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Newcastle United fans may have a new heroic right-back in town in Kieran Trippier, but had things panned out slightly differently a few years ago, they may well have been watching Kevin Mbabu maraud down the flank at St James’ Park instead.

The Magpies signed the Switzerland international back in 2013 when Alan Pardew was boss, giving him a three-year deal after seeing him impress in a trial.

At the time, reserve team manager, Willie Donachie said: “Kevin is strong, confident, skilful and a very good prospect.”

But after making just five appearances for the first-team, Mbabu was sent out on loan, before completing a permanent move back home to Switzerland to BSC Young Boys for just over £100k.

Mbabu himself meanwhile has gone on record to say that his departure from St James’ Park has fuelled his desire to showcase his talents, saying just last year: “I had an offer from Young Boys and I didn’t want to go back to Switzerland, but then I thought: ‘OK, go back, get back on track. Take a little step back but maybe one day, you’ll get rewarded for that’. So I just did it.

“When I left Newcastle, I had it in my head that, ‘I’m going to prove them all wrong, to show them it was a mistake to let me go’. That’s what I’ve been trying to do this whole time.”

His problems with injuries of course didn’t help his cause, but his fine performance against Chelsea back in 2015 showcased the kind of potential he had.

The Independent gave him a seven match rating, and said that he enjoyed “an impressive starting debut”, praising him for his “series of threatening runs down the flank”.

But, if Mbabu thought the display would lead to bigger and better things, then he was sadly mistaken following the arrival of Rafa Benitez as manager.

He said: “I knew it wasn’t going to work with the new manager. When I really understood it was going to be difficult for me was when Vurnon Anita got injured (against Crystal Palace in April 2016) and I was the only full-back on the bench. An assistant said, ‘He’s injured, you’re coming on’. Then Benitez said, ‘No’. Instead, Jonjo Shelvey came on and Moussa Sissoko played right-back.

“That really hurt me. I felt really sad and disappointed.”

While Mbabu has certainly followed through with his own personal desire of proving the Magpies wrong since his exit, Newcastle perhaps have finally managed to solve that problem position this past January with the arrival of Trippier.

But, had the Magpies stuck with Mbabu, they may not have even ended up signing the England international now, such has been the fine rise the Swiss flier has enjoyed in his time away from Tyneside.

When you look at the fact the Magpies have mixed and matched with the likes of Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo and DeAndre Yedlin in recent years for the starting right-back slot, it’s a painful reminder of how if they had just kept the faith and ridden out the bad times, they could have had a star in the making in Mbabu.

AND in other news, Wood upgrade: PIF will be having NUFC nightmares after missing out on £20m “cult hero”…

Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper, has been fined 10% of his match fee for breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct during his side’s seven-wicket defeat at the hands of England in the ICC World Twenty20 final in Barbados. Haddin was charged with a Level 1 offence under article 2.1.3 of the code which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match”.Haddin was given out caught-behind when he tried to pull a short delivery from Ryan Sidebottom. The ball appeared to have deviated off his hip and Haddin walked back visibly upset.Haddin pleaded guilty to the charge and as such, under the provisions of the code, the matter was determined by Ranjan Madugalle, the match referee, without the need of a full hearing.The charge was brought by on-field umpires Billy Doctrove and Aleem Dar as well as third umpire Billy Bowden and fourth official Rudi Koertzen.

Xavier Doherty, the left-arm spinner, was voted Tasmania’s best player as he picked up the Ricky Ponting Medal in Hobart. Doherty finished on top in a tight tussle and was also rewarded with the Jack Simmons Medal as the team’s most valuable man in the FR Cup.He led the one-day competition wicket-list with 20 in 11 matches and was a key reason for the trophy win. Twelve Sheffield Shield victims in three games also boosted his tally as he finished ahead of the captain George Bailey in both categories.The opener Ed Cown was the Shield Player of the Year in his first season with the Tigers while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who is currently appealing his ban by Pakistan, was the outstanding performer in the Twenty20 competition. Brady Jones gained the Scott Mason Memorial Captain’s Award, Tim Paine accepted the Cricket Tasmania Chairman’s Award and Erin Burns was the Roar Player of the Year after their first season in the Women’s National Cricket League.

