In the short term, failure and bad decisions are often magnified to a much higher extent, whereas success is often only truly appreciated in the long run and with the benefit of hindsight.

For a newly-promoted Premier League side like Burnley, you are not afforded the benefit of hindsight and there is no room for error.

The squad has to become curated to the best of your abilities and incomings need to be logical, purposeful, and impactful.

The Clarets are certainly a team in this boat and their summer business has signalled their desire to retain their top-flight status.

Vincent Kompany's men have already spent £78m and their recent £12m coup of Sander Berge from promotion rivals Sheffield United is indicative of their intent.

This signing looks to have defused the flame of the Albert Sambi-Lokonga rumours, which could be the best eventuality for both parties…

Are Burnley signing a new midfielder?

At the end of July, as per the Evening Standard, Burnley had been leading the race to sign Albert-Sambi Lokonga either on loan or as a permanent deal.

Kompany was said to be driving the interest in the young Belgian, who he worked with whilst he was in charge of Anderlecht.

However, it was recently reported by Sacha Tavolieri that Burnley didn’t meet the player’s expectations regarding personal terms and the deal has become ‘complicated.’

As a result, Monaco has also expressed an interest in the midfielder but ‘nothing concrete’ has materialised.

How good is Albert Sambi-Lokonga?

Lokonga joined Arsenal in the summer of 2021 for £17.2m, but in two years he has managed just 14 Premier League starts, and last season he only accumulated nine domestic appearances before joining Crystal Palace on loan in January 2023.

This was supposedly meant to signal a fresh start for the £50k-per-week man, but Palace failed to win any of the six Premier League games that he started.

Palace’s abysmal form meant that Roy Hodgson was reinstated as the manager, but the veteran coach was reluctant to deploy Lokonga in the club’s battle to distance itself from relegation as he was an unused substitute in eight of the final ten outings.

Statistically, it is clear to see Lokonga’s failed impact as he ranks within the lowest 33% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for shot-creating actions, progressive carries, and successful take-ons per 90, as well as the bottom 14% for tackles and blocks per 90.

His inability to stamp any meaningful authority at either end of the pitch is a worry for a club like Burnley, which require players to immediately acclimatise to avoid the drop zone.

Roy Keane has previously described his form as a “big concern” and with his Arsenal career seemingly written off, Burnley could make far more astute steps in the market.

They may have already done so with Berge, who has two seasons of consecutive, gruelling Championship football under his belt – the second of which saw Sheffield United secure promotion back to the top flight. Lokonga, however, does not have that in his locker and it would be a mistake to think he could make a desirable impact at this level.

Indeed, for the Belgian, the next step of his career may need to come outside English football as a relegation scrap at Burnley doesn’t seem the ideal environment where he can thrive.

The Wanderers pitch has by no means given an all-clear even though the Test is set to continue after the umpires took the teams off 19 minutes before stumps on day three. The umpires will remain on alert for any other behaviour they might consider dangerous to the safety of the players.The pitch has had extravagant bounce and seam movement throughout, but on day three the umpires were worried about players’ safety. After meetings between the match officials and the captains, and possibly consultation with the ICC, the match referee decided to continue play on day four. ESPNcricinfo understands this was more deferring the decision to the next morning so they could sleep over the decision, understand the ramifications of it, including other sanctions and the fact that India had already courageously fought their way with the bat on this pitch, and hope the pitch settles down on day four. Despite all these considerations, the match referee will not compromise the safety of the players. If it continues to behave dangerously, the match could still be called off.The officials could afford to buy the overnight time because they were losing only 19 minutes. There’s no telling how it might have panned out if a batsman had been hit on the head at, say half past three and not 11 minutes before 5pm. The delivery that led to the suspension of play was a short-pitched delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, which hit Dean Elgar on the helmet, but the umpires had been concerned all day with balls rearing off a length and hitting the batsmen in the ribs, gloves, and thighs.The first time the match officials spoke to the teams about the state of the pitch was during the tea break on day three. According to India’s manager Sunil Subramaniam, the umpires’ concern was that the new ball could behave dangerously. While India’s second innings lasted only one ball with the second new ball, Elgar was hit four times in 8.3 overs of bowling with the new ball in South Africa’s innings.In the captain’s meeting with the match referee, India – in a great position to win the Test and after having braved this difficult pitch – made it clear there was no way they wanted the match to stop. The South Africa manager said they told the match referee they were not going to comment whether the pitch was safe or not, but they were happy to play if the officials deemed the pitch to be safe. The eventual decision still rests with the match referee. There is provision in the law that they could attempt to repair the pitch, if possible, to see if the match can continue, but it can’t be done if it disadvantages one of the teams, which in this case will be India’s fate. So that route is unlikely to be taken.The pitch has come in for harsh criticism from experts and former cricketers covering this series, with Michael Holding calling it a “s**t pitch”, one he would rate 2 on 100.

