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Sunderland are back in Championship action this weekend, but they may have to make do without an important player, following an injury update from reliable journalist James Hunter.

Sunderland injury news

The Black Cats have had a break from domestic duties because of the final international break of the year getting in the way, but they return to action with a trip to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon. Tony Mowbray's side ran out 3-1 winners at home to Birmingham City in their most recent outing, once again strengthening their promotion hopes and meaning they are sixth in the Championship table, as things stand.

While there is a lot to feel positive about for Sunderland fans at the moment, Mowbray is also having to tackle certain injury problems to key players, which has the potential to hold his team back. For example, Dennis Cirkin suffered an injury in the warm-up before the victory over Birmingham, and the likes of Corry Evans, Jay Matete and Bradley Dack have been long-term absentees for the Black Cats.

Mowbray will be hoping to have as many players as possible to call upon for the long trip south to Plymouth, but a new update claims another player may have a new setback.

Sunderland suffer Dan Ballard blow

According to an update from Hunter for The Chronicle, Dan Ballard is a fresh injury worry for Sunderland, having picked up a hamstring issue on international duty with Northern Ireland.

"Sunderland have a new injury concern ahead of this weekend's trip to Plymouth with defender Dan Ballard picking up a problem while away on international duty.

"Ballard played the full 90 minutes of Northern Ireland's 4-0 Euro 2024 qualfying defeat against Finland in Helsinki on Friday night, but boss Michael O'Neill has since said the 24-year-old suffered a hamstring issue."

Ballard ended up playing no part in Northern Ireland's 2-0 win over Denmark on Monday evening, further suggesting that his injury could be a bad one. This is a massive concern for Sunderland ahead of the festive fixtures, with Ballard an undisputed key man at the heart of the defence so far this season, playing a big role in his side sitting in the playoff places.

The Black Cats hero has started 15 of their 16 league games in 2023/24 to date, and he has won 2.5 aerial duels per match in that time, as well as completing 90.5% of his passes. He has also chipped in with a whopping 3.9 clearances per match, and has scored twice for good measure.

Clearances

3.9

Aerial duels won

2.5

Tackles

1.3

Blocks

1.2

Hamstring injuries can always be awkward ones to come back from quickly, depending on the severity of them, and the fact that Ballard didn't feature at all for Northern Ireland on Monday doesn't bode well. The 24-year-old has been hailed as a "diamond" of a player by Mowbray, which says a lot about how highly his manager rates him, and if he ends up being absent for a significant period of time, it could have a huge impact on Sunderland's promotion push.

Arsenal are thinking about signing a £20 million striker as well as Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, and it's been reported that he's set to leave his current club.

Edu targeting new striker for Arteta

While a lot of noise has surrounded Edu's pursuit of a new midfielder, there are still suggestions that manager Mikel Arteta wants to bring in a new striker next year. ESPN recently reported that Brentford star Ivan Toney is still a target for Arsenal as we head into 2024, with Arteta having just Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus to choose from to lead the line.

The Gunners have also been linked with Vlahovic regularly amid their search for a new forward, as they seek to win a first Premier League title in nearly 20 years.

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A proven goalscorer could be the difference between domestic glory and falling just short, especially given Arsenal have to contend with both Man City and Liverpool who are also vying for first place. Club legend Ray Parlour, speaking to TEAMtalk at the start of this month, urged Arteta and Edu to bring in a striker if they wish to maintain their place among England's elite sides.

“Where they are going to be lacking is the striker position," said Parlour. "In teams I played in we had four top strikers so I think that is one area they need to improve.

"I know Jesus is out at the moment and Nketiah did brilliantly getting his hat-trick at the weekend but there is not a lot of options up front.

“I am sure Arteta, if there is someone available whether on loan or someone who is not playing on a regular basis but who he knows can do a decent job, will be looking for options. When you are chasing a goal you have got to change it up front and they do not have that at the moment. That might be the place they will be looking at."

Given Toney could cost a seismic £100 million to prise away in January, at least according to Sky Sports, it could be wise for Arsenal to consider other options.

