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LAHORE – Shoaib Akhtar failed to embark on the London-bound plane with the Pakistan squad last Wednesday and is now most likely to miss at least the first two of a trio of three-day games leading up to the first Test on May 17. That is, if at all he recovers enough to clear a series of fitness tests and is allowed to proceed to England for the tour, this correspondent learnt from a Pakistan Cricket Board official.The injury-prone speedster, who is said to be averse to training sessions and fitness tests, was suffering from a rather mysterious stomach ailment. The condition caused dehydration, and he felt so drained of energy that he asked to be excused from the fitness tests, claiming that he had been administered saline drips.The PCB in turn did not allow him to board the plane with the rest of the team. “The PCB thought that an unfit player should not be allowed to go on tour. If he can get fit quickly enough, he should clear his tests here and then go on tour. Unfit players on tour create unnecessary hassles”, said the PCB official, on conditions of anonymity.Answering a question as to when Shoaib was expected to present himself for fitness tests, the official said that the onus was now on the speedster. As soon as he requests to undergo tests, he would be put through them.As to why he was selected in the first place if his fitness was in doubt, the PCB official said that the report from Down Under, where he had been sent for evaluation after being reported for chucking (for the second time in his career) during the recent one-day series in New Zealand, had confirmed that he had clocked speeds of more than 150 kilometres an hour for 12 days running. “It obviously is beyond someone who is not physically fit to bowl at such speeds consistently for 12 consecutive days. So, on the basis of that report, he was selected for the tour. By the time Akhtar, dubbed as the ‘Rawalpindi Express’, was asked to submit himself for pre-tour tests, he had contracted this stomach ailment, the latest in a series of physical misfortunes which have seen him appear only in three one-day matches in about a year.In the meanwhile, the PCB has spent a fortune on his rehabilitation – according to an estimate the cumulative expenses are anywhere between UKP600,000 to 1 million. The PCB expects to cash in on this huge investment in quick time in England. It remains to be seen whether Akhtar recovers quickly enough to live up to those high expectations and that massive investment.

A number of Liverpool supporters have been left hugely frustrated after an injury update on Naby Keita, with the Guinean suffering a fresh setback.

He joined Liverpool with high expectations back in the summer of 2018, arriving from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. It just hasn’t worked out for the midfielder to date, though, with constant injury problems and inconsistent form playing a part in his struggles – his £52.75m transfer fee has returned just seven goals in 76 appearances.

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That’s not to say that Keita has offered nothing to the cause, with the 26-year-old chipping in with good performances over the years, particularly in 2018/19, but there is no denying that he has been a big disappointment.

Keita is now missing with a hamstring problem, as confirmed by journalist Sego Diallo on Twitter, as his fitness woes show no sign of going away.

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Liverpool fans call for Keita to leave

These Liverpool fans have run out of patience with the Guinea international, calling for him to be sold in the summer transfer window.

“Sell this dude already”

Credit: @TseOfficiele

“USELESS”

Credit: @BhojSanjeev08

“We should just let this guy go”

Credit: @presidentofdsen

“Time to sell this guy”

Credit: @AgiusDonald

“Is this a joke or what? How many games did we play without the lad and the season is about to end. Sell this guy and buy Bissouma”

Credit: @Pushkin06745199

“Total waste of money”

Credit: @ianfagan

In other news, some Liverpool fans are delighted after some training ground photos emerged. Read more here.

Liverpool have been handed a considerable injury boost ahead of this weekend’s clash against Southampton, with Nathaniel Phillips able to take to the pitch once again.

The centre-back has missed the last two Premier League games with an injury, both of them ending in 1-1 draws against Leeds United and Newcastle United.

Whilst he was scheduled to take to the pitch in the Reds’ Premier League game against Manchester United last time out, he did not end up playing as the match was called off due to fan protests at Old Trafford.

However, with Phillips now sure to be included in the Liverpool squad as Jurgen Klopp’s men host Southampton on Saturday night, his return will be a huge boost to the Reds for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, Phillips is one of Liverpool’s first-choice centre-backs at the moment due to the respective injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

He has forged a promising partnership with on-loan Ozan Kabak, having started seven Premier League games since the turn of the year. In fact, the Reds have not won any of the last nine league games in which the 24-year-old hasn’t featured, that run stretching all the way back to the 7-0 thumping of Crystal Palace in December.