Lionel Messi mania at Inter Miami remains in full swing, with the MLS franchise now said to be valued at $1 billion (£787m).

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Argentine icon moved to the States in 2023Made an immediate impact on & off the pitchOnly four MLS teams in the $1 billion clubWHAT HAPPENED?

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner moved to the United States as a free agent in 2023 after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. Within weeks of his arrival, Inter Miami were celebrating a historic Leagues Cup triumph. They also reached the U.S. Open Cup final before coming unstuck against the Houston Dynamo.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Herons were unable to reach the MLS play-offs, as Messi picked up an untimely injury, but positive progress continues to be made on and off the field. They now have a marketing dream at their disposal, with co-owner David Beckham and the club’s board making the most of that.

DID YOU KNOW?

A first international tour is being taken in at the start of 2024 – which includes a meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr – and claims that the club has joined the $1 billion club. Only four MLS sides are said to have hit that mark, with the others being LAFC at $1.15billion (£903m), Atlanta United on $1.05billion (£825m) and the $1 billion (£787m) valued LA Galaxy.

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT?

Nobody gets close to Inter Miami when it comes to annual value increase, as they surge by 74%, with LAFC only up by 28%. In 2023, the Florida-based franchise sat 10th on the MLS chart, but the presence of Argentine all-time great Messi at DRV PNK Stadium has seen them soar up the rankings.

Manchester City have been told to swap Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic with Erling Haaland as the Serbian can also bag "50 goals a season".

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• City told to swap Vlahovic for Haaland
• Juventus star could score '50 goals'
• Serb has 'nothing less' than Norwegian

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Italian goalkeeper Giovanni Galli, who played for AC Milan, Fiorentina and Napoli among others, feels Vlahovic offers "nothing less" than City star Haaland and if he was in a more attack-minded team than the Serie A side, the 23-year-old's goalscoring feats would be as stratospheric.

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• Getty
  

  WHAT GIOVANNI GALLI SAID

  He told Tuttisport: “I have a weakness for Dusan. I’ve known him since his time in Florence, he is extraordinary. He has everything. Determination, desire, physicality and a lethal left foot. He is also strong with headers. Right now, he is physically fit, and he is the player we saw at Fiorentina. Physical problems tormented him for a year, but now he is proving to be a champion.

  "It may sound like a provocation, but it’s not. If I were Guardiola and asked to swap Vlahovic and Haaland, I’d do it. Dusan has nothing less than the Norwegian. He must make the most of every chance at Juventus because they don’t produce as many goal-scoring opportunities as Manchester City. But Vlahovic has scored 12 goals anyway. I’d like to see him in a more attacking-minded team. If he were at Manchester City, he’d also score 50 goals per season like Haaland, I am sure about it.”

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While Haaland has not been as prolific as he was last season, where he scored 52 goals in 53 matches for Pep Guardiola's men, his haul of 19 this term is still significantly better than Vlahovic's tally of 12 for Juventus. Moreover, Haaland has scored 226 goals in 276 games whereas the Serbian international has 87 in 220 career appearances.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Haaland, who has been out of action for nearly two months due to a bone stress reaction in his foot, could feature for City away to Brentford on Monday night. Vlahovic, on the other hand, is likely to start against Inter Milan in a top of the table clash with Juve on Sunday night.