Arsenal open to Leonardo deal

According to Football Transfers, Arsenal are open to signing Santos striker Marcos Leonardo "as well as Vlahovic" in their pursuit of new options. It's added that the 20-year-old is set to leave his club for Europe in the new year.

The Brazilian is one of South America's hottest young attackers right now, with reports suggesting Santos are also willing to sell for around £20 million.

This is considerably less than his marquee release clause and Leonardo is a player of serious potential, having scored 13 goals in 29 of his latest Brazilian Serie A appearances.

"I saw in him a brilliant eye for goal, opportunistic and always well placed," the forward's U13 coach Gustavo Roma said (via Football Transfers).

Gets fouled often

Does not dive into tackles

"He is a really good finisher, he always manages to be in the middle of every middle, he's very mobile and intense, with great instincts. He doesn't wait for the ball to come to him, he moves to create the best positions and finish with a goal, that's why he has so many.

"He was our top scorer in 2016 and even as a substitute last year he was one of our top scorers too. He has an eye for goal, he is a killer and born scorer."

Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor has offered an update on the injury that forced striker Khadija Shaw off at half-time against West Ham on Sunday.

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Man City star Shaw suffered foot injury on SundayStriker scored twice vs West Ham before withdrawalAbsence would be a huge hit to City's title chaseWHAT HAPPENED?

Shaw made a blistering start to the game and set City on their way to a 5-0 victory, scoring twice in the first 24 minutes as her team returned to the top of the Women's Super League table. However, she went down with a foot injury in the final seconds of that first half and was replaced by Chloe Kelly after being helped off the pitch by the team's medical staff.

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Concern grew for Shaw when she appeared in a boot and with crutches during the second period. City are locked into a fierce title race with Chelsea, who are three points behind them but with a game in hand. To lose a player who has scored 21 goals in 18 league games this season would be a huge hit to their challenge.

WHAT TAYLOR SAID

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Taylor said of Shaw's withdrawal: "We decided not to take the risk. It was touch and go as to whether she was going to come back on the pitch. We'll get a bit more of an assessment tomorrow. She's on crutches, which looks bad, but most of the players end up being offloaded in that situation. We'll just have to assess it. If it's more serious than we anticipate, then we'll deal with it. I thought Chloe Kelly came onto the pitch and did really well in that position, put them under a lot of pressure, created some good opportunities. We'll find out a little bit more over the next couple of days."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Shaw netted her 50th WSL goal on Sunday in just her 57th game in the competition. Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema is the only player to have reached that milestone quicker.

The coin toss has been replaced by the bat flip, with the winner of the call begin decided by which side up the cricket bat lands

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2018There will be no more “heads” or “tails” at the toss in the Big Bash. Instead it’s “hills” or “flats” as an Australian backyard tradition takes center stage.The coin toss has been replaced by the bat flip, with the winner of the call begin decided by which side up the cricket bat lands.On the backyards around Australia the favoured call is “hills” because of the natural tendency for the bat to rest on the flat side, but in order to retain the fairness in the Big Bash a specially modified bat has been made which, it has been assured, won’t favour the call.”For me it’s a great moment which reflects what BBL is about,” Cricket Australia’s head of the Big Bash League, Kim McConnie, told the ABC. “I’ve got it from great authority at our [bat maker] Kookaburra friends that this is a tested and weighted bat to deliver that equity.”McConnie expected some resistance to the new method of starting a match, but believed in the tournament trying innovations.”Some people don’t like change but I’d also challenge people to say when was the last time anyone watched the coin toss or really focused on it to a great extent?” she said. “Now we are making it much more relevant to families, we are creating a moment which is much more fitting with kids.”The first captain to flip the bat will be Brisbane Heat’s Chris Lynn against Adelaide Strikers on December 19. Who calls “hills” or “flats” remains to be seen as Travis Head is the Strikers captain but he is involved in the Test series against India.

