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Shohei Ohtani's greatness is unparalleled. His incredible three-homer, 10-strikeout night Friday has never been seen before and crosses boundaries into one of the most dominant performances ever, no matter the sport.

As the Dodgers completed the sweep on the Brewers in the National League Championship Series Friday, onlookers tried to grapple with the history they just witnessed. That includes star shortstop Mookie Betts, who had a legendary comparison for his teammate who continues to find new ways to amaze us all.

"I said it multiple times, we're like the Bulls and he's Michael Jordan," Betts said via MLB Network as the Dodgers celebrated their second World Series appearance in a row Friday. "Whenever he goes, we're all going to go. You saw it today and I'm just happy he's on our team."

Looping in Jordan, who led the Bulls to six NBA titles and was named Finals MVP in each championship, puts you up with the greatest of all time. While it's extremely high praise, it's warranted for Ohtani, who's dominance over the past few seasons already has him in GOAT conversations.

His leadoff home run Friday in L.A.'s 5-1 win traveled 446 feet and made him the first pitcher to hit a leadoff homer in MLB history. If that wasn't enough, his second home run of the night went even further, traveling 469 feet up and out of Dodger Stadium. Even his teammates couldn't believe it. He sent one more ball over the fence—this one went to center field—and by the end of the night, Ohtani was the first player to ever hit three homers and throw 10 strikeouts in the same game.

Just take it all in:

We're witnessing greatness and everyone knows it. Ohtani has some time before he can meet or even top Jordan's six championships, but his massive performance moved the Dodgers just four wins away from back-to-back World Series wins.

Thursday nights were Ruben Amorim’s saviour at Manchester United last season, although there was to be no solace in that slot this week, following the dismal draw at home to relegation strugglers, West Ham United.

A tepid and uninspiring display saw the hosts almost sleepwalk to that eventual 1-1 scoreline, despite taking the lead through Diogo Dalot in the second half, with the Red Devils showcasing almost a refusal to put the game to bed.

Even with the returning Matheus Cunha reinstated in the forward line, it was particularly concerning just how light United looked with regard to attacking options, not least with Benjamin Sesko the only senior star who is currently sidelined in that department.

At the back too, the frustrating absence of the previously ever-present Matthijs de Ligt also left Amorim scrambling to rejig his defensive unit, with the surprise inclusion of 19-year-old Ayden Heaven having seemingly backfired.

Ayden Heaven's game in numbers vs West Ham

A January arrival from Arsenal, the teenage sensation looked impressive during his handful of outings last season, with club legend Wayne Rooney suggesting that it looked like he’d “been there for years”, following his standout, albeit brief, impact.

Cruelly struck down by injury against Leicester City just a few games into his United journey, Heaven has since been on the periphery in 2025/26, with his only start prior to Thursday having come in the debacle down at Grimsby.

As was the case that rainy night at Blundell Park, the England youth international had a rabbit in the headlights feel to his performance against the Hammers, notably receiving an early yellow for a rash challenge on Jarrod Bowen.

Unsettled in a new role at the heart of the backline, in the absence of De Ligt, Harry Maguire and the benched Leny Yoro, the youngster was somewhat bullied up against the experienced Callum Wilson, having failed to win a single duel at all, as per Sofascore.

Indeed, the towering defender was unable to make a single tackle or interception, while recording a lowly 67% pass accuracy rate from just 17 touches, before being rightly withdrawn at the break.

Such is his age, the £1m signing certainly shouldn’t be written off, with that showing unlikely to prove terminal for his United career.

If anything, more of the scrutiny should rest on Amorim, with the Portuguese’s substitutions also needing to be put under the microscope.

Man Utd substitute looks to be on borrowed time

As treble winner Roy Keane suggested post-match, the hosts were almost attempting to see the game out as if they were champions, knocking the ball around with little belief that they would need a second goal to win the game.

That approach perhaps stemmed from Amorim’s second-half changes, with Joshua Zirkzee and the aforementioned Cunha both withdrawn for midfielders Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte.

There were also eyebrows raised at the decision to remove goalscorer Dalot, not least with the Portuguese defender having actually looked settled in that unorthodox left wing-back berth.

That move remained even more bizarre considering the criticism that Amorim had directed at his replacement, Patrick Dorgu, ahead of the weekend trip to Selhurst Park, highlighting the “anxiety” that has been a feature of the Dane’s game of late.

Such woes were evident even during the 21-year-old’s cameo appearance, a display that epitomised the drop off that United tend to endure once alterations are made mid-game.