An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to bolster their attacking options before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers has been able to add six new players to his squad; including Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Hyun-jun Yang, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, Odin Thiago Holm, and Marco Tilio.

According to The Scottish Sun, the Northern Irishman now has his eyes on another striker as he is weighing up a swoop for Brondby star Mathias Kvistgaarden.

The report claims that the Scottish giants could need to pay a fee within the region of £4m to sign the centre-forward, whose contract does not expire until 2027.

It does not, however, state how much the Bhoys are willing to pay for his services or whether they will make a firm offer for him before next month's deadline.

How good is Mathias Kvistgaarden?

Rodgers could unearth an exciting long-term heir to Kyogo Furuhashi by thrashing out a deal for the 21-year-old marksman over the coming days.

The superb youngster has burst onto the scene in recent months and showing himself to be a fantastic prospect with his ability to score and assist goals on a regular basis from a number nine position.

Since the start of the Superligaen Championship Round earlier this year, Kvistgaarden has plundered seven goals and six assists in 14 league appearances for Brondby. This means that he has been directly involved in a goal every 1.08 games on average.

He has emerged as a reliable option for the Danish outfit after his immense academy form for the club.

The 5 foot 7 finisher racked up a phenomenal 31 goals and 11 assists in 45 U19 outings prior to making the breakthrough at senior level.

Kvistgaarden, who scout Jacek Kulig hailed as being "on fire", averaged a goal contribution every 1.07 games on average for the U19 team and he is now starting to replicate that level of production on the big stage.

Kyogo, meanwhile, has registered 56 goals and 11 assists in 85 competitive games for Celtic since his move to the club in 2021, which is one goal involvement every 1.27 matches on average.

The Japan international scored 27 Scottish Premiership goals last season and 16 more than any of his teammates. He was Ange Postecoglou's outstanding attacking option and the player who was relied upon to score goals at the top end of the pitch.

Rodgers could now find a player to rival the ex-Vissel Kobe star whilst also landing an exciting eventual heir to his place in the team by signing Kvistgaarden.

At the age of 21, the Danish whiz is seven years younger than Kyogo and has plenty of time left on his hands to develop and improve over the years to come.

His sensational form for Brondby's first-team and academy suggests that he has the potential to eventually become an upgrade on the current Celtic star if he is able to translate those performances over to Scottish football.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Kvistgaarden will be able to replicate that outstanding level of production for the Hoops but his statistics indicate that it is an exciting £4m gamble that is worth taking for Rodgers.

Manchester United boss Marc Skinner has called on Sir Jim Ratcliffe to 'aggressively' invest in the women's team after acquiring a stake in the club.

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United struggling in the WSL Skinner wants Ratcliffe to invest in team Red Devils next in action against BrightonGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Skinner's side are currently 10 points adrift of Women's Super League leaders Chelsea and were also dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle earlier this season. The Red Devils' stuttering form had led to some fans calling for the manager to be sacked – with supporters loudly voicing their grievances at recent games. However, speaking after United's much-needed 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, Skinner suggested that the club needed a change of approach at the top level if they are ever to properly challenge the WSL's elite clubs.

AdvertisementWHAT SKINNER SAID ABOUT JANUARY TRANSFERS

Asked whether he wanted United to strengthen the squad before the January transfer window closes, Skinner said: "It’s key, if we’re being very clear, I think it’s clear that we need quality in depth. If we’re going to chase down Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, we’ve got to continue to invest to the levels that they are.

"I think the players are doing an exceptional job. I’ve got players who are tired and have had three-game weeks and the depth in that backline needs to improve. We need to try to get more experienced players in to support the quality of our team – I’m happy with the quality of them – but they just need additions. I can’t hit that home hard enough, can I?

"We still have a lot of highly talented young players, I know we’ve got talented players, but we need to continue to support around that, to have players of high experience, Champions League winners, Champions League experience, league winners, cup winners, we need to add that into them to give them a platform over many years at Manchester United to be successful."

