Haliey Welch, better known as Hawk Tuah Girl, threw out the first pitch at a New York Mets game about a month ago. This, of course, resulted in a backlash online, as most things do these days.

Chris Russo screamed about it on his show. Phil Mushnick wrote that the Mets should be ashamed. Yet the world kept turning and Welch launched a podcast. Maybe most importantly, the Mets started winning.

While they lost the day that Welch threw out the first pitch, the Mets have gone 19-8 since then, including a nine-game winning streak. They have also passed the Atlanta Braves and moved into the final wild card spot with just over two weeks remaining in the regular season.

On yesterday's on , co-host Peter Rosenberg asked when Welch was going to get an apology and called out the media members who had a problem with Welch's first pitch.

"When will the yo-yos apologize?" Rosenberg asked. "The yo-yo sports talk jabronis. The ones who are like walking stereotypes of our business. What's the word? The gasbags. When will the gasbags come out and say sorry to Haliey Welch, a.k.a., formerly—'cuz she's beyond it now—formerly, 'Hawk Tuah Girl.' When will they give her her credit? Because guess what? This team's been rolling post-Hawk Tuah."

While that was a bit tongue-in-cheek, Rosenberg may have a point.

The team was losing momentum from the Grimace era when Welch showed up, having lost 10 of their last 17 games. They clearly needed to re-turn things around again. Once Welch stepped on the mound the attention shifted from baseball to decorum and the Mets were handed a welcome distraction from the dog days of summer. Then they got back to winning.

With seven games against the Philadelphia Phillies over the next 10 days, they will need that momentum to continue. It might be time to bring her back. No matter what the yo-yos and jabronis have to say.

Shohei Ohtani found a perfect way to wrap up his historic 2024 MLB season—by winning the World Series in his first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani was everything the Dodgers and their fans hoped he would be when they signed him to a $700 million deal last offseason. He became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season and while he was banged up in the last few games of the World Series, he did more than enough in the postseason to help lead the Dodgers to a title.

Ohtani had fun celebrating his first championship. He joined the FOX Sports postgame show moments after the game and told the crew there was one thing he was looking forward to trying for the first time—a cigar.

What a legend.

Ohtani could have an even more impressive season next year when he's able to return to pitching after not being able to take the mound this year following major elbow surgery in Sept. 2023.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks is headed to the Los Angeles Angels on a one-year deal, 670's The Score's Bruce Levine reported. MLB Network's Jon Heyman is reporting the deal is worth around $3 million.

Hendricks was the last remaining player from the Cubs' 2016 World Series-winning team. It's the end of an era officially in Chicago.

The 34-year-old is coming off a .250 winning percentage in 2024, which is the worst in his career. He posted a career-high 5.92 ERA. He pitched 130.2 innings resulting in 147 hits, 88 runs, 86 earned runs and 87 strikeouts.

It was expected that Hendricks had played his final game with Chicago on Sept. 28 after playing all of his 11 MLB seasons there. The crowd at Wrigley Field gave him a standing ovation and celebrated one of the star pitchers from their team's legendary 2016 World Series run.

Marcus Rashford has been told that he can steal Lamine Yamal’s crown as Barcelona’s best player, with the England international proving during a loan spell in Catalunya that he remains a “fantastic player”. Dwight Yorke expects the Manchester United outcast to create his own “legacy” with La Liga giants, much like Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Xavi once did.

Lost spark: Why Rashford finds himself at Barcelona

Rashford is a long way from occupying that talent pool at present, but has enjoyed a productive start to his spell with Barcelona. He showed signs of rekindling a lost spark during a loan stint at Aston Villa last season.

With no slate being wiped clean at Old Trafford in the summer of 2025, the 28-year-old was forced to find another new challenge. He stepped out of his comfort zone when doing that, with the decision taken to join Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri in Spanish football.

