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U.S. international Max Arfsten has reportedly extended his contract with MLS side Columbus Crew, ending speculation over the near future for the wingback. Arfsten was linked with a move away from Columbus, with Middlesbrough reportedly being the most interested club. Now the Crew secure a player whose stock is rising under USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Getty ImagesStaying in Ohio

An invaluable member of the Crew, Arfsten has also become a rising player in the USMNT setup. He received his first cap under Pochettino in January and played in 12 matches overall in 2025. 

The Crew reportedly ensured that they'll retain a homegrown player who has a good chance of making next year's World Cup roster. Arfsten is also in the midst of another banner year for the club, having four goals and six assists in 26 games.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportA growing trend

The U.S. Gold Cup roster featured 15 MLS players, reflecting a growing trend of U.S. internationals choosing to extend their futures in the league or return after stints abroad. 

Goalkeeper Matt Turner rejoined the New England Revolution on loan, while Paxten Aaronson signed with the Colorado Rapids after a season at Utrecht. Homegrown talents such as Matt Freese and now Max Arfsten have also opted for new deals with their MLS clubs instead of testing the waters in Europe.

Growing USMNT influence

According to U.S. Soccer Players, there are 86 players with at least one U.S. cap in MLS. 

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USA TodayBig matches ahead for the Crew

The Crew, uncharacteristically, find themselves scrapping to stay in the playoff chase after being one of the Eastern Conference's perennial contenders under manager Wilfried Nancy. They sit eighth in the conference and have a pivotal match against No. 9 team, the Chicago Fire, on Saturday. 

The left-arm spinner was cleared by the ICC on Wednesday and he as spoken for the first time about the process

Andrew McGlashan27-Feb-20250:51

Lyon: ‘Kuhnemann has been our best bowler’

Australia spinner Matt Kuhnemann said he had “never doubted” his bowling action despite being reported following the Test series in Sri Lanka; he was cleared following ICC testing on Wednesday.The outcome of the testing process was confirmed and Kuhnemann was given the green light to continue bowling in international cricket. Commenting for the first time since the Test series where he took 16 wickets in two matches, Kuhnemann thanked those who had supported him and added he felt the process had been fairly handled.”I am very grateful for all the support I have received from my family, friends and team-mates, and to Cricket Australia who stood by me throughout the process,” he said in a statement issued through Cricket Australia. “It was a disappointing way to finish what was such a successful Test series for Australia. I’ve never doubted my bowling action throughout my career and I’m always looking to improve the art of spin bowling in different conditions.Related

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“I thought the process itself was quite fair and I appreciated the professional manner in which testing was explained to me and then conducted.”Kuhnemann, who had never previously had his action questioned in a career dating back to 2017, could have continued to play domestic cricket while the testing process took place but sat out the previous round of the Sheffield Shield to manage the thumb injury he bowled with through the Sri Lanka series. But he suggested he could return before the end of the season with two rounds of the Shield remaining.”I’m looking forward to finishing the season with Tasmania once my thumb has fully healed and then getting into my off-field preparations,” he said.Kuhnemann is a likely inclusion for the three-match Test series in the West Indies in June-July where conditions at some of the venues may be conducive to two spinners, and he shapes as a key figure for Australia’s next subcontinent Test series, against India in early 2027.Matt Kuhnemann is still recovering from the thumb injury he carried through Sri Lanka•AFP via Getty Images”We are pleased for Matt that this matter is now resolved,” Ben Oliver, CA executive general manager national teams, said. “It has been a challenging period for Matt, however he has carried himself exceptionally well.”He has had the full support of Australian cricket and he can now move forward to the next phase of his international career with great confidence.”During the series in Sri Lanka, Kuhnemann was termed Australia’s best bowler by Nathan Lyon, while stand-in captain Steven Smith had voiced his surprise at Kuhnemann having been reported.India spinner R Ashwin has previously spoken about how Kuhnemann’s wrist action when he delivers can create an optical illusion about the action.”An interesting feature of his action is his loading,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel during Kuhnemann’s debut Test series against India in 2023. “For Kuhnemann, his wrist breaks during his loading. So sometimes it will look like there is an elbow extension. There is nothing like that in his action. But there is wrist involvement, for sure.”

