike-rate of over 70.For Zimbabwe, the bowlers lacked penetration and if they continue in the same vein, captain Utseya will find it hard to prevent the Indian batsmen from piling on the runs.

Northamptonshire have announced that David Capel will replace Kepler Wessels as the club’s coach for the remainder of the season.Wessels left on Friday by mutual consent, following a poor season and Capel, the former England allrounder, is widely tipped to assume the role full-time next season. He has been in charge of Northamptonshire’s academy and their 2nd XI side; David Ripley is expected to replace Capel in both of his previous roles.Northamptonshire are second from bottom of Division Two of the County Championship, with just two wins from nine matches this season.

After high drama, Jagmohan Dalmiya, the outgoing president of the Board of Control of Cricket in India, is all set to chair the annual general meeting of the board in Kolkata where is new president will be elected today. The meeting was postponed twice during the day, and is now expected to commence at 5pm IST.The meeting was first postponed after a division bench of the Madras High Court overruled a decision by a lower court to appoint a retired judge, S Mohan, to oversee the election. Mohan’s appointment had been made following a petition by AC Mutthiah, a former president of the Indian board. Though the meeting was set to resume at 2pm IST, it was delayed further as the members were awaiting a fax copy of the court order.The contenders in the elections are Sharad Pawar, the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, who has been nominated by Punjab Cricket Association, and and Ranbir Singh Mahendra, a veteran cricket administrator, who is being backed by Dalmiya.Rumours were rife this morning about Pawar withdrawing from the race if no consensus emerged over his candidature. However, this was swiftly scotched by Raj Singh Dungarpur, a former board president who has openly allied himself to Pawar. Dungarpur claimed that Pawar had “17 votes” which was expected to rise to 19. The BCCI has 30 voting members and in case of a tie, the casting vote belongs to the outgoing president.Meanwhile a city court in Chennai has passed an interim order restraining the BCCI, till October 11, from confirming Jagmohan Dalmiya as patron-in-chief. Dalmiya was appointed patron-in-chief of the BCCI on September 12, after a unanimous decision had been taken at the special general body meeting of the board at Chennai. Bharati Cricket Club, a local club in Chennai, had challenged the appointment.

Bounced out: Darren Gough bowls to David Byas, who spent one season at Lancashire in 2002 © Getty Images

Darren Gough’s departure from Yorkshire had been on the cards for several seasons, according to Ray Illingworth, their former captain and the former chairman of England’s selectors. But the return of David Byas as Yorkshire’s director of cricket may have been the decisive factor.Gough has been an integral member of Yorkshire’s first-team squad ever since he joined as an 18-year-old in 1989. But in recent seasons he has been unsettled at the club, and his decision to move his family home to Buckinghamshire in 2000 provoked a furious reaction from Yorkshire’s fans and members, who felt they were not getting full value for money.Gough complained at the time that life at Headingley had become “almost unbearable”, but his comments found little support from Byas, who was then captain and who, in 2001, led the county to their first Championship title in 31 seasons. “I’ve no sympathy for him,” Byas retorted, “although I must add that I couldn’t give a tinker’s cuss what he does.”Illingworth hinted that the clash of personalities was a factor in Gough’s decision. “Ever since Goughie moved to live in the south, there have been rumours and speculation about him parting company with Yorkshire,” he said. “In the long run, maybe there was no smoke without fire.”It’s sad to see such a good player leave,” he added, “but it’s probably been coming for a couple of years now. Apart from Fred [Trueman], who was the best fast bowler Yorkshire have produced in my era, I can’t think of any better than Darren. At his best, he was a really fine swing bowler with a good strike-rate, but since the introduction of central contracts and his knee injury, his contribution has been limited.”Gough was highly critical of Byas in his recent autobiography, and the pair had a public falling-out three years ago. “When we won the Championship, there were two or three players who didn’t get on with David,” said a county source. “Goughie was one of them.”Yorkshire have insisted that any animosity between Byas and Gough had nothing to do with Wednesday’s announcement. Colin Graves, the chief executive, suggested that Gough had made his intentions clear back in November – two months before Byas’s return.”We outlined our plans for the future regarding the team, the players we had, and the captaincy was discussed,” said Graves. “[Gough] did not wish to take that route and hence he has made his decision. We are disappointed. We saw a future for him with Yorkshire. He is a character and that is what the game lacks these days.”Speculation is rife as to which county will sign Gough. Warwickshire have emerged as front-runners, and their captain Nick Knight was drooling at the prospect of tempting him to Edgbaston. “Darren’s got the leadership and experience we need to bring on our young seamers,” said Knight. “He might not be able to bowl 95 mph all day, but he’s older and shrewder, and no one can question his motivation and desire to win things.”Other teams in the hunt include Essex, where Gough would be reunited with his old England captain Nasser Hussain, and Middlesex, who at least have the funds to secure a signature that will not come cheap, even at the age of 33.