AdvertisementGettyJust like Messi: Rashford tipped to eclipse Yamal & emulate icons

Rashford has registered six goals and eight assists through 16 appearances for Barca, with the expectation being that a purchase option will be triggered in his loan agreement. Once a permanent transfer is completed, Yorke believes that Rashford will go from strength to strength.

The 1999 Treble winner has told of the United academy graduate potentially rising above teenage wonderkid Yamal at Camp Nou: “I'm surprised they haven't already paid that £35 million ($46m), as he’s a really good player.

“I think it’s great for Rashford. I’ve defended him. There’s a whole saga around him and after some people questioned his role at United, credit to him for doing well at Barcelona. I think he became very unhappy at United, it’s as simple as that. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re in an unhappy place, how can you perform? He’s gone over to Barcelona, he’s enjoying his football again, he’s in a happy place, and we see the impact on his performances.

“He’s not become a fantastic player at Barcelona. He is a fantastic player. He has always been a fantastic player. But if you’re unhappy, you’re not going to perform. I don’t think he has covered himself in glory either, but man for man there was no player more talented than Rashford in the United ranks. Now we’ve got a happy Rashford playing the way he can, he’s showing at Barcelona that the rest is history, and now he has some big boots to fill.

“Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, these are the types of guys that came before him like Romario and those types of players. I don’t think Rashford is quite in that bracket yet but he can create his own legacy in the Barcelona shirt.

“Apart from Lamine Yamal, he’s not going to have much competition in this team. He's now got a chance to believe: 'I can be the number one player here', even ahead of Yamal. Yamal is still in that development stage. Rashford is at his peak right now as a player and he is that good. He can be that good but he must want to have it."

Transfer poser: Man Utd already made a mistake with McTominay

United could be wondering whether selling Rashford is the best option, having seen him thrive outside of Manchester. The likes of Antony and Alejandro Garnacho have done likewise, while Scott McTominay is now a Serie A title winner at Napoli.

There has been talk of the Red Devils trying to bring the Scotland international back, with Yorke saying on that topic: “You know they would have to pay some serious money to go and get him back. It would be difficult to admit they made a mistake, but having said that, he would relish the fact he’s now being backed by the club if they did go back in for him.

“He wouldn’t answer the problem of not having a number six though. They’d probably get him playing even further up the park which would only make things more confusing. That’s why he wouldn’t come back. In hindsight, like with all these things, he could have been in a top position at United one day but it’s never that easy.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportSpend again: Amorim & Man Utd still searching for consistency

Ruben Amorim will be looking for the United board to spend again in January, with the Red Devils still searching for consistency. They have positioned themselves back in the Premier League top-four race this season, but questions continue to be asked of whether defensive and attacking reinforcements are required in order for former glories to be fully recaptured.

كشفت تقارير صحفية صدمة قوية لنجم منتخب البرتغال، كريستيانو رونالدو، بعدما طُرد في مباراة مساء أمس ضد أيرلندا، في التصفيات المؤهلة إلى بطولة كأس العالم، نسخة 2026.

وحل منتخب البرتغال ضيفًا على أيرلندا، في الجولة قبل الأخيرة، من تصفيات قارة أوروبا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم الصيف المقبل، حيث تعرض الضيوف للهزيمة بهدفين دون رد.

طالع | ترتيب مجموعة البرتغال في تصفيات كأس العالم (محدث باستمرار)

وتحصل كريستيانو رونالدو على بطاقة حمراء مباشرة، في الدقيقة 61، بعدما اعتدى على أحد لاعبي منتخب أيرلندا بـ”الكوع” دون كرة، حيث تدخلت تقنية الفيديو في الموقف قبل اتخاذ القرار النهائي من جانب الحكم.

وبطبيعة الحال، سيغيب كريستيانو رونالدو عن آخر مباراة لـ البرتغال في تصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم، ضد أرمينيا يوم الأحد المقبل.

وظهرت تقارير صحفية بعد ذلك تفيد أن رونالدو قد يتلقى عقوبة إيقاف لمباراة أخرى، بسبب سلوكه العنيف، مما يعني غيابه عن أول لقاء لـ البرتغال في كأس العالم، حال تأهله وحال حصوله على بطاقة مباشرة.

