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Manchester United began 2026 with a 1-1 draw away to bitter rivals Leeds United.

The Red Devils struggled to consistently create chances in what was a cagey game, but with so many defensive players on the pitch, worked hard to keep the home side at bay and ended up with a point.

The first 45 minutes zipped by without either side having much of a clear-cut chance. Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit the post with a header, but a combined expected goals tally of just 1.4 xG suggests it was not the most gripping of games.

It was Daniel Farke’s side who took the lead, just over an hour into the clash. Attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson managed to nip in behind young defender Ayden Heaven onto a loose ball, carrying into the penalty box and slotting home to send Elland Road into pandemonium.

The Red Devils did manage to hit back, just three minutes after the Leeds opener. It was Brazilian attacker Matheus Cunha who bagged, after being slotted through exceptionally by substitute Joshua Zirkzee. The United number ten took his chance well, slotting home past Lucas Perri first time with his right foot.

It was a new look attack on Sunday, with Amorim adapting the frontline again in response to a lot of absences.

How Man United adapted in attack vs. Leeds

It is no secret that United have been hit hard by attacking absences of late. Amad and Bryan Mbeumo are at AFCON, and Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo are injured. It has required some adaptation from Ruben Amorim.

We have already seen the Red Devils boss play a back four on Boxing Day, before switching to his favoured 3-4-2-1 against Wolves for the final game of 2025. Against Leeds, Amorim kept that same system, but made personnel changes.

The main change saw Patrick Dorgu push higher up, and Leny Yoro replace Zirkzee from the start. It meant the Dane played as United’s right number 10, where his intensity off the ball was important, though he did struggle in possession, perhaps because he was playing narrower than he did against Newcastle United on Boxing Day.

Despite keeping the same system throughout the game, Amorim did replace Yoro with Zirkzee at the 63-minute mark. This saw Dorgu play wing-back and Diogo Dalot right centre-back.

With the lack of attacking options on the bench, perhaps this adaptation could be seen as one that was made in an attempt to buy United a goal. Zirkzee, of course, had an immediate impact.

Despite the changes made by Amorim, there was still one attacker who struggled.

Man Utd's most disappointing player vs Leeds

It was yet another tough day at the office for summer signing Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian star failed to add to his two Premier League goals this season, and whilst he had a couple of brighter moments linking up play, generally struggled to make an impact at Elland Road.

His stats from the game really reflect that. The former RB Leipzig star had 51 touches of the ball, but lost possession 14 times. He failed to complete a dribble, create a chance, complete a cross, or win a tackle.

Sesko key stats vs. Leeds

Stat

Number

Touches

51

Possession lost

14x

Shots

3

Big chances missed

2

Expected goals

0.74xG

Dribbles completed

0

Chances created

0

Stats from Sofascore

Overall, it was a really disappointing showing from the United number 30. One person who was critical of Sesko at full-time was Goal journalist Richard Martin. He gave the striker a 4/10 post-match rating, explaining that he “seemed to infuriate his team-mates with his lack of movement.”

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It will be fascinating to see what the immediate future holds for Sesko. He is a player whose “confidence was shot,” according to Martin, and the Red Devils really need someone up front who is firing at the moment.

Amorim has options at his disposal if he wishes to drop Sesko from the side, too. Zirkzee is the natural replacement, and it might also create fluid rotations with Cunha, another player who can operate as a number nine.

Either way, his form must pick up soon, or United might find they struggle to get consistently better in front of goal. For a team that is already struggling with attacking absences, Sesko’s lack of form has come at a bad time.

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Posts ByRobbie Walls

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to complete some business in the January transfer window. Despite beating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park at the weekend, they remain in the bottom half of the Premier League, 11th at the season’s midpoint.

There is much work for Thomas Frank to do, many holes to be plugged, but Tottenham are building something atop the foundation of last season’s Europa League win, and a well-utilised winter market could help accelerate the manager’s vision.

The Lewis family are going to back the boss. Funds have been provided; expect a fresh face or two.

There’s no question that Tottenham need a new centre-midfielder, but there has been movement on the Brennan Johnson front, so landing a new wide-attacking recruit could be first on the club’s co-sporting directors’ list of priorities.

Spurs lining up Brennan Johnson replacement

On the overtures of the New Year, it has emerged that Tottenham have agreed a deal in principle with Crystal Palace for the transfer of Johnson, worth £35m.

Johnson has played a sporadic role this season, with his creative and physical metrics leaving much to be desired. Only at the end of last season did the Wales international score the winning goal in the Europa League final, his 19th of the season, but football moves quickly.

