Manchester United have agreed a deal with Wolves for the signing of Brazil striker Matheus Cunha.
The 26-year-old is set to become United’s first signing of the summer after the club activated a £62.5m release clause in Cunha’s Wolves contract.
The former Atletico Madrid forward will sign a five-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option of a further 12 months.
Cunha was in Manchester over the weekend to complete a medical with the club.
The deal, which is subject to visa approval and registration procedures, is expected to be completed once Cunha returns from international duty with Brazil later this month.
The forward has scored 31 goals in 76 appearances since completing a permanent move to Wolves in 2023.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe initiated cost-saving measures after he became a minority owner of the club last year.
Last summer, around 250 staff were made redundant, saving the club an estimated £8m-£10m. A further 200 staff could lose their jobs this summer.
In March, United revealed plans for a new £2bn stadium on the site of Old Trafford.
Real top the rankings with a value of $6.75bn and revenue of $1.129bn, while Barcelona are third.
Manchester City boasted the second largest revenue in 23-24 ($901m), but are fifth in terms of total value ($5.3bn), a 4% rise on the previous year.
Liverpool are the fourth most valuable football club in the world with a value of $5.4bn) and a revenue of $773m in 23-24.
Forbes’ team valuations are enterprise values (equity plus net debt) based on historical transactions and the future economics of each league and each team.
Revenue and operating income – such as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization – reflect the 23-24 campaign.
The team values include the economics of each team’s stadium but not the value of the stadium real estate itself.
Debt is measured in terms of interest-bearing borrowings due in more than one year (including stadium debt).
Forbes’ valuations came from club annual reports and documents, team executives, investors, credit rating agency reports and sports bankers.
Greater Manchester Police have arrested a man after a police sergeant was injured in an alleged hit-and-run.
The officer, who has not been named, was hurt when his legs were crushed between two vehicles, the force said.
A car “reversed into the officer several times” on Frodsham Street, Rusholme, at approximately 18:00 on Friday. The driver then fled the scene, the force said.
A 41-year-old man is in custody and has been arrested on suspicion of assault, dangerous driving and failure to stop, GMP added.
Wishing her colleague a “speedy recovery”, Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker condemned any assault on an officer as “wholly unacceptable”.
These assaults take officers “away from being able to serve and protect the public, which is what they come to work each shift to do”, she said in a statement released by GMP.
Assistant Chief Constable Parker added: “This incident is a reminder of the risks that our frontline officers face daily as they go about their duties to keep communities safe and respond to incidents.”
The GMP sergeant involved in the alleged hit-and-run is being treated in hospital and is not believed to have life-threatening or life-altering injuries.
An investigation into the incident is now under way.
Thanking people who had already come forward with information, the assistant chief constable asked anyone who had relevant CCTV or dashcam footage to call police on 101.
Al-Hilal move for Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Manchester City join the race for Rayan Cherki and Leroy Sane could return to the Premier League.
Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have offered a deal for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, 30, and told the Portugal midfielder he has 72 hours to make a decision. (Mail, external)
Manchester City have joined the race to sign Lyon’s 21-year-old Frenchmidfielder Rayan Cherki, who has also been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea. (Telegraph – subscription required, external)
Everton have joined Leeds United in the race to sign 33-year-old Newcastle United and England striker Callum Wilson, who is out of contract next month. (The Sun, external)
Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign 29-year-old Bayern Munich and Germany winger Leroy Sane, who will become a free agent at the end of next month (Sky Sports, external)
Aston Villa look poised to sign Feyenoord’s 18-year-old Dutch striker Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer this summer. (Sky Sports, external)
Arsenal have held talks with Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres’ agent in Lisbon and made a £58.7m offer to sign the Sweden international. (Correio da Manha – in Portuguese, external)
Manchester United have agreed the framework of a deal for Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap and are now waiting for the English striker to decide on his next move. (ESPN, external)
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, is expected to leave Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and sign for a new club to play in the Club World Cup, which kicks off on 15 June in the United States. (Telegraph – subscription required, external)
Wolves are set to reject Manchester United’s proposal to pay Matheus Cunha’s £62.5m release clause over five years.
BBC Sport understands Wolves expect United to honour the clause, which requires the full fee for the Brazil forward to be paid in three instalments during a two-year period.
LIVERPOOL fans who lined the streets to celebrate the club’s Premier League triumph have spoken out after a car ploughed into a crowd.
