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We look at some of the questions England will try to answer across ODI and T20I series against West Indies

Alan Gardner01-Dec-2023Will Jacks demonstrated his attacking instincts against Ireland in September•PA Photos/Getty ImagesIs Jacks the real deal?Who is the only man to have played all three formats for England in the last 12 months but not receive a central contract? Not yet a regular, at the same time you don’t have to think too far outside the box to come up with the name of Will Jacks. While David Willey’s snub took the headlines, it is the case of Jacks that could become much more pertinent in selection meetings. One of the most aggressive batters among England’s next generation – his commitment to attack was epitomised by his dismissal, caught on the boundary for 94 off 88 balls, with a maiden hundred in sight against Ireland in September – he will have a chance to stake his claim at the top of the order in both white-ball formats. His offspin is also good enough to have brought him a six-for on Test debut (just don’t mention the fact his lack of a central contract might yet mean he opts to fulfil an SA20 deal ahead of the chance to tour India early next year). The ECB’s decision “was disappointing but it does give me freedom,” he told the earlier this week, before adding: “The World Cup is a massive one so playing T20 cricket is really important to me at the moment. The way the game and the world is at the moment definitely suits me.”Who holds the keys to No. 3?While Jacks and Phil Salt will be looking to cement their status as a firestarting opening combo in the Hales-Roy mould, the identity of the ODI side’s No. 3 could be even more pivotal. Joe Root indicated during the World Cup that he hoped to still be in the team for the next edition in four years’ time, but a tournament haul of 312 runs at 30.66 raised the heretical notion that – as in the T20 format – England might be better off without their most classically adroit batter. Zak Crawley seems likely to get first bite at first drop in the new era, and there is every chance that one of the Test team’s purest Bazballers could thrive in conditions that are less likely to expose technical issues. Equally intriguing, though perhaps on the backburner, is the prospect of Ollie Pope being ported across from his berth in the Test side. As discussed on the latest Switch Hit podcast, Pope was seemingly preferred in the squad to Sam Hain on the basis of his range and versatility across formats. He has yet to play a limited-overs game for England but, with a run-a-ball Test double-hundred to his name, ought not to have any trouble setting the required tempo.Is Carse the new Plunkett?There were a multitude of missteps across England’s doomed World Cup defence, but one of their mistakes could perhaps be charted right back to July 14, 2019. That was the last time Liam Plunkett played international cricket, and his reputation as a middle-overs wrecking ball has grown with each passing year that England failed to find a suitable replacement. In India, their bowlers in the second powerplay (overs 11-40) averaged 43.59, putting them seventh out of the ten competing nations, one below Netherlands – and that despite a successful tournament for Adil Rashid, the legspinning foil to Plunkett’s hit-the-deck enforcer. Enter (belatedly): Brydon Carse. The Durham quick has had an injury-disrupted career and, at 28, has only played 21 List A matches; in 76 T20s, he has 40 wickets at 41.95. But during a handful of England outings spread across two-and-a-half years there have been glimpses of high pace and a Plunkett-esque modus operandi, while his career-bests in both white-ball formats have come in international fixtures. With David Willey retiring, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood unlikely to do another four-year cycle, and Jofra Archer still in injury-enforced limbo, this tour represents a chance for Carse, Gus Atkinson, Matt Potts and the uncapped John Turner to prove that England’s seam stocks still run deep.Rehan Ahmed has come a long way in a short space of time•AFP/Getty ImagesRehan ready to fill Rashid’s boots?The spin department, meanwhile, already has its coming man. It was in the Caribbean two winters ago that Rehan Ahmed first came to wider attention (beyond his role as a teenage nets bowler at Lord’s) when helping England to runners-up spot in the Under-19 World Cup. Since then he has made his mark in the history books by becoming the youngest man to win senior England caps in all three formats, which included taking a five-for on Test debut, and generally handled every challenge thrown his way while still being a teenager. In the Caribbean, Rehan will provide the main slow-bowling threat for the ODIs – remarkably, with 10 List A appearances, he has twice as much experience in the format as the other spinner on tour, Tom Hartley – before resuming his role as sorcerer’s apprentice when Rashid returns for the T20I leg. Having taken over, and impressed, as Southern Brave’s wristspin option during the Hundred, his continued progress in the shortest format will likely inform his chances of being involved in next year’s T20 World Cup.Will these three World Cup winners make it to the 2024 event?•Associated PressIs old still gold in T20?It is the looming defence (and England surely won’t shy away from that word again) of another world title that means the T20I series against West Indies will carry greater weight. England have stuck with the majority of their 2022 T20 World Cup-winning squad – Dawid Malan the only member who has been explicitly dropped – but there could still be significant jostling for position, with Jacks, Rehan, Atkinson and Ben Duckett foremost among those looking to make a mark in the absence of established names like Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Wood and Chris Jordan. Even those involved in the Caribbean, such as Rashid, Woakes and Moeen Ali, could be left looking over their shoulders. Moeen, who will turn 37 midway through the tournament next June, has hinted that the World Cup would be a logical end point for his international career but England will want to be clear they are picking him on merit rather than reputation. Getting the old gang back together failed disastrously at the ODI World Cup, although there are two clear differences here – a smaller gap between tournaments and the fact England’s players play a lot more T20 year round. With two-time champions West Indies also trying to rouse themselves after back-to-back blowouts at T20 World Cups, it should be all to play for in Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad.