So quickly, in fact, that the north Londoners have already earmarked a replacement, with the Daily Mail revealing that Spurs are interested in AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche.

Akliouche, 23, has been excellent for his French employers since graduating from their much-lauded academy, and at £40m, he would be more affordable for Tottenham than someone like Bournemouth’s £65m-rated winger Antoine Semenyo, who is headed for Manchester City.

Why Akliouche would be a Johnson upgrade

Akliouche has become one of the most important members of Monaco’s senior squad, featuring 22 times in all competitions this season, scoring three goals and supplying five assists.

But this is not a player who is defined by data. He is elegant and fleet-footed, dangerous out wide or from a central midfield berth. As per Sofascore, he has created seven big chances from only 14 league appearances in 2025/26, his athleticism underscored by an average of 5.3 ball recoveries per game.

Data isn’t everything, but as the statistics will tell you below, Akliouche is a strong playmaker and he likes to dribble forward with the ball himself, albeit leaving something to be desired when in front of goal and striking at the keeper.

Akliouche vs Johnson (past 12 months)

Stats (per 90)

Akliouche

Johnson

Goals scored

0.16

0.39

Assists

0.30

0.04

Shots taken

2.25

1.08

Shot-creating actions

4.13

1.59

Touches (att pen)

5.07

2.75

Pass completion (%)

82.9

67.4

Progressive passes

5.77

2.19

Progressive carries

3.81

1.98

Successful take-ons

1.53

0.73

Ball recoveries

4.89

2.62

Tackles + interceptions

2.31

1.72

Data via FBref

Johnson might have a firm advantage on the goalscoring front, but he’s turning out to be something of a one-trick pony, otherwise offering very little.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Spurs transfer insight Curious how Spurs could replace Brennan Johnson? Subscribe to the newsletter for detailed transfer coverage, expert breakdowns, stats comparisons and tactical context that explain targets like Akliouche and what they mean for the squad.

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Given that a lack of spark and creativity has been among Tottenham’s most damaging flaws this season, the decision to have shipped him out is understandable, especially now that Akliouche is in ENIC Group’s sights.

A veritable artist on the ball, talent scout Jacek Kulig has actually remarked that Akliouche has “a left foot made of gold”, with pinpoint, inventive passing showcased each time he takes to the field.

This is a versatile winger of “ridiculous” technical quality, as has been said by analyst Ben Mattinson, and though he’s not a shoot-first kind of wideman, Tottenham have struggled on the playmaking front, and he would be perfect.

A left foot made of gold, and a skillset tailor-made for Frank’s Tottenham team. The shoe could very well fit.

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Posts 2 ByAngus Sinclair

Boeta Dippenaar will lead South Africa A on their tour of India beginning on September 13. Ashwell Prince and Hashim Amla, the other candidates, have indicated that they preferred to concentrate on their batting without the responsibility of captaincy.Lions offspinner Werner Coetsee, Cobras allrounder Rory Kleinveldt and Dolphins left-arm seamer Yusuf Abdullah were the new faces that have been picked for the tour.South Africa A are scheduled to play two four-day games and three limited-over games against India A. However, changes will be made to the squad after the four-day games because some of the players would be needed for the Test tour in Pakistan.South Africa A: Morne van Wyk, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Boeta Dippenaar (capt), Hashim Amla, Justin Ontong, Ashwell Prince, Werner Coetsee, Dale Steyn, Thami Tsolekile, Friedel de Wet, Yusuf Abdullah, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt.

Shane Bond was bent on conserving his energies for more demanding encounters © Getty Images