A 53-year-old white British man from Liverpool was arrested at the scene on Water Street just after 6pm and is thought to have been the driver of the car, police said.
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A large police presence remained after the street had been cleared following the incidentCredit: PA
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Police officers cover an area of the road with an inflatable tentCredit: AFP
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Some 27 injured people were rushed to hospital – two with serious injuries – and 20 were treated at the scene, with more patients self-presenting later on, the North West Ambulance Service said.
A survivor of the Manchester Arena bombing was one of those knocked to the floor by the car.
Frankie, 24, told the Mail: “I was at the Manchester Arena incident. I don’t want to go out again.
They continued: “The side of the car went into me and I fell to the floor. It’s all a blur.
read more on liverpool attack
“I’ve got cuts and bruises and I’ll be fine but there’s loads who have got more severe injuries.”
LIVE: Police update after car ploughed into crowd during Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade
Meanwhile, supporter Harry Rashid, 48, was a stone’s throw away from the swerving vehicle during the terrifying scene.
“It happened about 10 feet away from us,” he said.
“We were just in a crowd and we had no control over where we would be, because it was a very narrow street.
“The vehicle came to our right. It emerged from just right next to an ambulance, which was parked up.
“This grey people carrier just pulled up from the right and just rammed into all the people at the side of us.
“It was travelling south, down Water Street, straight towards this strand, which is where the docks are.
“It was extremely fast. Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”
Merseyside Police are leading the investigation and were initially supported by counter-terrorism police.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The scenes in Liverpool are appalling — my thoughts are with all those injured or affected.”
He later praised the “remarkable bravery” shown by the emergency services in Liverpool and added: “Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the scenes as “truly shocking” and thanked the emergency services for their “swift response”.
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Members of the emergency services walk through littered streetsCredit: AFP
According to Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell, though, that seasonal abnormality has come to an end.
She said: “Last night’s rain won’t have brought May much closer to average.
“That being said, we still have a week left of May and we expect to see rain every day, so by the end of the month we could be closer to the monthly average.”
Fellow meteorologist Zoe Hatton added that showers will sweep across the country from Sunday onwards.
She said: “Across the north of the countryside of Scotland is likely to be wet and quite miserable initially.
“A band of rain will be moving eastwards overnight lingering in the far north of Scotland. Elsewhere it’s not going to be widely wet.
“There’s going to be low cloud in places which could produce outbreaks of rain across the Pennines and across higher ground in the south of England, but the main focus will really be northern Scotland.
“As the day moves on that band of rain will move eastwards and we’re going to see showers arriving from the west.
“The most likely places affected will be Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England, and some quite frequent blustery showers across parts of the country, but drier further south.”
Heavy winds peaked at 50mph in the north of England on Saturday, while temperatures across the country will peak at a meager 15C on Sunday.
Some southern areas, including London, could experience highs of 21C, though, on Wednesday and Thursday.
However, Becky has warned that the warmer weather might not return until the school half-term.
Temperatures will begin to rise after June 2, bringing an end to what is believed will be a very wet week.
Over the last few months, Britain has experienced a variety of rare weather conditions with meteorologists warning of a tornado on May 21.
One spokesperson said: “It’s not out of the question that we could see a funnel cloud, maybe even a brief tornado across parts of the South East.”
UK could be hit by tornado, Met Office warns as thunderstorms & heavy rain bring end to dry spell – check areas at risk
Tornadoes form when hot, humid air collides with cold, dry air.
The cold air heads downwards, while the hot air rises – creating a funnel, which eventually spirals into a tornado.
The Dutchman has received a number of offers but opted to stay out of the game until this summer.
Earlier this month sources close to Ten Hag told BBC Sport the former Ajax boss was preparing to return at the beginning of July and was willing to assess any suitable offer.
Alonso, who is expected to replace the outgoing Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid manager, has quit Leverkusen after leading the club to their first Bundesliga title in 2024 in an unbeaten league campaign.
Leverkusen also completed a domestic double last season, beating Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final.
Although the club has not been able to maintain the same high standards this season, they still managed to finish second to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Ten Hag has experience of German football after spending two years in charge of Bayern Munich’s second team from 2013.
The 55-year-old won the FA Cup and League Cup in his two full seasons as United boss, finishing third in the Premier League in 2022-23.