Five times the Chennai Super Kings captain trumped his opponents with out-of-the-box moves

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Pinning down Pollard
Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2010 finalMumbai Indians were 136 for 6, needing 33 from two overs, with the title on the line. Kieron Pollard had just clattered Doug Bollinger for 4, 6, 4, 6 in a 22-run over, which titled the title fight Mumbai’s way. Until Dhoni intervened, having Matthew Hayden at an unorthodox straight mid-off position, in addition to having a more conventional long-off.Dhoni’s plan was to have Albie Morkel bowl yorkers at Pollard and turn his strength of hitting down the ground into a weakness. Morkel’s first ball to Pollard was thwacked past him for four. He nailed the yorker second ball, which squeezed underneath Pollard’s bat. After a dot and the run-out of Ambati Rayudu, Morkel went full once again, and Pollard could only skew a low catch to Hayden at straight mid-off. The Super Kings pressed on to win their maiden IPL title.IPL 2010 – Chennai Super Kings’ first title in the tournament•Indian Premier LeagueAt the post-match presentation, Dhoni reasoned that it was worth whisking short fine-leg to straight mid-off, given Pollard’s propensity to hit in the ‘V’. He also revealed that he had deployed a similar field against Hayden himself at a practice match in the lead-up to IPL 2008.”If you see the big-hitters of the world or powerful hitters, they don’t sweep or reverse-sweep. So I said, ‘okay what’s the point of a short fine-leg’,” Dhoni told the host broadcaster after the game. “Pollard will anyway look to hit down the ground and Morkel will look to bowl yorkers outside off. If he miscues one, he may not get the elevation. I’ve tried it once with Matthew Hayden, though. It worked at the practice game we had right at the start of the tournament. No rocket science.”Many other IPL captains subsequently took a leaf out of Dhoni’s playbook, having a fielder straight to counter the likes of Pollard. M Vijay, for example, when he was captaining the Punjab franchise in 2016, stationed himself at ultra-straight mid-off against James Faulkner.Chaos theory
Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2018Super Kings slipped to 27 for 3 within five overs in pursuit of 154 on a spicy pitch in Pune. Fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot was on a hat-trick, having taken out Faf du Plessis and Sam Billings. Dhoni unleashed his chaos theory – promoting Harbhajan and Deepak Chahar ahead of himself, DJ Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja.Chahar. Chaos!•BCCIWhile Harbhajan saw off the new ball and contributed 19 off 22 balls, Chahar made a more decisive 39 off 20 balls at a strike rate of 195. Dhoni and Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming had originally identified Chahar as a batting allrounder at Rising Pune Supergiant/s, but injury delayed his initiation into the IPL. Dhoni and Fleming reunited with Chahar at Super Kings, where he became their go-to bowler in the powerplay. In that game against Kings XI Punjab, he repaid the team management’s faith with the bat too, helping them seal the chase.”Sending in Bhajji [Harbhajan] and Chahar creates a bit of chaos,” Dhoni told the host broadcaster. “The bowlers all of a sudden bowl yorkers, offcutters, and bouncers. When [top-order] batsmen are batting, they stick to a good line and length, but against Bhajji and Chahar, they lose their line and lengths instead of sticking to the plan. Plus Bhajji and Chahar could come in handy during the playoffs.”Straightjacketing Sachin
Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2010 finalStopping Sachin. Not everyone could do it. Dhoni knew how•Indian Premier LeagueLet us revisit that game. Bollinger had struck early to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan, but Sachin Tendulkar stabilised Mumbai’s chase of 169, with the crowd behind him. Dhoni brought Shadab Jakati into the attack in the tenth over to give him a crack at Tendulkar. Jakati had apparently troubled Tendulkar when he was once a net bowler with the India side, so Dhoni was hoping for some control from the left-arm fingerspinner.The left-handed Abhishek Nayar, though, briefly foiled Dhoni’s plan, carting Jakati for back-to-back sixes in a 14-run over. Jakati then switched ends and eventually made the incision by hiding one away from Tendulkar’s swinging arc and having him chipping a catch to long-off.Two years later, in the 2012 Eliminator against Mumbai in Bengaluru, Dhoni tossed the new ball to Jakati, who kept Tendulkar to a run-a-ball 11. Something had to give and that something was Tendulkar running himself out. Super Kings went on to win that knockout game as well.Holding back Harbhajan
Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2018 Qualifier 1Super Kings had picked Harbhajan in 2018 to exploit the spin-friendly Chepauk track, but after just one game there, they had to shift base to Pune because of protests surrounding the Cauvery river water issue. Harbhajan did a good job for Super Kings in Pune, too, but in the qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, where Harbhajan had bowled across phases for Mumbai Indians, Dhoni didn’t use his offspin at all. Jadeja was in fine rhythm, giving up just 13 runs in his four overs for the wicket of Manish Pandey, so Dhoni didn’t need him on the day.Harbhajan Singh, not a car Dhoni needed to drive all the time•BCCI”You know, I have a lot of cars and bikes in my garage. And, I don’t ride all at a time,” Dhoni quipped. “When you have six to seven bowlers in your side, you want to see the conditions. You want to see who is batting and what is needed at that point of time.”Then, in the final against Sunrisers, Dhoni dropped Harbhajan altogether, fielding legspinner Karn Sharma, who brought with him the reputation of being a serial title-winner in the IPL and in domestic cricket. Karn came away with the prized scalp of Kane Williamson, drawing him out of the crease and having the Sunrisers captain stumped for 47 off 36 balls.Besting Chris Gayle
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2011 finalChris Gayle could have taken the 2011 final away from Super Kings; he was out for a three-ball duck•AFPAfter opting to bat, Super Kings racked up 205 for 5 on the back of an M Vijay special. A red-hot Chris Gayle, though, was standing between Super Kings and back-to-back IPL titles. Gayle was the leading run-getter during that IPL and single-handedly transformed Royal Challengers’ fortunes in the tournament. Dhoni matched up R Ashwin’s offspin with the left-handed Gayle at a time when match-ups were not even a thing. After setting up Gayle with two offbreaks, Ashwin darted one into the batter and had him nicking off for a three-ball duck. Game over!”I rely a lot on the bounce, therefore a good wicketkeeper is extremely crucial,” Ashwin told the . “With Dhoni, the caught-behinds and stumpings have gone up many notches in my bowling. He understands the trajectory, the variation, and the bounce that I get.”

Mookie Betts has been in one of the worst slumps of his MLB career as of late, going 0-for-22, that was until Tuesday night when the Dodgers star hit a leadoff double in the third inning against the Cardinals.