Everton are on the hunt for their next manager after a nightmare season so far that has left the side sitting 16th in the Premier League, just four points off the relegation zone and Moshiri has been interviewing managers over the last week to replace Rafa Benitez, with a new update emerging on the next manager to open talks for a move to Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

Popular transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, has taken to social media to reveal that a new prospective manager is on their way to the club to interview for the highly anticipated role as the next Everton head coach.

Romano tweeted: “Vitor Pereira will be in England in the coming hours to meet with Everton board. Contract, staff and details to be discussed in order to make the final decision.”

“Key hours/days ahead to find out new Everton permanent manager.”

Fans won’t be happy

The situation that Everton have found themselves in has left fans furious, and this update on Vitor Pereira is not going to better the situation, as many have already taken to the replies of Romano’s update on Twitter to share their thoughts on the Portuguese native becoming their new manager.

One fan tweeted in response:

“Disaster, what a sad day for EFC. The final nail in the coffin.”

Another tweeted: “Since we last interviewed Pereira in 2013 he has managed 6 clubs. Doesn’t strike me as the man we need to bring stability and a long term vision.”

Despite the concern from fans, Pereira has won eight trophies during his managerial career so far, and a winning mentality is something Everton really need to be injecting into the side after just five wins from their 20 Premier League games so far, however, it’s clear where the concern comes from with Toffees fans.

The 53-year-old was sacked just before Christmas during his second stint at Fenerbahce after only winning one of the last five games he was in charge at the club, leading the side to trail 17 points behind league leaders Trabzonspor at the top of the table when he was relieved of his duties in December.

Everton are in dire need of stability and a manager who can come in and impact the club instantly to inspire a huge U-turn in the Toffees season, and rightfully, supporters don’t think that Pereira is the man who is capable of doing that job.

Farhad Moshiri and his team will interview the former Porto manager today, and the right decision will need to be made fast as Everton are in no position to continue losing games and further damaging their season. As far as we’re concerned, though, the Toffees need to be looking elsewhere.

In other news: Moshiri must sign Omar Colley

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left bemoaning some injury news involving Ryan Jack.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match away at Hearts in the Scottish Premiership at Sunday lunchtime, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed (via Planet Radio) that Jack went off their last training session with a ‘problem’, and confirmed that he will ‘not be available’ for the clash.

It is a real worry that the central midfield player has picked up yet another injury, given the problems that he has had in the past while at Ibrox.

Nonetheless, Jack is still a important member of the squad, and played in title-winning season, but the fact that he has picked up another injury has supporters fearing the worst, with some even going as far as to suggest to move him on.

Rangers fans on Jack injury news

These Teddy Bears bemoaned the injury news as it was shared on Twitter, with one Ger even going as far as to claim that it is ‘tragic’:

“Think he’s finished”

Credit: @stu644

“Think his career is done.”

Credit: @ssaunders92

“Tragic. When fit, by far the best midfielder in Scotland. Get better soon Ryan”

Credit: @coo56734508

“Love Jack but his time might be coming to an end at Rangers, been injured for far too long”

Credit: @gaz_hamilton97

“Sad to say but he’s finished”

Credit: @N18721

“As much as I love Jack, if this is another long-term injury we need to think of moving on and replacing him unfortunately.”

Credit: @jordorobinson98

In other news, find out what contract claim by this ‘quality’ ace RFC fans have flocked to here!

An update has emerged regarding the availability of three key Rangers players prior to heading away with their country for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

What’s the talk?

According to The Scotsman, the Gers are set to hold talks with the Nigerian FA to discuss whether or not Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun will be able to play in the Old Firm derby at the start of January.