ولكن يبدو أن الأمر لا يتوقف عند هذا الحد، حيث ذكرت صحيفة “ذا صن” الإنجليزية أن عقوبة إيقاف رونالدو قد تكون أطول من ذلك، بسبب قانون الانضباط الخاص بالاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا.

وأوضحت أن ذلك القانون ينص على فرض الإيقاف لمباراتين على الأقل، في حالة اللعب غير النظيف الخطير، كما تضيف اللوائح أنه يجب تطبيق عقوبة الإيقاف لثلاث مباريات على الأقل في حالة الاعتداء، بما في ذلك الكوع، اللكم، الركل، العض والبصق على أو ضرب الخصم”.

وإذا تأهلت البرتغال مباشرة يوم الأحد، فهذا يعني أن رونالدو من المرجح أن يغيب عن المباراتين الأوليين في الصيف المقبل، وربما يعود مع اقتراب منتخب بلده من التأهل إلى الدور المقبل أو توديع البطولة.

أما في حال فشل البرتغال في الحصول على بطاقة تأهل مباشرة، سيضطر إلى دخول الملحق، وستسري عقوبة رونالدو خلاله حال إقرارها.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians é campeão do Paulistão Feminino! O Timão goleou o São Paulo por 4 a 1 e conquistou o título estadual neste domingo (26), na Neo Química Arena. Os gols da vitória alvinegra foram marcados por Jaqueline, Tarciane, Vic Albuquerque e Jheniffer. Dudinha marcou o único gol tricolor.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansRogério Ceni deu ‘golpe de misericórdia’ na dinastia de Andrés Sanchez no CorinthiansCorinthians26/11/2023CorinthiansAuditoria, executivo de futebol e ampliação da Arena: os planos do presidente eleito Augusto Melo para o CorinthiansCorinthians26/11/2023CorinthiansConheça Augusto Melo, novo presidente do CorinthiansCorinthians25/11/2023

Com o resultado, as Brabas, que haviam perdido o duelo de ida por 2 a 1, na Vila Belmiro, somaram 5 a 3 no agregado e conquistaram seu quarto título na temporada. Além do estadual, o Corinthians se consagrou campeão do Brasileirão, da Libertadores e da Supercopa do Brasil, batendo o póprio recorde de conquistas em uma mesma temporada.

CINCO LANCES QUE MARCARAM O DUELO

1️⃣ PLACAR ABERTO! Confirmando o bom momento na partida, as Brabas abriram o placar na Neo Química Arena aos 38′. Após cobrança de falta, Jaqueline ganhou pelo alto e encobriu Carlinha. Corinthians na frente e tudo igual no agregado!

continua após a publicidade

2️⃣BRABAS AMPLIAM! Mais uma vez na bola aérea, o Corinthians ampliou o placar na Neo Química Arena. Gabi Portilho deu passe na medida para Tarciane desviar de cabeça e marcar o segundo do Timão!

3️⃣SÃO PAULO DIMINUI! Nos primeiros toques na bola, Dudinha descontou para o São Paulo com um golaço! A camisa 26 avançou pela esquerda e bateu de cobertura para encobrir a goleira corintiana e colocar fogo no jogo.

continua após a publicidade

4️⃣GOL LÁ, GOL CÁ! Não deu nem tempo do São Paulo comemorar a “sobrevivência” no jogo. Apenas um minuto depois do golaço de Dudinha, Vic Albuquerque colocou as Brabas na frente mais uma vez no agregado. Após acertar o travessão duas vezes na partida, a camisa 17 pegou o rebote dentro da área e a bola foi para o fundo da rede.

5️⃣IMPARÁVEIS! Aos 29′ da etapa final, Gabi Zanotti bateu cruzado e Jheniffer, que havia acabado de entrar, desviou para o fundo do gol e ampliou a vantagem corintiana: 4 a 1. Que atuação!

