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Either Shakib Al Hasan or Trent Boult is likely to replace the Australia fast bowler as Kolkata Knight Riders look to reclaim the top spot

The Preview by Sreshth Shah25-Apr-2017Match factsRising Pune Supergiant v Kolkata Knight Riders
Pune, April 26, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:56

Hogg: Tahir at his best with old ball

Form guide

Rising Pune Supergiant (fourth): defeated Mumbai Indians by three runs, defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets, defeated RCB by 27 runs

Kolkata Knight Riders (second): defeated RCB by 82 runs, lost to Gujarat Lions by four wickets, defeated Delhi Daredevils by four wickets

Head to headOverallKolkata Knight Riders chased 66 (D/L adjusted target) and 161 to win both at home and away against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016.In the newsKnight Riders will be without Nathan Coulter-Nile, who in their previous game took three wickets to bowl Royal Challengers Bangalore out for 49, which is the lowest total in IPL history. The 29-year old seamer has not travelled with the team to Pune, with captain Gautam Gambhir citing workload management as the reason.Coulter-Nile’s absence means either Shakib Al Hasan or Trent Boult could return to the team. Colin de Grandhomme hasn’t fired with the bat but his three-wicket haul on Sunday has boosted his chances of retaining his place.The likely XIsRising Pune Supergiant 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Ben Stokes, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Manoj Tiwary, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Imran Tahir, 11 Jaydev UnadkatKolkata Knight Riders 1 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yusuf Pathan 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Trent Boult/Shakib Al Hasan, 11 Kuldeep YadavStrategy Punt Overall in the IPL, Sunil Narine smashes spin at a strike-rate of 233 but pace at only 126. But this season, with his promotion to opener, he has smashed fast bowlers for 93 runs off 53 deliveries. So perhaps there is a case for Rising Pune to take pace off the ball and use Imran Tahir or Washington Sundar against him.Stats that matter MS Dhoni has struggled against Sunil Narine in T20s. He has managed only 27 runs off 54 balls. Manoj Tiwary has scored 139 runs off 82 balls, at a strike-rate of 167.07. He has been dismissed only three times in his last nine T20 innings, and has been hitting a boundary every four balls. Ajinkya Rahane has smashed Umesh Yadav for 54 runs in 38 balls without ever being dismissed in the IPL. Knight Riders have taken 28 wickets between overs 7 and 15, ten more than their closest rivals Sunrisers Hyderabad. Six KKR bowlers have taken three or more wickets during the middle overs, with Woakes’ tally of six being the highest. KKR’s quicks have been the most productive in the league. They have taken 34 wickets at an average of 19.82. On the other hand, Rising Pune’s seamers have managed only 24 wickets at an average of 32.54. Spinners have been more effective than seamers at MCA stadium this season. They have given away only 6.97 runs per over, taking a wicket every 19.42 runs. Seamers have leaked 9.50 runs an over, taking a wicket every 42.61 runs.

UAE picked up their first win in a first-class game since September 2013, and their maiden win of the 2015-17 Intercontinental Cup with a nine-wicket triumph over PNG

