Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Bojan Miovski has not had an ideal start to life at Ibrox after starting his first two matches in the Scottish Premiership for the club.

The Macedonia international was an exciting signing from Girona during the summer transfer window because of his impressive form for Aberdeen in Scotland prior to his spell in Spain.

As you can see in the graphic above, the left-footed forward racked up 32 goals in two seasons in the Premiership with the Dons, which shows that the Light Blues signed a player who is proven in the division.

Miovski scored 16 goals in each of his two seasons in the league for Aberdeen, per Sofascore, but he has not had the best start to life at Ibrox in his appearances against Celtic and Hearts.

The Rangers striker failed to score a goal or create a chance for his teammates, per Sofascore, in the two matches, despite starting both of them as the main number nine.

However, the blame could go back to the manager, Russell Martin, who appears to be heading towards an exit from Ibrox if results continue to frustrate the fan base.

Why Russell Martin is on thin ice at Rangers

Rangers have suffered their worst start to a league season in 47 years with four draws and one defeat in their opening five matches in the Premiership, losing 2-0 to Hearts at Ibrox in the most recent game.

The Light Blues also failed to make the league phase of the Champions League after they were hammered 9-1 by Club Brugge on aggregate in the play-off round.

As you can see in the post above, some supporters reacted angrily to that loss to Brugge, placing a banner that called for the manager’s dismissal at Ibrox.

Whilst they have not yet decided to part ways with the head coach, the Rangers board are listening to the frustrations of the supporters because reporter Keith Jackson has revealed that there is work going on behind the scenes to identify a possible replacement in the dugout.

Speaking on the Daily Record’s Hotline Live, Jackson said: “I understand that phone calls are being made, back-channelling is going on, and Rangers are currently speaking to and sounding out potential alternatives should they decide they can no longer back Russell Martin.

“It sounds to me very much like they are looking to put something in place in case they are forced into taking action this weekend when Rangers play Hibs in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.”

Celtic (11)

8.6

2.5

Hibernian (9)

8.7

3.7

Hearts (9)

8.2

5.2

Motherwell (8)

8.1

6.3

Rangers (7)

5.6

5.4

As you can see in the table above, Rangers have not been good enough in possession in the first five matches of the season, as they have not created anywhere near as much, in terms of xG, as the best sides in the division.

This may be why Miovski has struggled to perform in his first two outings, because he is in a team that has not been coached well from an attacking perspective, and that is why the Gers should sack Martin to appoint a manager who they reportedly wanted in the summer.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

Rangers were reportedly in pole position to land free agent manager Marco Rose in the summer before they decided to go for Russell Martin. Now, they should fire the former Scotland international to finally appoint the German tactician.

Why Marco Rose would be perfect for Bojan Miovski

The 49-year-old head coach has been out of work since his departure from RB Leipzig in March. This means that the Light Blues would not have to pay any compensation to bring him to Ibrox to replace Martin.

As well as being an attractive target from a financial perspective, Rose would be an attractive managerial appointment for Rangers because he could ignite Miovski’s Ibrox career with his formation and attacking style of play.

The German boss, who was hailed as “outstanding” by Marco Reus, typically favours a 4-4-2 formation and this means that Youssef Chermiti could play alongside the Macedonia international and take some of the pressure off the left-footed star from a physical perspective.

Miovski won two of his 11 duels against Hearts and three of his ten duels against Celtic, per Sofascore, which shows that he has struggled with the task of being the lone centre-forward. This is why having another striker alongside him to take some attention away from the centre-backs could free him up to focus on getting into the box to score goals.

Rose, who won two titles during his time with RB Salzburg in Austria, has a rich history of working with and getting the best out of elite centre-forwards throughout his managerial career.

Manus Dabbur

103

66

Lois Openda

81

40

Benjamin Sesko

78

35

Fredrik Gulbrandsen

90

30

Erling Haaland

35

30

Marcus Thuram

79

25

Alassane Plea

72

22

Christopher Nkunku

28

17

As you can see in the table above, the former Leipzig manager has worked with some of the best strikers in Europe, helping them all to record impressive goal returns.