Phil Jones has ranked a sacked Manchester United manager above Liverpool boss Arne Slot, Tottenham's Thomas Frank and current Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim. Jones, a former United star who made 229 appearances for the club, has surprisingly revealed he considers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to be better than all three of those managers, despite the Norwegian failing to win a trophy during his reign at Old Trafford.

Getty Images SportOnly Guardiola above Ole

Jones’ ranking will ruffle feathers. On TikTok channel , the ex-United defender was put on the spot and told to remain silent until a better manager than Solskjaer was named. He didn’t speak until Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was mentioned, effectively placing Solskjaer above Liverpool’s Slot, Amorim, Newcastle's Eddie Howe, and Thomas Frank.

@planetfutebol

Would you swap Ruben for Ole? #futebol #footballtiktok #quiztok #mufc #rubenamorim @Pro Am Padel Tour

♬ original sound – Planet Football

AdvertisementAFPJones lavished praise on Solskjaer

Jones played under Solskjaer at Old Trafford between 2018 and 2021. The United legend failed to deliver a trophy in that time, but did guide the team to a second-place Premier League finish and the Europa League final in the 2020-21 season.

“Ole was great,” said Jones. “We had Ole, we had Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna. Michael did brilliant at Middlesbrough, not there now.

“Kieran McKenna has done fantastic at Ipswich, and is still continuing that. Those three were really, really good. We had that season just after lockdown when there was no crowd, we were really good.”

Getty Images/GOALRough weekend for Liverpool & Man Utd

Jones’ comments come amid a bumpy start to the 2025-26 season, with both Liverpool and United losing over the weekend to Crystal Palace and Brentford, respectively. While Slot’s Liverpool cruised to the Premier League crown in his first season and sit top of the league once again after six games this term, United’s woes under Amorim continue, with the Red Devils languishing in 14th with three losses, one draw and just two wins.

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Getty ImagesManagerial speculation heats up at Old Trafford

Meanwhile, the chatter about United’s next permanent manager refuses to die down. Former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez is strongly linked with the Old Trafford role should Amorim depart. At the same time, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and ex-England manager Sir Gareth Southgate are tipped as potential replacements.

Dhoni also said they didn’t have the kind of openers who would target 60 runs in the powerplay

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-20251:36

Bangar: ‘CSK are in tatters at the moment’

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni wants his team to “look deep down inside” after they lost their fifth straight game in IPL 2025. CSK were trounced by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets with nearly ten overs to spare in a chase of 104.”I think it’s quite a few nights haven’t gone our way,” Dhoni told the broadcaster after the loss. “What’s important is to look deep down inside. I feel the challenge was there. But it’s important to accept that challenge, figure out ways how you’ll tackle the difficult deliveries, and then look to get runs on the board. Today, I felt we didn’t really have enough runs on the board.”Not nearly enough. CSK posted only 103 – their lowest total ever at Chepauk – after being put in to bat by KKR. Before Friday’s game, CSK had been chasing in all five games and Dhoni had even said after losing the toss that he wanted to bat first. But a change in ideas didn’t change CSK’s fortunes.Related

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Edge or no edge – MS Dhoni lbw stirs up debate

In the first innings, the pitch was not easy to bat on. KKR seamer Vaibhav Arora swung the new ball away from left-hand openers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, and offspinner Moeen Ali found turn immediately when he was given the second over. The ball also stopped a bit in the pitch, which forced some miscued shots. CSK crawled to 31 for 2 in the powerplay before slipping to their third-lowest score in the IPL.”Yes, it did [stop] but it has been the case over here,” Dhoni said about the surface. “Whenever we bowled first, even in the second innings, it stopped a bit. But today in the first innings also it was stopping. But also, if you lose too many wickets, it looks very different because it puts pressure on the batsman who is going in, and with quality spinners it becomes slightly difficult. And we never really got any kind of partnerships going. So that also makes it tough. I feel overall a bit more partnerships, a bit more runs, a bit more application, and we’ll be on track.”