On a sultry Mumbai afternoon, the cop-turned-fast-bowler Shane Bond hit the sluggish wicket at the suburban ground trying to hunt down a few weapons that had slipped from his grasp during the lengthy recuperation period from a back injury. Rhythm, pace, line, and length. Especially rhythm, the others usually come as free accessories with it. He left the arena a tired man, still in search of them.Only three balls beat the bat in his first spell that yielded 26 runs in five overs. The first one kicked up from a length to bruise the right hand, the second whizzed past the outside edge after landing on a length, and the third got an edge, but flew to the third-man fence, when the batsman tried to force a short-of-a-length delivery. Though he was more fluent in later spells he didn’t look threatening at any stage. But New Zealand would not have expected any miracle from him on this slow pitch and would be satisfied that he had clocked some miles under his belt.Faces peered eagerly through the fence at the far end as Bond, sporting a black wristband on his left hand, ran in 13 paces before arching back his upper body to release the ball. However, today, it didn’t usually land where he wanted. First over was spent in search of both line and length as he threaded on either side of the wicket, sometimes short, sometimes full. However, he ended it with a snorter that hurt the right hand of Rishikesh Parab, the plucky opening bat. Maybe Bond has found his rhythm now and will dismantle the first-class batsmen from Baroda. It was not to be. His next ball was slashed over point by Parab. Hmm… a bouncer or a yorker, now, surely? A length ball followed and Parab took a single off the next.At the start of the third over Vettori, the captain, moved out the second slip to gully. A gully and a point were now in place. In better times, Bond would have kicked it up from short of a length outside the off stump, got an edge out of the startled batsman and either the gully or point would have come into play. He attempted straightway but to Bond’s surprise, it flew off the middle of the bat and sailed over backward point. Parab had reproduced a Virender Sehwag special. There was a buzz around the arena. Now we had a real contest on the cards. Unsurprisingly, a bouncer followed. Parab calmly swayed away. Then another one, banged in short, was punched down on the off side. A fullish one was served up next which was driven powerfully and if not for an agile cover, it would have been a four.Vettori ran across to hand over the goggles and a pat on the back as Bond trudged back to his fine-leg position to attend to his end-over ritual. Some chilled water would go down the throat, some down the back of his neck and he would then grab a towel to wipe his perspiration away. The heat was truly on.Early in his next over, Parab edged a short-of-a-length delivery to the thirdman fence to produce a shake of the head from the bowler. The next one flew at the throat of Parab who swayed away quickly. A couple of balls later Parab tried to whip a ball on the legs to the on side but got a leading edge that fell short of mid-off. That ball didn’t deserve a wicket but neither was lady luck smiling on the tired fast bowler. A series of balls that were banged in short of length were served up in the next over, all of which was pushed away without any fuss. Off his penultimate ball of the spell, Bond sent one full and on the middle and leg, hoping to trap an lbw decision but it was nonchalantly flicked past the square-leg. And that was that.When he came back for his second spell in the 34th over, he operated on two lengths – bouncers and just short of driveable length. He even attempted a yorker, his first of the day, in his eight over.However the dark clouds cleared for him even as the sun was setting in the western sky. Off the penultimate ball of the 47 th over, his ninth, he finally got one to pitch full and just short of driveable length to clean up a tailender. He looked more relieved than happy as he slowly halted his follow-through, came to a stop somewhere in the middle of the pitch and just stood silently. His team-mates, however, realised the importance of the wicket and ran towards him to high-five. Slowly, the hand stretched out and the tired lips spread into a smile. Bond had found his first clue and his hunt will continue another day.

It remains to be seen whether the likes of Mohammad Ashraful will get the opportunity to shine in India © Getty Images

Bangladesh’s tour to India next year is still shrouded in doubt, according to Ali Asghar, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president. Following his return from the ICC meeting in Melbourne, Asghar revealed that he has not received confirmation from the Indian board.”Bangladesh’s tour of India is still on for sometime in next September-October. But we will get a definite response from India only after the approval of ICC’s next Future Tour Programme (FTP) which will be ratified in March next year,” Asghar told .Bangladesh’s inaugural Test was against India in 2000 and India played a full series against them in Bangladesh in 2004. However, the Indian board is yet to allow Bangladesh a return visit .Their tour to India was stalled twice but in the same period India played Pakistan at home. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, former BCB president, has criticized Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the BCCI president, on this issue.Asghar said that the Future Tour Programme is yet to be approved following objections from the Asian and African members, and was adamant that Bangladesh’s away series should be included in the ICC’s calendar. “The interests of the Asian and African Test countries didn’t reflect in the draft FTP, rather it hugely favoured Australia and England. We wanted to play at least two series at home in a year during the period because it would be our main source of income. We have desired to hold at least two triangular series involving India and Pakistan during the next six-year cycle.”India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka all raised objections to the tour programme as it did not allegedly uphold the interests of the Asian countries. Asghar confirmed that the ICC is expected to announce a final Future Tour Programme in its next meeting, to be held in March 2006.

Dimitri Mascarenhas’s rapid 104 enlivened a draw in Durham© Getty Images

Six matches, six draws: the weather certainly came out on top in the latest round of matches in the Frizzell County Championship. There was a sniff of a result at Edgbaston, where Sussex declared at their overnight score with a lead of 136, and then reduced the leaders Warwickshire to 15 for 3. Mohammad Akram took two of those wickets, and later removed Michael Powell for 39 as well, but Sussex eventually ran out of time. Northants set Gloucestershire 290 in around 65 overs at Bristol, but they settled for 160 for 4 on the eve of their C&G Trophy defence at Lord’s. And there was never much prospect of a result at Old Trafford, where Kent skated to 92 for 3 in their second innings before a truce was called.In Division Two Dimitri Mascarenhas’s 104 rescued Hampshire, who had been 50 for 5 overnight, but Durham batted out time for the draw. For the third day out of four there was no play in the matches at Derby and Colwyn Bay.