These statistics show that strikers thrive in Rose’s system, which includes two number nines, and this suggests that he could get the best out of Miovski and £10m summer signing Chermiti at Ibrox.

Rangers, as shown in the clip above, have been on the wrong end of Miovski’s quality at the top end of the pitch in the Premiership, which means that they know what he is capable of at that level.

Martin’s offensively stagnant team is not getting the best out of the former Aberdeen star, or any of the other players given the dreadful results, which is why Rose should be considered as a replacement for him in the coming weeks.

Once worth £30m, Rangers flop now looks like he's worth less than Tavernier

This Glasgow Rangers flop who was once valued at £30m now looks worth even less than James Tavernier.

ByDan Emery Sep 17, 2025

As Jackson said, Kevin Thelwell may have to consider his options if Rangers are knocked out of the League Cup by Hibernian this weekend. If they decide to part ways with Martin, Rose should be the man they move for.

Gujarat Titans will have their full set of overseas players available when the IPL resumes on May 17, with Coetzee also set to link up

Nagraj Gollapudi13-May-20253:27

What’s brought about the resurgence of spin in IPL 2025?

England batter Jos Buttler and South Africa fast bowler Gerald Coetzee will rejoin the Gujarat Titans squad on Wednesday, May 14, ahead of the resumption of IPL 2025 on May 17.They were the only two overseas players from the GT squad to have left India after the IPL was suspended for a week on May 9 due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. Their other overseas players – Rashid Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Kagiso Rabada and Karim Janat – had stayed with the rest of the squad in India.Rutherford, however, had been named in the West Indies ODI squad for the series in England from May 29 to June 3, which will clash with the playoffs of IPL 2025. With Buttler named in England’s white-ball squads, there are chances that he could miss the playoffs. “We’re keen to support the IPL and the BCCI in getting the schedule up and running, and to facilitate players’ return should they choose to go back,” an ECB spokesperson said on Tuesday after the squad announcement.Related

IPL 2025 to resume on May 17, final to be played on June 3

IPL 2025 scenarios: GT and RCB one win away from playoffs, MI in control of their fate

GT, who are the leading the points table currently with 16 points – ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru on net run rate – have three matches left in the league phase. They were the first team to resume training once the ceasefire between the two countries was announced on May 10, paving the way for the IPL’s resumption.Their next match is on May 18 against Delhi Capitals in Delhi and they finish the league phase with two home matches in Ahmedabad: against Lucknow Super Giants on May 22 and against Chennai Super Kings on May 25.The IPL released the revised schedule for the remainder of the season on Monday: there are 13 league games to go, in addition to the four playoff fixtures. The rest of the league phase will be played at six venues – Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru – while the venues for the playoffs have not yet been announced. The dates for the playoffs are as follows: Qualifier 1 on May 29, the Eliminator on May 30, Qualifier 2 on June 1 and the final on June 3. 2:35pm GMT – Amended after England’s squad announcement for the West Indies series

Despite only winning one of their last six fixtures, Leeds United are in a strong position in the Premier League with double the points of 18th-place Burnley.

However, unless they get back to winning ways, they will be dragged into the relegation battle. Ahead of their clash with Tottenham, Daniel Farke spoke to the media about his team’s season and preparation for the game.

The conference came with bad news for Leeds fans, with confirmation that both Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto will be unavailable. Additionally, goalkeeper Lucas Perri is back in team training, but the game against Thomas Frank’s side comes too soon for him to be available. James is the more severe of the three injuries, with the Welshman expected to be out until after the November international break.

All three players will be big losses for Farke against Spurs. However, the Leeds boss seemed positive going into the game, due to players “stepping up when needed”. Another reason Farke may be happy is that he knows the fans will soon receive news that will bolster their spirits.

Leeds set to unveil new contract

Leeds are preparing to announce a new contract for 16-year-old talent Harry Gray. Gray is highly rated by the club and is currently developing well as a forward, having represented Leeds at youth level and once at senior level with a four-minute cameo against Stoke in the Championship. Gray has also impressed at national youth level, where he has represented the England Under-17s on five occasions, scoring once.

Journalist Graham Bailey revealed the news that Gray would imminently have a contract announcement: “Leeds are very excited with Harry Gray. His new deal is done. They’ll be announcing that next week. They are very excited by that internally, obviously.”