The Dodger crowd has remained on Betts's side throughout his slump, but Dodger Stadium erupted in cheers on Tuesday night as Betts ran to second base. The stadium was extremely loud, and Betts fed off the fans' energy by doing a little celebration dance when he stood on second base. The Dodgers' bullpen and dugout both cheered for their teammate. Phew, that slump is officially over.

Through three at-bats on Tuesday, Betts already logged two hits and brought one run home. That's more like the Betts MLB fans know and love.

Dodgers fans truly love Betts, even when he is struggling. On Monday night, the fans prepared a sweet gesture for the eight-time All-Star by giving him a standing ovation when he came to the plate. He unfortunately went 0-for-4 on Monday night despite the strong encouragement from the fanbase.

Heading into Tuesday, Betts posted a career-low .657 OPS through 103 games. He has never finished a season with an OPS lower than .800. His current batting average (.231), on-base percentage (.302) and slugging percentage (.355) are all career-low numbers, too. Those averages will all go up slightly after Tuesday's outing.

The opener backed himself to have different batting gears if needed and the versatility to move to the middle order

Andrew McGlashan13-Dec-20251:00

Clarke: Not sure I’d go back to Khawaja

Usman Khawaja has declared himself 100% fit ahead of the third Test in Adelaide but conceded whether he earns a recall is out of his hands.Khawaja missed the second Test in Brisbane after not recovering from the back spasms he suffered in Perth, saying that while he may have been able to push through had the game been later in the series it was too much of a risk early in the contest.Related

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“Obviously hope to play,” he told reporters in Adelaide, where Ashes resumes on December 17. “I don’t really know. Obviously, it’s not my decision. The older I’ve got, the more comfortable I’ve got with things that I can control and things that I haven’t. I feel really good in terms of I’m ready to go. The rest of it is not in my control. So, yeah, we’ll see what happens.”I’m feeling 100%. So unless something else [happens], but I felt 100% before Perth, too. It’s just one of those things. I’ve done everything. That’s why I was training all last week. I was just doing rehab, which sucks because when you get injured, you have to do more, right.”I’ve had a fair bit of load, but it’s obviously what I wanted to just get as much as possible and I’m running at 100% again and again. So everything’s feeling pretty good again.”Usman Khawaja: I can bat anywhere•AFP/Getty Images

Khawaja, who turns 39 next week, went through multiple gym, running and net sessions before, during and since the Gabba Test. He added that he was being extra careful about how much he does on the day he flies into venues, conceding he had felt sore after a delayed six-hour flight to Perth, although insisted the much-talked about rounds of golf had not been a factor. “I’ve always been a professional,” he said.In Khawaja’s absence, Travis Head and Jake Weatherald have combined to produce two impressive stands: the chase in Perth where they added 75 and the first innings in Brisbane where their 77-run partnership put England on the back foot on the second day.But Khawaja backed himself to have a game that could adjust to various tempos, citing his Sheffield Shield form where he had a strike-rate of 62.34 in three matches which puts him just outside the top 10 from those with 200 runs this season.”I’ve got gears when I want them,” he said. “You’ve got to find a way to be consistent for a long period of time, not just over a game or two. So I’ve always been conscious of that. I can go out there and play more shots and I think I’ve been scoring pretty [quickly]. So sometimes the game and the situation dictates that [and] the wickets dictate that. I think I just play the game, what’s in front of me.The option remains for Khawaja to return in the middle order where he batted on his Test comeback in 2022. “I’ve always done really well batting at four or five,” he said. “Normally people that open aren’t as attuned to No. 5 as opening because they’re not as good playing spin. But I’ve proven I’m one of the best players to spin in Australia. So, that’s never been the issue. So I can bat anywhere.”Usman Khawaja did pull up in time for Brisbane, but is ready for Adelaide•Getty Images