Getty ImagesWHAT SKINNER SAID ABOUT CHELSEA

Skinner went on to point at Chelsea's world-record acquisition of Colombian World Cup star Mayra Ramirez as evidence of the gulf that exists between the two clubs.

"It’s interesting when I see Chelsea have an injury to a player and they can just go ‘bang’ and sign another forward. We have to continue to support our team to kind of be aggressive and win things," he added.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

United were handed a double blow in the summer when both Alessia Russo and Ona Batlle departed on free transfers after the club failed to tie the pair down to new contracts. The hits are likely to keep on coming too, with Lionesses star Mary Earps also out of contract at the end of the season.

County executives assured there will be no more compensation payments to Test-hosting counties until the issue has been discussed further

George Dobell08-Mar-2018ECB chairman Colin Graves has sought to ease the concerns of anxious county executives by assuring them there will be no more compensation payments to Test-hosting counties until the issue has been discussed further.In a chief executives’ meeting on Thursday, Graves insisted that plans for such payments had only been at draft stage and would have to have been ratified by the board before implementation. As a result of concerns raised by the counties – and most notably by the resignation from the board of Andy Nash – those plans will now be reviewed.While the mood among the counties does appear to be somewhat appeased – there is no serious talk of a vote of no confidence – there are still some awkward questions to answer. At least one club would appear to have already received a payment from the ECB, while at least two more have budgeted for it.Meanwhile, those counties concerned that the suggested compensation payments might signal a change in the long-term policy of the ECB were further alarmed by the news that the new County Partnership Agreements (the successor to Memorandums of Understanding) are likely to be bespoke to each club. While the aim of that is largely to reflect the differing needs of clubs in different parts of the country, it might also be interpreted as providing potential for a further divide between Test-hosting clubs and the rest. In the past, the ECB’s funds have been largely split on an equitable basis (with some room for performance-related bonus payments) among the counties.It has also been revealed that, at some stage in the last couple of years, Sport England expressed some concern over Graves’ position of chairman of the ECB’s new nominations committee.While the ECB has made much of the fact that its board will shortly be mostly made up of independent members, the nominations committee effectively has the opportunity to vet every prospective applicant. All other board members with affiliations to counties – the likes of Richard Thompson, the Surrey chairman, or Peter Wright, the Nottinghamshire Cricket Board chairman – are obliged to step down in May when they will be replaced by independent board members. Giles Clarke, the ECB president, is also expected to step down in May. Alan Leighton is expected, at some stage, to take over as chairman of the nominations committee.Furthermore, it has emerged that in March 2016 the ECB provided an assurance that Graves would abstain from “any vote or decision which could be deemed a conflict of duty… as is his statutory duty”.Although Graves, who was previously chairman of Yorkshire, did excuse himself from the room when the recent allocation of major matches was validated by the board, questions remain as to whether he did so on other occasions; notably when the decision to strip Durham of their Test status was approved. Graves no longer has any direct financial link to Yorkshire, though family trusts set up by him but run independently are owed £20m by the club.

Big Picture

Neither of these teams hit their straps during the T20 tri-series, clinching a win apiece, with New Zealand edging into the final then underwhelming with the bat. But this series is a meeting between two confident 50-over outfits. England have had a week to dust themselves down from the T20 setbacks – which has included a couple of days off – and readjust their sights back to the format which is becoming their calling card, while New Zealand have eight victories on the bounce this season.Whenever these sides meet the conversation quickly turns to England’s humiliation at the 2015 World Cup – particularly the shredding in Wellington – and the conversation that ensued between Eoin Morgan and Brendon McCullum, which persuaded the England captain there was only one way to go in 50-over cricket. There was no saving that tournament, but since then England have blazed a trail. It’s a narrative that is likely to be revisited over the next couple of weeks.Thoughts are now turning towards the next World Cup, starting in 15 months in England. There is still time for some tinkering if it’s required, but teams will want to start having a firm idea of the 15 they will use at the tournament. Both teams are probably not far from that position already.There is one notable addition to the England squad from last month with the return of Ben Stokes. Away from the debate about whether he should be on the tour or not, who makes way for his return will be one of the intriguing aspects of the series.West Indies and Pakistan were disappointing opposition earlier in New Zealand’s season, while Australia hit a post-Ashes wall (and picked the wrong side) against England last month. This series promises a more compelling tussle.Ben Stokes bowls in the nets•Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWWWW
England WLWWW

