Preston Mommsen, Scotland’s captain and one of their leading batsmen, has announced his retirement from international cricket to pursue a career outside of the game

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-20160:53

Quick Facts: Preston Mommsen

Preston Mommsen, Scotland’s captain and one of their leading batsmen, has announced his retirement from international cricket to pursue a career outside of the game. Mommsen, who has been a vocal advocate of Associate nations being given greater support, said he had received “a very exciting and attractive opportunity in the corporate world”.Mommsen, 29, took on the captaincy in 2014 and led Scotland at the World Cup a year later. At the 2016 World T20, he oversaw Scotland’s first victory at a global ICC event, at the 21st attempt.His finest hour as a Scotland player came at the 2014 World Cup Qualifier, when he scored 520 runs at 86.66 on the way to being named Man of the Tournament. Having replaced the injured Kyle Coetzer as captain after the first two matches, he went on to lead Scotland to victory in the final, making 139 not out against UAE – his highest ODI score.Mommsen remained a key member of Scotland’s batting line-up and his retirement will leave them with a significant hole to fill in the middle order. In August, he scored 111 not out and 80 not out as Scotland beat UAE 2-0 in their WCL Championship fixtures, leaving them well placed to reach the 2018 World Cup Qualifier.During the first match against UAE, he passed 1000 ODI runs for Scotland and talked about becoming the first to reach 2000. However, he has now decided to step away from the game and take up a career in property investment.”After much thought and reflection, I have taken the decision to step down as the captain of Scotland and not renew my contract with Cricket Scotland, in order to pursue a very exciting and attractive opportunity in the corporate world,” Mommsen said. “It has been an incredibly difficult decision but one that I felt I had to make at this stage in my life.”I would like to thank everyone involved at Cricket Scotland, both past and present, for giving me the opportunity to fulfil my dreams and supporting me on my journey. I am enormously proud of what we have achieved over the last few years, and I have no doubt that the team and the organisation will continue to grow its presence on the global stage in the future.”I leave the team in a very healthy position with a world-class management setup and a group of players that are demonstrating the skill and hunger to push Scotland cricket into the top 12 in the world. I would like to wish both the team and the organisation all the very best.”Mommsen’s decision to step away from cricket is likely to have been influenced by scant opportunity to perform at the highest level. With the 2019 World Cup reduced to ten teams – and the top eight qualifying automatically – Scotland face a stiff task to reach the tournament in England. The 2018 qualifier would likely pit them against Afghanistan, Ireland, Zimbabwe and either Pakistan or West Indies for one of two spots.Scotland also took part in the last World T20 – although Mommsen was critical of the format, where the first round saw eight teams, including six Associates, compete to make it through to the Super 10s – but the next one is scheduled for 2020, with a proposed 2018 event still uncertain.At the 2015 World Cup, Mommsen was among several players from Associate nations to call on the ICC to help create a more level playing field, with increased fixtures against Full Members.He retires having played 146 times for Scotland, averaging 32.38 with the bat in ODIs and 34.91 in T20 internationals. Born in South Africa, where he played for the Under-19s, Mommsen moved to Edinburgh in 2006 and was first capped in 2010 after completing the qualification period.Scotland’s head coach, Grant Bradburn, said: “This is a bittersweet situation for our team and for Cricket Scotland. Above all we are very happy for Preston to be offered such an exciting opportunity. Preston is intelligent, well respected and ambitious, so for him to be moving into a corporate field that he is passionate about is just brilliant.”Preston Mommsen offers the team many qualities that will be difficult to replace, he will be a big loss. A quality experienced batsmen at the peak of his skills, consistently our fittest player, top fielder and of course our leader with a tough uncompromising attitude. Preston has proudly been a champion for the Associate game and a role model who has helped bring next tier nations to global attention, always striving to give Associate cricket the growing credit it deserves.”Preston should be very proud of his many achievements as an international player and we wish him every success in his new career.”

تحدث محمود عبد المنعم كهربا لاعب الأهلي، عن انتهاء أزمة الغرامة الموقعة ضده لصالح ناديه السابق الزمالك، كما وجه الشكر ألى محمود الخطيب رئيس مجلس إدارة القلعة الحمراء.

وكانت أزمة لاعب الأهلي الحالي محمود عبد المنعم كهربا قد اشتعلت بعد صدور حكم ضده من جانب الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا”، بسداد مبلغ مليوني دولار لصالح الزمالك.