However, despite the new contract, it may be a while before Gray is seen in the senior team, and he almost certainly won’t face his brother Archie Gray when Leeds play Tottenham on Saturday.

Gray's route to the first team

Ahead of the season, The Athletics Beren Cross predicted Gray to be Leeds’ “breakout player”. Cross stated that Gray could start putting in performances this season despite his age and emulate strikers like Harry Kane and Michael Owen.

Despite the hype and positive contract news, Leeds fans will have to wait to see Gray’s Premier League debut, as, in his pre-match press conference, Farke confirmed that the 16-year-old was suffering a minor issue with his hip.

The other concern is that Gray plays up front and Leeds brought in two new strikers this summer, making him fourth in the pecking order behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lukas Nmecha and Joel Piroe.

The good news for Gray is that none of these players have hit the season running, so if he continues to perform well in training and stay fit, Farke may try him up front at some stage in the season.

Even if Gray’s appearances are sporadic this season, at 16 years old, he has plenty of time ahead of him to develop and earn his place in the starting 11.

خسر منتخب مصر الأول لكرة اليد “رجال”، أمام نظيره البرتغال، في المباراة الودية التي جمعتهما اليوم السبت، في معسكر الفراعنة بالبرتغال.

ويخوض منتخب مصر الأول لكرة اليد، معسكرًا في البرتغال، خلال الفترة الحالية، ويلعب خلاله مباراتين أمام البرتعال يومي 30 أكتوبر و1 نوفمبر.

طالع | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة مصر وألمانيا اليوم في نهائي كأس العالم لكرة اليد تحت 17 عامًا.. والمعلق

ويأتي معسكرً منتخب مصر في البرتغال، من أجل الاستعداد القوي لخوض منافسات بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية المقرر إقامتها في رواندا خلال شهر يناير المقبل.

وكان منتخب مصر لعب ضد البرتغال، في مباراة ودية أولى يوم الخميس الماضي، وانتصر المنتخب المصري بنتيجة 32-28.

وفي مباراة اليوم السبت، خسر منتخب مصر أمام البرتغال، بنتيجة 30-27 في المباراة الدولية الودية لمنافسات كرة اليد.

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo has sent out a strong message after scoring twice for his country in a 2-2 draw with Hungary in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday night. His brace means that the 40-year-old superstar has now scored 41 times in World Cup qualifying history, moving past the record of 39 previously held by Guatemala striker Carlos Ruiz, but Portugal still have work to do to qualify.

• Ronaldo makes more history with Portugal

  Ronaldo has added yet another record to his extensive collection by scoring both of Portugal's goals against Hungary. The Al-Nassr ace equalised for Portugal in the 22nd minute and then netted again just before half-time. As well as making World Cup qualifying history, his goals also mean that Ronaldo has now scored 143 times for Portugal and 947 in total for club and country during his incredible career. He's previously stated he dreams of hitting the 1,000 goal mark before he finally decides to hang up his illustrious boots and his latest efforts have certainly moved him another step closer to reaching that aim.

Advertisement

• Portugal star fires out message after latest goals

  Ronaldo took to social media to celebrate his latest achievement and posted a strong message. While he was happy to celebrate, he also made it clear he's eager to secure Portugal's place at World Cup 2026 as soon as possible, posting: "It is no secret that representing the National Team means a lot to me, and that is why I am very proud to have reached this unique milestone for Portugal. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here. See you in November to seal the qualification for the World Cup!"

• Ronaldo is an 'inspiration' to young people

  Ronaldo's latest efforts have drawn huge praise from Reinaldo Teixeira, the president of Liga Portugal, who spoke about the ageing superstar after the draw with Hungary.