In the spotlight

Apart from Ben Stokes, okay? Jason Roy started the one-day series in Australia with a bang, his 180 in Melbourne setting a new record for England, but since then his top score has been 49 including three single-figure scores in the T20 tri-series. Yes, mixing formats when looking at statistics is not really the done thing, but it’s all a little hit-or-miss for Roy at the moment. He appears safe despite Stokes’ return and the top-order rejig required, but a significant score early in the series wouldn’t go amiss.This is an important series for Tom Latham who has yet to nail down the wicketkeeper-batsman role, a position New Zealand are struggling to fill in both white-ball formats since the retirement of Luke Ronchi. This season his top score is 37 in seven ODI innings – off the back of a very productive series in India – but he has been given the backing of selector Gavin Larsen (his wicketkeeping has been tidy) and this New Zealand set-up likes to give players an extended run. Still, they won’t want uncertainty over a key position leading into the World Cup.

Team news

Quick bowler Lockie Ferguson has been released from the squad to play in Saturday’s Ford Trophy final for Auckland. Mitchell Santner (knee) and Todd Astle (side) have carried recent injuries with Astle’s still providing the more pressing concern. If he isn’t fit then Ish Sodhi would slot into the side.New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Henry Nicholls, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Todd Astle, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultBarring a late reaction to his workload, Stokes will return. That means a batsman making way, as England revert to six main bowlers, with Alex Hales seemingly the most vulnerable. Tom Curran and David Willey are likely to contest the final pace-bowling slot with Craig Overton having to wait for his chance.England 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Tom Curran, 11 Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

It will be a used surface and is expected to get slower as the match progresses. Seddon Park is a venue where spin can come to the fore, although that can be countered by evening dew making the toss a tricky decision. Last year, Martin Guptill plundered 180 off 138 balls to chase down 280 against South Africa with five overs to spare. The forecast for the afternoon and evening is good.

Stats and trivia

• England have won eight of their last nine bilateral ODI series
• Ross Taylor needs 37 runs to reach 7000 in ODIs; Kane Williamson needs 23 to reach 5000 – if he does it in this match the New Zealand captain will be joint fourth-fastest to 5000 runs equal with Brian Lara
• England have lost both their ODIs at this venue: a 10-wicket trouncing in 2008 and a much tighter three-wicket loss in 2013.

Quotes

“They went a long stretch of winning one-day international cricket so they are a strong side particularly at home and we are going to have reproduce similar performances or better than we produced in Australia to win the series.”
“I think we park the T20 for now and focus on a lot of the good one-day cricket we’ve been playing. The plans are fairly different so it’s important we go back to that. We know it’s a tough challenge in England.”

Liverpool have now been given a new update on their pursuit of Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, with a report suggesting a deal could be there to be done late in the window…

Which midfielders are Liverpool signing?

Although he was not convinced by Ryan Gravenberch to begin with, Jurgen Klopp is now targeting the Bayern Munich midfielder as a priority, with 90min reporting the player himself would be interested in a move to the Premier League this summer.

Another target for the Reds is Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips, with talkSPORT reporting he had been planning to fight for his place at the Etihad Stadium next season, but his resolve to stay could be tested if Klopp's side come forward with an offer.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Rudy Galetti has recently confirmed that OGC Nice's Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach's Manu Kone also remain on the Merseyside club's list of targets, although other top European clubs are interested.

As such, despite missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Klopp still has a plethora of options to choose from this summer, with productive talks also being held over a deal for Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure, as per The Daily Mail.

Not only that, but Amrabat is also still a target for Liverpool, with reports from last week detailing the deal was progressing towards completion, and there has now been a new update on the midfielder's future.