رسميًا | كهربا يسدد غرامة الزمالك كاملة ويُنهي الأزمة

وجاد ذلك بعد فسخ تعاقده من طرف واحد مع الزمالك ثم انتقاله إلى نادي أفيش البرتغالي، ومنه إلى الأهلي.

وقال كهربا في بيان مقتضب نشره عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيس بوك”: “بفضل و رحمة ربنا عليا انتهت الحدوتة بعد ((٥ سنوات )) من حرب وظلم وفساد وشماتة”.

وأضاف: “اولاً قبل اي كلمة ممكن تتكتب يستحق النادي الأهلي وجمهوره كل التضحية والشكر لآخر العمر”.

وأردف: “ربنا نصرني والحمد لله، عذرًا لكل من انتظر سقوطي لكل الشامتين لكل حد قال كهربا انتهى، بفضل الله وكرمه عليا وبعد كم الظلم الي اتعرضتله”.

واستكمل: “ولكن الحمدلله كان معايا دايمًا ربنا العدل والحق ونصرني الحمدلله”.

واستطرد: “شكرًا كابتن محمود الخطيب المحترم وإدارة النادي الأهلي العظيم من أصغر حد لأكبر حد على وقفتهم جنبي طول الوقت اللي فات كل الشكر لجمهور النادي الأهلي العظيم اللي دائما بجانبي وفي ضهري”.

واستكمل: “وشكرًا لعائلتي وزملائي وللأصحابي وكل حد كان في ضهري وحسبي الله ونعم الوكيل في كل حد ظلمني وشمت فيا عند الله تجتمع الخصوم، وأنا متأكد إن آجلا أم عاجلا ربنا هياخدلي حقي”.

وأتم: “وأخيراً بداية جديدة وباذن الله تبقى بداية خير، وأنا في ضهري أعظم نادي وأعظم جمهور”.

Jason Roy, England’s limited-overs opening batsman, says that England’s Test team needs to tap into the mindset that helped propel the T20 side into the final of the World T20 earlier this year, as they prepare for the challenge of facing India on home soil.England have arrived in Rajkot for Wednesday’s series opener against India, still smarting from their historic defeat in the second Test against Bangladesh last month. With doubts about their spin attack, and several question-marks about a batting line-up that crumbled in the space of a single session at Dhaka, England could hardly be starting the series from a less promising position.However Roy, speaking at the Chance to Shine annual awards in London, believed that the England squad would have the spirit to take the fight back to India, and urged his team-mates – particularly the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, who starred in England’s World T20 campaign in March – to remember how they turned their fortunes around on their last trip to India.”I think it’s important to go with the same sort of mindset as we did at the T20 World Cup,” said Roy. “It’s a difficult place to go and play cricket, especially Test cricket, so we can’t have too many preconceived ideas on what we want to achieve. We’ve just got to go out there and do everything we can, everything we know we can do. We’ve got the talent, the skill, the players, I’m sure we’ll be alright.”England’s World T20 campaign started inauspiciously when they were crushed by the eventual champions, West Indies, in their opening fixture in Mumbai. But they warmed to their task by chasing a world-record 230 to beat South Africa at the same venue, and earned the respect of India’s crowds in the process.”Those crowds are the most incredible to play in front of,” said Roy. “To see the passion they’ve got for their country, it’s good for us to play in front of that. We can only enjoy it. We can’t go out there and hate it, because we know what’s to come.”Reflecting on his own involvement in England’s winter campaign, the one-day leg of the Bangladesh tour, Roy admitted that their 2-1 series win had been put into its correct context by England’s subsequent difficulties in the Test series.”We know now they are a top quality side,” he said. “We played some very good cricket, it’s not always easy to go there and win, as we’ve seen in the past, and the ODI series was a good benchmark for us, I think.”The build-up to the Bangladesh tour had been dominated by security issues, with Roy’s opening partner, Alex Hales, choosing not to travel, along with England’s regular one-day captain, Eoin Morgan. And in spite of the success enjoyed by Hales’ understudies, in particular Ben Duckett and Sam Billings, both of whom starred in the series decider, Roy was adamant that Hales would not be made to regret his choice.”Based on what we got told before the tour, there’s nothing wrong with him not going on the trip,” he said. “He’s been training hard and putting the hard work in, he’s obviously got the numbers that suggest he deserves that spot, so I don’t think there will be any hard feelings. There certainly aren’t within the squad.”But it’s a huge positive that we’ve got so much depth now in one-day cricket, so many players who can just go in there and play, and that’s a huge credit to the start-up systems and the England Lions. It’s all exciting stuff for the future now.”Security wasn’t a problem at all, we were looked after incredibly well. The hospitality at the hotels, by the Bangladeshi side and by everything around the cricket, was fantastic.Jason Roy was speaking at the Chance to Shine Annual Awards, supported by Lycamobile. ECB will double its investment in the charity, from 2017, to inspire millions of young people to play and learn through cricket. Visit chancetoshine.org