  He told reporters: "Cristiano Ronaldo has an exemplary attitude; he is an inspiration to all young people and to all of us. May it last for many 40 years. We have a spectacular starting eleven and a bench full of quality. We lacked a bit of luck. We played well; if you hit the post twice, you're unlucky. We didn't win today, but we'll win because our team has a lot of quality and a lot of joy. Cristiano scored two, he was close to scoring three, but unfortunately we didn't manage it. But we'll win and go through."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Martinez complains Portugal 'couldn't kill the game'

  Portugal manager Roberto Martinez was disappointed at seeing his side miss out on qualifying in a home fixture but urged his players to learn from the match when he addressed the media after the game. He said: "We had both goals, we started the second half very well, and there was a period where we couldn't kill the game. A game that had special meaning. It changes who we are a little. But it's important to remember that there are no easy games. It's a shame, we wanted to qualify in front of our fans. But it can be a great learning experience and a way to manage the final 10 minutes.

  "We're a team that needs the ball, but we have a responsible team. We want to qualify, and that was probably trying to leave the game to close things out. It's a good lesson. We always need to have control of the ball and personality. We had two shots that hit the post, plus João Félix's. We had chances. We could have scored the winner to avoid being just one goal ahead. 

  "It's important to understand that we have a lot of competitiveness in the dressing room, and that it's important to always be ready. In November, we have two very important games, which create opportunities for a possible qualification call-up. It's better to have competitive games in Ireland and at the Dragão to continue doing what we want, to achieve the level we achieved in the Nations League."

While the UK transfer market closed at 7pm on September 1, West Ham could still sign free agents, provided they have enough room in their squad.

Graham Potter facing vital few weeks at West Ham

It’s an increasingly toxic atmosphere around the London Stadium right now, as supporters organise pre-match protests against West Ham’s owners before their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday, and every Saturday home matchday thereafter (The Telegraph).

David Sullivan and Karren Brady are under mounting pressure as fans voice their frustration over ‘broken promises’ (The Telegraph), with some reports suggesting that under-fire boss Graham Potter could even be sacked if West Ham lose to Palace (Hammers News).

Worst West Ham managers in the Premier League	Win percentage
9. Sam Allardyce	30.7%
10. Julen Lopetegui	30%
11. Gianfranco Zola	27.8%
12, Graham Potter	27.3%
13. Avram Grant	18.9%
via StatMuse

While this is yet to be backed up by reliable media sources, it is crystal clear that, if West Ham’s bad run of form continues, Potter could be handed his P45 as West Ham scour the market for potential replacements already.

It is believed that Slaven Bilic is a strong contender to replace Potter as the Hammers do their due-diligence on managerial candidates, with former Everton boss Sean Dyche and Nuno Espírito Santo also under consideration (Ben Jacobs).

It wasn’t exactly the summer window of dreams for Potter, either, which certainly hasn’t helped matters.

West Ham lost winger Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham in the summer, as well as Emerson Palmieri to Marseille, with their £38 million deal for Mateus Fernandes arguably standing out as their best signing of the window.

Having waved goodbye to Emerson and Aaron Cresswell, Sullivan brought in Senegal international El Hadji Malick Diouf to shore up Potter’s full-back options, but they’re still arguably light in that area.

Taking this into account, reports suggest that West Ham could now move for ex-Tottenham and Real Madrid full-back Sergio Reguilon — who is readily available on a free transfer after departing north London.

The 28-year-old boasts proven top-level experience, with the Irons apparently considering a move.

West Ham seriously interested in signing Sergio Reguilon on a free transfer

According to Spanish media sources, West Ham are seriously interested in signing Reguilon on a free transfer, even if he’s “sought-after” right now amid competition from Premier League rivals Everton.

The ex-Man United defender, who earned admirers at Old Trafford for some solid performances, is also wanted by Sevilla and Real Sociedad back in his homeland, with a quartet of sides considering the possibility of Reguilon at zero cost.

Despite spending the last few years attempting to establish himself as a key player, Reguilon has displayed flashes of quality, and at 28, he’s amassed well over 200 professional appearances.

He’s hardly past his prime, but carries the top-flight experience which could prove useful to West Ham as they look to avoid a relegation dogfight.