Khawaja also joked he was somewhat unconvinced by talk that Head, who flayed an astonishing century in Perth, had “lobbied” to open the batting. “I think Travis said he’d been quietly lobbying. It was more a case of Heady always said, ‘If you need me to open, I’ll open’,” he said.”I had a joke with [Andrew McDonald about it], I was like, ‘Quietly lobbying – that’s one of the quietest lobbyings I’ve heard’, and he had a giggle too and was like, ‘Yeah’. Heady’s a team player, he’ll always open if they need him to open, but it’s not like he was at the back knocking on doors saying, ‘I want to open’.”Khawaja, who has one hundred in his last 45 Test innings and averages 31.84 since the 2023 Ashes, said talk around his position “doesn’t really faze me” although when pressed on whether any of the commentary about him has an effect, he admitted it was impossible to be completely unaware.”Certain things probably do, certain things probably don’t,” he said. “I genuinely don’t read it. I probably get more from vibes and what other people tell me. It’s not like I’m going out and reading the actual thing, it’s the vibe. And some things sometimes just pop up, you can’t hide from it. But yes, certain things do, certain things don’t, but I just don’t see the relevance in talking about it. I just don’t see the point.”As much as people sometimes want to have a crack at me, I love playing for Australia. I’m still very committed. Every game I take the same way as I took 10 years ago. I train hard, I do everything right. For me, it’s more about just being a professional. People can have opinions, that’s absolutely no worries to me. I can’t really sit down and worry about what other people think, especially outside of the squad.”In terms of his future, Khawaja said that “I’m not here to hang around” but added the most important aspect to him was knowing he was still wanted in the team. “I could have retired two years ago,” he said. “I could have retired at any time. But I’m still valued by the team. I’m still asked to be here, to play. So I’m here.”I’m always mindful of the future, too. I always have been. I’m not here to hang around. I’m just here to enjoy my cricket. As long as I’m valued, I’m here. I’m doing my job. And I’ve done quite well over the last few years.”

Crystal Palace are now in ‘direct talks’ about signing a Bayern Munich star ahead of the looming January transfer window, according to a new report.

Crystal Palace prepare for Man United after excellent start to the season

Palace welcome Man United to Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon with Oliver Glasner’s side sitting just outside the top four, while the Red Devils languish nearer mid-table following Monday’s shocking home defeat to ten-man Everton.

Glasner’s impressive Palace project continues gathering momentum despite recent bumps.

Positioned just three points behind second-placed Chelsea, the South London club have managed 20 points from their opening 12 Premier League games — their strongest start to a top flight campaign since 1991-92 — all while conceding just nine goals.

Amid the uncertainty surrounding Glasner’s long-term future, not to mention Marc Guehi’s, and the fact they lost star playmaker Eberechi Eze in the summer, Palace’s start comes as a shock to everyone.

They’ve also coped extremely well with the added Conference League fixtures, and responded in excellent fashion after being denied what many perceived as their rightful place in the Europa League.

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Following the departures of Eze and another quality forward, Michael Olise, in the last two years — Palace have relied on new stars like in-form striker Jean Philippe-Mateta to deliver the goods instead.

Palace’s unprecedented 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions, which was eventually ended by Everton in October, is also testament to the fine job Glasner has done with limited resources.

Palace 0-0 Bournemouth (Premier League)

Arsenal 2-2 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 3-0 Aston Villa (FA Cup)

Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)

Tottenham 0-2 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 1-0 Man City (FA Cup)

Palace 4-2 Wolves (Premier League)

Liverpool 1-1 Palace (Premier League)

Crystal Palace (3) 2-2 (2) Liverpool (Community Shield)

Chelsea 0-0 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 1-0 Fredrikstad (Conference League)

Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)

Fredrikstad 0-0 Palace (Conference League)

Aston Villa 0-3 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 0-0 Sunderland (Premier League)

Palace (4) 1-1 (2) Millwall (Carabao Cup)

West Ham 1-2 Palace (Premier League)

Palace 2-1 Liverpool (Premier League)

Dynamo Kyiv 0-2 Palace (Conference League)

However, if Palace are to convince the Austrian to remain at Selhust Park, chairman Steve Parish will need to showcase ambition.

According to reports, Palace could be active in the January transfer window, and it is believed that Bayern right-back Sacha Boey is a player of real interest.