“What is also important is not to get desperate seeing the scoreboard. You need, maybe one or two boundaries and run rate keeps on going. If you start looking for 60 in six overs with our line-up, it will be very difficult for us”MS Dhoni

When asked what message he would pass on to his batters whose slow returns have made CSK the slowest starters in powerplays this season, Dhoni said: “What is important is to also see the conditions. I feel there have been couple of games where we have done decently well. But what is important is to back your strength and play the shots that you can play.”What is important is our openers are good openers, and they just need to back themselves and play authentic cricket shots. They’re not the ones who will start slogging or look to hit across the line. But what is also important is not to get desperate seeing the scoreboard. You need, maybe one or two boundaries and run rate keeps on going. If you start looking for 60 in six overs with our line-up, it will be very difficult for us. It’s important to get partnerships going, maybe look to capitalise in the middle and the later overs. That’s what our strength will be. But if we lose too many wickets, the middle order needs do their role differently and the slog has been delayed for quite a while.”It’s also the first time CSK have lost three consecutive games at home in a single IPL season. The loss to KKR took them to a new low as it was the biggest margin of defeat for them in the IPL in terms of balls remaining, the 59 left in the KKR chase beating the previous record – Mumbai Indians (MI) beating CSK with 46 balls left in 2020. They are, however, not at the bottom of the points table, being placed ninth, just above Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with a marginally better net run-rate.

It was a mixed transfer window at West Ham United in the end, but things could have been so much different had they signed the attacking target that they set their sights on.

West Ham's transfer window in review

To say it was a slow start for the Hammers would be an understatement. It looked as though they were going to stand still entirely at one stage, opting to welcome just Callum Wilson and El Hadji Malick Diouf, until they finally returned to the transfer market late on and signed the likes of Mateus Fernandes.

West Ham's "unbelievable" star was their OG Fernandes, then Moyes sold him

The dynamic ace was a brilliant player for West Ham.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 6, 2025

It could be that late flurry that sparks a much-needed turnaround under Graham Potter. Before their 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest before the international break, the Hammers had lost all three of their first games, and had conceded 11 goals in the process. Pressure, as a result, was increasing on Potter.

The former Brighton manager would have breathed a greater sight of relief than anyone else involved at the City Ground, but West Ham must now kick on when they return to action.

Only time will tell whether late deals for Fernandes, Igor Julio and Soungoutou Magassa are enough to turn things around permanently at West Ham and save their transfer window, but Potter can no longer say that he wasn’t backed.

Up next for the Hammers after the international break is the visit of Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby. The Lilywhites have looked much-improved under Thomas Frank, although West Ham are no strangers to defeating their rivals and will be hoping to pick up where they left off against Forest.

It is, of course, the type of game that Aleksandar Mitrovic would have thrived in, but West Ham can thank one reason why he’s not lining up for Potter’s side after the summer transfer window.

West Ham made late Mitrovic offer

As reported by The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, West Ham made a late offer to sign Mitrovic after he was granted an exit from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. Alongside Leeds United, the Hammers were pushing to welcome the forward back to the Premier League to solve their attacking problems.

Ultimately, however, he opted against returning to English football as he didn’t want to tarnish the relationship that he has with Fulham, having spent five years at the West London club.

Once dubbed “outstanding” by Fulham boss Marco Silva, there’s no doubt that Mitrovic would have been an instant upgrade on West Ham’s current options.