An update has emerged on Chelsea and their plans to strengthen the quality of their attacking options in the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Rasmus Højlund to Chelsea?

According to Fabrizio Romano in his CaughtOffside column, the Blues are one of several sides interested in signing Atalanta centre-forward Rasmus Højlund as Mauricio Pochettino looks to improve his starting XI heading into next season.

The report claims that they are competing with fellow Premier League side Manchester United for the gem's signature as 'many top clubs' have sent scouts to watch him in action.

Romano also states that some sources have suggested a fee in the region of €60m (£51m) could be enough to tempt the Serie A side into cashing in on their prized asset this summer.

Would Rasmus Højlund be a good signing for Chelsea?

The 20-year-old striker could be an exceptional addition to Pochettino's squad as the exciting youngster's form in Italy last season suggests that he could be a big upgrade on current Blues forward Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.

Goalscoring was a huge issue for Chelsea in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign as they finished 12th in the division and found the back of the net 38 times, which meant that they averaged one goal per game.

They scored 76 goals in the top-flight in 2021/22 and this suggests that their haul under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and interim Frank Lampard combined was a huge underachievement.

Aubameyang played his role in that as the 33-year-old marksman came in from Barcelona to bolster the club's attacking options but failed to provide regular quality in the no.9 position. He ended the Premier League season with just one goal in 15 appearances, and also averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.57.

Højlund, on the other hand, caught the eye with his displays in the Serie A for Atalanta.

The talented Denmark dynamo averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.73 and contributed with nine goals and two assists in 20 starts in the division, which suggests that he could offer far more than the current Chelsea dud in terms of goals, assists, and maintain a high average performance level.

He also found success at international level as the left-footed whiz smashed in five goals in two European Championship qualifying matches against Finland and Kazakhstan back in March.

The 6 foot 1 gem has been hailed as a "monster in the making" by talent scout Jacek Kulig and his impressive statistics for club and country at such a young age suggest that is an accurate comment as he is starting to build a reputation for himself as a reliable scorer.

Højlund is an up-and-coming number nine who has already shown terrific promise in a major European division and could, therefore, be a huge upgrade on Aubameyang, who is heading towards the end of his career and is coming off the back of a dismal season in front of goal.

Manchester United have reportedly identified a potential replacement for long-serving goalkeeper, David De Gea, following an update regarding the club's apparent interest in Yann Sommer.

What's the latest on Sommer to Man United?

According to journalist Alex Crook – in his transfer notebook for talkSPORT – the Red Devils are said to have revived their interest in the Bayern Munich man, with the 34-year-old having reportedly been on Erik ten Hag's 'radar' last summer.

The report suggests that the former Borussia Monchengladbach ace – who only made the move to the Allianz Arena in January – would represent a cheaper alternative to the likes of Andre Onana and Jordan Pickford in the search for a new number one.

As the piece also notes, the aforementioned De Gea has verbally agreed a new contract extension with the Old Trafford outfit, although a formal deal has yet to materialise, amid claims that the Spaniard won't be the first-choice option next season even if he does stay in Manchester.

Would Sommer be a better signing than Pickford?

There has been much talk of late that Pickford could be on his way to the Theatre of Dreams, with the 29-year-old – who only recently signed a new deal at Everton – set to be available for a fee of around £30m this summer.

While the former Sunderland ace remains the undisputed regular for his country having now made 52 appearances for the Three Lions, there are lingering concerns over his consistency at club level, with pundit Chris Sutton stating that the Englishman simply "makes too many errors".

Ten Hag may then be wise to consider a figure such as Sommer to provide at least a strong, short-term solution in the sticks, with the £83k-per-week colossus having been hailed as the "best in the world" by former Gladbach teammate, Joe Scally.