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His underlying statistics are also quite impressive. Hailed as a “monster” by Jurgen Klopp, he has won a huge 5.5 aerial duels per game in the Premier League this season according to WhoScored. He has also contributed 1.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 4.3 clearances per match, which are very impressive numbers.

Another huge benefit of his inclusion is the possibility of pushing Fabinho back into his preferred position. The Brazilian midfielder has been forced to deputise in the backline due to the club’s injury issues this season.

Whilst the 28-year-old is capable at centre-back, he is simply more effective in the middle of the park, so Klopp will be thrilled for a number of reasons that Phillips can return to the starting line-up tonight.

AND in more news, Harry Kane would be a “great” signing for Liverpool says Ray Houghton…

West Ham United will be looking to continue their late-season push to qualify for a European berth when they welcome Everton to the London Stadium this afternoon.

Last time out, David Moyes’ side came from behind to defeat Burnley thanks to a brace from the returning Michail Antonio, and those three points have put them in a very strong position to feature in UEFA competition in 2021/22.

The Irons could maintain the pressure on capital rivals Chelsea and keep their opposition at bay with another victory here, so it will be interesting to see what sort of line up the 58-year-old deploys.

Here’s the XI we’re predicting, along with the latest team and injury news…

Moyes could make just three changes from the side that tasted victory on Monday night, with a pair of first-choice starters in line to return from injury.

Antonio got through the full 90 minutes unscathed and should be fine to feature once again. He could be joined in the team by returning defender Angelo Ogbonna, who missed the trip to Burnley with a hamstring problem, and Declan Rice, who could be a surprise starter having missed their last five outings.

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ExWHUemployee claimed that the 32-year-old “should be back”, whilst Moyes said he was “hoping to have” the England international available ahead of kick-off in his pre-match press conference, so that’s an encouraging sign.

Ogbonna should come straight back in for Issa Diop, with Manuel Lanzini likely to face the chop in midfield. It means we may see a back four of Aaron Cresswell, Craig Dawson, Vladimir Coufal and the Italian, in front of Lukasz Fabianski.

In midfield, Rice would be likely to join Tomas Soucek, with loan sensation Jesse Lingard and Pablo Fornals keeping their places, although we could see Said Benrahma drop to the bench despite the £18m-rated star’s impressive showing at Turf Moor.

Jarrod Bowen would be the obvious replacement for the Algerian in attack after the 24-year-old was axed against Burnley.

AND in other news, 63 mins, 0 goals in 2021: GSB played a blinder with WHU call on £13m-rated “nightmare”…

According to TEAMtalk, Glasgow Rangers are said to be interested in Cameroon winger Moumi Ngamaleu.

Gers eye Ngamaleu

The Gers are said to be in pursuit of the 26-year-old, who currently plays in Switzerland for Young Boys.

They are not the only party with eyes on him, though, with Leeds, Brighton, Everton and Leicester all mentioned as prospective suitors.

Interesting option

Ngamaleu could very well be an interesting option for Steven Gerrard. While he is predominantly a left winger, he is quite versatile and can play anywhere across the front three (Transfermarkt). With Young Boys, he has a solid return of 32 goals and 35 assists in 166 matches and has picked up regular European experience during his time in Bern, including this season in the Europa League.

One performance in particular which showed what Ngamaleu is about came against Juventus during the 2018/19 Champions League. As Young Boys beat the Serie A champions 2-1, the winger created both of his side’s goals and was a general menace throughout the game.

Currently valued at £3.42m by Transfermarkt and with two years left on his contract, he may not come too cheap, but that should not mean he will be out of the Gers’ price range. With plenty of competition for his signature, Ross Wilson will likely have to move quickly if he wants to capture Ngamaleu.

In other news, Rangers are in advanced talks to sign this striker.

MatériaMais Notícias

A torcida do Flamengo agiu rápido e já esgotou a sua cota de ingressos (39 mil) para o clássico contra o Botafogo, no próximo sábado, no Maracanã. Agora, restam apenas entradas para os alvinegros, que tem carga de apenas 6.212 bilhetes no duelo com mando do clube da Gávea.

A torcida do Botafogo formou filas na manhã desta quarta-feira, em General Severiano, único ponto de venda para os alvinegros. As bilheterias da sede do Glorioso permanecem abertas somente até às 15h desta quarta, Feriado de Finados. Já na quinta e na sexta, a comercialização será de 10h às 17h. Caso ainda restem entradas, haverá venda no sábado, de 10h às 13h.