“The margins are small in this competition and we’re not hitting our strides and that is a concern,” says MI head coach

S Sudarshanan08-Apr-20254:26

Bangar: MI’s top four didn’t really turn up

Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene acknowledges that the powerplay – both with bat and ball – is a concern for the team. MI went down by 12 runs to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Monday, their fourth defeat in five outings in IPL 2025, and Jayawardene wants the five-time champions to be “ruthless” and not “lose discipline” before it’s too late.”The powerplay is a concern for us with the ball and the bat. In the last few games as well, we were leaking too many runs with the ball in the powerplay as well,” Jayawardene said after the match. “We got an early wicket today as well – first over – but then they counter-punched, played some good shots, and we just did not react well to that. These are the margins and then they had a big sixth over, which really hurt us in that powerplay.”With an economy of 10.36, MI have been the most expensive bowling unit in the first six overs this season. They have only managed to pick up six wickets in the phase. On Monday, Trent Boult struck in the first over for the 31st time in the IPL. But Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal took RCB to 73 for 1 in the powerplay, thanks mainly to a 20-run over from Deepak Chahar to end the phase. It was the second-highest powerplay score against MI at the Wankhede and the fourth-highest overall against them in the IPL.Related

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Then, in their chase of 222, MI lost two wickets in four overs and ended the powerplay on 54 for 2. In this IPL, they have lost ten wickets in the first six overs, second only to the 12 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).”With the bat as well, I thought we had a good start but just couldn’t continue,” Jayawardene said. “We lost those two wickets and then we had to consolidate a little bit and lost a bit of momentum there. We had a few big overs in between but we just weren’t in the game in that first ten overs. The margins are small in this competition and we’re not hitting our strides and that is a concern.”MI are placed eighth on the ten-team points table with just a sole win – against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home. Despite that, Jayawardene said they were “playing some good cricket” and ruled out the need to make changes in their personnel.”I still back the senior pros and all the guys I put out there. They have the skill. It’s just that we need to be a bit more ruthless,” he said. “At times, we’re missing out on those one or two overs where we lose our discipline. So that’s with the bat as well as with the ball. That’s something that we need to rectify.”Losing is not a great thing. You start doubting yourself. And sometimes a fresh face coming into this kind of situation… might be even tougher for that player as well without the experience. The guys who have the experience know to handle tough situations and be mentally stronger going forward. So that’s something that we will bank on and make sure that we really focus on getting the group together and be positive and play the next game.”

“When you have played the game for that long, you need to sometimes give credit to the bowlers as well. I wouldn’t read into that too much, but yeah, it’s something that I’m sure Rohit will work hard on”Mahela Jayawardene on Rohit Sharma

MI found themselves 99 for 4 in 12 overs in their tall chase with ESPNcricinfo’s win predictor giving them only a 2.26% chance at that stage. But captain Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma added 89 in just 34 balls to give RCB an almighty scare. Hardik instilled momentum in the chase, hitting Josh Hazlewood for two sixes and two fours. He then struck Krunal Pandya for back-to-back sixes and raced to 32 off 7.”Most of the guys are match-winners. It’s just that we are not getting that tempo going consistently,” Jayawardene said. “Once you hit that 10th-12th over mark, we knew we could give ourselves a chance. When Hardik walked into bat, that was the conversation I had with him. I said, ‘try and see if you can get three big overs in’. That’s what he delivered. Then the momentum changed. Tilak started going as well.”We were close, but not good enough. Obviously, the emotions were great for a while. But we had to be realistic that we are not playing the best cricket that we could play.”Hardik Pandya’s men have been the most expensive bowling unit in the first six overs this season•Associated PressJayawardene ‘wouldn’t read too much’ into Rohit’s dismissalJayawardene dismissed concerns around former captain Rohit Sharma and backed him after yet another low score. Rohit scored a nine-ball 17 hitting two fours and a six before he was clean bowled by an inswinger from Yash Dayal.”For right-handed batsmen, left-armers [dismissal] is a natural thing,” Jayawardene said. “It’s been there for many years. I can remember Vaasy [Chaminda Vaas] doing the same thing for many teams, Wasim Akram doing the same thing, so it’s just a natural angle. I’m sure Rohit’s been working on it, he’s been practising hard and he’s a very experienced player.”Rohit has now been dismissed 22 times inside the powerplay since the start of IPL 2023, the most for any batter. Among those who have faced at least 180 deliveries in the first six overs since the start of last season, no one has a worse average than Rohit’s 27.90. While he struck at 130.72 in 2023, his strike rate shot up to 151.97 in the powerplay last season, indicating that he has tried to attack more, something Jayawardene acknowledged.”He was trying to give us a good start and he played some really good shots,” he said. “[Dayal] actually bowled a good ball. It was late-swing and fuller, got through Rohit’s defence. When you have played the game for that long, you need to sometimes give credit to the bowlers as well. I wouldn’t read into that too much, but yeah, it’s something that I’m sure Rohit will work hard on.”