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Mohammad Naveed took two wickets in the first innings and four in the second•AFPLega Siaka’s career-best 142 not out was not enough to prevent a nine-wicket defeat for Papua New Guinea at the hands of United Arab Emirates in their Intercontinental Cup match in Abu Dhabi. It was UAE’s first win of the competition, and their first since September 2013 in first-class cricket, also by the same margin. In the interim, they had lost three of their four matches – two of them by heavy margins – and drawn the other.”It’s an awesome feeling,” Dougie Brown, the UAE coach, said. “There has been a lot of work that has gone into this in the past three months, and all the credit for embracing the work and the vision we have presented goes to the players.”It was a pretty flat wicket. I thought the way the guys stuck to it with the ball and in the field was absolutely exceptional. Dominic Tello [UAE assistant coach] deserves a lot of credit for the hours he has put in, but the guys deserve most of the credit because they are the ones putting in the hard work.”UAE dominated the match right from the first day. Having chosen to bat, PNG were quickly in trouble as seamers Mohammad Naveed and Qadeer Ahmed dismantled the top-order to leave them 33 or 3. From there, it was all downhill. Jack Vare and Chad Soper, PNG’s Nos. 8 and 9, scored 38 each to lift them from 110 for 7 to 194. The new-ball pair of Naveed and Qadeer shared five wickets and spinners Imran Haider and Ahmed Raza took the rest.UAE gained a 247-run first-innings lead, courtesy a 63 from Rameez Shahzad and centuries from Muhammad Usman and Saqlain Haider. Both raised their maiden first-class centuries – both were playing their third game. Usman was dismissed for 103, while Saqlain remained unbeaten on 102 when UAE declared at 441 for 8. Legspinner Mahuru Dai took 4 for 126, his best returns in first-class cricket.”I think I’m right in saying the team haven’t scored 400 before in a first innings,” Brown said. “For them to get that and for us to be in a position where we can declare, to give ourselves the best part of five sessions to try to win the game, was fantastic.”PNG managed to make UAE bat again courtesy Siaka, who scored nearly 50% of his team’s second-innings runs. Siaka began day four on 51, having taken PNG to 152 for 4 (effectively minus 95 for 4) in the company of Sese Bau. Bau fell early, ending a fifth-wicket stand of 67. Thereafter, it was all Siaka until he ran out of partners. Legspinner Haider, who scythed through the top half of PNG’s line-up, and Naveed took four wickets each for UAE.UAE needed a mere 42 to win. They lost Laxman Sreekumar for 4, before Shaiman Anwar blitzed an unbeaten 32 off 19 balls as UAE knocked off the runs in just 5.5 overs.Dipak Patel, the PNG coach, put the defeat down to lack of first-innings runs, but added there was plenty to learn from it.”In the first innings we didn’t get enough runs,” Patel, the former New Zealand spinner, said. “There is a lack of experience among our batsmen. We are still learning. This is only the fourth time they have played a four-day game.”The natural instinct for our players is to play shots. We can take a lot out of it, particularly the classy knock by Lega Siaka in the second innings.”

Aston Villa have made contact to enquire about a summer deal to sign Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto, according to reports.

Is Wilfried Gnonto leaving Leeds?

The Whites’ left-sided winger only arrived at Elland Road from FC Zurich last summer and majorly impressed during his 28 appearances in his debut season, so after suffering relegation from the Premier League to the Championship, his future is currently up in the air.

The Italy international’s agent, Claudio Vigorelli, has revealed that his client will hold “talks” regarding his future in Yorkshire, and despite reporter Graham Smyth claiming that the club “hope to keep” him beyond the ongoing window, he has plenty of potential suitors waiting to snap him up should he depart.

The Mirror have credited Crystal Palace, Brighton, West Ham and Everton all with a strong interest in the 19-year-old, but it won’t come cheap to strike a deal considering that he still has four years remaining on his contract in LS11 meaning that his side won’t be forced to cash in.

The Daily Mail recently claimed that NSWE, Unai Emery and Monchi have approached Leicester City to discover the availability of Harvey Barnes, but with the Foxes looking to demand £35m for their prized asset, Gnonto could provide a much cheaper and younger alternative.

Are Aston Villa signing Gnonto?

According to Italian reports (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa have “asked for information” on Gnonto, though it’s not specified whether the player has been contacted directly or if it was Leeds. The Midlands outfit have “lined up” alongside Everton and Bundesliga club SC Freiburg to try and strike a deal and they are firmly “in the mix” to receive his signature.

The Villa Park side “appreciate” their target’s profile and it’s stated that he “will leave” Daniel Farke’s team, who have set a price tag of €25m (£21m).

Should NSWE submit a bid for Gnonto?

Aston Villa have faced Leeds on multiple occasions and will know exactly what Gnonto is capable of having come up against him during his debut campaign in the top-flight, and having been dubbed a “pocket rocket” by football pundit Tam McManus, NSWE should certainly consider testing the waters for the winger.

Sponsored by Puma, the teenager racked up six goal contributions (four assists and two goals) in 24 Premier League outings last season whilst recording a total of 50 shot-creating actions over the course of the campaign which was the fourth-highest total throughout his squad, as per FBRef.

The Verbania native is also a versatile operator having been deployed in seven various positions over the grass since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even three roles in the midfield, so he’d be a fantastic option for the boss to have at his disposal should any unexpected injuries occur.

Having dropped down to the Championship, Gnonto is likely to want to complete a move either back to the top-flight or to a competitve league overseas rather than remaining in the second tier, so this switch could be of appeal to him, therefore the board should capitalise on this by trying to convince him of the project at Villa Park.