Crystal Palace hold talks over signing Bayern Munich's Sacha Boey

The former Galatasaray star, who was once a rumoured target for Arsenal, hasn’t found life easy since swapping Turkey for Bavaria in 2024.

Boey has been in and out of Vincent Kompany’s starting elevens, and a January transfer for the 25-year-old is now growing increasingly possible.

That is according to Bayern Insider, who also report that Glasner is in ‘direct talks’ with sporting director Christoph Freund about a potential move for Boey.

Palace are also said to have made a ‘concrete offer’ for the Frenchman, who’s potentially looking to battle his way into Didier Deschamps plans for the 2026 World Cup next year amid stiff competition.

Even though the Bundesliga champions signed him for around £26 million, Bayern are now prepared to sell for half the price at around £13 million — opening the door for Palace to strike a bargain move.

Links to Boey will intensify reports that in-form Eagles right-back Daniel Munoz could leave in the near future, with Chelsea among those considering a swoop for the Colombian who’s arguably been one of Glasner’s top players this season.

Winter is here, and Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank knows he is staring down the barrel of a gun as he looks to find form and consistency after a tough start to his tenure.

That may be an understatement. Spurs have lost three on the trot, and Saturday’s home defeat against Fulham in the Premier League means the 3-0 victory over Burnley in August remains an outlier in regard to three points down N17 this season.

The fans are frustrated, no doubt about that. And they have a right to be. Tottenham have lacked sparkle in their attacking play this season, though Frank will feel that injuries to Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have put him on the back foot.

Much has been made of the Londoners’ creativity (or lack thereof), but it’s also clear that the Lewis Family need to authorise the signing of a centre-forward.

Why Spurs need a striker

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have both left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in recent years, and the superstars have not really been replaced with elite options.

Mathys Tel is young and talented, but he is also raw. Solanke is a proven Premier League star, but his entire stint in north London has been blighted by setbacks. Richarlison is in fine form, but probably not the long-term solution at number nine.

What Frank and the fanbase need is an up-and-coming superstar to spearhead this next era at the club.

That’s why Samu Agwehowa has been earmarked. According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham have joined the race for the 21-year-old Porto striker after his convincing performances in Portugal.

The Spanish international has a €100m (about £88m) release clause in his contract, though Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange would be certain to lodge an offer far south of that daunting figure.

What Samu would bring to north London

Richarlison is a curious striker. He is capable of so much, and yet he performs to his full capacity with consistent inconsistency.

25/26

13

5 + 2

24/25

14

4 + 1

23/24

28

11 + 4

22/23

27

1 + 4

Injuries have not helped the Brazil international, but it’s clear that he is not Kane. That said, Richarlison has been in moderately good form this season, essential in providing an outlet as Solanke founders in the infirmary.

But in Samu, Frank would land a goalscorer who has the potential to be “one of the best strikers in Europe”, according to journalist Zach Lowy, so powerful and potent in the final third.

Joining Porto from Atletico Madrid in 2024, Samu has chalked up 37 goals and four assists across just 62 appearances, including ten from 17 outings in all competitions this season.

He ranks among the top 8% of forwards in the Primeira Liga for progressive carries and the top 3% for successful take-ons, emphasising not only his pace but his control and force when on the ball and driving forward.

His athleticism and natural poaching instinct earn him a certain likeness to Richarlison, but given his age and the consistency of goalscoring, Samu might actually prove an upgrade on the South American.

Take, for example, his Europa League performances this year, winning 57% of his duels and averaging a tackle per game, as per Sofascore.

Combativeness forms a key part of Richarlison’s toolbox, and if Spurs are to upgrade on the 28-year-old, who has actually been linked with a move away from the club of late, they will want to sign someone who can emulate him while building up a skillset that transcends what Spurs have hosted in recent years.

Samu is all that and more, and he would be a fantastic signing for a Tottenham team in need of a new talisman.

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It’s been an unfortunate start to the season for Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who’s been sidelined multiple times through injury already and is now racing to recover from an MCL problem.

The North London derby on November 23rd takes on added significance for Arsenal as they await Odegaard’s potential return from a frustrating spell on the sidelines.