However, although United kept faith with him after extended deliberation in the wake of last season’s surprise FA Cup final victory against Manchester City, he was sacked on 28 October following a 2-1 defeat at West Ham.
RUBEN AMORIM has reportedly told his Manchester United players he will remain at the club next season – but Alejandro Garnacho will not be.
According to The Athletic, the under-fire manager addressed players at the club’s training ground on Saturday to inform them of his own plans.
And it was there that Garnacho is said to have been told to find a new club.
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Brennan Johnson scores the only goal as Tottenham beat Man Utd to lift the cup and qualify for the Champions League.
Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the Europa League final, lifting its first European trophy in more than four decades to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
It is the first major title for Tottenham since it won the English League Cup in 2008, and its first European triumph since it won its second UEFA Cup — the equivalent of the Europa League now — in 1984.
Brennan Johnson squeezed in the winner at the end of the first half on Wednesday to help Spurs salvage a dismal season, in which it will finish near the bottom of the Premier League standings.
The title guarantees Spurs a spot in next season’s Champions League, and brings some much-needed relief for manager Ange Postecoglou after he struggled to keep his team on track all year.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Brennan Johnson, left, scores their first goal [Vincent West/Reuters]
The victory comes six years after Tottenham fell short against Liverpool in the Champions League final.
The defeat adds pressure on United coach Ruben Amorim, whose team sits in 16th place — just ahead of Tottenham — in the Premier League. The club will not play in any European competition next season.
United came close to equalising the match on Wednesday when a header by Rasmus Hojlund was cleared at the goal line by Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven in the 68th.
Deep into stoppage time, a header by Luke Shaw prompted a difficult save by Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Micky van de Ven clears the ball off the line [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]
It had been an even match, with neither team creating many significant scoring opportunities, until Tottenham got on the board in the 42nd minute after a cross by Pape Sarr into the area.
The ball ricocheted off Shaw and fell in front of Johnson, who seemed to get just enough of it to poke it across the goal line.
United pressed forward after conceding, but was not able to get the equaliser in front of a split crowd of nearly 50,000 at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames Stadium.
Manchester United’s captain, Bruno Fernandes, looks dejected as he walks past the trophy after collecting his runners-up medal [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]
United had last won a trophy in the 2024 FA Cup, and its last European triumph was at the 2017 Europa League under manager Jose Mourinho.
The Red Devils lost all four matches against Tottenham this season and is winless against its rival in seven straight games, with the last six under Postecoglou.
United and Tottenham had met in just one previous final — the 2009 League Cup when Alex Ferguson’s United won 4-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
Tottenham striker Son Heung-min, who came off the bench in the 67th, finally ended his decade-long trophy drought with Spurs.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou celebrates with his players after winning the Europa League [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]
Want to follow along with the Europa League final but not sure who to support?
No problem! We’ve put together a quiz to determine whether you should be getting behind Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United… and if you don’t like it, just sit back and enjoy the game.
Pep Guardiola has said he will quit as manager of Manchester City if he is given a big squad to select from after the summer transfer market.
A number of Man City’s senior players were not included in the squad for Tuesday’s 3-1 win against Bournemouth and Guardiola says he is unhappy at leaving so many players out.
Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, James McAtee, Claudio Echeverri and Rico Lewis all missed out on Tuesday’s 20-man matchday squad as City moved to third in the Premier League and within a point of Champions League qualification.
But, despite this showing the depth Guardiola has at his disposal, the Spaniard wants to work with a smaller squad.
He said: “I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad]. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.”
Guardiola says it is “impossible for my soul” to leave players watching from the stands.
“Maybe [for] three, four months we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After people come back but next season it cannot be like that,” the 54-year-old added.
“As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club. I don’t want that.”
City spent more than £200m on four players in January after suffering a number of key injuries. Kevin De Bruyne is one of those players who will definitely depart in the summer, while the future of Jack Grealish is in doubt.
When asked if it meant more exits were inevitable, Guardiola – who signed a deal keeping him at the club until 2027 – said: “It is a question for the club. I don’t want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is fit. If I have injuries, unlucky, we have some players for the academy and we do it.
Guardiola said a big squad is unstainable and that it is important for “the soul of the team” that his players “create another connection with each other that this season we lost it a bit”.
All Premier League clubs can have a 25-man squad, but this is not an exhaustive list of all players eligible to play. A team can also include under-21 players who are eligible over and above the 25-man squad limit.