Arsenal have held talks with the representatives of RB Leipzig defender Benjamin Henrichs as manager Mikel Arteta eyes a new backup target.

Who are Arsenal signing this summer?

The Gunners have been moving swiftly in one of their most hectic transfer windows of the last decade, having already signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea in a deal worth £65 million.

Havertz will inject some much-needed versatility and quality into Arsenal’s attacking areas, with Arteta expressing his delight at the Germany international’s signing.

“Kai is a player of top quality,” explained the Arsenal boss.

“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”

The north Londoners, meanwhile, are thought to be nearing the captures of both Ajax defender Jurrien Timber and West Ham United star Declan Rice, having agreed a total £105m fee for the latter player after weeks of negotiations.

Full-back is an area Arsenal will look to bolster as well, with reports out of Germany suggesting that Man City star Joao Cancelo and Galatasary’s Sacha Boey among the candidates.

Henrichs is also linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, as now backed by Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, who says Arsenal talks have been held with his entourage.

Arteta is personally a big fan of the Germany international, with Plettenberg describing Henrichs as an “important” player for Leipzig.

Who is Benjamin Henrichs?

The 26-year-old has been given rave reviews in past seasons, with the Bundesliga’s official website even once likening him to Bayern Munich superstar Joshua Kimmich.

They wrote:

“With his ability to play at both full-back and in defensive midfield, the similarities with Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich make for an obvious comparison. Yet the players share more than just positional versatility: both are quick, aggressive in the tackle, able to spray diagonal passes into the feet of a teammate on the other side of the pitch, or curl pinpoint crosses into the box on regular forays forward.”

Meanwhile, Henrichs has also been called exceptional by former Bayer Leverkusen head coach Roger Schmidt, who said it’s “unbelievably difficult” to get past him.

Schmidt branded the defender “absolutely top class” in a glowing endorsement which will surely entice Arsenal supporters.

“He’s got exceptional defensive qualities,” said Schmidt.

“It’s unbelievably difficult to get past him. He’s absolutely top-class. We all know how hard it is to defend against players like Heung-Min Son and Ousmane Dembele…but it’s just very hard to get the better of Benny.”

Mickey Arthur shares on the challenges of coaching Pakistan as he completes one year in the role

Danyal Rasool12-Apr-2017That Pakistan cricket has faced a unique set of challenges over the past decade or so is not in dispute, and Mickey Arthur believes its effects on the international team were obvious when he walked into the role one year ago. Speaking nearly 12 months on from his appointment as head coach of the Pakistan national side, Arthur said that Pakistan had been playing cricket “that belonged in the 20th century”.”This isn’t just dressing room speak,” Arthur said. “I’ve told the players that we were playing cricket that belonged in the 20th century. We hadn’t embraced the new modern game yet, and that was for a number of reasons, like not playing at home, or [not] having the exposure to the IPL that the rest of the world has had. So there were a lot of mitigating factors, but the fact is, if we’ve got to compete with them, we have to start embracing the modern trend.”One aspect of the modern game that remains absent in Pakistan cricket is the presence of power hitters. Their scarcity has been noticeable in the Pakistan side, both at the top and tail of the innings, with Pakistan’s ODI run rate in the first and last Powerplay the lowest of all Full Members, save Zimbabwe. Arthur acknowledged it was not something that could be coached into players overnight, and such players needed to be developed and groomed over time.”It [lack of power hitters] is a worry. When we get on good wickets, we can’t match the other countries. In Australia, I felt we always started 20-30 runs behind them because they could maximise the last ten overs. Teams are getting 100 runs in the last ten overs now. We’re getting 70, at best. We didn’t get a run-a-ball in the last five overs the other day in a T20 [against West Indies]. That’s not good enough; that’s not going to win us games. We don’t have the ability to take on the power players, which is so disappointing, because we did with Sharjeel [Khan], so to lose him is a massive blow.”But along those lines, those are things we have to get better at, and it’s not going to happen overnight. You’re not going to wake up one morning and become a power hitter. We’re training it; we’ve got drills and techniques that we’re putting into play. Hopefully, all that comes to fruition, because we’ve got two years till the World Cup, and in the World Cup, we’ve got to be as good as we can possibly be.”Mickey Arthur said losing a power hitting like Sharjeel Khan was a ‘massive blow’•Associated PressArthur also talked about the cultural challenges of managing an Asian team for the first time, saying he was fully prepared to embrace the culture around Pakistan’s cricket. He clarified, however, that accepting the culture was not tantamount to tolerating mediocrity, and that he didn’t believe his role as coach could be boiled down to a win-loss ratio, stressing that his main priority was setting up a professional structure in Pakistan’s cricket, with fitness at the core of their preparation.”Comfort zones are not tolerated within our environment anymore. We’ve tried to push the players, we tried to challenge the players, take them to limits they haven’t been before in terms of fitness and preparation.”I like to think that when people look at what happened for the last one year, they look at structure. You are always going to be judged as coach on win-loss ratio but for me it’s a lot more than that. It’s about the environment, it’s about the standards and it’s about challenging players. It’s about not tolerating mediocrity and that’s the stuff I would love to leave behind so the next coach that came in would come into a structure that functions. Players know what standards are and live up to those standards. Otherwise I’m wasting my time. Hopefully that’s going to be my legacy – a thoroughly professional structure.”With Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan having announced that the Test series in the West Indies will be their last, Pakistan look set for a period of transition without two of their stalwarts. While that might be intimidating for some, Arthur said he was excited by the opportunity of managing a new team, pointing to his time with the South African national side, where he oversaw a young team emerge as a unit that is presently ranked No. 2 and No. 1 in Tests and ODIs.”That’s what you live for as a coach. I’ve been lucky in my team with South Africa, where we inherited a team with a couple of senior players, and we put in players like [AB] de Villiers, [Morne] Morkel, [JP] Duminy, [Dale] Steyn. To see them grow and get better is the most fulfilling thing that can happen for you as a coach. I’m hoping the same happens with this Pakistan team, and I’m incredibly excited about the future.”