VALOR DOS INGRESSOS
Setor Sul: R$ 80 (inteira) / R$ 40 (meia)

Liverpool have finally been handed the perfect opportunity to offload Marko Grujic this summer.

The midfielder, who is currently on loan at FC Porto, has reportedly impressed enough for the Portuguese giants to potentially make the move permanent, as reported by Record (via Sport Witness).

Considering the Serbian’s distinct lack of opportunities so far at Anfield, now is the time for Michael Edwards to cut Grujic lOose.

Ever since the midfielder became Jurgen Klopp’s first Liverpool signing in 2016, he has struggled to really make an impact.

The now 25-year-old, who reportedly earns £15,000 per week with the Merseysiders, has only appeared on 16 occasions for the club since his move from Red Star Belgrade, whilst being afforded just two first team outings across the past three seasons at Anfield.

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He has also been farmed out on numerous loan deals to Cardiff City, Hertha Berlin and now Porto in the meantime.

It would seem likely that any chance of him forging a way into the Liverpool first team would be slim at best, considering the competition in midfield from the likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Georginio Wijnaldum, Fabinho and more.

Another benefit of selling Grujic would be that Liverpool could actually make a slight profit on the player, a remarkable feat considering his lack of action with the Merseyside club.

Signed in 2016 for a reported fee of £5.1m, the Serbian is now rated at £12.6m by Transfermarkt; so should the Reds manage to charge anywhere near that to allow him to join Porto permanently, they could more than double their money on him.

With Porto now reportedly having made up their minds concerning signing Grujic on a permanent deal, Liverpool would be foolish not to accept.

AND in more news, take a closer look at how Grujic’s career has faltered in his time at Anfield…

With Celtic currently lacking a manager, it’s perhaps a surprise to see so many new players being linked with Parkhead.

That being said, it’s positive thinking from a club who have done very little right this season.

On the chalkboard

The Hoops faithful are right to be scared about their current position. They have just lost the title for the first time in a decade and they didn’t even run their rivals close.

Neil Lennon is no longer in charge and thus, Dermot Desmond is searching for a new manager.

Whoever walks through the door could have to deal with a player exodus. Star striker Odsonne Edouard has long been linked with an exit, as too has Kristoffer Ajer.

Ajer has been a phenomenal addition since joining the club on a free transfer as a 17-year-old. He is now a matured international for Norway and that has undeniably come with its plaudits.

The centre-back was linked with a move to Tottenham last season while AC Milan have been monitoring his situation. If he does leave, it could leave a giant hole in the middle of Celtic’s defence to fill.

Christopher Jullien is out for the next nine months while Shane Duffy is due to go back to Brighton following the conclusion of his loan spell.

The solution

Celtic could well fill that gap with a certain Declan Gallagher. TEAMtalk reported this week that the Bhoys were ready to move for the Motherwell defender this summer.

They face plenty of competition for his signature with Cardiff, Barnsley, Aberdeen, Hearts and Dundee in the race to sign him.

Premier League clubs Burnley, Sheffield United and West Brom have him on their radar but it’s been claimed that Gallagher’s head has been turned by interest from Celtic.

At the age of 30, he is a seasoned professional and although the Hoops wouldn’t have much sell-on value, he’d be a fantastic acquisition.

Standing at 6 foot 6, Gallagher is a monster in the air and very rarely does he lose a defensive battle. The defender has won a colossal 3.9 aerial duels this term, a tally that betters every Celtic player apart from Duffy and Jullien.

Having won seven caps for Scotland, he has what it takes to play at a higher level and he’d certainly be able to do that at Celtic. After all, Gallagher possesses a similar never-say-die mentality to Ajer.

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Speaking about the Hoops-linked defender in January, Gary Holt told Radio Clyde: “I used to say we were fortunate to have players who were prepared to get hurt in both boxes. He’s prepared to get hurt. That’s what you like about him [Gallagher]. He’s somebody who’s going to do his job to the best of his ability. He’s kicked on massively since he left Livi.”

How Celtic could have done with more players like that this season. Ajer was been one of a few who were really prepared to put their body on the line for the team.

Therefore, if he leaves, it would be a bitter blow. Replacing him with Gallagher would certainly be no bad idea, though.

AND in other news, Better than Kenny: Celtic must sign “fierce” gem who’s made 89 tackles this term…

علق الأرجنتيني هكيتور كوبر مدرب مصر السابق والكونغو الحالي، على خروج منتخب الجزائر من بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية المقامة حالياً بالكاميرون.