The Norwegian playmaker has become synonymous with Arsenal’s attacking fluency, and his absence has been an unwanted headache for Mikel Arteta.

Amid their pursuit of a first Premier League title in 22 years, the Gunners have done very well to cope through a torrid period of injuries to key attacking players at the Emirates. Odegaard’s latest setback came during their 2-0 win over West Ham in early October, when a collision with winger Crysencio Summerville resulted in a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee.

The incident forced him off after just 30 minutes and made unwanted history. Odegaard actually became the first player in Premier League history to be substituted before half-time in three consecutive starts, and what makes this injury particularly cruel is the timing.

The 26-year-old had only just returned from a persistent shoulder problem that had already disrupted his campaign. That shoulder issue saw him withdrawn after 38 minutes of Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Leeds United at the very start of 25/26, before an aggravation of the same injury forced him off after just 18 minutes against Nottingham Forest.

Odegaard has completed a full 90 minutes only twice this season, and Arsenal rehab specialists have resorted to pretty unique methods to speed up his recovery.

The former Real Madrid midfielder has been using anti-gravity treadmills at Arsenal’s London Colney training centre to accelerate his comeback, a technique that reduces gravitational load while restoring muscle strength and mobility.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

His return would provide a massive boost heading into one of the season’s most important fixtures against Spurs right after the international break, but Arsenal have now been dealt a pretty concerning update.

Credible reports had claimed that Odegaard is battling to be in contention for Tottenham alongside Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres, with Gabriel Jesus the only forward definitively ruled out (Simon Collings).

However, Norway boss Stale Solbakken has now made a suggestion that even the derby may be too soon for him.

Arsenal star Martin Odegaard "some distance away" from injury return

Speaking in a press conference this week, Solbakken stated that Odegaard is actually “some distance away” from his injury return — which makes for a pretty concerning admission ahead of Tottenham’s visit to the Emirates in just 10 days time.

Despite still being sidelined, Odegaard has travelled with the Norway squad to be a presence for morale ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Italy.

Arteta will be keeping a very close eye on his players during this international break, which always poses the threat of unwanted injury problems, and defender Riccardo Calafiori gave Arsenal a scare earlier this week after it was revealed the left-back is training alone with a hip issue.

Luckily for the Azzurri and Arteta, Italian medical officials believe that Calafiori will be fit to face Norway on November 16, with the individual training programme most likely a precaution and nothing too serious.

Immediately after their clash against Tottenham, the north Londoners take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Chelsea just four days later, with Arteta hoping he has most of his attacking contingent back and ready to contribute in these vital face-offs.

Kirk Gibson was at a cabin in the woods of Northern Michigan at 11:37 p.m. ET Friday. He and a few friends did not have a television on. They were listening to Game 1 of the World Series on one of their phones.

“Like old times, huddled around a radio,” Gibson says with a laugh.

He heard Fox announcer Joe Davis say the New York Yankees intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases to pitch to Freddie Freeman with two outs in the 10th inning.

“Get ready,” Gibson said aloud. “Here it comes.”

At 8:37:50 PT, New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes threw an inside fastball to Freeman, who had not hit a ball hard for three weeks after spraining his right ankle, causing him to limp through the games he was able to play.

Freeman, the hobbled left-handed hitter, with the Dodgers down to their last out, pulled a home run into the right field pavilion to turn defeat into Game 1 victory. The ball landed at 8:37:55 p.m.

Thirty-six years and 10 nights earlier, Gibson, the hobbled left-handed hitter, with the Dodgers down to their last out, pulled a home run off Oakland A’s closer Dennis Eckersley into the same right field pavilion to turn defeat into a Game 1 victory. The baseball landed at 8:39 p.m.

“What I want to know,” Gibson says, “is did he see all the taillights leaving the parking lot as he rounded the bases?”

It’s one of Gibson’s clearest memories of his historic home run: looking beyond right field as he rounded first base to see the red taillights of those who had lost faith, choosing to put a premium on beating traffic than the hope of history. (The stadium traffic pattern has changed since then.)