There was a “significant technical failure” at the stadium, an official statement said

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-2025Thursday evening’s IPL 2025 match in Dharamsala between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) has been called off midway “due to a significant technical failure” at the stadium.”Due to a power outage in the area, one of the light towers at the HPCA stadium malfunctioned. BCCI regrets the inconvenience caused to the in-stadium attendees,” an official statement said.Only 10.1 overs of the first innings had taken place in the game, after PBKS had opted to bat. Openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh had put on a century opening stand in that time, and Arya had just been dismissed for 70 off 34 by T Natarajan before the match was halted as three floodlight towers went off around 9.29pm IST. Around 11 minutes later, it was learnt that the match had been called off.The toss and start of the match had also been delayed by rain. The toss took place at 8.15pm IST, instead of 7pm, and the game started at 8.30pm IST, but without any overs lost.PBKS’ next match against Mumbai Indians (MI) has been moved from Dharamsala to Ahmedabad.

Nathan McAndrew’s 6 for 21 seals Sharks’ second win over Glamorgan this season

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Jun-2025

Harrison Ward on his way to a half-century•Huw Evans Picture Agency

Sussex Sharks completed a double over Glamorgan thanks to 6 for 21 from Australian international Nathan McAndrew to give the visitors a 27-run win at Sophia Gardens.A strong all round performance kept Sussex occupying an all-important top spot in the South Group of the Vitality Blast at the halfway stage.Harrison Ward set the tone for the innings for Sussex with 55 from 24 balls inside the powerplay despite appearing to pull a muscle in the innings which prevented him from fielding. All of Sussex’s top order contributed to send them to 199 for 7.Despite Dan Douthwaite’s quickfire 40 and Colin Ingram’s 21-ball 37 kept Glamorgan in the chase before they fell to 172 all out.Sussex began strongly after opting to bat first with the sun still beating down at Sophia Gardens. Ward’s season best despite being hampered came through a liking to Timm van der Gugten, taking 22 from the third over.Ward’s striking continued, particularly with destructive hitting straight and over deep midwicket, reaching a half-century in just 20 balls, his knock inside the powerplay thanks to van der Gugten getting his revenge with a bouncer.John Simpson found his rhythm for a well-managed 41 from 26 balls from five off seven. Similarly James Coles, who has helped the Sharks to three wins with two unbeaten half-centuries already this season, had a license to free himself, taking Mason Crane for 19 in an over on his way to a useful cameo.The Sussex scoring didn’t let up with 10-an-over the norm after the second over until the late fightback with three wickets in four balls courtesy of Glamorgan top wicket-taker Crane and Douthwaite in the 18th and 19th overs.Imad Wasim impressed on debut for Glamorgan and was pick of the bowlers, being the most restrictive in the powerplay, and he brought a wicket at an important time while the other spinners also played key parts with wickets and economy between them.In reply, Glamorgan struggled to string a partnership together when chasing their highest total so far this season.The hosts didn’t find the same destructive powerplay prowess as the Sharks did, however a free-flowing Ben Kellaway added to the newfound form of Ingram made sure run-rate was never an issue.Kellaway had to retire hurt when he reverse-swept a ball into his helmet after damaging internationals Ollie Robinson and Tymal Mills early in his innings with swats down the ground and exquisite cover-driving.South Africans Ingram and Chris Cooke kept Glamorgan afloat until Cook’s dismissal prompted Kellaway’s return. Shortly after though, Ingram and Kellaway were dismissed in the same over by McAndrew, conceding just three from the 12th over.Douthwaite entered with the equation: 93 from 8.3 overs, immediately after the mini-collapse. The all-action allrounder, together with Asa Tribe had already put on an unbeaten 64 partnership to see them home from an unlikely position in their T20 opener. Douthwaite’s five sixes in an 18-ball innings, left the equation at 41 to win from 3.5 overs.A collapse came once more with Glamorgan going out swinging in an unlikely attempt to chase after Douthwaite’s dismissal, giving McAndrew three wickets in the 19th and eventual final over.

Celtic secured their place in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Sunday with a fantastic 4-0 win over Partick Thistle away from Parkhead at Firhill.

The Hoops strolled to a comfortable victory against the second tier outfit, who have not been in the Scottish Premiership in seven years, with four different goalscorers.

Hyun-jun Yang, Liam Scales, Sebastian Tounekti, and Luke McCowan all got their names on the scoresheet, and Tounekti was particularly impressive again.

The summer signing from Hammarby caught the eye against Kilmarnock, creating four chances (per Sofascore), and played an important role in the first goal against Partick Thistle with his pass for Benjamin Nygren, before going on to score his first goal for the club.

