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Alvaro Carreras is excited to live out his childhood dream by returning to Real Madrid in a long-awaited transfer from Benfica.

Carreras joins Real Madrid on six-year dealFull-back is club's second-most expensive defender22-year-old shrugs off pressure of representing Los BlancosFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After penning a six-year deal at Real Madrid, Carreras, who completed a €50 million (£43m/$58m) transfer from Benfica, was unveiled on Tuesday, where he reflected on what it means for him to return to the club where he spent a significant part of his youth.

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Carreras, who impressed at the Club World Cup, represented the youth teams of Madrid between 2017 to 2020 until he made a move to Manchester United. In 2024, he was signed by Portuguese heavyweights Benfica on a long-term deal. Madrid, were desperate to sign him in their search for a new left-back, and even considered asking United to trigger their buy-back clause, which was comparatively lower than what Los Blancos eventually paid to Benfica.

WHAT CARRERAS SAID

Speaking about his return to the La Liga outfit, Carreras said: "Everything, fulfilling a dream, coming home. I'm eager to take on the challenge and get started. I'm living a dream. I left as a child and I return as a man. My mother was thrilled, and that's normal."

Adding to that, he also mentioned that he does not look at the finances attached to the deal, saying: "I don't care about that. I'm confident in who I am and what I can give. I don't get involved in numbers."

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Carreras will join Real Madrid's pre-season camp on July 31 and undergo the medical examinations before the club's training commences on August 1.

The Sylhet Test will be NZ’s first in eight months and first in Bangladesh in ten years

Mohammad Isam26-Nov-2023Daryl Mitchell is looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet, after the World Cup humdrum, when New Zealand return to Test cricket after eight months in Sylhet. It will also be the first Test for both New Zealand and Bangladesh in the third cycle of the World Test Championship. Mitchell is coming off a strong run in the World Cup where he struck two centuries, both against India.”A bit more patience is required going from white ball to Test cricket,” Mitchell said. “You can breathe and relax a little bit. The surfaces are turning. We will keep adapting. We will see what we get on day one.”It is always special to play in that tournament in front of millions of people. It is also about recognising what an opportunity we have here at the start of the World Test Championship. How much it means to wear that baggy with the silver fern on.”He also said that New Zealand are focussing on short-term goals rather than thinking about the ultimate goal of reaching the WTC final.”We obviously know it is the end goal,” Mitchell said. “That’s what every country taking part in the World Test Championship wants to do. For us, it is about making small goals. Trying to tick off games as we go. First, we have to take on Bangladesh. It is always a tough challenge in Bangladesh.”Conditions are foreign to us as Kiwis so it is about adapting as quickly as we can to these surfaces, and getting stuck to win little moments. It is what we are speaking about. We are not looking too far ahead. At the same time, you want to be part of those big games. That’s why you play Test cricket.”Related

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Sylhet, incidentally, has hosted just one Test previously but while conditions will be alien to both sets of players, New Zealand coach Luke Ronchi said that his side has developed their skills in the sub-continent. This, despite New Zealand having last played a Test in Bangladesh in 2013.”Ten years is a long, long time,” Ronchi said. “That’s when Ish Sodhi made his Test debut. Some of the guys were young so their style of play would have changed a lot. We played a lot of cricket in the sub-continent. We have toured Pakistan as well. The guys have their own tactics to play around the world.”You can see the reverse-sweep coming into it a lot more now. It makes life difficult for bowlers. But that’s how guys want to play. They need to adapt to that surface whichever way they think is the best way for them to score.”Ronchi said that the ODI World Cup in India on slow pitches has prepared them for the Test series on similar tracks in Bangladesh. “It would have been a big change if we came from the green wickets of New Zealand straight to Bangladesh,” he said. “But for the majority of our group here, they have been in the World Cup. They have been practicing on slower and turning surfaces so that it helps us in this Test series.”As for Mitchell, he put the World Cup behind him, though he savoured his presence in the ICC’s team of the tournament. “It is cool to be recognised with [a place in the World Cup team of the tournament]. It means you are contributing to the team and helping to win games,” Mitchell said. “There’s not much time to reflect. We are straight into Test cricket. You want to stay present, and be ready to go for the Test team. But also, a very special eight weeks in India. Those memories will last a lifetime.”