Sky Sports journalist Massimo Marianella has teased a potential Tottenham Hotspur swoop for marquee Napoli striker Victor Osimhen if Harry Kane leaves.

Who will Spurs sign this summer?

The incoming arrival of new manager Ange Postecoglou has birthed many transfer rumours in the last few weeks with Spurs sealing a deal for Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Lead by chairman Daniel Levy, in the absence of an out-and-out sporting director, Tottenham are looking to bolster many key areas of the squad this summer with fresh faces.

Vicario will come in to succeed the potentially departing Hugo Lloris but Spurs are also rumoured to have given the green-light for a central defensive signing.

Postecoglou apparently wants a new attacking midfielder on top of that, leading to their serious and advancing interest in Leicester City star James Maddison.

Kane, who starred for Spurs last season, is also being linked with a move away again and reports out of Germany state that Bayern Munich are hotting up their pursuit.

Man United and Chelsea are in the running for Kane too, with Sky reporter Marianella hinting that they could move for Osimhen if the England international departs.

Speaking on Sky Sport 24, via Tutto Napoli.net, the journalist hinted at an ambitious swoop for Osimhen from Spurs with Chelsea also apparently set to make contact.

"Tottenham are a team with medium-high ambitions that are changing everything," said Marianella.

"They say that even Chelsea are about to make a phone call to Napoli for Osimhen. It seems that one door is closed, which is that of Real Madrid, the two most open to catch a striker remain Manchester United and PSG. At that point, a place would also open up at Tottenham."

Who is Victor Osimhen?

Signing the Nigeria international would be an ambitious and sensational move by Spurs, though his marquee reported €120 million (£103m) price tag is quite a large barrier.

There is little doubting Osimhen's quality, though, with the former Lille star notching an incredible 26 goals and four assists in just 32 Serie A appearances last season.

Gary Lineker has called the 24-year-old's form "consistently impressive", while members of the press like ESPN's Colin Udoh believe he is a "monster" in the final third.

Play was stopped for 20 minutes in the third session, while players and fans were evacuated while the cause of the alarm was being investigated