Dorgu’s West Ham cameo
Stat	Record
Minutes	22
Touches	28
Pass accuracy	93%
Key passes	1
Successful crosses	1/3
Successful dribbles	2/3
Total duels won	3/5
Tackles	0
Possession lost	6
Stats via Sofascore

Indeed, Dorgu memorably wasted a promising opening late on after producing a wayward cross that evaded everyone in red, having lost the ball six times from just 28 touches during his 22-minute outing.

Equally, there were audible groans from the Old Trafford crowd at one stage as the ex-Lecce starlet opted to let the ball run out of play for a throw-in inside his own half, rather than try and keep the play alive.

That might be a case of nit-picking, but nothing appears to be going right for the left-footer right now, with content creator Liam Canning of the assessment that he is “miles off the standard” required to be a success at Man Utd, suggesting the attack-minded talent is “nowhere near it”.

With Amorim now approaching a period where his squad will shrink even further amid the loss of Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui to AFCON next week, the likes of Dorgu and other peripheral figures will have to be relied upon more heavily.

On the evidence of Thursday and this year in general, United’s number 13 has shown little sign that he is up to that challenge.

18x ball lost: Amorim must ruthlessly bench overhyped 5/10 Man Utd man

This Man Utd ace struggled in their 1-1 draw at home to West Ham

By
Joe Nuttall

Dec 5, 2025

Manchester United have been known to spend a pretty penny in the transfer market over the last couple of years, but many of their funds have gone to huge waste.

The hierarchy have spent upwards of £800m on transfers since the summer of 2022, with Erik ten Hag spending around £600m of that – subsequently paying £86m for the services of Antony.

The Brazilian winger followed the manager to the Premier League from Ajax, but was unable to provide value for money, as seen by his tally of just 12 goals in his 96 appearances.

He was subsequently sold for a reported £19m in the summer window, joining Real Betis on a permanent deal and resulting in a £67m loss on his signature.

However, not all of the club’s dealings in the transfer market have been unsuccessful, with one player potentially going down as one of their best ever pieces of business.

The stats behind Bruno’s time at Man Utd

Back in January 2020, United completed the £47m signing of midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Sporting CP, with the Portuguese international arriving as an unknown quantity to many fans.

However, it’s safe to say the 31-year-old made an immediate impact at Old Trafford, as seen by his tally of 20 combined goals and assists in his first 22 outings for the club.

He’s only gone from strength to strength in the Premier League, with the midfielder celebrating his six-year anniversary in Manchester over the next couple of months.

Fernandes has now racked up a total of 306 appearances for the Red Devils since his big-money transfer, with his goal and assist tallies showcasing his impact in attacking areas.

He’s scored 102 goals whilst laying on a staggering 89 assists in that time, subsequently allowing him to achieve a record of a goal or assist in every 1.6 matches he’s played for the club.

Last season was one of his best for goal contributions, as Bruno registered 37 across all competitions despite the club finishing in 15th place in the Premier League.

However, he’s been tasked with operating in a deeper role in 2025/26 to date, but he’s still managed to thrive, even registering 10 goals and assists in his first 10 appearances.

£47m for such a player now looks to be a huge bargain, but he’s not alone in starring under Amorim’s guidance, with numerous other players impressing.

Man Utd's best signing since Bruno

In an attempt to improve the squad over recent years, the United fans have splashed the cash erratically, but players like Bryan Mbeumo have managed to prove their worth.

The board spent a reported £71m on the signature of the Cameroonian international, with real hope that the 26-year-old could inject needed quality into the club’s frontline.

During his first 15 league outings, he’s already managed to find the back of the net on six occasions – with such a tally the highest of any player in the squad.

He’s also averaged 1.6 shots on target and placed 58% of his efforts between the sticks, with both tallies also the highest of any player squad – showcasing his immediate impact at Old Trafford.

However, many could argue he’s been the best signing since Bruno, but that could also be awarded to full-back Noussair Mazraoui, who’s been a superb addition to the Red Devils.

The Moroccan international joined in a £12.7m deal from Bayern Munich last summer, with very few fans expecting the defender to have the immediate impact he has at Old Trafford.

Since his transfer, the 28-year-old has racked up 66 appearances for the club, with his tally of 57 last campaign, more than any other player within Amorim’s squad.

He often operated as part of the back three rather than at wing-back, something which helped him register some incredible numbers and become one of the best performers in the squad.

The Moroccan won 2.2 tackles per 90 last campaign, winning 60% of the dispossession attempts he entered – subsequently showcasing his tremendous ability out of possession.

Games played

37

Minutes played

2848

Pass accuracy

86%

Dribbles completed

60%

Tackles made

2.2

Tackle success rate

60%

Cross success rate

26%

Duels won

6.8

He also thrived with the ball at his feet, completing 86% of the passes he attempted, whilst also completing 60% of his dribbles – resulting in one journalist labelling him as Amorim’s “best player”.