The report claims that the trio are all due to jet away with Nigeria ahead of AFCON on December 27 and would miss the derby clash on January 2, with Rangers now set for discussions over a deal to keep them around for that match before releasing them for international duty.

GVB would love it

Ross Wilson could pull off a Rangers masterclass by convincing the Nigerian FA to hold off on calling up the trio before the match against Celtic. Giovanni van Bronckhorst would surely love it if he could have all of them available for the game, as they are all valuable members of the squad.

SofaScore have Aribo (5th), Balogun (9th) and Bassey (10th) all within the club’s top 10 performers in terms of average ratings in the Premiership this season. They have all averaged a score of 7.03 or higher in the league, showing that they have been performing consistently to an impressive standard so far this term.

This highlights their importance to the side and why it would be a masterclass from Wilson if he is able to successfully negotiate their availability against Celtic. Van Bronckhorst will want all of his best players at his disposal for that game and the statistics suggest that all three fall into that category.

Bassey, in particular, has shot to prominence under the Dutchman since the 43-year-old replaced Steven Gerrard at the helm. The left-back has played in the centre of defence over the last five competitive matches and the Gers have only conceded two goals in that time.

Hopefully, Wilson will be able to convince the Nigerian FA to allow the trio to play against Celtic in these crunch talks and Rangers will have a full squad available. Whilst the three will still miss an as yet undetermined period of time during AFCON, having them in the team against the Hoops could be a major boost as they are the Gers’ closest title rivals as it stands.

AND in other news, Forget Kent: “Exemplary” Rangers beast who won 88% duels finally took chance under GvB…

A number of Liverpool supporters have criticised Ibrahima Konate’s performance in the Premier League clash at home to Southampton.

The Reds returned to league action on Saturday afternoon following the comfortable 2-0 win against Porto in the Champions League in midweek. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints side made the trip to Anfield, as they looked to produce an upset.

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For Liverpool, it was a must-win game, such is the consistency of Chelsea and Manchester City in the title race, with dropped points feeling potentially terminal to their hopes of finishing top.

That proved to be the case, with the Reds unplayable at times and racing into a 3-0 lead by half-time thanks to two goals from Diogo Jota and another from Thiago. Virgil van Dijk added a fourth shortly after the interval, compounding the pain for his former club.

However, one player who wasn’t always convincing was Konate, with the centre-back being caught out on a few occasions in terms of losing duels and possession, while his lack of involvement was highlighted by his near-absence from Sky Sports’ live commentary on the match.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-13/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans slam Konate’s display

These Liverpool fans reacted to Konate’s performance on Twitter, believing that he has not made the most of a rare Premier League start.

“Konate man, how many times does he step up and get it wrong. Needs to be told. He’s got time to get back but that’s no excuse for poor positional sense”

Credit: @carl_lewis91

“Still not 100% sold on Konate atm”

Credit: @AKC1699

“Konate still looks very shaky when he plays”

Credit: @JamzLFC786

“Best player in 1st half : Alisson/Jota. Worst ???? Konate For me”

Credit: @Liversahs

“Konate not really settled yet today”

Credit: @baklavanfc

“Konate shouldn’t be starting over Matip”

Credit: @lfc_jam

In other news, some Liverpool fans are delighted after a Reds injury update emerged. Read more here.

Mark Douglas has revealed what Eddie Howe has now told him about an injury to Newcastle United ace Allan Saint-Maximin.

The Lowdown: Injury scare

Saint-Maximin did come off for Callum Wilson in the 79th minute of their 3-1 loss away at Liverpool in the Premier League in midweek because of an injury scare.

Of course, there is no denying the fact that he is such an important player to the team, as underlined by being their second-top scorer in the top flight with three goals, and has averaged the joint-most shots (two) and the most dribbles (4.1) per game, with WhoScored rating him as their best player (7.14) overall.