Brendan Rodgers will hope that the comfortable win will provide his squad with the confidence that they need to hit the ground running in the Europa League against Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday night.

One Celtic player who needs to step up on the pitch in the coming weeks after a string of unimpressive displays is central midfielder Reo Hatate.

Why Reo Hatate needs to step up for Celtic

The Japan international put in a decent showing against Partick Thistle, a Championship outfit, but it was not a mesmerising performance that made up for some of his recent outings.

Hatate’s form has not been up to the standards that he has set himself throughout his Celtic career, particularly with his displays in the Champions League qualifier clashes against Kairat.

The Hoops failed to qualify for the league phase of the competition, losing on penalties after two 0-0 draws, and the midfielder’s lack of contributions in and out of possession played a part in that.

Reo Hatate vs Kairat	1st leg	2nd leg
Minutes	90	105
Shots on target	1	0
Pass accuracy	84%	68%
Big chances created	0	1
Duels won	0/8	3/15
Fouls committed	3	4
Possession lost	16x	25x
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Hatate was far too wasteful with the ball at his feet and weak off the ball, losing the majority of his duels, across the two matches.

The 27-year-old star also failed to score a goal or create a ‘big chance’ for the team in his last two appearances in the Scottish Premiership for the Hoops, which shows that he has struggled in recent weeks outside of his showing against a lower tier opponent.

Hatate scored ten goals, including the one in the clip above, and created 14 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in the Premiership in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, but he has been unable to deliver the same level of consistency in the final third this term.

This is why the Japan international needs to step up for the Scottish giants, because he is capable of being an exceptional performer for the club in the middle of the park with his ability at the top end of the pitch.

If Hatate is unable to recapture the form that his output last season proved he is capable of, Rodgers must consider removing him from the starting XI for a period of time.

The emergence of Colby Donovan, who has started the last two matches at right-back, shows that the manager is willing to provide academy talent with a chance if they are ready to be thrown in.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

With this in mind, Rodgers could find the next version of Donovan, who has been a solid performer in the last two matches with his defensive reliability and composure in possession, by unleashing Sean McArdle to replace Hatate in the XI.

Why Sean McArdle could replace Reo Hatate for Celtic

Of course, the manager does have club-record signing Arne Engels, who joined for £11m from Augsburg last summer, Luke McCowan, and Paulo Bernardo also at his disposal to select in midfield.

However, the minor success of Donovan, who won five of his nine duels and had 101 touches (per Sofascore) against Kilmarnock, could inspire the head coach to look to the academy once again.

McArdle is not a complete stranger to first-team football at Parkhead. Rodgers rewarded his strong form for the B team with two appearances for the senior side in the Premiership towards the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The 18-year-old star made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old against Hibernian in the Premiership, playing eight minutes off the bench in a 3-1 win.

As the manager said in the clip above, the young sensation earned his chance through his form for the B team, and it is down to him to take the next step in his career.

McArdle, who Rodgers claimed has “got a wee edge to him”, then played a second match against Aberdeen, again off the bench, and showed promising signs in both outings.

Sean McArdle (Premiership)	Vs Hibernian	Vs Aberdeen
Minutes	8	9
Passes completed	8/8	11/12
Key passes	0	1
Dribbles completed	0	1
Duels won	1/2	1/1
Possession lost	1x	1x
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the teenage whiz only lost possession twice in those 17 minutes, plus stoppage time, of football, whilst creating one chance for the side.

McArdle’s form at youth team level for Celtic also suggests that he can provide the goal threat that Hatate offers at his best, with seven goals in 53 matches, per Transfermarkt.

The Scottish starlet has scored in both of his appearances in the Challenge Cup this season, per Sofascore, including one against Alloa Athletic earlier this month.

These statistics show that he can provide a threat at the top end of the pitch to go along with his composure in possession, as evidenced by his pass accuracy in his first two first-team outings.

He was not phased by the occasion against Hibernian or Aberdeen, showing his class on the ball in both games, and this suggests that he has the mentality to take that next step to be Donovan 2.0 this season.