⏱Como foi o primeiro tempo?

O Corinthians começou a partida se impondo diante de seu torcedor. Aos 4′, Vic Albuquerque acertou o travessão e assustou as Soberanas logo nos minutos iniciais. O São Paulo também teve chances de perigo, como a cobrança de falta de Rafa Mineira, que contou com a boa defesa de Lelê. No entanto, as Brabas confirmaram a superioridade na etapa inicial e conseguiram abrir o placar aos 38′, com gol de Jaqueline.

⏱E a etapa final?

O Timão seguiu melhor no jogo e conseguiu ampliar o placar com Tarciane, mais uma vez em jogada de bola aérea. O São Paulo, por sua vez, não se entregou e diminuiu com golaço de Dudinha. Um minuto depois, Vic Albuquerque jogou um balde de água fria na comemoração tricolor e marcou o terceiro do Corinthians. Para sacramentar a conquista estadual, Jheniffer desviou para o fundo das redes. Brabas campeãs!

✅O que vem por aí?

Os dois times encerram sua participação na temporada e só voltam a campo em 2024. A premiação para o Timão, campeão, será de R$ 1 milhão, enquanto o Tricolor ficará com R$ 500 mil.

⚫FICHA TÉCNICA
Campeonato Paulista Feminino – Final (volta)
Corinthians 4 x 1 São Paulo

Data e horário: domingo, 26 de novembro de 2023, às 10h30 (de Brasília)
Local: Neo Química Arena, em São Paulo (SP)
Arbitragem: Edina Alves Batista (árbitra), Fabrini Bevilaqua Costa e Leandra Aires Cossette (assistentes) e Daiane Muniz dos Santos (VAR)
Público: 40.235
Cartões amarelos: Tarciane, Mariza e Vic Albuquerque (Corinthians)
Gols: Jaqueline (1-0) (38’/1T), Tarciane (2-0) (8’/2T), Dudinha (2-1) (17’/2T), Vic Albuquerque (3-1) (18’/2T) e Jheniffer (4-1) (29’/2T)

CORINTHIANS (Técnico: Rodrigo Iglesias)
Lelê; Kati (Paulinha, aos 37’/2T) e Tarciane (Yasmin, aos 20’/2T), Mariza (Andressa Pereira, aos 20’/2T); Diany (Juliana Ferreira, aos 28’/2T), Gabi Zanotti (Fernandinha, aos 37’/2T), Jaqueline e Gabi Portilho; Tamires, Vic Albuquerque (Duda Sampaio, aos 28’/2T) e Millene (Jheniffer, aos 28’/2T).

SÃO PAULO (Técnico: Thiago Viana)
Carlinha; Letícia Alves, Ana Alice, Mimi (Pardal, aos 35’/2T) e Fê Palermo (Dani Silva, após o intervalo); Maressa, Aline Milene (Vivian, aos 35’/2T), Rafa Mineira (Dudinha, aos 15’/2T) e Robinha (Isabelle Guimarães, aos 34’/2T); Ariel (Gláucia, aos 15’/2T) e Mariana Santos.

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansSão Paulo

When Chelsea raced into a three-goal lead away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night during a frantic first half, it looked as if Enzo Maresca’s men had the easiest passage through to the next round of the EFL Cup.

Nobody told Vitor Pereira’s hosts to just roll over in the second half, though, as a spirited fight-back from the bottom-of-the-table Premier League side shocked the complacent Blues, who just about got over the line in the end to reach the quarter finals with a surprisingly slim 4-3 victory.

It was very much a night where the attackers shone at Molineux for both sides, with Jamie Gittens sticking out as one of Chelsea’s brightest performers, as the ex-Borussia Dortmund attacker continues to show Maresca why he is deserving of more consistent first-team minutes.

Gittens' standout night versus Wolves

Indeed, the £48.5m summer recruit has just started just two Premier League games so far this season for the Italian.