England-like resistance could threaten quality of future tour preparations

George Dobell in Barbados21-Jan-2019Cricket West Indies (CWI) have requested the ICC insist on a first-class warm-up match ahead of every Test series in the World Test Championship.CWI were disappointed that, despite several requests to the ECB, England declined the invitation to play a first-class game ahead of the Test series in the Caribbean. Instead they took part in two, two-day warm-up matches involving 12-players per side.CWI were also disappointed that, having made the effort to provide England with apparently high-quality opposition – something that is not always the case on modern tours, their requests for a first-class game were not met. Without such assurances, it could prove hard to field such experienced sides – six of the squad had played Test cricket – in the future.Several members of the President’s XI side were pulled out of a round of the regional first-class tournament to take part, a move that could alter the end-of-season standings, and looked underwhelmed to be reduced to the role of sparring partners. With no result possible in such matches – 19 wickets fell in the President XI’s first innings with the batsmen simply reappearing in rotation – such games stretch the accepted conventions of the game to breaking point and provide unsatisfactory fare for spectators.As a result, CWI have asked the ICC to schedule a four-day, first-class match ahead of each Test series. It is understood New Zealand are sympathetic to CWI’s request.From an England perspective, however, the two-day games work quite well. It allows them to provide a tailored amount of acclimatisation to the maximum number of players in the minimum number of days. With scheduling demands limiting the length of tours, it is hard to find time for such first-class fixtures without compromising on the opportunities given to squad members. They might also point out that, had the first warm-up game had first-class status, it may have ended in little more than two days anyway.England have, however, been frustrated by the standard of warm-up opposition provided on some previous tours – not least in Australia, where the pitches for the warm-up games bore little comparison with the Test surfaces – so some sort of agreement brokered by the ICC is not impossible. One possibility, previously suggested by Andrew Strauss during his period as managing director of England cricket, was for touring sides to play an A team ahead of each Test series.

Jude Bellingham sat out Real Madrid’s latest training session, with the Blancos counting down the days to a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

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England star under the weatherWill still travel to SociedadShould be ready for European tieWHAT HAPPENED?

The Liga giants are set to face Bundesliga heavyweights in the first leg of their semi-final showdown next Tuesday. Said contest will be staged at the Allianz Arena, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side hoping to establish a lead that can be taken back to Santiago Bernabeu.

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England international Bellingham will have a crucial role to play against Harry Kane and Co, with 21 goals registered by the talented 20-year-old this season. He may be well rested for that challenge, with illness forcing him out of training heading into Madrid’s trip to Real Sociedad on Friday.

WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

Ancelotti told reporters when delivering a fitness update on his squad, with Ferland Mendy still missing with the leg soreness that kept him out of a Clasico win over Barcelona: “Bellingham had a stomach problem and Rodrygo had the flu, but they can still travel. Mendy won’t travel, he’s fine but I prefer him to stay and work for the Champions League.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Real have no need to risk Bellingham, or Rodrygo, against Sociedad as they have opened up an 11-point lead at the top of the Liga table. They are now in the fortunate position of being able to rotate and place greater emphasis on a bid to collect a 15th European Cup.

Sunderland's hunt for a new manager continues, Tony Mowbray was dismissed by the Black Cats on Monday after a forgettable 1-1 draw with Millwall last match was considered the final straw.

The decision to axe Mowbray was far more than just an on-the-pitch situation going sour however, Sunderland chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus wanting to go in a new bold direction with the next manager in at the Stadium of Light to move away from the departing 60-year-old's safe and understated approach.

Various names from all corners of the football world are being linked to the attractive Championship vacancy, with one name in particular gaining traction in recent days.

Sunderland manager latest

The manager in question on everyone's lips at the Stadium of Light is Kim Hellberg, the current IFK Värnamo boss is being tipped to leave Sweden behind for Sunderland very soon according to reports.

The Black Cats are plotting talks already to bring Hellberg into the building, with it being further revealed by Swedish football website Sportbladet that Sunderland are even sitting down with their chosen man this week to discuss the possibility of the 35-year-old taking over from Mowbray.

This would see Sunderland end their pursuit of Will Still and Kieran McKenna – two names who have also been mentioned, as has been reported in TEAMtalk – the second-tier outfit potentially going all in on the young Scandinavian head coach instead.