Former Bayern Munich and Manchester City winger Leroy Sane found himself at the centre of an ugly Oktoberfest bust-up after being “provoked and personally humiliated” inside a crowded beer tent. The Galatasaray star became involved in a brief fight with a fan after being taunted by a group of Bayern supporters late on Sunday night.

Festival mayhem: Sane’s night out ends in fury

According to the incident occurred inside the famous Weinzelt tent around 11 p.m. local time. According to multiple eyewitnesses, Sane was passing through the tent when a group of fans began shouting abuse from a nearby table. The crowd allegedly included several Bayern supporters, who hurled taunts such as “Scheiß Gala!”, roughly translating to “Shi**y Galatasaray!”, mocking the club he joined in the summer transfer window.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFrom laughs to loudmouths: How the chaos unfolded

Some witnesses even claimed that a handful of remarks crossed into racist territory, which seemed to push Sane’s patience to the limit. Initially, the winger tried to walk away, ignoring the jeers and laughter echoing through the tent. But as the insults continued, the former Bayern favourite turned back to confront the group, sparking a heated verbal exchange. Within moments, the confrontation escalated. One fan reportedly shoved Sane, who reacted instinctively, resulting in a brief scuffle before security staff rushed in to separate the pair.

'Provoked and humiliated' – Sane tells his side

Speaking to , Sane admitted that emotions ran high in the crowded venue but insisted he had been pushed into the situation.

"I was provoked and personally humiliated for a long time in the festival tent," he said. "Galatasaray was also insulted. In the tense atmosphere, I was pushed, and then a brief fight broke out. Of course, I should have been calmer at the time and ignored the situation. I learned from it."

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GettyFestival tradition turns sour

Oktoberfest, Munich’s world-famous celebration of beer and Bavarian culture, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, from locals in lederhosen to international celebrities. It’s also long been a favourite outing for Bayern Munich players, both past and present. Just a day before Sane’s scuffle, Harry Kane and his wife Kate were all smiles at the same event, sharing photos online of what he called a “perfect weekend”. But for Sane, the weekend was anything but perfect; a return to the city he once called home ended in embarrassment and unwanted headlines.

AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan was once a top target for Chelsea in the summer transfer window, and they could now try again in January, with the Frenchman making his Rossoneri exit stance crystal clear behind-the-scenes.

The France international, who’s widely regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers in world football, held talks to join Chelsea before the Club World Cup, but the west Londoners only wanted to pay around £12 million for his signature (Ben Jacobs).

Joao Pedro

Noni Madueke

Jamie Gittens

João Félix

Jorrel Hato

Djordje Petrovic

Liam Delap

Lesley Ugochukwu

Dario Essugo

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Mamadou Sarr

Renato Veiga

Estevao

Armando Broja

Kendry Paez

Carney Chukwuemeka

Alejandro Garnacho

Mathis Amougou

Basir Humphreys

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Marcus Bettinelli

Christopher Nkunku

Nicolas Jackson (obligation to buy in 2026)

Alfie Gilchrist

Lucas Bergstrom

Ben Chilwell

Milan were demanding closer to £25 million, so despite Maignan’s eagerness to join Enzo Maresca’s side, as widely reported, the deal hit a roadblock and ultimately couldn’t be done before the transfer deadline on September 1.