Nonetheless, with a game at home to the reigning champions Manchester City to come on Sunday afternoon, it will be interesting to see if he is deemed fit enough to play.

The Latest: What Howe has said…

Speaking to journalist Douglas for the inews newspaper, Howe has now revealed that he is ‘not sure’ whether the injury Saint-Maximin suffered is related to the ‘nasty’ tackle on him against the Reds or whether it is more muscular.

He did try to speak to the Frenchman about it, but did not get any clarification.

Howe now has his ‘fingers crossed’ for someone who he described is a ‘big player’ for the St. James’ Park faithful.

The Verdict: Big blow

It is a big, big blow if the North East club are without Saint-Maximin for any prolonged period of time.

He has already shown this season how key he is to the side, and with them currently fighting a relegation battle, they simply need their best players on the pitch.

That is no different for their clash against City tomorrow, and if the winger is confirmed to be out, then it is even more of an uphill task for them to take any points.

In other news, find out who looks certain to miss the City clash here!

Match facts

Tuesday September 8
Start time 14.30 (9.00 GMT)Nathan McCullum made the most of his chance in the second Twenty20•Associated Press

Big Picture

Sri Lanka, after consecutive Twenty20 defeats, and New Zealand, after a 50-over warm-up defeat to Sri Lanka A on Sunday, will attempt to kick-start the Compaq Cup on Tuesday, though the weather threatens to be a dampener. Scattered thunderstorms are predicted for each of the days this week and a short four-game tournament, already being criticised for its duration and practicality, needs to be competitive throughout to silence growing criticism of the 50-over game’s future.Sri Lanka, almost always formidable opponents on their own soil, do not start as favourites. New Zealand took plenty of confidence from two night wins at the Premadasa last week and they know their biggest shot at winning is getting into Sri Lanka’s top order. New Zealand have repeatedly highlighted the importance of dismissing Tillakaratne Dilshan early to put pressure on Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, leaving a shaky lower order sweating.Successive middle-order muddles during the Twenty20s left Kumar Sangakkara ruing the lack of application and calling on the players to introspect going into this series. Sri Lanka will hope that Sanath Jayasuriya finds form at a venue in which he has scored 2373 runs at 38.27, but contributions from the likes of Angelo Mathews and Chamara Kapugedera will be equally important. Another worry for the home side is that Muttiah Muralitharan is in some doubt after not recovering entirely from a groin strain sustained on day five of the SSC Test, and both teams will keenly await news on his fitness tomorrow.New Zealand did little wrong in the Twenty20s. Their response to Dilshan’s onslaught in game one was calm and their batting and bowling more than efficient during the series clincher. Their effective handling of Ajantha Mendis – who caused nightmares at Trent Bridge this summer – was another reason behind their victory over Sri Lanka.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLWWW
New Zealand NrWWLW

Watch out for…

Nuwan Kulasekara had a fantastic 2008 in ODI cricket, and he translated that into a Man-of-the-Series performance in the home Tests against Pakistan. He was rested for the second Test against New Zealand keeping in mind Sri Lanka’s heavy limited-overs workload, and returns to the format which he has dominated. In 15 matches in 2009, he has taken 26 wickets at 22.80 and has become Sri Lanka’s premier one-day quick bowler.Brendon McCullum has earned a reputation as on of the most feared hitters in international cricket, and after easing back to form with 49 in the second Twenty20 international, spoke of a calmness at the crease that was missing during the Tests. Seven years after his debut, McCullum still has only one ODI century; after warning his tri-series opponents about how his confidence has returned, he’ll fancy his chances of improving that count in this series.