Manchester United are plotting a swap deal to sign Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa after Andre Onana suffered an injury in pre-season training. The Red Devils are yet to approach the Villans with a formal offer but they are internally assessing their options of whether to go with current crop of young goalkeepers or sign an experienced campaigner like Martinez.

Man Utd plotting swap deal to sign Emi MartinezInternally discussing their optionsNeed to offload players before spending againFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Manchester United were dealt a massive injury blow as their first-choice goalkeeper, Andre Onana, was ruled out of the club's pre-season with a hamstring problem. Early assessment of the player's condition suggested he could miss six to eight weeks of action; however, the reported earlier this week that the injury may not be as serious as initially feared.

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now reports that, amid doubts over Onana's exact return date, United officials are internally assessing whether to proceed with their current crop of young goalkeepers or pursue a seasoned custodian like Martinez. The club could even consider offering players in exchange for the Argentine, although they are yet to initiate formal talks with Aston Villa.

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Romano further claimed that finance could be a major deciding factor in the Martinez transfer as the Red Devils need to offload players to fund further investment in the summer transfer window after they completed the transfer for Matheus Cunha and are on the verge of signing Bryan Mbeumo.

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Ruben Amorim's side will play their first pre-season friendly on Saturday as they take on Leeds United in Stockholm.

He will be available for seven County Championship fixtures till May, after going unsold in the IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2024Karun Nair will return to Northamptonshire for seven County Championship fixtures in April and May after he went unsold in the IPL auction.Northants brought Nair in for the final three matches of last season as part of a failed bid to avoid relegation to Division Two, but his brief stint with the club was a success. He registered scores of 78, 150 and 21 in his three innings and John Sadler, Northants’ head coach, said Nair was his “main target” for 2024.”Not only did he score some incredible runs for us, his calmness, his temperament, and his hunger for more runs was superb,” Sadler said in a press release. “We are delighted to get him on board with us again and I’m sure he will be a super asset for us again this season.”His availability for the early stages of the season was unclear until mid-December due to the possibility of IPL commitments, after he was brought in as a replacement by Lucknow Super Giants midway through IPL 2023. But he went unsold at the mini-auction in Dubai, and has now committed to the first seven games of the Championship season.”I’m thrilled to be returning to Northamptonshire for another stint of County Championship cricket.” Nair said. “Our aim is to win games and get promoted and I’m excited to get stuck in with the bat and help the team secure victories.”I would like to thank the coach and captain for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity. I was really happy with my form last season and hopefully I can get going right away and put big runs on the board.”Nair, 32, played six Tests and two ODIs for India, a brief international career which featured an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai in late 2016. He remains one of two men to score a triple century for India in Tests alongside Virender Sehwag, who did so twice.Nair will be replaced by compatriot Prithvi Shaw midway through the English summer. Shaw agreed to return to the club for the second half of the season after a successful stint last year and is due to arrive in June after representing Delhi Capitals in the IPL.Chris Tremain, the Australian seamer, will feature alongside Nair as Northants’ second overseas player in the first month of the season, while the club recently announced that Sikandar Raza will join them for the T20 Blast.

Multan Sultans believed to be considering Olly Stone as replacement

Danyal Rasool12-Feb-2024Multan Sultans have been dealt a dual blow, with injuries to fast bowlers Reece Topley and Ihsanullah ruling them out of the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League. While Ihsanullah has a long-standing elbow injury and his unavailability was expected, Topley’s absence was announced on Sunday by Sultans owner Ali Tareen.”[Topley] hasn’t received his NOC [no-objection certificate from England] and is out of the PSL,” Tareen tweeted.Topley hasn’t played in the PSL before, but had a full T20 workload through the winter, playing 12 games in the SA20 with Durban Super Giants, finishing ninth on the tournament wickets chart. He is also scheduled to play the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore.ESPNcricinfo understands his injury is not serious enough to imperil his participation in the IPL, and pulling him out of the PSL was a decision taken out of an abundance of caution with a T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean in June.It is understood Sultans wanted to replace Topley with South African quick Nandre Burger – who also had a stellar season in the SA20 – but was told by Cricket South Africa he wouldn’t be granted an NOC. They are believed to be considering Olly Stone, who played in the SA20 and the ILT20 recently, as well as Sri Lankan seamer Dushmantha Chameera. Chameera, however, injured his left quadriceps on Sunday and will be missing the rest of the white-ball series against Afghanistan. The extent of his injury is currently unknown.The PSL starts on Sunday, February 17. The Sultans have reached the final in each of the last two seasons, falling short at the hands of Lahore Qalandars each time.