That hefty praise had come following the 82-cap gem's astounding display against his current employers earlier in the campaign, as the 6 foot ace made 19 saves in the 1-1 draw between the two sides back in August – breaking a Bundesliga record in the process.

Having since gone on to replace the stricken Manuel Neuer at Bayern, the experienced ace has particularly impressed due to his ability to play out from the back, as he ranks in the top 4% for touches made among those in his position across Europe's top five leagues – with Pickford ranking in just the top 44% in that regard.

Sommer's innate composure on the ball is also showcased by the fact that he achieved a standout pass accuracy rate of 83% across his 29 Bundesliga appearances in 2022/23, with far better than the at times erratic Toffees asset, who averaged just 52% for that same metrics.

That superior record would suggest that the one-time Basel man – who was also described as "one of the best goalkeepers in Europe" by former boss Marco Rose in the past – could be a perfect alternative to Pickford in Ten Hag's quest to find a reliable number one this summer.

Stuart Broad has not given up hope of playing in the third Test in Mohali despite suffering an injury to the tendons in his right foot in Visakhapatnam

George Dobell in Visakhapatnam20-Nov-2016Stuart Broad has not given up hope of playing in the third Test in Mohali despite suffering an injury to the tendons in his right foot in Visakhapatnam. The England seamer revealed that he will wear a protective “moon” boot to try and aid his recovery, with four days between the second and third Tests.Broad sustained the injury diving in the field in the opening moments of the match but still produced an impressive performance. He claimed four wickets in India’s second innings and then called upon England to “do something special” on the last day to try and salvage the second Test.”It’s been a pretty sore Test,” Broad said of his injury. “I dived for the ball and my toe slipped the wrong way and I’ve done some damage to my tendon, which has been a bit awkward. If you do that in the second over of a Test, you’ve only got one option and that’s to keep playing or you stuff the team a little bit.”There are plans is to get a moon boot on at the end of this game for a few days to try to offload the tendon. We’ve about 17 days before the fourth Test in Mumbai, which is quite a long time. But it’s less for the third Test in Mohali.”It’s annoying to miss any Test and I don’t know that I will miss it yet. But hopefully I’ll definitely be fit for Mumbai.”England could go to Mohali 1-0 down after being challenged to survive for a minimum of 150 overs if they were to save the match – which, on a deteriorating wicket, seemed an improbable scenario. But, having reached stumps on day four for the loss of only two wickets, Broad said the whole side had taken encouragement from the performance of their opening batsmen and still felt the draw was achievable.”Everyone believes it can be done,” Broad said. “When you watch the way we batted this evening: 60 overs for two wickets; we’ve only got another 90 to go. It shows you can bat on that pitch if you apply yourself.”If two or three batsmen get stuck in like the openers did today, we will save the Test. That’s quite exciting. You’ve a chance of doing something – I won’t say heroic, but doing something quite special. A bit different. It might not be 100 off 150 balls, but it might be 20 of 150 balls that helps your team get in a great position.”We’ve got the characters, the players and the depth of batting to do it. The key is breaking it down into small partnerships: whether it’s 15 minutes, whether it’s 15 balls, or five runs, these sort of things slow the game down for you so it doesn’t feel as if you’re climbing up a mountain.”England’s hopes took a substantial blow when Alastair Cook was trapped leg before to the last delivery of the day. But his partnership with Haseeb Hameed had defied India for 50 overs and, according to Broad, shown the rest of the team what was expected of them on the final day.”It’s always disappointing when you lose a wicket in the final over,” Broad said. “Especially someone as dogged and strong as Cook. But we batted 60 overs for two wickets. That gives us a lot of encouragement. We’ve still got wickets and a lot of batting to come in the changing room.”The way Cook goes about it… the calmness he shows. The courage he shows. He’s set a precedent, if that’s the word. You have to follow his lead.”Broad was equally effusive in praise of Hameed, who endured a testing spell of short-pitched bowling and was finally dismissed by an unplayable delivery that scuttled along the pitch.”He played a tough innings,” Broad said. “It reminded me of the Mike Atherton knock at Trent Bridge in 1998 when Allan Donald was charging in at him. Haseeb was hit first ball, which damaged his hand, but he didn’t show anything and calmly went about his business. He showed a huge amount of courage and didn’t let a bit of indifferent bounce change his movements.”He looks made for Test cricket. As a bowler in his team, he is an enjoyable man to see walk out to bat because you know he has a calm head on his shoulders. He just wants to bat for his team. Today runs weren’t on his agenda. He wanted to bat time to give England a chance to save this Test. It took a beauty of a ball to get rid of him. Not many batsmen are going to hit that, are they?”England’s openers kept India at bay for more than 50 overs•AFP