Yet, he is definitely banging down the door now to be a common starter under the ex-Leicester City boss, with an assist picked up against Ajax in the Champions League earlier in the month, being followed up now by the exciting number 11 sealing a crucial fourth goal for the under-pressure Blues in the West Midlands.

Gittens wasn’t fazed by the strain of a Wolves comeback, though, as he rifled home this fierce effort to gift the under-the-cosh visitors a 4-2 lead, and himself his first ever Chelsea strike, which was well needed in both respects, considering David Møller Wolfe clinched a brace late on.

The 21-year-old’s creative flair was also on full display again in the EFL Cup, with two assists picked up right at the start of the match by the electric left winger, setting the tone for what would become an enthralling contest under the Molineux floodlights.

He will surely be retained in Maresca’s starting XI when Chelsea return to Premier League action, but one of Gittens’ teammates on the night won’t be so lucky, as his feeble defending – in particular – nearly cost his away side dear in their bid to lift the EFL Cup.

Maresca must now axe 5/10 Chelsea star

Heading into this mid-week clash against the Old Gold, the Chelsea manager will have been looking for a response from his troops after they slipped to a late defeat to Sunderland in the league.

Maresca would have been keeping a close eye on how Tosin Adarabioyo fared at the back, after the Chelsea number four was far too lax with Black Cats striker Brian Brobbey in the late stages of that 2-1 loss, which led to Chemsdine Talbi then hammering home a killer blow.

Adarabioyo vs Wolves
Stat	Adarabioyo
Minutes played	90
Goals scored	0
Assists	0
Touches	89
Accurate passes	66/73 (90%)
Tackles won	0/2
Interceptions	3
Clearances	6
Blocked shots	0
Ball recoveries	3
Total duels won	7/12
Stats by Sofascore

Safe to say, when looking at the table above, the 45-year-old would have been, once again, let down by his captain’s weak efforts, with the 6-foot-5 centre-back only managing to win three of his seven aerial duels during the 4-3 win.

Moreover, Adarabioyo would also struggle when going in for tackles, with zero tackles actually won – from two attempted – no doubt boosting the confidence of the hosts to go far more gung-ho in the second half to try and pull off a shock comeback.

Adarabioyo has also looked visibly shaky in the Premier League in recent matches, too, with possession being given away 19 times against Manchester United at the tail-end of September, resulting in the London-born centre-back being given limited minutes off the substitutes bench in the following league matches.

With Trevoh Chalobah also being scrutinised at the back as of late, it will be interesting to see who Maresca plays in the heart of defence as Chelsea clash with near-London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the start of November, with Adarabioyo no doubt targeted by Thomas Frank’s set-piece-heavy side, based on his unassertive showing at Molineux.

The leaky 28-year-old would, subsequently, be handed a low 5/10 rating post-match by Football London’s Bobby Vincent, who stated that the lofty number four looked very shoddy when ‘called into action a lot more’ in the second half.

Thankfully, as much as the match will be remembered for some ropey defending, it will also be remembered, rightly, for some top-drawer attacking prowess, with Gittens – who was gifted a 9/10 rating by Vincent – ready to become a Chelsea first-teamer now, while his ex-Fulham teammate prepares for a spot on the bench against Spurs.

Maresca handed Vlahovic boost amid renewed stance with Chelsea "offered" January deal

The Blues could strike a mid-season bargain.

By
Emilio Galantini

Oct 29, 2025

Everton’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday emphasised the rekindled spirit with David Moyes at the helm.

Work is still being plied in the hope of finding consistency across the park, but after such a fierce stream of summer departures, the Friedkin Group and Moyes and technical director Angus Kinnear can only be praised for reshaping the squad with talented and committed players.

Everton have 11 points after seven matches, and they are eighth in the standings.

However, there are still improvements to be made. Moyes made the point that multiple windows would be needed to lift the squad to the desired, collective standard, and the issues in the final third so far this season have been an illustration of that.

Everton's striker struggles

Dominic Calvert-Lewin left Everton at the end of his contract in June. He played on Merseyside for nine years and was at times considered among the finest strikers in the country.