Firdose Moonda in Dunedin10-Mar-2017A fire alarm prompted a full ground evacuation at the University Oval, where play was stopped for 20 minutes in the third session. There was neither imminent danger nor any damage caused after steam caused the alarm to go off in the grandstand, which was the first to be emptied. Spectators, numbering 3296, were asked to leave their seats and dispatched to the rims of the ground while players and match officials were sent onto the field while the cause of the alarm was investigated.Within minutes of the alarm being sounded, a fire engine arrived on the scene but it was not needed. The grass banks were the next to be cleared out before the buildings on the northern end of the ground, which includes the television commentary team, were also cleared onto the adjacent rugby field.Although the exact cause of the steam is not yet known, the situation was quickly assessed as being under control and fans were allowed back in. With heavy cloud cover and cool temperatures, not as many of them returned, putting a damper on what had been well-attended, albeit feisty, day at the ground.None of the players were too perturbed by the interruption although both sides lamented the loss of the crowd,after they were allowed back in. “The biggest shame was that the crowd left and it was quite a good atmosphere,” BJ Watling, New Zealand’s wicket-keeper said.South Africa have been involved in some unusual breaks in play recently – the ODI against Sri Lanka last month was stopped after a bee invasion – but of the players, Keshav Maharaj has seen a fire alarm stoppage before. “It was on a South Africa A tour to Australia last year, we were sitting in the change room and the fire alarm went off. So I guess it was nothing new to me,” he said.Earlier in the day, some spectators were ushered out by security officials for being too rowdy while on day two, 35 people were ejected for the same reason.

Farhaan Behardien has done his job as a finisher admirably in the recent past, and is now also ready for the stress that captaining a team brings

Firdose Moonda19-Jan-20172:27

‘My style to let players empower themselves’ – Behardien

It has not been easy being Farhaan Behardien. Despite being among South Africa’s top domestic performers, Behardien has received scant public support when promoted to national ranks.The most criticism is a broad brushstroke claiming he is out of his depth, and his numbers don’t do him any favours.From 51 ODIs, Behardien has a batting average of 30.58 without a century. In 25 T20s, he has only collected 232 runs at 23.20. He has been touted as an allrounder but 17 wickets in international cricket doesn’t quite justify the tag, and he has often been the scapegoat when South Africa struggle. Somehow he has not let it bother him too much.”I didn’t cover myself in glory three or four years back but it’s also tough to make it on the international stage. I just try not to think too much about what other people think,” he said.’I know when I haven’t performed and when I don’t do well, we tend to lose because its such a high-pressure job’ – Farhaan Behardien•AFPThe early part of Behardien’s international career was unrewarding. In 2013 and 2014, he played 16 ODIs and averaged 22.33 and the same number of T20s at 17.14. He was batting in the lower middle-order, and was often only required to come in for a few overs either when the big runs had been scored or when the cause was already lost. But in the two years since, tasked with a clear finishing role, there has been a major improvement. Since January 2015, Behardien has played 35 ODIs and averages 36.61 and in nine T20s, he averages 37.33.He has accepted more responsibility and has played a part in some of South Africa’s most memorable wins: a T20 in Dharamsala, and a victory over Australia in Guyana are two recent examples. Most importantly, he has understood the importance of his own role. “I know when I haven’t performed and when I don’t do well, we tend to lose because its such a high-pressure job. Batting at No 5,6 and 7 is high risk-high reward.”Now, Behardien faces the biggest risk, with possibly the biggest reward of his career. With several senior players resting over the next week, his success in the domestic T20 competition, where he finished as the third-highest run-scorer and helped the Titans claim the title, has been recognised and he will lead South Africa in three T20s against Sri Lanka. For him, as it would be for many others, it is “the proudest moment of my career.”Farhaan Behardien has played a significant hand in some of South Africa’s most memorable wins, including a record chase against India in Dharamsala•AFPBehardien has some leadership experience at the Titans, most recently in the T20 final when regular skipper Albie Morkel left the field in the first over with a hamstring niggle. “David Wiese and I took over the reins and navigated the team through that period,” Behardien explained. “Our style was for the players to empower themselves and to make their own decisions. When the pressure moment is on, they need to make good decisions.”That is the approach he intends to use at national level as well. Despite being put in charge of an inexperienced, experimental group of players, Behardien has promised to trust them to know what to do because be believes they are all deserving of the step up. “All these players have showed unbelievable form in the T20 challenge,” he said. “Our practice sessions have been very intense and guys are looking to impress the selectors and the coaches.”Behardien has another group of people to show his best side to. His parents and brother are flying up from Cape Town to “see if he tosses the coin right,” and be part of the sell-out crowd at his adopted home in Centurion, where he has played his cricket for the last decade. At least this time Behardien can be assured the cheers will be for him too.

Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun is still attracting "interest" from clubs in the Premier League and abroad, reveals Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

The interest in the young striker has intensified thanks to his excellent loan spell with Ligue 1 side Stade Reims last season.