County Championship Division One

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Wessels to wield axe at Northants – The Daily Telegraph
Day 2 report: Hussey returns to frustrate Northants – The Guardian
Day 3 report: Bracken needed urgently – The Daily Telegraph

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Gritty Brown rescues leaders – The Guardian
Day 2 report: Montgomerie leads Sussex pursuit – The Times
Day 3 report: Painstaking Prior holds up Warwickshire – The Independent

Scorecard
Day 1: only 6.3 overs because of rain
Day 2: no play because of rain
Day 3 report: Red rose left in mire by Patel – The Guardian

County Championship Division Two

Scorecard
Day 1: no play because of rain
Day 2: no play because of rain
Day 3 report: France a force to be reckoned with – The Daily Telegraph
Day 4: no play because of rain

Scorecard
Day 1: no play because of rain
Day 2: no play because of rain
Day 3 report: Toil and trouble for Hampshire – The Daily Telegraph

Scorecard
Day 1: no play because of rain
Day 2: no play because of rain
Day 3 report: Glamorgan make a point after gentle persuasion – The Guardian
Day 4: no play because of rain

National League Division One

August 25
Essex 135 for 5 (Jefferson 61*) v Surrey at Chelmsford – abandoned, no result
Scorecard

National League Division Two

August 24
Middlesex 153 for 2 (Weekes 76*, Strauss 68) beat Somerset 179 (Betts 3-23) by 57 runs (Duckworth/Lewis method)
Scorecard
Report: Strauss composes victorious waltz – The Times
Worcestershire 131 (Smith 50*, Yasir Arafat 4-22) beat Scotland 130 (Watson 44, Hall 3-26) by 1 run at Worcester
Scorecard
Report: Saltires throw away great chance – The Scotsman
August 25
Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire at Trent Bridge – abandoned: this meant that Middlesex were confirmed as second-division champions
August 26
Nottinghamshire 144 for 7 (Anurag Singh 67) beat Scotland 143 (Lockhart 46, MacGill 4-18) at Trent Bridge
Scorecard
Report: Misery keeps on coming as Saltires collapse again – The Herald, Glasgow

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James Hamblin cracked a superb century to help Hampshire II’s to their eighth straight one-day victory in the ECB Second Eleven Trophy, taking them through to the semi-final stage with a 100% record.Hamblin, recently dropped from the Sunday League first team, firmly pushed his case for an instant recall, as he backed up Monday’s 81 against Somerset, with a fine 114.He drove and cut strongly, and shared in a 94 run opening stand with Jimmy Adams (32), and then a 145 run partnership with Will Kendall, as Hampshire posted 297/4 on the excellent Bristol wicket.Kendall, also searching for form, looked to have found some and he batted faultlessly for his 93, before getting out in the final stages trying to launch the ball out of the ground.He was savage on the short ball, and his speed between the wickets really put pressure on the home team, who were a little lacklustre in the field.Gloucestershire took the fight to their opposition though, and were in with a shout of a brilliant victory, as Tim Hancock hit 112, but they ended just twelve runs short, on 286/8.Hancock and James Pearson (62) shared a 120 run stand for the second wicket, but some good bowling kept the required rate climbing, and Lawrence Prittipaul picked up Pearson’s wicket at a vital stage.Chris Tremlett showed his class again, grabbing 2/35, and bowling very well at the death to pile the pressure on, with good support from James Bruce (1/53) and the pacey James Tomlinson, whose 2/45 included the prize wicket of former England all-rounder Mark Alleyne.Hampshire have been runners up in this competition three times in the last four years, and will no doubt be looking to go one step further this year.