Team news

Murali’s fitness will be evaluated later this evening and tomorrow morning before the game and Sri Lanka are hopeful he will be ready. Sri Lanka may hand young left-handed batsman Gihan Rupasinghe a debut, meaning Angelo Mathews may drop down a spot. Thilan Thushara will come back into the side after missing the Twenty20s and forms a potent pace attack along with Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Gihan Rupasinghe, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor and Shane Bond will be back after sitting out the warm-up loss on Sunday. Bond will replace Daryl Tuffey, who is not part of the ODI squad. If Brendon McCullum is given the wicketkeeping role then both Grant Elliott and Neil Broom, neither of whom did anything of note against Sri Lanka A, could feature. The second spinner’s spot will be a toss-up between Jeetan Patel and Nathan McCullum, who impressed in the second Twenty20 and the practice match and brings more depth in batting and fielding.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum (wk), 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jacob Oram, 6 Grant Elliot, 7 Neil Broom, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Shane Bond.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at the Premadasa is a dry one and favours batting. Going by the recent trend, the side winning the toss will almost certainly opt to bat. The weather cannot be discounted, however, with rain never too far from Colombo. Scattered showers are forecast. The Premadasa is tied with the SSC as the grounds to have hosted the maximum number of washed out games – six each – and if the prediction turns out to be accurate, this ground could sneak to the top of a rather unflattering category.

Stats and Trivia

• Sri Lanka have won 46 out of 75 ODIs at the Premadasa.
• New Zealand have won three out of nine matches here, but only one against Sri Lanka.
• In 30 matches since 2004, a 300-plus total has been achieved only four times at the Premadasa. On average, teams have managed 26.77 per wicket at a rate of 4.73.
• Fast bowlers have taken more wickets at the Premadasa since 2004 – 262 at an average of 27.04. Spinners have managed 160 wickets at 32.53 apiece.Since 2004, the team winning the toss has batted first on 24 out of 30 occasions. In the last 11 ODIs, teams chose to bat every time and the result went their way on each occasion.
• Murali has a bowling average of 26.37 and a best of 5 for 44 at this ground, with 69 wickets from 52 ODIs.

Quotes

“If you know a trend, you know the past, you try and go out there and change it.”
“It’s been good to have him back. He’s a smart bowler. He probably doesn’t have the genuine pace he had in the VB Series a couple of years ago [2007] but he’s certainly a better bowler with the ability to read the game and read a player.”
“You can’t really write him off, can you? He’s got so much experience; he’s been tearing attacks apart over the years, so we’re not writing him off.”

The Indian offspinner has suggested that the best pill to keep Test cricket healthy is to play more Test matches

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai25-Aug-2009Indian offspinner Harbhajan Singh has suggested that the best way of keeping Test cricket healthy is to play more Test matches. Citing the example of England’s exciting victory to regain the Ashes, Harbhajan said the longer form of the game is alive and kicking and there’s no need for any radical moves like playing night Tests.”If you look at the Ashes, every day had such large crowds in the stadiums, [as much] as you would see for a Twenty20 game,” Harbhajan said. “I think you should keep all the three formats, but increase the number of Test matches.” He added that he would like to play 12-15 Tests per year.Unlike the Ashes, which was a sellout at all five venues, the response to Tests on the subcontinent, including India, has been lukewarm. One recent and prominent example was Sourav Ganguly’s farewell Test in Nagpur during the 2008 home series against Australia, which was witnessed by only a few thousand despite the huge popularity of the former India captain. Harbhajan, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests last year, said the administrators need to market Test cricket creatively to enliven the fans’ enthusiasm.”The spectators may not like Test cricket that much but as a cricketer I want to play more Test matches. It is just you need to bring a lot of people into the stadium by creating that kind of buzz in the market,” Harbhajan said. As a solution, suggested recently by Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan said it would be good to offer free entry to students on weekends.”If Sachin Tendulkar plays a Ranji Trophy match a 25,000-strong crowd turns up. So if you plan properly then certainly we will draw people back to the stadium to watch Test cricket,” Harbhajan said. “I have seen whenever we play in Chennai or Bangalore we get the same crowd as we would get for a one-day match.”