Maresca personally wanted Chelsea to sign a new goalkeeper and centre-back during the summer (Simon Phillips), but the Italian ultimately didn’t get his wish, even if they were exploring opportunities until late in the window.

Chelsea’s pursuit of a keeper points towards a lack of faith in current number one Robert Sanchez, and while the latter has impressed them a lot more lately, Maresca is believed to be unhappy with his options in that area of the park (Simon Phillips).

With Gianluigi Donnarumma joining Man City, Maignan is coming back into the frame as a top goalkeeping target for 2026, with his current Milan contract due to expire next summer.

Mike Maignan's stance on leaving AC Milan with Chelsea "ready" to move in January

According to journalist Graeme Bailey for TBR Football, Chelsea are “ready” to move for Maignan in January and sign him on a pre-contract ahead of next season.

Les Bleus’ number one has also postponed all new contract talks with Milan, which is a clear indicator that he’s set his sights on leaving the San Siro next year, and Chelsea could be set to benefit from the proven keeper’s arrival.

While Sanchez has kept two clean sheets in his first three Premier League games, there is little denying Maignan would be an upgrade, as explained by Liverpool’s Alisson.

Narine and Chakravarthy played a key role in hitting back at DC, who slid from 136 for 3 to 190 for 9

Sidharth Monga29-Apr-20251:36

Rayudu: Narine completely dismantles oppositions

Sunil Narine’s figures at one point: 2.1-0-25-0. Varun Chakravarthy at another: 3-0-31-0. In a chase of 205, having restricted a rampant Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Capitals (DC) were in the ascendence, having punished the two main KKR weapons. And then the two of them came back with a vengeance: combined, they bowled their last 17 balls for five wickets and 12 runs to get KKR’s title defence back on track.DC’s captain Axar Patel topped up his figures of 4-0-27-2 with three sixes off Narine despite an injured bottom hand. Narine found himself captaining KKR after Ajinkya Rahane split his finger open and vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer had been substituted out. Captaining was not the only rare thing he did: he also ran KL Rahul out with a direct hit from short fine leg. His real blows came with the ball: wickets of Axar, Tristan Stubbs and top-scorer Faf du Plessis as DC went from 136 for 3 to 190 for 9.Related

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The quiet, consistent brilliance of Sunil Narine

KKR’s best startSome of it was down to some ordinary bowling from DC fast bowlers, who frequently kept overpitching, but KKR were not complaining. Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahane took toll of the wayward overs to 91 in seven overs. They put together their best opening stand – 48 – of the year and their second-best powerplay – 79. The only problem for KKR was that all three got out in the mid-20s, leaving Rinku Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi with a repair job in the second half of the middle overs.3:06

Ganga; Kuldeep not finishing his overs a missed opportunity

The fizzle-out at the finishRinku and Raghuvanshi added 61 in 7.3 overs for the fifth wicket, gave Andre Russell the perfect platform, but somehow Russell spent more time watching from the non-strikers. He faced only nine balls in three overs as wickets kept falling at the other end. Only 45 came in the last five overs, turning a great start on the best batting surface in Delhi so far into just the second-highest total there this year.KKR spin the wheelKKR might be many things but they are not conservative. They threw the new ball to Anukul Roy, in his first match of the season, to bowl at a left-hand batter, on a non-responsive pitch and with only two fielders out. He was smashed for four first ball, but an arm ball got rid of Porel immediately. Vaibhav Arora, relegated to the second over for a change, got Karun Nair lbw with a yorker. Rahul indulged in one of the most wasteful activities in any form of cricket: the quick single. So poorly judged was the run that even Narine could run him out.Du Plessis, though, was loving the pace in the pitch after his struggles in the last match. To help du Plessis out, Axar, who spent the end of the first innings off the field with an injured left hand, took down Narine like few others have. Only once has a batter hit more sixes off Narine in an IPL innings. It was also a night when Varun seemed off, not even trying to spin the ball and getting hit off high-pace deliveries.3:10

Rapid Fire: Did DC get their tactics wrong?