It's an appointment that would raise eyebrows, but it's a left-field managerial choice that could work.

Sunderland will hope that appointing Hellberg is a masterstroke, finding their very own Graham Potter if the 35-year-old succeeds with the club – the former Chelsea boss earned his stripes in Sweden with Östersunds FK at the start of his fledgling managerial career.

Kim Hellberg's managerial style

Often setting up his Värnamo side in a 4-3-3 formation, Hellberg's approach and style has seen the Swedish side pick up big wins recently to continue punching above their weight in 5th position in the Allsvenskan.

In the league recently, Hellberg's men have confidently beaten opponents IFK Göteborg and Kalmar by the same 3-1 scoreline – Gustav Engvall up top for Värnamo helping himself to two goals and an assist in these encounters, the 27-year-old attacker a star under his now in-demand manager with 11 goals for the season.

The Sunderland hierarchy will hope he can get the misfiring Black Cats attackers firing on all cylinders if he was appointed, the Championship club have been in desperate need of a talismanic figure to lead the line again ever since Ross Stewart left in the summer.

Hellberg's style could go hand-in-hand with the current personnel at the Black Cats, a 4-3-3 formation switch would see Jack Clarke pushed even further forward as a dangerman for the Durham-based club, which could help misfiring forwards such as Nazariy Rusyn not feel as isolated as he was in Mowbray's previous system.

Moving away from the previously familiar 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1 formations under the last tenure could also see midfielders such as Pierre Ekwah feel less shackled by their defensive duties, Sunderland's number 39 has scored twice this season even when regularly featuring as an anchor helping out his back four.

Billed as an "extremely interesting" appointment by football journalist Josh Bunting if Sunderland can pull the move off, it will be fascinating to see if the second-tier promotion hopefuls do decide to appoint the unproven EFL entity or ultimately look elsewhere.

The Black Cats can look to the case of Potter as a reason to be optimistic, the Englishman having also been an unorthodox appointment by Swansea City when he arrived in Wales from Östersunds back in 2018, with the ex-Chelsea man then going on to have a celebrated career in England from the dug-out.

Hellberg will look at Potter's career trajectory and he'll want to replicate that, coming in hungry to prove a point and manage at the very top – hopefully with Sunderland.

Marcus Rashford is among the players Man Utd could be willing to sell this summer in order to increased an otherwise limited transfer budget.

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Man Utd to consider offers for playersOnly three youngsters not for saleClub must boost summer transfer budgetWHAT HAPPENED?

United are described as keeping an "open mind" with regard to sales as the Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS era begins in earnest. The explains that agents and rival clubs believe offers for players will be judged individually. No one, other than Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, is believed to be be off the table. Although there no intention to actively offload players like Rashford, a "credible" offer would receive "genuine consideration," especially if he indicated a willingness to pursue a fresh challenge elsewhere.

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Manchester United are thought to be prioritising a striker, central midfielder and right-sided centre-back in the summer transfer window. But failure to qualify for next season's Champions League will hit the budget. Were they to finish lower than seventh in the Premier League and not qualify for European football of any kind, the notes the club would be pushed towards a "sell to buy" policy when it comes to recruiting. Not actively checking themselves could lead to problems further down the line with the Premier League's Profit & Sustainbility rules.

DID YOU KNOW?

The absence of Champions League football in 2024/25 will result in United players taking a 25% pay cut as outlined in their contracts. That will at least help offset the drop in revenue.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

A top four Premier League finish and Champions League qualification is mathematically out of the question for Erik ten Hag and his team. They are currently sixth, one point ahead of Newcastle and five in front of West Ham. Top six – or winning the FA Cup final next month – would equate to Europa League qualification. If they finish seventh and don't win the FA Cup, it would be the Europa Conference League. Eighth or lower, which seems unlikely now, could mean missing out on Europe altogether. United's Premier League campaign will wrap with fixtures against Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Newcastle and Brighton within the next three weeks.

Tottenham could sign an "untouchable" international centre-back for very affordable money as a report shares "open discussions".