“Sparky Anderson taught us a long time ago,” Gibson says of his former Tigers manager. “It’s never over until the last out.”

Kirk Gibson is 67 years old and battling Parkinson’s disease. “I’m doing O.K.,” he says when asked about his health. Thirty-six years after he became the first player to hit a walkoff home run in the World Series when down to his team’s last out, the memories and the physical sensations of that night all came flooding back to him when Freeman became the second hitter to end a World Series game in that manner.

“I just had a premonition,” Gibson says about the Freeman home run. “Is it the Dodgers? Is it Dodger Stadium? What is it? It’s freaky. It’s spooky. I’m not sure I can find the right words to explain it.

“It was down to the last out. I had a feeling it was going to happen. Then I heard it go down. And I heard, ‘Gibby, say hello to Freddie.’ And then all those feelings come back. Going around the bases, seeing those taillights and then the joy of seeing all your teammates there at home plate. That’s the best part. Though I did have to tell them, ‘Take it easy! Don’t jump on me.’ ”

Gibson had injured both legs so badly he was not expected to play and never took another at-bat in the series.

“Bob Costas wanted to talk to me on the field,” Gibson says. “But we had something special going as a team. We savored victories. So, I said, ‘I’ll be right back.’ And we had this routine. I yelled to the guys, ‘What a f—ing team!’ And they would all respond, ‘Oh, how sweet it is! The fruits of victory!’ ”

Gibson says he knows Freeman “a little bit.” He knows Freeman is “a great guy, a great hitter, a great ambassador” for the game and with a swing that Gibson finds unique. He says Freeman should also know that the home run could be life changing. For Gibson, there is “before” and “after” the home run.

“Freddie has no clue yet what it means to the game and the history of the game,” Gibson says. “It’s big. The home run will be shown over and over. It really belongs to the game and a part of its history. It’s really, really cool. Just take care of it. Honor it.

“In a way, it can make you feel like there’s too much attention on you. Because I always think about all the teammates and people on the team it took to get to that point. It doesn’t happen without them. I was back at Dodger Stadium about six weeks ago. And I was on the dais, and they wanted me to speak. I wanted to hear from my teammates.”

The impact of that Freeman home run, Gibson says, is yet to be known. Game 2, he says, will go a long way in determining whether the Yankees can recover.

“Now what?” Gibson says. “How do you respond? Seeing the pictures of [Oakland manager] Tony LaRussa, you knew they had just taken a solid punch in the jaw. I saw the same look in [Yankees manager] Aaron Boone. It’s hard to stop the momentum. It’ll be talked about forever.”

There was one more detail Gibson wanted to share. On the night before Game 1, suddenly he heard the yelps of a pack of coyotes near his cabin. He has heard them before. Sometimes they would even playfully approach his tractor as he worked the fields of his ranch. But there was something about this plaintive call that startled him. It was so loud. It was so close.

He went to a back door and opened it. There was the pack of coyotes, closer to him and the cabin than he had ever seen them. They looked right at him. It was as if they were trying to tell him something.

“It makes you think,” Gibson says, “there is more at work than we know.”

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Wayne Rooney admits club rivalries did get in the way of success for England’s ‘golden generation’ but disagrees with Steven Gerrard’s suggestion that they were “egotistical losers”.

Earlier this week, former Three Lions team-mate Steven Gerrard said the egos of England’s players stopped them from achieving success.

Rooney disagrees with Gerrard on England comments

But Rooney, who scored 53 goals in 120 England appearances, said he “had no issues” with the other players and believed the team still worked hard for each other but just could not “get over the line” in major tournaments. On his BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, he said:

On Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, Gerrard also admitted he “hated” England duty due to being in the hotel for long periods of time. Rooney also agreed with Gerrard that it was tough at times.

He added: “I seen his comments about going up and having like seven hours in his room and stuff. That was tough at times because you’re just lying in bed and watching TV and have food and then go to sleep so a few players did that.

“I tried to keep myself busy, I’d be always in the hotel, I’d been in the massage room, the physio room trying to keep yourself busy.”