الجزائر ودعت بطولة أمم إفريقيا، من دور المجموعات بعدما احتلت المركز الرابع في ترتيب المجموعة برصيد نقطة واحدة، بعد أن تلقت الهزيمة في غينيا الاستوائية وكوت ديفوار والتعادل مع سيراليون.

طالع | فيديو | صدمة.. أبو تريكة يعلق على خروج الجزائر من كأس أمم إفريقيا

وقال كوبر خلال تصريحات لبرنامج “اللعيب” على قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “كانت مفاجأة بالنسبة لنا كلنا خروج منتخب الجزائر من كأس أمم إفريقيا، كنت أرشحها للفوز باللقب”.

وأضاف: “منتخب الجزائر لم يعجبني، كان هناك مفاجآت في البطولة ولكن ما حدث مع الجزائر أدهشني ولا أصدق أنه ودع البطولة”.

وعن منتخب مصر، أوضح: “أعتقد أن كيروش لن يغير من طريقة لعبه عن ما شاهدته من قبل، في المباراة المقبلة أمام كوت ديفوار”.

وتابع: “هي مواجهة ستكون صعبة أمام منتخب صعب، وأتمني أن كيروش يحاول أن يحسن من طريقة لعبه بعض الشيء”.

وأتم: “إذا كنت مدربا لمنتخب مصر سألعب بطريقة 4-4-2، مع كامل احترامي لكيروش، هذه الطريقة ستكون هناك تغطية أفضل داخل الملعب لأن هناك بعض المشاكل داخل صفوف الفراعنة”.

منتخب مصر سيواجه كوت ديفوار يوم الأربعاء المقبل، في إطار دور الـ 16 من منافسات كأس أمم إفريقيا.

Carlo Ancelotti has landed a welcome boost after Iceland confirmed that Everton midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson will sit out the March international break.

Sigurdsson has been given permission to miss his country’s World Cup qualifiers with Germany, Armenia and Liechtenstein as he and his wife are expecting their first child.

The 31-year-old had been named in Arnar Vidarsson’s 25-man squad last week, but he will not join up with Strakarnir Okkar and no replacement is expected to be named to face Germany.

Sigurdsson had played the full 90 minutes in four of Iceland’s last five international fixtures, only missing November’s 4-0 defeat to England when omitted from the matchday group at Wembley.

Ancelotti has frequently called on Sigurdsson to play a role in Everton’s push for European football, with the £13.5m-rated maestro only failing to feature in one of his side’s last 23 fixtures across all competitions.

The sole game that the former Swansea City playmaker failed to feature in at any stage came in the Toffees’ 2-1 defeat at home to Burnley this month, having sustained an ankle knock during the defeat to Chelsea earlier that week.

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Sigurdsson returned to the Blues’ starting line-up for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final loss to Manchester City at Goodison Park, after resuming training in the days preceding the tie.

He is now set for a period of rest after withdrawing from the Iceland squad, which will come as a welcome boost for Ancelotti and Everton ahead of hosting Crystal Palace on April 5th.

The Toffees have a tough April on the schedule, with the Eagles’ visit to Merseyside followed by a trip to relegation-threatened Brighton & Hove Albion and clashes with European contenders Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

Ancelotti will no doubt be glad to hear that Sigurdsson will not be joining the Iceland squad for their three World Cup qualifiers in the space of six days, as the break in fixtures will allow the 78-cap international a chance to rest his ankle and recharge the batteries.

Sigurdsson has occupied a key role in the Italian’s plans for much of the campaign, with minutes given in all but two Premier League games, and will be expected to remain a pivotal presence at Goodison Park in the final months of the season.

Only Lucas Digne has provided more assists (6) in the top-flight this term than Sigurdsson (4), too, while the £100,000-per-week midfielder additionally ranks third behind the Frenchman (1.5) and James Rodriguez (1.7) for average key passes a game (1.1), per WhoScored.

That could remain ever-important after the international break, with Rodriguez missing Everton’s last four Premier League games and the FA Cup tie with Manchester City due to a calf injury.

Ancelotti hopes to have the Colombian back for Crystal Palace’s trip to Goodison Park, though it remains to be seen if the ex-Real Madrid star will be passed fit.

“James is out but he will start to train with the team next week,” Ancelotti said last Friday.

“In the international break, we have time to recover some players. James is one of those and maybe [Jean-Philippe] Gbamin.”

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…