Spurs prioritising new defender in January

Head coach Ange Postecoglou has been forced to deal with a wave of injury and suspension problems lately, especially at the heart of his defence. Micky van de Ven, who was starring for Spurs after his arrival from Wolfsburg in the summer, won't be available to play again until 2024 as a serious hamstring injury keeps him sidelined.

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Postecoglou's lack of faith in Eric Dier has also resulted in the Australian turning to makeshift option Ben Davies, who is now partnering Cristian Romero at the heart of Tottenham's defence. The latter recently returned from a three-game suspension, but as evidenced by his needless lunge during Tottenham's 4-1 win over Newcastle last weekend, Romero can often be walking on a tightrope.

Lack of cover behind van de Ven and Romero is a big problem which chairman Daniel Levy and sporting director Johan Lange quite simply need to address. Tottenham are prioritising a new centre-back signing as a result, according to reliable media sources, and there have been many names linked.

Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite is being chased by Spurs as an option, but he isn't the only one, with his teammate Ben Godfrey, Genoa star Radu Dragusin, Benfica starlet Morato and Sporting Lisbon international Goncalo Inacio among the other centre-backs linked with moves to Spurs

Another very viable name to be mentioned in recent months is Club America defender Sebastian Caceres. The Uruguay international has really impressed under former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa at international level, which has apparently prompted major interest from clubs in Europe.

Tottenham hold "open" agent talks for Caceres

One of those sides is Tottenham, as per widespread reports previously, and an update has now come to light courtesy of Tuttsport (via Sport Witness).

When relaying Serie A side Torino's interest in the 24-year-old, the outlet claims Spurs have "open discussions" with the agent of Caceres over joining Postecoglou's side.

Little else is mentioned beyond that, but if Spurs are serious about making a move, they may have to act fairly quickly. The report claims Napoli and Sevilla are also chasing Caceres, who is available for a bargain fee of around £6 million including bonuses.

That valuation is unquestionably great value for money, as highlighted by his growing reputation. Caceres has become a star for Uruguay in the last few months, with journalist Rodrigo Romano calling the South American an "untouchable" under Bielsa – as translated from Spanish.

The allrounder scored 26 off 12 and followed it up with three wickets and a 19th over that went for just one run

The Report by Peter Della Penna22-Jan-2019How the game played outComilla Victorians pulled out a sloppy, see-saw affair by seven runs thanks to the all-round heroics of Thisara Perera. Though the final margin might indicate that the game went down to the wire, Victorians actually sealed it quite comfortably in the final three overs when the Dhaka Dynamites tail was left stranded following the dismissal of captain Shakib Al Hasan.The match was far from a crisp contest, with a series of missed chances on both sides that served to keep it interesting. Deep square leg and deep midwicket were high-traffic areas throughout the day and the Victorians’ ability to seize more chances on the boundary paid off in the end.Turning points With Liam Dawson struggling to get bat on ball at one end, the red-hot Thisara Perera clattered three sixes in his 26 off 12 balls before he was run out in the final over in a mix-up trying to steal a bye. Thisara removed a rampaging Andre Russell for 46 in the 15th over to defuse the Dynamites’ chase with a slower ball pulled to deep midwicket. With 36 needed off 25 balls and with five wickets in hand, Shakib pulled a full toss from Shahid Afridi straight to deep midwicket. Thisara followed up Shakib’s dismissal with two more via the short ball in the 17th, effectively snuffing out the Dynamites chancesStar of the dayThisara Perera not only continued to be the Victorians’ sensational spark plug at the end of the innings with the bat, but silenced the Dynamites at the death. Not only did he take three crucial wickets, but he conceded just a single in the 19th over, leaving 19 runs to get off the last six balls, which wound up being too tough for the tail.The big missShakib got an absolute meatball from Afridi that should have been hit out of the ground. He stood motionless at the wicket once he realised he didn’t get the elevation to clear the man on the boundary and even though the required run rate was just nine per over for the last four, Dynamites’ last recognised batsman was gone to turn Dynamites from favorites to underdogs.Where the teams standVictorians joined Dynamites on 10 points at the top of the table in a three-way tie for first place with Chittagong Vikings, but the Vikings have two games in hand.