Manchester City’s website lists 28 first-team squad members, plus four players who are on loan elsewhere.
Guardiola has explained in the past, external why he prefers to manage a smaller squad, going into the 2023/24 season with 20 senior players.
In comparison, Chelsea’s official website lists 31 players in their squad list, with 21 other players out on loan, Brighton and Tottenham list 29 players, while Wolves name 30 players on their squad list.
Clubs with smaller squads than Manchester City this season include Arsenal with just 24 players and champions Liverpool , Aston Villa, Everton and Nottingham Forest with 25 squad players.
WATCH the shocking moments a brawl erupts between Manchester United and Tottenham fans as punches get thrown ahead of the Europa League final.
Up to 70,000 Man Utd and Tottenham fans have flooded the streets of sunny Bilbao in good spirits and with drinks flowing.
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Shocking footage shows Man Utd and Spurs fans brawl in Bilbao’s streetsCredit: X
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This football hooligan is pictured picking up a wheelie bin before throwing it at the opposing fansCredit: X
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Football fans can be seen hurling whatever they can get their hands on during the vicious brawlCredit: X
However, the mood took a dark turn with footage surfacing on X of a brawl between the two sets of supporters.
In the shocking video, a large group of football hooligans are seen brawling as they throw objects and punches at each other.
Residents alerted authorities at around 9.20pm after they witnessed violent behaviour on Fermín Calbetón Street.
Witnesses say the fight broke out when two large groups of supporters began shouting and hurling insults,
It quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl, with both Man Utd and Spurs fans grabbing whatever they could to throw at each other.
One hooligan overturned a terrace table and used it as a weapon against the other group.
Drinks and bins were also hurled, creating a chaotic scene that posed a serious risk to local businesses and passersby.
Several local police patrols rushed to the scene after reports of the brawl and quickly restored order.
No arrests have been made so far, but officers have stayed in the area to keep the situation under control.
An ambulance was also dispatched, with several people treated at the scene.
Up 70k Man United and Spurs fans begin flooding Bilbao soaking up sun & cervezas ahead of Europa League final
However, after further assessment, staff determined no one needed to be taken to the hospital.
It comes as tens of thousands of Brits landed in Bilbao ahead of the highly anticipated final.
Some are braving an epic 32-hour-plus ferry ride which set sail at 10pm on Sunday evening and won’t arrive until 8am on Tuesday morning.
With flights to Spain rocketing over £1,000 after the Prem teams sealed their final spots, many took advantage of the cheaper sea-route option, which set them back £260 for a cabin.
The sky-high air prices are due to just six direct flights from Britain to the Basque region’s industrial port city each day.
And with only 65 hotels in Spain’s tenth largest city, accommodation has been fully booked for weeks.
Each club has millions of fans across the globe, but since there are just 14,000 tickets allocated to each team, bagging a seat to the showpiece event has been a tricky task.
Last night, precious tickets to the big game were selling on the black market for up to £10,000.
EasyJet was charging £1,823 to fly from Gatwick to Bilbao on Wednesday morning and return on Thursday morning, while the cheapest hotels for Wednesday night cost around £1,200.
But for those fans who managed to snap up the golden tickets, footage has shown them enjoying themselves.
A Bilbao bar was flooded with Brit fans chanting and drinking ahead of the anticipated final.
Spurs fans were also seen welcoming the team bus as it arrived in the city one day before the clash.
Footage taken by The Sun showed fans arriving to fill the streets of Bilbao about 40 hours before kick-off.
Both sets of supporters have been pictured marching through the streets, chanting songs with beers in hand as they gear up for the Europa League final.
IT’S barely midday in Bilbao on the day before the Europa League final between Manchester United and Spurs – but it’s already getting lively.
I arrived in the city at about 9am after a 32-HOUR ferry ride from Portsmouth.
And the first thing a lot of fellow fans planned to do was find a pub for a well-earned drink.
Walking around the area around the San Mames stadium this morning, a fair few others had the same idea.
Many have had long journeys, stopping off overnight in another city to keep down the soaring cost of getting here, with some direct flights over £1,000.
So it’s no surprise many are already getiing the party started, or the Bilbao leg of the party anyway.