Despite England’s unpromising match position, Broad felt the side could take “huge credit” from their fightback. After a poor session towards the end of day two, he suggested England had shown character.”We had a bad hour-and-a-half at the end of day two,” Broad said. “But since then we’ve shown a lot of character. To still be in this Test going into day five from the position we were in at the end of day two is a huge credit to us.”Even today, turning up to the ground 300 behind, it is very easy to throw the towel in. But we put a lot of pressure on India. We took early wickets. We didn’t let India control the scoring rate and didn’t let them declare. And that led us into a pretty solid batting display giving us a hope tomorrow.”A lot of Tests have been saved with teams going into the last day two wickets down. And that’s got to be out aim. In Auckland in 2013 we went into the last day with four wickets down and saved the game.”We’re very happy with today. We’ve given ourselves a great chance and if we can keep things quiet for the first 90 minutes, the pressure will only grow on the Indian bowlers.”Despite Broad’s injury, he delivered an impressive eight-over spell on the fourth day and claimed his best figures in a Test in India.”It felt like a decent time to bowl,” he said. “There was a little bit of indifferent bounce and reverse swing. It was nice to play on a pitch that was worn and there was a bit of variable bounce so I was able to use the legcutter a bit more which makes the reversing ball a bit more dangerous.”The batsman is looking for the cutter and then you can wrap them on the pad with a quicker inswinger. Zaheer Khan was very good at bowling off-pace and would then surprise you with a really quick inswinger. Jimmy Anderson and I talked about trying to get batsmen into a routine of facing a slower pace and then hitting them with a quicker ball coming into the stumps. He dismissed Pujara that way.”

Olympic champion Usain Bolt has claimed that Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford could actually beat him in a 20-yard sprint.

What's the latest on Manchester United and Marcus Rashford?

It was a pretty impressive season all told for the English forward. After all, not only did he help the Red Devils win the League Cup and secure Champions League football, he also netted 30 goals in all competitions – making him the first MUFC player since Robin van Persie in 2012/13 to hit that total.

So what does all this have to do with Bolt?

Well, the world’s fastest man – who holds the 100m, 200m and 4x100m records in both the Olympics and World Championships – is taking part in Soccer Aid this weekend and will captain the World XI who take on England at Old Trafford.

Consequently, he's been in the UK this week and has taken the time to talk about Man United, the club he supports, recently on talkSPORT.

During the interview, co-host Darren Bent asked him who would be quicker in a race between Bolt and Rashford, and the Jamaican came up with a bit of a surprising answer.

Bent said: “I read an article where you said that Rashford could beat you over 20 yards, is that correct?”

Bolt replied: “Yeah! Rashford is quick out the blocks, that is what he does.

“He has that burst of speed but after that, I told him, you could probably get me in 20 [yards].

“But after that, it is over!”

How fast can Usain Bolt run?

So there you have it, Rashford might be quicker over a shorter distance but if they were racing 100 yards, the Englishman probably wouldn't be able to keep up.

According to Speeds DB – a database that can tell you the top speed of anything – the Man Utd winger can run at 33.30 km/h (or 20.69 mp/h), while Bolt's top speed is 44.72 km/h (27.79 mp/h), which shows the real disparity between the two.

Bolt also provided his thoughts on how the Red Devils have been playing of late, saying: “[The season] has been positive. I wish we won the FA Cup but it is just one of those things.

“We got one trophy and we are in the top four. The way we were looking for the past couple of seasons, this is just positive moment.

“I am just happy that we have a great coach that is really getting the team together. Hopefully, we can get some good players to add to the team and challenge for the league because it is going to be tough.”

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing highly-rated Sporting CP centre-back Goncalo Inacio in the summer transfer window.

Who is Goncalo Inacio?

At just 21, the Portuguese has already become a key man for one of the biggest clubs in his homeland, producing a string of hugely impressive performances at the heart of their defence.

Inacio started 26 games in the Primeira Liga in 2022/23, as well as six and five in the Champions League and Europa League respectively, enjoying a 90% pass completion rate in the former. He looks like a player of massive potential, possessing a level of maturity beyond his years, and Sporting will do well to keep hold of him this summer.