But injuries and poor form across his final campaigns at Goodison Park made a renewal for the high-salary star difficult. And anyway, Beto had found form in Moyes’ system, scoring seven goals in the Premier League before the end of the campaign.

Beto has struggled to maintain a purple patch since that burst last spring, and with £27m summer signing Thierno Barry yet to adapt to the English game, the Toffees are being hindered by poor quality in the final third this term.

Even so, Everton have come on leaps and bounds, with the likes of Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye spearheading a sharp upturn in general attacking skill.

If the nines fail to raise their game, there’s little question that a new striker will be on the agenda in 2026. With the club going from strength to strength, a focal talisman of the likes of some of the former heavyweights would be nice.

Take, for example, a new version of the man Wayne Rooney believes is Everton’s best scorer for two decades.

Everton's finest modern striker

In 2020, when Rooney was interviewed by The Times and asked to name his finest Everton XI of players he’s played with, he admitted reluctance not to name Duncan Ferguson as his striker, but Big Dunc had to fall behind another.

Five years is a long time, but it’s hard to stake a compelling argument that any who has played for Everton in the intervening years surpasses Romelu Lukaku.

GK – Nigel Martyn

RB – Seamus Coleman

CB – Phil Jagielka

CB – Sylvain Distin

LB – Leighton Baines

CM – Thomas Graveson

CM – Idrissa Gueye

RW – Tim Cahill

CAM – Marouane Fellaini

LW – Steven Pienaar

CF – Romelu Lukaku

Speaking to The Times, Rooney waxed lyrical over the Belgian: “Lukaku is the best goalscorer Everton have had in the last 20 years. His link-up play isn’t the best but he just scores and with his power was another like Fellaini who, when he was on it, was almost impossible to play against.

“I know the fans will expect me to choose Duncan, and as good as he was and as much as I loved him as a player, I can’t ignore Lukaku. His goalscoring for Everton was phenomenal.”

The hulking centre-forward has wandered across Europe, playing for a vast range of clubs and winning plenty of silverware. However, there’s a case to be made that he was at his most fearsome when leading the line at Everton.

A knack for scoring goals was built around the usage of his physical attributes, with powerful, sinewy strength coupled with lethal bursts of pace, darting into dangerous positions and brushing aside defenders.

Everton

166

87 (27)

Manchester United

96

42 (12)

Chelsea

59

15 (2)

West Brom

38

17 (4)

Former Blues boss Roberto Martinez once hailed the 32-year-old’s “elite brain”, proving he was more than just his muscles, and indeed four terms at the club, between 2013 and 2017, saw him hit 20 goals on three occasions, with Martinez also claiming him to be an “iconic figure of Belgian football”.

Given that he was sold to Manchester United for an initial £75m fee at the end of that stint, it’s hard to argue against Farhad Moshiri and the Blues having hit the jackpot. If only they had better applied the recoup and avoided years of struggle.

Ferguson holds a greater legacy, having played 272 games for Everton and having scored 72 goals, but in terms of sheer quality and wow factor when plying their trade in Liverpool, Rooney’s probably fair in his argument that Lukaku takes the cake.

How Moyes must long for such a centre-forward now. It’s easier said than done, but if the Scotsman can land himself a new version of the powerhouse, this Everton project might just become a whole lot more exciting.

Moyes must ditch £56m Everton duo who have been holding Grealish back

Moyes’ Everton have made improvements but there are some stars who need to be dropped.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 2, 2025

“It’s hard to take, because I don’t feel like I’ve done enough to deserve not being on that plane”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2025

Kate Cross was dropped during England’s ODI series against India last month•Getty Images