Spurs fan Gary, who flew out from London before an overnight stay in a Madrid hotel resembling a “prison cell”, joked as he supped a pint in the sun: “I’m just getting some practice in for tomorrow.”
The atmosphere has been brilliant so far, and hopefully that will continue.
There had been claims that Spurs fans are set to outnumber United fans by 5 to 1, with an estimated 50,000 supporters of the two English sides expected to arrive.
One Tottenham follower I spoke to joked that they had bought all the flights out of London to keep the Reds out.
Based on the number of Spurs shirts I’ve already seen, he might be right.
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Residents alerted authorities at 9.20pm after witnessing violent behaviour on Fermín Calbetón StreetCredit: X
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Witnesses say both sets of supporters began hurling insults before the chaos eruptedCredit: X
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A football fan is pictured punching an opposing supporterCredit: X
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Police arrived at the scene and quickly got the situation under controlCredit: X
For Spurs, the prospect of a first trophy since 2008 is also a chance to salvage something from a desperate Premier League campaign that – just like United – has redefined what domestic failure looks like for a so-called ‘Big Six’ club.
Their season has also featured furious fan protests over a perceived lack of investment by the club’s owner Enic and the approach of chairman Daniel Levy.
“Qualifying for the Champions League would be in the desirable category for Spurs, rather than essential,” says Maguire.
“They are the best-run business in the Premier League. They have the most profits historically. They have an ability to generate money from non-football activities to a far greater extent than any other club, so they’ve always got this as a support mechanism.”
At United, a second consecutive season out of the Champions League means the club will have to pay kit provider Adidas a £10m penalty under the terms of their deal.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one former senior United figure predicts that the sponsorship revenue the club have prided themselves on over so many years could be at risk of “collapsing” if they are out of Europe for only the second time in 35 years, and that their brand value is now at a pivotal moment.
“Not being a European team creates more existential issues around the whole model” they told BBC Sport, pointing to the end of the Tezos sponsorship of the club’s training kit this summer.
“It’s not healthy, and people start to question whether you are still a ‘big club’. But win, and it keeps the wheels spinning. The cash will be ‘lifeblood’ that allows them to keep trading. If not, they’ll have to look at selling homegrown talent like Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo to give them the funds they want.”
Some United fans travelling to Bilbao will hope the match evokes memories of the 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup triumph – which helped spark the subsequent Sir Alex Ferguson glory years, and showed the club could perform again at a European level.
Others will look to 2017 as inspiration, when Jose Mourinho’s team won the Europa League final to rescue Champions League qualification after finishing sixth in the Premier League. But given how much worse United’s league performance has become, this feels much more significant.
Lose against Spurs, and many will feel that Ineos’ already ambitious Mission 21 plan to turn United into Premier League champions by 2028 could start to look like Mission Impossible. However, senior United insiders dispute the suggestion that this is “win or bust”, insisting that the cost-cutting programme the club are implementing is designed to give flexibility in the summer transfer window, and has been predicated on a ‘no-Europe’ scenario.
While they accept that winning the Europa League would provide a major boost, they say the key is fixing the club’s structure.
Both Amorim and his counterpart, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, have played down suggestions that the Europa League offers some kind of panacea. Indeed, with Spurs also on course for their worst-ever Premier League season, victory may not be enough to keep Postecoglou in his job, while Amorim seems secure in his, even if his team loses.
And yet there is no denying that there will still be a huge amount at stake on Wednesday, making this one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the season.
While the neutrals can enjoy the jeopardy, United and Spurs fans will long for a much-needed sense of hope at the end of a season to forget. Here in Bilbao, a city known for its regeneration, lies a chance to kickstart a revival.
Lose, however, and the road to recovery will feel much longer.
“Of course, it’s important to qualify, but except for Newcastle who won the Carabao Cup, Liverpool won the Premier League and Manchester City that won the Community Shield – the other teams didn’t win trophies,” Guardiola said.
“So the other teams like Chelsea, who can win one title [Europa Conference League] against Real Betis, and [Manchester] United and Tottenham can win the Europa League.
“All the other teams, they are expecting of course to qualify for the Champions League but this is important for every club that play this in competition next year.
“We played a really good [FA Cup] final, not enough to win it, and we have the last two games, we need four points to be in the Champions League next year and this is enough and everyone has to be aware of that.”
With Liverpool Premier League champions and Arsenal sealing second spot, City have a fight to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition and a fascinating race has developed for the top five, with third-placed Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in seventh separated by a solitary point.