The youngster has been linked with a move to various club before the start of next season, with a move to the Premier League potentially on the cards. United are one of the club who are reportedly in the mix to snap him up, with the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle United also thought to be keen.

Could United make a move for Inacio?

According to Monday's edition of Portuguese newspaper O Jogo [via Man Utd News], United are "closely following" Inacio's situation, ahead of a potential summer move for the £17,000-a-week star. Sporting are aiming to make their player's release clause as high as €60m (£51.7m), as they look to ward off interest in one of their most prized assets, with Paris Saint-Germain also thought to be in the conversation.

Inacio could be such an exciting signing by United if they manage to pip others to his signature, coming in as a long-term acquisition with a high ceiling. Granted, he is a left-footed and left-sided central defender, like Lisandro Martinez, but the Reds could do with that level of competition in key areas moving forward.

The Sporting ace would be an upgrade on Harry Maguire, who looks increasingly likely to leave Old Trafford this summer, with the two-cap Portugal international being hailed as a "complete" centre-back by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Not only would Inacio be a great signing in his own right, but the fact that United had beaten the likes of Liverpool to his signature would also be a major signal of intent, further suggesting that they remain a huge pull for any player. Three assists in the league this season, as well as an average of 3.5 clearances per game in the Champions League this season, outline his quality both in and out of possession.

Liverpool lead the race to secure a surprise swoop for Fulham full-back Kenny Tete this summer, who could be viewed as an interesting replacement for James Milner, who has departed Anfield upon the expiry of his contract.

What's the latest on Liverpool's pursuit of Kenny Tete?

That's according to recent reports, with the Dutch defender's future at Craven Cottage up in the air after failing to agree a contract extension with Marco Silva's side.

Tete has just one year left on his current deal and could be available for as little as £10.5m, with Liverpool sporting director Jorg Schmadtke now in the driving seat despite further intrigue from two anonymous Premier League outfits and one LaLiga side.

The Cottagers made an emphatic return to the top flight this term and cast aside the 'yo-yo' tag as they recorded a tenth-placed finish, with Tete playing a starring role.

Should Liverpool sign Kenny Tete?

With Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson mere weeks away from his 33rd birthday, it is likely that he will be utilised more sparingly next season, maintaining his leadership skills and galvanising the troops, but no longer taking centre stage on the Anfield grass, having started just 23 times in the league.

It could be that the England veteran slowly transitions into the role that Milner played during his twilight phase on Merseyside, a dependable and dynamic utility option.

While primarily a midfielder, the loss of the 37-year-old Milner has left the right-back position depleted, with 12 of the 61-cap former England international's 41 outings for the Reds this term coming in the defensive position.

And while Trent Alexander-Arnold is the undisputed powerhouse in the right-back position at Anfield, Tete's prospective acquisition could pay dividends by bolstering the fold with a perfect alternative.

Hailed as a "great asset" for Fulham by chairman Tony Khan upon signing for the club in 2020, the 27-year-old made 31 appearances in the top-flight this season and scored one goal and supplied five assists, recording a laudable average Sofascore rating of 7.09 and completing 1.7 interceptions, 2.7 tackles and 2.4 clearances per game.

As per FBref, the £50k-per-week ace ranks among the top 15% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of assists, the top 9% for rate of tackles, the top 3% for interceptions and the top 6% for blocks per 90.

The "sensational" defender – as dubbed by presenter Jack Collins – would clearly be a marked improvement on the ageing Milner, who recorded an average rating of 6.68 this term and boasted just 0.8 tackles, 0.4 interceptions and 0.4 clearances per game in the Premier League, branded as "no longer the answer" by talkSPORT's Ade Oladipo in the early phases of the campaign.

For such a paltry fee, Tete would be a wonderful addition to the Reds' team, and could etch his name into the considerable list of shrewd acquisitions to have served as pillars for Klopp's dynasty on Merseyside.