Mark Garaway, the Director of the Regional Academy and Somerset assistant coach has just returned to the County Ground in Taunton after spending three weeks in Australia.During his stay `down under’, which he described as `the trip of a lifetime’ Mark watched everyday of the final two Ashes Test matches at Sydney and Melbourne, during which he caught up with Somerset’s England trio, and also spent some time in Cairns.One thing that amazed Mark was the distance between places out in Australia. He told me: "People who have never been over there don’t realize how far it is between places, and that on some trips you cross into a different time zone which is very confusing. It’s a tough trip out there for the England players."Referring to his link up with the Somerset players he told me: "I spent quite a bit of time with Ian Blackwell who was feeling very positive and delighted with what he has done out there. He was a bit frustrated because he didn’t play in the Melbourne Test."He continued: "Andy Caddick was really pleased with the way that he bowled in the final Test. He was by for the pick of the England bowlers and set up the victory."He went on: "Marcus has got his confidence back, and I believe that this has been helped greatly by the large number of people from Somerset, and Keynsham in particular who have been over their supporting him."Mark concluded: "All three were all in good spirits, which is very good news for everybody as they go into the VB finals and then the World Cup."

Ruben Amorim says his Manchester United defenders are not putting “everything on the line” after their chaotic 4-4 draw against Bournemouth.

The Red Devils enter the weekend sixth in the Premier League having lost just one of their last ten matches, but their recent home form is cause for concern.

Monday’s draw with the Cherries highlighted the issues United need to iron out, as while they lead the league in expected goals created (1.82 per game) and only Man City have scored more, the Red Devils have conceded more goals than any side in the top 12.

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And Amorim believes his defensive players are not doing everything required to gain some consistency.

United will certainly need to up their game on Sunday, when high-flying Aston Villa attempt to win a 10th straight match in all competitions.

Villa are title contenders, says Amorim

Unai Emery’s side have been victorious in their last six Premier League matches and enter the weekend third in the standings, just three points behind leaders Arsenal.

Asked if Villa are genuine title contenders, Amorim said: “Everything can happen. I think they have a manager with a lot of experience.

“You can see when you watch Villa play, you can sense that it’s a very mature team, he doesn’t panic when he’s losing, doesn’t feel overwhelmed when he’s winning.

“He can control the emotion all the time and I think they are a very strong team. If they are going to fight until the end? I don’t know, but they are capable of that.”

United make the tough-looking trip to the second city without six first-team players.

Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo have joined Noussair Mazraoui at the Africa Cup of Nations following Monday’s match against Bournemouth.

Mazraoui’s absence on Monday has been the subject of controversy, with United asking FIFA to intervene after Morocco blocked the defender from playing.

Casemiro serves a one-match ban after picking up his fifth booking of the season against the Cherries, while defenders Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt remain sidelined.

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“I think everyone is well,” Amorim added. “We have one more training but (as of Friday) I think the rest of the guys are ready to go.

“I’m saying that nobody recovered, nobody (new) is out. Just the guys that you already know.”