Gomez described the American midfielder's recent transfer to Atletico Madrid as astonishing

Gomez calls Atletico Madrid a "class A team"Shocked Tottenham's sell-on clause was triggeredDifferent Cardoso performance at club levelGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

Former USMNT star Herculez Gomez said he was surprised by Johnny Cardoso's transfer to Atletico Madrid. Gomez acknowledged he doesn't understand Atletico's interest, based solely off his performances with the USMNT, but emphasized Cardoso is a completely different player at the club level.

“Its career-changing,” Gomez said on the Futbol Americas podcast. “Say what you will about Cholo Simeone, about Atletico Madrid, this is a Class A team. There are a few clubs like Atletico Madrid around the world. And then I was very surprised at his ascension. And how well he did in Real Betis. And I was even more surprised when Tottenham put a $25 million trigger clause in his contract,and no way that's going to be triggered.

“And then here comes Atletico to blow that out of the water and say, 'No, we're going to come in for a player that quite frankly – if we're going just off the USMNT team – I don't see it. Well that's because he's a completely different player at the club level, right? He's in command of his space, in a command of his abilities of the players around him. Who, for his age, has shown great poise, is a great ball winner, he does very well as bringing into the attack.”

Gomez said he has to "separate" the club and USMNT versions of Cardoso.

“For whatever reason, he's not been able to put it together at the U.S men's national team level," he said. "It's not gone his way. So, I can sit here and say, like 'I'm very surprised is happening,' but I have to separate the two. Because when I look at the player at the club level, I can easily see why Cholo Simeone wants him in the centre midfield. I can easily see what he sees in him.”

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The USMNT midfielder signed for the Los Rojiblancos for a reported fee of €25 million. Cardoso signed a five-year contract with the La Liga side.

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Cardoso must now establish himself at Atletico Madrid, where competition for midfield positions remains fierce among a squad filled with international-caliber players.

Joao Felix’s move to Al-Nassr offers a unique opportunity for the Portuguese forward to focus solely on football, his new coach says.

Felix joined Al-Nassr despite links to BenficaCoach admits forward is currently below his potential Says lack of distractions will help himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Felix, who recently completed a permanent move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr from Chelsea, is poised to benefit from the distraction-free lifestyle in Saudi Arabia, according to Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus. Jesus highlighted that Saudi Arabia’s absence of nightlife and alcohol creates an environment where Felix “just has to play” without other outlets or distractions, which could help the forward reach his potential. Jesus noted that although Felix does not drink or party, the lack of other distractions will allow him to focus solely on football. However, Jesus admitted that Felix is currently at a “much lower level” than what his talent demands and needs to improve under the club's guidance. The Portuguese forward, 25, joins a star-studded Al-Nassr squad led by Cristiano Ronaldo and recently showed flashes of brilliance.

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Felix’s move to Saudi Arabia represents a fresh start after challenging spells at Chelsea and AC Milan, where he failed to make a significant impact. His transfer to Al-Nassr reportedly cost the club an initial €30 million (£26m/$35m) plus €20m (£17m/$23m) in add-ons. Ronaldo has dismissed rumours that he was instrumental in convincing Felix to join Al-Nassr, while Jesus sees a promising partnership developing between the compatriots, which could benefit the Portuguese national team in future tournaments like the 2026 World Cup.

WHAT JORGE JESUS SAID

Speaking on Ronaldo and Felix's relationship, Jesus revealed: "Although they already know each other, they're getting closer and closer. They play off each other. Félix is much better than in other games, physically, positionally, technically. We're all here looking for our place to be a strong team."