As good as Tounekti: 7/10 Celtic star is now a player "to be excited about"

This Celtic star was as good as Sebastian Tounekti in the comfortable win over Partick Thistle.

By
Dan Emery

Sep 21, 2025

It is now down to Rodgers to provide McArdle with that opportunity to impress once again to see if he can emerge as a genuine alternative to Hatate, who has been a shadow of himself of late.

Manchester United have been going through somewhat of a crisis over the last couple of years, with the club constantly falling way below the high expectations they’ve set for themselves.

Ruben Amorim’s side ended the previous campaign in a measly 15th in the Premier League, subsequently registering the lowest-ever finish in such a competition since its formation in 1992.

The main issue with his side is the lack of solidity in the middle of the midfield, with the 40-year-old yet to establish his best partnership in such an area of the pitch.

The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo are all on the books, but the manager still hasn’t figured out which duo are best suited to his 3-4-2-1 system.

However, such an area has previously been one of the Red Devils’ strongest, with Sir Alex Ferguson previously able to rely on one of the best talents England’s top-flight has ever seen.

Paul Scholes time at Manchester United

Paul Scholes was a part of the Class of ‘92 squad, which saw a plethora of academy stars making the jump into the first team and help Ferguson win his 13 Premier League titles in Manchester.

Very few people could’ve imagined the impact he would’ve made in the first-team squad, subsequently going on to register over 700 appearances for his boyhood club across all competitions.

The vast majority of his appearances for the Red Devils came in England’s top-flight, being a part of 11 of the club’s top-division title triumphs – the second most in their history behind Ryan Giggs.

He spent a total of 19 and a half years as a first-team player for United, spending his entire career with the Red Devils before retiring in the summer of 2013.

Scholes would end his career with a total of 27 trophies won at Old Trafford, further highlighting the success that he achieved during his stint as a professional.

However, the club thought they had their next version of the Englishman a couple of years ago, but ultimately, he was offloaded on the cheap by former boss Erik ten Hag.

The former United star who was labelled the new Scholes

During the Ten Hag era as United manager, the Dutchman spent over £600m on new additions to help push the club back in the right direction after years of failures on the pitch.

The likes of Casemiro and Raphael Varane were both brought in from Real Madrid, offering the side the needed top-level experience if the club were to get back to their former glory.

The latter of the duo left on a free transfer in the summer of 2024, with the Brazilian still unable to prevent his discipline from spilling over, subsequently picking up four red cards in the last three years.

Donny van de Beek was another player who joined the Red Devils in an attempt to take the club up the table, joining in a £35m deal with £5m in add-ons back in the summer of 2020.

However, like many of the additions in recent years, he would fail to hit the heights many thought he would, subsequently registering a total of 62 appearances over a four-year period at Old Trafford.

He was labelled as “the new Scholes” by compatriot Edwin van der Sar at the time of his transfer, but it’s safe to say that the Dutchman struggled to put a run together in England.

Van de Beek only made over 20 appearances once in his four seasons in Manchester, with injuries also playing their part in disrupting his progress and nailing down his place in the starting eleven.

Transfer Fee

£35m

Appearances

62

Cost per appearance

£564k

Minutes played

2,151

Cost per minute

£16.2k

Goals

2

Cost per goal

£17.5m

Assists

2

Cost per assist

£17.5m

Goal involvements

4

Cost per goal involvement

£8.75m

While he did pop up with multiple goals, his impressive moments were too and far between, subsequently seeing him falling down the pecking order in recent years.

He made just two appearances in 2023/24 before being sold by Ten Hag in the summer of 2024, joining LaLiga side Girona for a reported €500k (£435k).

However, the decision to offload him may have been the right one, especially after the 28-year-old limped off with an Achilles injury in the clash with Athletic Club on Tuesday night.

It’s a real shame that his move to England didn’t work out, especially after the hierarchy forked out a mammoth sum to prise him away from

Ajax back in 2020.

The praise in the early stages of his time at United gave reasons for the supporters to be optimistic, but unfortunately, they’re still hunting for the player to fill the boots of Scholes at Old Trafford.

Huge Amorim upgrade: Man Utd keen on appointing "incredible" PL manager

Manchester United have set their sights on appointing one manager who has exceeded all expectations.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 25, 2025