Narine leads the comebackWith du Plessis taking down pace and Axar taking care of spin, it looked like a cruise when Axar hit Narine for his third six to make it 69 required off 41 with two big hitters still in the shed. Axar just happened to hit a slower short ball straight to cover, giving Narine an opening, which he burst through with a small offbreak to Stubbs in the same over.Now Narine the captain also got into the act. Despite overs of pace up his sleeve, he went back to Roy. Here is why: by the end of his innings, du Plessis’ strike-rate against spin was 100 and 206.25 against pace. They bowled 29 balls of spin at him, and only 16 of pace. He scored only eight off the last 13 balls he faced. Narine was there to accept the wicket when he played the desperate shot 59 required off 29.DC still had Ashutosh Sharma and Nigam, they took 11 off the 17th over, and Narine now trusted his spin twin despite the night he had had. And Varun responded with dot, wicket, wicket to send back Ashutosh and Mitchell Starc. Game over.KKR now have nine points from ten games, just staying in touch with the top six. With 12 points in ten matches, DC were now under threat of not finishing in the top two after a great start to their tournament.

Manchester United went into the summer in desperate need of a squad overhaul following their record-low Premier League finish last season.

The main area that needed improvement was the attack, with players like Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund being pushed out of the club. The deals to sign Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko seemed like the easiest ones that the club completed in the summer, as they were both completed in a matter of days.

However, not every deal was as smooth. United spent a significant portion of the transfer window locked in transfer negotiations with Brentford for Bryan Mbeumo. They also appeared to have a protracted back and forth with Brighton about the signing of Carlos Baleba, but that deal did not materialise due to the south coast club’s reluctance to drop their asking price below the £100 million mark.

With limited time left in the transfer window, United still wanted a goalkeeper and a midfielder, with only the former being recruited in time. A former Arsenal star who played a significant role in the goalkeeper signing has now shared how the deal unfolded and how his club acted differently to Brentford and Brighton.

How the Lammens deal unfolded

The last signing that United managed to complete in the summer was that of Royal Antwerp keeper Senne Lammens. The 23-year-old cost United just over £18 million on deadline day.

One of the key figures at Royal Antwerp is Director of Football Marc Overmars, who spent three seasons playing for Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Reports from the Netherlands via Sports Witness have seen Overmars share that Antwerp’s approach to transfers is a more amicable one than United would have experienced dealing with some of the Premier League teams.

Going into deadline day, it seemed certain that United would sign a keeper, but it was unclear whether that would be Lammens or Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez.

If Martinez were to join United, then Villa would have signed Lammens instead, but as the day progressed, it became clear that United favoured the younger of the two and actually had an offer accepted lower than Villa’s, hijacking a transfer in the process.

Man Utd's plan for Lammens

Lammens is yet to make his debut for United, with Altay Bayindir currently retaining the number one spot. However, with Andre Onana’s departure to Trabzonspor, it looks likely that Lammens will be given a chance between the sticks this season.

One reason why Lammens may not have started yet is that the first games he was eligible for were against Manchester City and Chelsea, which could have been daunting opening games. United’s next games are against Brentford and Sunderland, and despite strong starts to the season, they were both teams in the relegation conversation and are the perfect opportunity for Lammens to find his feet.

It’s hard to argue that even with his Premier League experience, Martinez would have walked straight into the first team, as he has only featured twice this season, with Unai Emery opting for Marco Bizot in goal on a number of occasions.

Only time will tell whether or not United came to the correct decision on deadline day, but with Lammens being the younger player by 10 years, he does look like the better option in the long term.