Arsenal transfer news – What's the latest on Folarin Balogun

Alongside the player's impressive exploits in France last season, his much-publicised desire to be a starting number nine next year and opposition to playing second fiddle has increased the interest in him.

The most recent club to signal interest in the player is West Ham United, who have reportedly made the New York-born striker a priority signing in the Summer window, per FootballTransfers.

According to the report, the player has been discussed as a potential makeweight in the Declan Rice to Arsenal saga, a deal that could suit all parties involved.

Outside of the Premier League, Juventus are one of the possible destinations for the player.

Italian Journalist Rudy Galetti informed GiveMeSport that the Bianconeri could sign Balogun as a potential replacement for Dusan Vlahovic, who is said to be on Chelsea's list of potential summer transfers.

The price Arsenal are looking to get for their young star is reported to be around £35m, as per football.london.

What has Dharmesh Sheth said about Folarin Balogun and Arsenal?

Sheth highlighted the player's contract situation and informed GiveMeSport of the interest in the player from clubs both in and out of the Premier League.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "I think he's got two years left on his contract. If Arsenal do want to keep them, we've not heard of any noises of a new contract, so that one could move.

"I think his representatives do have interest in the player from the Premier League and from clubs abroad, including RB Leipzig as well, so keep an eye on that one."

How good was Folarin Balogun's season last year?

Whilst the player certainly had his fans and excitement surrounding him before his stint in Ligue 1, that year abroad has generated much of the current interest and hype around the player, and rightly so.

According to WhoScored, the player averaged an impressive rating of 6.90 across his 37 league games last season, scoring 21 goals and assisting a further two.

His underlying numbers are equally impressive and paint the picture of a player who could go on to be a star.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the dynamic forward is in the top 7% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 9% for total shots and the 19% for touches in the opposition's penalty area, all per 90.

With statistics like that, it's no surprise that Mikel Arteta heaped praise on him back in February, saying:

"When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it's just incredible. It's very rare to see that. But he's got something special, that's why we decided to give him a long-term contract."

If the Gunners are set to cash in on their American wonderkid, they might regret it further down the line.

David de Gea is has been left off Manchester United's retained list but the club have stated that "discussions remain open" over a new contract.

When does David De Gea's contract expire?

The Spanish goalkeeper currently earns £375k-per-week but that deal expires at the end of the month on June 30.

With that being the case, negotiations have been going on for some time but it appears he will have to take a notable pay cut to remain at Old Trafford.

Indeed, Man United have already seen an extension offer worth £200k-per-week reportedly turned by De Gea who presumably wasn't happy with the terms.

However, with no agreement reached yet, at this moment in time it seems that he could well be leaving in just a matter of weeks now.

After all, the club released their official retained list this week and the goalkeeper was not included. Despite that, though, he wasn't among those – such as Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe – to be confirmed as a departure either.

Instead, the statement explained: "In terms of the goalkeeping department, discussions remain open with David De Gea over a potential new contract."

Will De Gea leave Man United?

Some of the club's departures have been known for some time. For instance, after 12 years at Old Trafford, Phil Jones penned an emotional goodbye message on Instagram at the start of June.

De Gea's situation, however, has been unclear for months and even after plenty of discussions behind the scenes, no final decision appears to have been made just yet.

The player wouldn’t have helped his hopes for a big new contract with some iffy displays last term – notably conceding a howler away at West Ham. Even so, he's still be a regular under Erik ten Hag, playing 38 league games and keeping 17 clean sheets.

And so, it's not hard to understand why the Red Devils don't want to offer him the same sort of wages he currently earns.

Indeed, if De Gea wants to earn that sort of cash, it looks as though he'll have to leave England this summer. According to 90min, interest from Saudi Arabia's Pro League could allow him to manage that.

Still, Fabrizio Romano told GIVEMESPORT just last month that the idea for Man United and the player is to "continue together" and negotiations are "very, very advanced.

He explained: "They wanted to reduce his salary but, at the same time, to have a different structure with the contract – maybe a longer contract with a different structure of the salary – so this is the discussion, but it's now very, very advanced.

"De Gea wants to stay and Manchester United want to keep De Gea, so the idea is to continue together. I think Erik ten Hag has been very, very clear on that. It's about the final clauses and then it will be completed soon."

With that being the case, even if they've missed this deadline, it does sound as though it could all be sorted just in time before his contract officially expires.