According to the print version of Corriere Fiorentino on Monday (via Paisley Gates), the Moroccan has made it clear he wishes to move on and play for a new club this summer, with Fiorentina more than happy to let him leave.

The Serie A club are ready to sell the 27-year-old, having left him out of the first team on the opening day of the season, and it is now down to Liverpool to agree a suitable fee, with a deal potentially set to be left until late in the window.

Fiorentina have been holding out for €30m (£25.6m) for quite some time, which Liverpool are yet to get close to, but they may have to move swiftly if they are keen on signing the central midfielder, as they are set to face competition from rivals Manchester United.

Is Sofyan Amrabat a defensive midfielder?

Indeed, the Morocco star has predominantly featured in a defensive midfield role throughout his career so far, as a result of his stellar attributes, having been ranked fifth for interceptions at the 2022 World Cup, as of December 7th.

However, the maestro is also comfortable in possession, placing in the 94th percentile for his pass-completion rate per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, despite attempting a comparatively high number of passes.

At the World Cup, Amrabat wowed Moroccan journalist Amine El Amri, who described him as a "raging bull", but questions have to be raised over whether he is the best option available to Liverpool.

At 21 years of age, Gravenberch would be a more long-term option for Klopp in midfield, and with the manager now changing his mind about the Dutchman, he should remain the Reds' main priority as we approach the end of the transfer window.

Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag is close to making another signing and the player in question is set to travel to England to finalise his move to Old Trafford, according to reports.

Who are Man United linked with?

In truth, the Red Devils have endured a little bit of a strange window as they aim to bring additional depth into the building at Old Trafford to supplement the squad.

As per Transfermarkt, Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund have all joined the club and look likely to be key players over the coming seasons for Manchester United; however, there is a growing sense of frustration that they may need more depth to compete on both domestic and European fronts properly.

Nevertheless, problems with being able to shift players off the books has harmed their ability to solicit further arrivals. Football Insider report that Ten Hag is keen to strengthen both his defensive line and midfield options before the close of play in the market, though player sales will need to occur to make this a reality.

It had previously been hoped that selling Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay to West Ham United could provide the 'requisite' financial gain needed to put the finishing touches to their business; nevertheless, both deals have since collapsed and complicated matters for Ten Hag.

ESPN claim that Manchester United are also eyeing a goalkeeper to help bolster depth in the last line of defence, but similarly, the outlet indicate that player sales will be necessary to initiate market activity.

Matej Kovar and Nathan Bishop have been sold to Bayer Leverkusen and Sunderland, respectively. Red Devils number two Dean Henderson could depart to either Crystal Palace or Nottingham Forest before the end of the window, while veteran stopper Tom Heaton is carrying an injury, signifying that Manchester United need to bring in another goalkeeper imminently.

Which goalkeeper are Man United signing?

According to Haber Turk via Sport Witness, Manchester United and Fenerbache have reached an agreement with goalkeeper Altay Bayindir for a fee in the region of €7 million (£5.9 million).

The report states that Bayindir travelled to Greece to complete a medical examination ahead of his move to Old Trafford and he will very soon land in England to officially join Manchester United.

Previously, The Athletic journalist David Ornstein reported that Bayindir had undergone a pre-medical due to an injury issue as Manchester United continued to mull over the 25-year-old, but it looks as if things have gone smoothly on that front and the deal will now go through.

Spending most of his career at Turkish giants Fenerbache, Bayindir has managed to rack up 145 appearances in all competitions, keeping 44 clean sheets in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

Bayindir made 57 saves in total over the duration of last campaign in the Super Lig and maintained a save percentage of 66.7% in the Turkish top flight, as shown on FBRef. Football Scout Jacek Kulig labelled Bayindir as "one of the most interesting U-23 goalkeepers in Europe" back in 2021 and it is easy to see why Manchester United are keen to bring him to the North West.

In light of their dearth of options in the goalkeeper position, Bayindir could be a good fit for Ten Hag and would be able to deputise for Onana.