He may only have been deputising, and it may be a while before there’s another opportunity to do it, but Marcus Trescothick’s debut as England captain could hardly have gone better. The toss won, a typically positive half century to give England a flying start, and a comprehensive, 70-run win.If anyone had put put it to the Somerset left-hander, 18 months or so ago, that he would spend today captaining England, he might well have doubted their sanity. But such has been the impression Trescothick has made on the team, that he was being touted for the role after the first Ashes Test last summer, less than a year after his first England appearance.In those daunting circumstances (England were already one down against the best side in the world) the selectors were right to opt for the experience of Michael Atherton. Here, though, the situation could hardly have been more different. A series won, weakened opponents, and seniority among the squad’s fully fit members. It was the right time to give it a go, and it worked out handsomely. So after such an encouraging start, does Trescothick want to do it again?”Somewhere down the line I may possibly be interested,” he said. “People have been tipping me for a while that I might take over when Nasser’s gone, but this was just an opportunity to gain experience.”If Nasser is going to carry on for a few years then someone behind him hasto come along and fill the job — but who knows who that is going to be?”It was pretty tough and I didn’t get much sleep last night because I wasgoing over things in my head about how I was going to operate.”But it was good to get the first toss out of the way because we’ve had anightmare with tosses.”Trescothick was also enthusiastic about the performances of some of the younger mebers of the team.”It’s a good time for a few of the younger guys to express themselves,” he said.”That was the whole point of this tour, to give experience to the guys whohave been playing for a bit and also for the young guys who haven’t reallyplayed to get that experience in.”There are pressures in international cricket and you never quite know what’sgoing to come around the corner and we were tested at various points, but therewere some key performances in that.”To win 5-0 is important. We set our stall out to win the series when we camehere but now we’re 4-0 up we’re gunning to win 5-0.”They’re obviously quite down at the moment after losing 11 on the bounce andwe’re on a winning streak and that’s when you have to nail it.”It will be a great encouragement to the England camp that should anyone need to deputise for Nasser Hussain again, they now have someone in the ranks with an emphatic win under his belt.

West Ham will still be monitoring January targets Darwin Nunez and Duvan Zapata as they look to bring in a centre-forward in the summer, according to transfer insider Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: January bids

Hammers fans endured a disappointing wineter transfer window after the east London club failed to sign a single player in January. This was exacerbated by their need for an attacker, with Michail Antonio being the only senior striker at David Moyes’ disposal.

As reported by The Evening Standard, the Irons had a club-record £60m bid rejected by Benfica for Nunez. It was claimed that the 22-year-old was waiting on a move to a Champions League club, thus making it difficult to entice him to the London Stadium.

After their failed Nunez bid, West Ham made a last-ditch attempt to sign Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata on deadline day. It was reported that the Hammers submitted a deal sheet to the Premier League, but they failed to get the loan move over the line before the transfer window shut.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments-4/” title=”West Ham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: O’Rourke’s update

Despite their unsuccessful transfer attempts in January, O’Rourke has claimed that West Ham will still be monitoring the pair ahead of the summer window.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, he said: “They tried to sign both players in the January transfer window but just ran out of time to try and get those deals done and were maybe priced out of it by the respective two clubs of Benfica and Atalanta. 

“So, I’m sure they still remain on West Ham’s radar, and they’ll be continuing to keep tabs on them.”

The Verdict: A striker is essential

Whilst Antonio has been in fine form at certain points this season, having scored four goals in the Hammers’ opening three Premier League games, he has also seemed fatigued, which is understandable due to his lack of rotation.

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As a result, the 31-year-old has been unable to find the net in his last eight league games. This has not come at a good time for the Irons, as a top-four finish is slowly slipping from Moyes’ grasp, with a lack of goals partially to blame for their recent drop-off.

Therefore, it is essential that GSB secure at least one striker in the summer; if they can get either (or even both) of Zapata or Nunez in at the London Stadium, it should greatly reduce the over-reliance on Antonio to score consistently.

In other news: Roshane Thomas has revealed details of a fresh injury setback for West Ham

Several of Australia’s Test cricketers will be made available for Big Bash League matches between the first and second Tests against West Indies, Cricket Australia has confirmed.The BBL begins on December 17 and some of Australia’s Test cricketers will be available for at least the first four days of the Twenty20 tournament, given the lengthy gap between Tests. The first Test against West Indies will be played in Hobart from December 10 to 14, and there is then a 10-day break before the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.However, the Test fast bowlers will not take part in the BBL matches and opening batsman David Warner, who is yet to sign with a team for this season, will sit out to spend time with his pregnant wife Candice. Allrounder Mitchell Marsh’s availability is yet to be decided, with his workload in the coming Tests likely to determine if he will play in the BBL during that period.Steven Smith, Joe Burns, Peter Nevill, Nathan Lyon and, fitness pending, Usman Khawaja, will be available from December 17 to 20. There is also a possibility the Perth Scorchers players in the Test squad – Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh – will be made available for their team’s first game on December 21.The Test players will gather in Melbourne on December 22 ahead of the Boxing Day Test.