He added: "As I said recently, he didn't steal from anyone. What did I say to him that made him come? As you said, I didn't steal from anyone. He wasn't a Benfica player, he was a Chelsea player. He was on the transfer market, so he could come to Al-Nassr, he could go to another team, depending on the conditions they offered him. I believe in his football; he has characteristics that fit my offensive approach. Last year, I wanted to take him to Al-Hilal, but he chose not to go; he chose to go to Chelsea. And this year, I invited him, practically when I signed, no, but I assumed he would coach Al-Nassr. I invited him right away, and then it was only after a month or so that he was able to go. And thank goodness, because I think he made the right choice, because he's in a country where you either play or you don't play. What do I mean by this? There's no other option; you just have to play; there's nothing else. There 's nothing else. Saudi Arabia is a country where there's no alcohol, nor does he drink alcohol. There's no nightlife, not that he goes out at night either. There are no other distractions. There are no distractions, he goes to Saudi Arabia, he only has one option: to play and rest and be with friends and family. There's no other option."

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Felix will look to raise his fitness and performance levels under Jesus’s management during the preseason and the upcoming Saudi Pro League campaign. His immediate challenge is to secure a starting role alongside Ronaldo and other star players. Al-Nassr’s squad is actively strengthening, with the club reportedly finalising new signings such as defender Inigo Martinez to bolster their defence. Felix’s progress will be closely monitored as Al-Nassr aims to challenge for domestic titles and make an impact in continental competitions. 

A 315-run partnership for the fifth wicket – a new Glamorgan record – came after the hosts were reeling on 41 for 4

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2024A brilliant recovery led by hundreds from Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson saw Glamorgan finish day two of their Vitality County Championship Match against Sussex on 411 for 9, a lead of 133 on first innings.Glamorgan were in real trouble in the opening session of the day after a burst of three wickets from Jayden Seales saw them slump to 41 for 4 before a record partnership of 315 from Ingram and Carlson took the home side into a first innings leadIngram was dismissed for 170 and Carlson made 148, by far the two highest scores of this match so far. Seales completed his third five wicket haul of the season just before the close as he further cemented his place as the leading wicket taker in Division Two.The day started with the ball dominating proceedings with Trinidadian Seales bowling with pace and late movement. A ball from around the wicket that seamed back into the left-handed Billy Root bowled the batter with him not offering a shot. 11 balls later it was Seales had his second when he bounced out Nightwatchman Mason Crane with a ball that lifted on him and was caught by wicketkeeper John Simpson.Seales claimed his third wicket when he had Sam Northeast caught behind off a good length ball to leave Glamorgan in real trouble. From there it was all about Ingram and Carlson who put on a record fifth wicket stand for Glamorgan going past the 307 made by Carlson and Chris Cooke against Northamptonshire in 2021.Once the shine had gone off the new ball it was all very straightforward for the Glamorgan pair and with Sussex without the spin option of Jack Carson due to a back injury he sustained while batting on day one as the visitors struggled for control.With the scoring rate hovering around four runs an over throughout the partnership, it was just after tea that Glamorgan went into the lead on first innings, a remarkable turnaround from where they were in the morning session.The second new ball saw Seales return to the attack but with two set batters he did not find the same penetration as in the morning session with Ingram scoring 14 runs from his first over back.Ingram became the leading run scorer in the County Championship as he made his third hundred of the season. Ingram’s form presents an interesting overseas player conundrum for Glamorgan with the arrival of Marnus Labuschagne imminent. Given their depleted bowling stocks Glamorgan may not be able to leave out Mir Hamza so that means only one of Ingram or Labuschange can play when the Australian does arrive with the club.When the breakthrough did come it came as a bit of a surprise, with Carlson hitting a ball into the hands of extra cover off Seales for 148. As has been the case in this match so far, wickets have tended to fall in bursts and Cooke was dismissed in the next over for one.Ingram was trapped lbw by Danny Lamb before the close as part of a spell of play that saw Glamorgan lose three wickets for three runs before a quick fire 26 from James Harris helped the home team reach 400 to claim their seventh bonus point of the match. Harris and Andy Gorvin both fell before the close to bookend the day with another cluster of wickets.

Ted Lasso will soon be heading back to London, with it being revealed that filming for Season 4 has been wrapped in Kansas.