Results over the weekend means City have dropped to sixth in the table, but they hold a game in hand over the challengers which comes against Bournemouth on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 BST), with the final round of games taking place on Sunday.
Cook’s most recent winter was the final step on the road to international cricket. Given he has been overlooked for so long, few would have blamed him had he given up and chased the dollars in short-form leagues.
Instead, he turned down “a few bits of franchise stuff” to play for England Lions in Australia, and was one of the standout performers in an otherwise disappointing tour. While the Lions failed to win any of their three matches, Cook claimed 13 wickets, a handy demonstration of his ability with the Kookaburra ball in an Ashes year.
“I made the right decision to go with the Lions and show what I could do in Australia,” he says. “It’s strengthened my cause for international cricket.”
At a time when England have altered their selection methods, Cook’s inclusion shows county performances can still provide a path to the Test team.
He perhaps should have been most aggrieved last summer, when the exceptionally green Josh Hull was given an opportunity after Mark Wood got injured. At the time, England director of cricket Rob Key explained the decision was down to styles of bowling, and Cook would have been in the frame had a replacement for Woakes been needed. Cook, therefore, had to wait a little longer.
“I just wanted to know what they wanted to see me doing,” says Cook. “It wasn’t a case of kicking up a fuss or moaning, I was just desperate to know how I could improve.
“It was never a case of ‘we don’t think you’re fast enough’. It was just trying to push the echelons of my pace as high as I could, honing skills, and a lot of it was just that the guys in front were better, which is true for bowlers like Jimmy and Broady.”
So Cook arrives in Test cricket battle-hardened, comfortable with his game and, in his opinion, “in a better place than if I was picked a year or two ago”.
At his best, he will provide England with control and accuracy. Holding length is one of his key skills. In the past five years, more than 77% of his deliveries in the Championship have been on a good length, comfortably the highest percentage of the top 10 seamers.
“It is not what the ball does but where it does it from that counts,” says Lewis, the former Australia seamer now on Yorkshire’s coaching staff. “He puts the ball in the right areas and asks questions enough times of batsmen.
“Batsmen get out in two ways: poor decision-making or bad shot selection. He puts enough balls in the areas to get one of those two options. He shifts the ball both ways but his ability to hold his length is pretty special.”
The last time Zimbabwe played a Test in England, 22 years ago, the series was famous for the debut of Anderson, the patron saint of English-style seamers like Cook.
Anderson marked his bow at Lord’s with a five-wicket haul. A choice was put to Cook – to claim a debut five-for of his own, or see Manchester United win the Europa League?
“It’s a no-brainer,” he says. “I’ll take the five-for. If we lose, I’ll be telling everyone the Europa League is an irrelevant trophy. Hopefully I can be greedy and can get both.”
Cleverley does face competition for the job from fellow Englishman Will Still.
Still has left Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens following the end of the season in order to move back to England.
Football teams that controversially changed their badge
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Will Still is in the running for the St Mary’s roleCredit: Getty
Still’s parting message to RC Lens
Here is what Will Still told RC Lens fans about his decision to leave…
He said: “I won’t be the coach of RC Lens next season.
“It was the last season at Bollaert, for multiple reasons.
“The main reason that pushed me to make this decision is the fact that I need to go home.
“Everyone is well aware of what happened in my life. That’s why.
“I had a lot of fun, I think we achieved great things despite everything. I’ve been in France for four years, four years that I’ve experienced intense moments.
“The logical choice is that I get closer to my wife for her well-being too.”
EMI MARTINEZ is wanted by Manchester United and Barcelona after he hinted at an Aston Villa exit, reports in Argentina say.
Martinez joined Villa from Arsenal in 2020 – following eight years in North London where he was loaned six times.
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Emi Martinez is wanted by Manchester United and Barcelona, reports in Argentina sayCredit: Alamy
And he emerged as one of the best keepers in the league, also cementing his place as Argentina No1 before their 2022 World Cup win.
But Martinez – whose contract expires in 2029 after extending it in the summer of 2024 – appeared to hint that he is leaving the club.
He was seen tearfully waving to fans following Villa’s 2-0 home win against Tottenham – suggesting he is preparing for an exit.
And according to Argentine TV channel DSports, United and Barca are both interested in signing Martinez and the keeper has offers from both.
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