This season, he’s made just nine league appearances, but the side have only lost twice when he’s featured – further showcasing his importance to the club in 2025/26.

However, a solution will need to be found in the coming months, as Mazraoui is set to link up with the Moroccan national team for AFCON during January.

He will no doubt be a miss, but his £12.7m move will no doubt be one of the best deals conducted by the hierarchy – subsequently offering a stark reminder that cheap deals can still result in the arrival of top talents.

Man Utd gem could be "the world's best", but he's becoming the new Mainoo

Manchester United have one star in their ranks who could suffer the same fate as Kobbie Mainoo.

ByEthan Lamb 3 days ago

If this is to be the end of Martin O’Neill’s brief return, what a way to sign off.

On Thursday night, Celtic ended a 16-match, four-year-long winless streak in European away games by beating Feyenoord 3-1 at De Kuip, coming back from a goal down to do so; Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren all on target.

This means O’Neill has won five of six matches since being parachuted into the role following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation.

The 73-year-old, alongside Shaun Maloney, is set to remain in charge when the Celts visit Easter Road to take on Hibernian on Sunday lunchtime, but there is optimism that Wilfried Nancy will take over soon, potentially in time for the visit of Dundee on Wednesday.

Once the Frenchman does swap Ohio for Glasgow, one of Celtic’s breakout stars from this season could well become a key figure, currently on course to replicate an active club legend.

Callum McGregor's importance at Celtic

While players, managers and board members come and go, Callum McGregor remains a constant, the heartbeat in both the team and the club as a whole.

Thursday saw the captain make his 540th appearance for the club, starting 21 of 22 matches so far this season, accumulating 1,939 minutes out of a possible 2,040 so far (95%).

When Scott Brown departed in 2021, his leadership and all-around brilliance was supposed to be impossible to replace, but McGregor has transitioned into this role seamlessly, lifting 24 major trophies to date, and it is incomprehensible to imagine a Celtic side without him.

As well as winning back the ball and keeping the team ticking in possession, McGregor continues to produce key moments, lashing home a 95th-minute winner at St Mirren last Saturday night, having scored a similar rocket against Rangers in the League Cup semi-finals earlier this month.

Having joined the club as an eight-year-old, McGregor continues to set an example to all those in the Celtic academy dreaming of representing the first team one day, but who is currently on course to follow in his footsteps?

Celtic's next academy star

Celtic have endured rotten luck in terms of injuries this season.

Cameron Carter-Vickers could be out for the rest of the season following achilles surgery, Jota remains sidelined after rupturing his ACL in April, while Alistair Johnston suffered a torn hamstring against Kairat in August, only to aggravate the issue 26 minutes into his return when Sturm Graz visited Parkhead.

With Johnston, who has been so excellent since joining the club, having started only five matches all season, most would have expected Anthony Ralston to deputise, but it appears as though Colby Donovan has leapfrogged him in the pecking order.

After featuring sporadically during pre-season, scoring against Cork City at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in July, the 19-year-old made his competitive senior debut against Livingston when Rodgers made wholesale changes in between the two legs against Kairat.

Well, since then, he hasn’t really looked back, starting just two Premiership matches, but included in the lineup for four of the five Europa League fixtures, these against Crvena zvezda, Braga, Sturm Graz and now Feyenoord, putting in an excellent display in Rotterdam.

The table below documents how well he has played in Europe so far.

Colby Donovan’s UEL stats
Stats	Donovan	Celtic rank
Minutes	283	9th
Assists	1	2nd
Completed passes	151	7th
Key passes	3	6th
Big chances created	2	3rd
Passes into final 3rd	14	5th
Progressive passes	18	4th
Passes into box	4	3rd
Shot-creating actions	6	7th
Goal-creating actions	3	1st
Successful dribbles per 90	1.8	3rd
Tackles	7	2nd
Touches	227	6th
Average rating	7.10	2nd
Stats via FBref and SofaScore

As the table documents, Donovan has been excellent in the Europa League this season, contributing in a wide variety of ways.

The teenager ranks highly for all the in possession metrics, recording an assist for Liam Scales’ crucial equaliser against Sturm Graz, while only Arne Engels and Benjamin Nygren have created more big chances, ranked first in terms of goal-creating actions.

Given that incoming manager Nancy deploys a 3-4-2-1 formation, his Columbus Crew side featuring flying wing-backs Max Arfsten and Andrés Herrera, his imminent arrival could be great news for the youngster.