Shooting has begun in the United StatesWrap party held for cast and crewMore tales to tell with AFC Richmond Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Title character and show writer Jason Sudeikis, is bringing the popular Apple TV+ show back to streaming services around the world. He has revealed that new storylines and characters are ready to be introduced.

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It has been confirmed that Lasso, who returned to his native United States at the end of series three, has moved into coaching in the women’s game. His path will, however, lead back to England and AFC Richmond at some stage.

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THE GOSSIP

Teasers have been dripped out on social media, including confirmation that filming has started. Part one of that process has been completed after two weeks in Kansas. A wrap party was held at Offkey in Westport, with a private karaoke event being staged.

It has been revealed that the final day of filming took place at McKeever’s Market & Eatery in Lee’s Summit, with shots being captured of Lasso seemingly working as a grocery store clerk, with it important to keep busy away from the training pitch.

The explosive opener will be a traveling reserve on the back of his outstanding IPL

Andrew McGlashan21-May-2024Jake Fraser-McGurk’s stunning IPL made Australia’s selectors ponder a change to their T20 World Cup planning before it was decided they could not find room for him in the 15-player squad which will travel to the Caribbean.As previously reported, Fraser-McGurk will be with Australia at the World Cup having been confirmed as one of their two traveling reserves alongside allrounder Matthew Short but will need a tournament-ending injury to play a role.Related

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Despite an impressive home summer which included an ODI debut against West Indies, he had been a long shot to enter World Cup discussions until he took the IPL by storm having been called in as a replacement player for Delhi Capitals. He went on to hammer 330 runs at an eye-watering strike rate of 234.04 including two 15-ball half-centuries.But with him competing for a spot in Australia’s well-established top three of David Warner, Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh – and not providing an all-round option – he did not make the final cut when the initial squad was named, with no changes being made ahead of the final deadline of May 25.”There’s no doubt that he did turn our heads and he was a huge discussion when it come to the final 15,” head coach Andrew McDonald told radio. “He was running hot and there’s no doubt he will run hot into the future.”There’s no doubt what he did in the IPL, he lit it up, he’s an extraordinary talent and he’s going to give fans much delight across the journey. In discussing the 15-man squad, we needed to cover all bases in the way we wanted to play and there was a lot of building that went into that over a period of time.”Jake Fraser-McGurk is unlikely to have to wait long for another Australia chance•Getty ImagesFraser-McGurk has previously said how he was comfortable with not making the final squad.”There’s two ways you can look at it. You can look at it through, ‘this is what I’ve done to prove my case,’ and then there’s also, ‘look, a month and a half ago I wasn’t even in the picture’,” he told the podcast. “If I do somehow get a travelling reserve [spot] then great, I can get a good experience there. It didn’t really bother me a hell of a lot because I wasn’t in this position to sort of feel like I’ve earned that yet. World Cup cricket is a lot different to IPL and franchise cricket.”However, it is unlikely Fraser-McGurk will have to wait long for another chance at international level with a turnover of players expected to begin in Australia’s white-ball sides after the T20 World Cup. He appears certain to feature on the tour of England in September where he shapes as Head’s future opening partner in the post-Warner era.”Think that would be a good indication, think that’s where we would head,” McDonald said of the future top order. “It may be somewhere in that top three and we’re not dismissing the fact that he may be able to play a role in the middle order as well.”Matthew Short will be vying for that as well and think in the Jake Fraser-McGurk conversation we are probably dismissing what Matthew Short has been able to do domestically as well. So we feel we have a couple of young talented players who are ready to go when we need them.”Warner, who will close out his international career at the T20 World Cup, picked up a hand injury during his IPL campaign with DC. He returned towards the end of the tournament before being left out of the last match. “We believe he’s fully fit, everything he says he’s fully fit…we have no fears that he won’t be fit and fully available,” McDonald said.However, McDonald confirmed that Marsh is unlikely to be able to bowl early in the tournament as he makes a slower-than-expected return from the hamstring injury which ended his IPL stint early. But he will be able to feature in the two warm-up matches against Namibia and West Indies as a batter.Australia are set to have just ten of their squad available for those practice matches in Trinidad with the five players who will feature in the IPL knockouts – Head, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green – joining the squad in Barbados ahead of the opening match against Oman on June 5.