Kate Cross has revealed that she is “struggling to get [her] head around” her “savage” omission from England’s squad for the 50-over World Cup in India.Cross, 33, has been a regular in England’s ODI side since the last World Cup and took her 100th career wicket in the format earlier this summer. But she was dropped during their series against India last month and was left out of the squad altogether on Thursday as a result of England’s decision to pick an extra spinner for subcontinent conditions.”It’s hard to take, because I don’t feel like I’ve done enough to deserve not being on that plane,” Cross said on , her podcast with Alex Hartley. “Everyone that is a current player who doesn’t get selected is going to disagree with selections and going to think that they should be there.Related

Kate Cross questions future after losing England contract

Cross, Sutherland level up as Northern Superchargers clinch Women's Hundred title

Van Niekerk in line for SA comeback after u-turn on retirement

Gardner: India a 'huge threat' in World Cup

Knight set for World Cup return

“But what I’m really struggling to get my head around is it all feels like it’s happened so quickly that I’ve just clearly fallen out of favour with Lot [England coach Charlotte Edwards]. That’s a hard bit to get my head [around]. If I’d had 14-18 months of being pretty average at cricket and not performing in an England shirt, then I think I’d understand it a bit more.”I guess to an extent I have, because I didn’t have the best summer in an England shirt and I had a really tough winter and missed out a lot through the back injury. But I think leading into that, I definitely didn’t feel like I wouldn’t be on the plane. Being in the best XI [is] a different conversation, but [not even] being on the plane… It feels savage.”Cross was first left out by Edwards for a rain-reduced game against India at Lord’s – she is not involved in England’s T20I set-up – and did not regain her place for the series finale in Durham. “There’s so much for me to get my head around, and I haven’t processed it,” she said. “It’s still really raw.”England have only picked three frontline seamers for the World Cup in Em Arlott, Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer, with captain Nat Sciver-Brunt on track to recover from injury in time to offer another option.”It’s what you sign up for,” Cross said. “You don’t get to have those amazing highs without having these real lows, but it doesn’t make the lows any easier knowing that they’re going to be there. I probably had a good indication that I wasn’t going to be in this, or it would be tough to come back from being dropped in that last game… But it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Manchester United are looking to add to their squad in January, and Fabrizio Romano has revealed one signing the Red Devils absolutely “will” make in 2026.

Ruben Amorim will be pleased with the progress his side have made in their last batch of Premier League matches with the international break now here, given that the Red Devils have gone five games unbeaten in the top-flight.

Despite looking set for a defeat last weekend, Matthijs De Ligt’s late header against Tottenham salvaged Manchester United a draw in the capital to keep his side one point off the top four.

Intriguingly, the Red Devils now sit above Liverpool on goal difference after their heavy defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, which is a testament to their resilience despite losing three players due to injury, something Amorim was keen to point out when speaking to Match of the Day.

“It was a complicated match, especially in the end. If you look at the game the three points were there to take. I think we can be so much better to understand more what’s happening in the game,” said the United boss.

“We lacked a little bit in the final third, the quality was not perfect. We fight in every adversity. We lost Harry Maguire, Casemiro, Benjamin Sesko and we lose two goals, but we still managed to score.”

While the Slovenian appears to be the worst of the casualties, it does beg the question of where Manchester United could look to strengthen in January. With that in mind, Romano has delivered a telling update from Old Trafford.

Fabrizio Romano confirms Man Utd "will" sign midfielder

Speaking on GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness podcast, Romano has confirmed that Manchester United will “for sure” sign a midfielder next year, noting that Atletico Madrid star Conor Gallagher and Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller are two targets that the club could look to acquire.

Conor Gallagher in 2025/26 – all competitions

Appearances – 16

2 goals 0 assists

Angelo Stiller in 2025/26 – all competitions

Appearances – 17

1 goal 5 assists

With both midfielders excelling inside Europe’s top five leagues, it appears there could be room for movement, even if January may not be a suitable time due to the difficult nature of conducting business mid-season.

Man Utd are also eyeing a midfielder they could get a £60m discount on

Gallagher’s homegrown status would also appeal to Amorim. However, there are no certainties in football, and it appears that there is plenty of work to be done before Manchester United secure a new operator in the engine room.