Australia’s team performance chief Pat Howard, the man held ultimately accountable for the fortunes of the national side, has reached out to former opening batsman Chris Rogers for advice on how to scotch the bleeding of the Test team’s currently hapless top six.Howard also admitted that he, the coach Darren Lehmann and the national selection panel were under pressure to keep their jobs unless results improved. Appointed as a result of the Argus review in August 2011, he said that there needed to be renewed focus on the defensive and tactical skills of batsmanship to get through difficult days like the one experienced in Hobart on Saturday.”It needs more focus. That’s simple,” Howard said. “Chris was fantastic, you go back to what he and David Warner did at the Oval [in 2015], I think it was 14 runs off 10 overs, they read the situation really well. That patience and adaptability to read the situation there. I’ve really been impressed by Chris’ insights and comments and I was before.”He’s got a good insight into the game … we’ve talked to him about coming and talking to people around that, both technically and mentally, and about a year ago he worked with our Under-19s. It’s a fair comment and something to drive some of our thinking.”The position of Australian batting coach has changed hands this year, following Howard’s decision not to grant an improved contract to Michael Di Venuto, who held the position with some success for the previous three years. Di Venuto, who has been in Hobart this week, then took the job as head coach of Surrey, and the role was handed over to the former England batsman Graeme Hick, an internal appointment via his role at the National Cricket Centre.Before this Test, Hick admitted he had his work cut out to build the relationships necessary to be an effective batting coach for the team. The rest of Lehmann’s support staff, including the assistant coach David Saker and the fielding coach Greg Blewett, are all relatively recent appointments. Rogers has said that the spate of batting collapses pointed to deeper issues within the team, and in the domestic structure beneath it.”I think good sides always find a way to fight when they’re in trouble, and the Australian side at the moment, when they lose a few wickets it’s just a collapse,” Rogers told ABC’s Offsiders on Sunday. “All 10 wickets have fallen, we’ve seen it now two Tests in a row I think for 86 in the first Test and now 85 in this Test, and you don’t see that [often]. So there’s something fundamentally wrong I think with the side, they’re obviously lacking confidence. There’s no doubt the talent’s there, but they just can’t find a way to fight, and that’s really disconcerting.”Speaking to particularly a few of the older guys, past players, there’s a bit of a thought that maybe we should push to return to how the Sheffield Shield used to be – just pick the best sides, the best players and see who wins. We have this system now where we’re trying to identify players and push them through. But we’ve been doing that for a fair while now and it doesn’t seem to be working, the performances haven’t really been there to justify it. I think it’s about now finding that winning culture. We’ve perhaps lost that, and whether we need to find that at the level below, maybe that’s the way to go.”Howard stated, among other things, that Australia’s traditional Gabba start – where they had not lost a Test match since 1988 – had to be moved for commercial reasons, namely an effort to build the audience for a Brisbane match via the avenue of a day-night Test. But he also said the team had to be adaptable enough to cope.Pat Howard on Chris Rogers’ role: “He’s got a good insight into the game … we’ve talked to him about coming and talking to people around that, both technically and mentally”•Getty Images

“The team does like starting in Brisbane obviously but we just talked about adaptability and being able to play in different conditions at different times,” Howard said. “Brisbane has been a Test match that has struggled in other areas of the game over the last couple of years and they look to do something different.”I’d like to have games in Brisbane to support the team at times, there were other aspects as well, but we also need to adapt and I don’t want to look for excuses. We want to look for excuses at times and look for easy answers, and I don’t want to go down that track. Whatever you get overseas, whatever you get at home, do your homework, do your preparation get ready to adapt to the situation and the conditions on offer.”Like the national selectors, Trevor Hohns and Mark Waugh, Howard’s contract expires at the end of June 2017. The selection chairman Rod Marsh has already indicated he will vacate his post at that time, but Howard said there had been no discussion about finding his replacement any earlier than that. He did indicate,d however, that the entire panel may be refreshed at that time.”It’s important to note that Rod and I had that discussion well before the Sri Lanka tour,” Howard said. “This has been well in train and [his replacement] hasn’t been contemplated, we announced it a couple of weeks ago, and it was just confirming what all of us had known for a long time.”We’ve always had different guys on different tours. Trevor Hohns and Mark Waugh will go on and their contracts are due up at the same time as well, so they may not be staying either. I appreciate the pressure comes on Rod, he knows that this comes with the role, but there are people in that situation all the time and every time you say someone is not going to stay and you exit them straight away it doesn’t respect the work that they are doing at the time.”Howard also defended the decision to extend Lehmann’s contract until 2019 in August. “This is a great challenge for his coaching, I think he’s in uncharted territory for him as well and we’ve talked about that,” Howard said. “This is a great chance for him to reinvent.”He’s been contracted through past 2019, which is a huge year in the calendar, Ashes away and a World Cup back-to-back. We’ve got a young captain with a coach that’s wanted to give the team and squad some stability. I make no apologies for that, I made the decision and I take accountability for that.”