Speaking ahead of the clash with Braga, then-manager Rodgers praised Donovan’s “outstanding” performances, labelling him a “real bright spark” as well as heralding his “personality” and “mentality”.

Well, these all feel like compliments that could be thrown the way of a certain McGregor, whose leadership is as invaluable as his quality to this team.

Thus, it is certainly still early days, but all the signs suggest that Celtic supporters are rightly excited about Donovan, who will go on to have quite the career should he manage to match McGregor’s achievements and make 500+ appearances for the club.

Celtic man was finished under Rodgers, now he can be undroppable for Nancy

Celtic’s wait for a European away win is over, beating Feyenoord 3-1, with a star Brendan Rodgers once labelled “sloppy” playing like an £100m man.

By
Ben Gray

Nov 28, 2025

About five months after his death, MLB appears to be considering former first baseman, third baseman and outfielder Pete Rose's reinstatement.

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has received a petition from Rose's family to remove him from MLB's permanently ineligible list, according to a Saturday evening report from Don Van Natta of ESPN. Rose, who was banned from baseball amid allegations that he bet on the Cincinnati Reds while managing them, died at the age of 83 on Sept. 30.

"The commissioner was respectful, gracious, and actively participated in productive discussions regarding removing Rose from the ineligible list," family lawyer Jeffrey Lenkov told Van Natta.

Rose has been banned from baseball since 1989, when he cut a deal with commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti to avoid further punishment by voluntarily joining baseball's permanently ineligible list.

News of the petition's reported delivery comes a day after President Donald Trump suggested he would pardon Rose for non-specific offenses (Rose served five months in prison in 1990 for tax evasion).

Rose played 24 years for the Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos—collecting an MLB-best 4,256 hits.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians apresentou dificuldades para furar a defesa do América-MG, mas conseguiu arrancar o empate na Neo Química Arena no último lance da partida. O técnico Mano Menezes reconheceu a desorganização tática da equipe e disse que o empate não ameniza a atuação do Timão dentro de casa.

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+ Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

– As dificuldades que tivemos foi porque não aproveitamos o bom início e depois nos desorganizamos taticamente. Na ânsia de querer fazer o gol, nos projetamos com jogadores que não eram para se projetar tão à frente, tomamos cinco contra-ataques, e em um deles tomamos gol, criando uma dificuldade para um jogo em que já ia ser difícil. Martelamos e achamos o gol no final para amenizar o resultado, embora não amenize o nosso jogo, que foi abaixo do que deveríamos ter apresentado – disse Mano durante entrevista coletiva.

O empate deixa o Corinthians com três pontos de vantagem para o Vasco, primeiro time dentro da zona do rebaixamento. Apesar do temor do torcedor corintiano, Mano não acredita que o Timão será rebaixado.

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– Penso que temos potencial para entregar mais e melhor em um curto espaço de tempo e, ao conseguir fazer isso, pontuando em todas as rodadas, não vai estar na condição que o torcedor tema – analisou o treinador.

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

O técnico corintiano não escondeu a frustração com o empate diante do lanterna e quer que a equipe recupere os pontos perdidos no confronto de quarta-feira (22), contra o Cuiabá.

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– Imagino uma reta final de jogos parelhos e temos que nos preparar. Mas também penso como o torcedor, saímos frustrados. Colocamos como objetivo uma vitória que para nós julgamos importante. Quando não consegue, tem que ter maturidade para pontuar fora num jogo difícil, fora de casa, contra o Cuiabá, no calor. Temos que recuperar os pontos que deixaram pelo caminho hoje – destacou Mano.

Tudo sobre

Corinthians

Celtic dropped some shocking, yet also unsurprising, news on Monday night when they confirmed that Brendan Rodgers had tendered his resignation.

The Northern Irish head coach has stepped down as manager of the Scottish Premiership champions, shortly after his side lost 3-1 to Hearts on Sunday.

The timing of the decision came as a shock, as there had not been any prior indication that he was likely to step down from his position, at least in the public domain.

However, it was also not a surprise because talkSPORT’s Alex Crook recently explained that the manager was likely to leave next summer, saying: “I have just been hearing a lot of whispers that maybe Brendan Rodgers could decide at the end of the season not to renew his deal, and that the time is right to leave Celtic for a second time.”

Instead of waiting until his contract expired next summer, though, the former Leicester City and Liverpool boss decided to walk away from it at the start of this week.

Only Rodgers will be able to give his full reasoning behind the decision, if he decides to speak about it publicly, but it could be the right decision for the club.

Why Brendan Rodgers leaving may be the right decision

The former Hoops manager won four Premiership titles, three SFA Cups, and four League Cups across two spells with the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he had a lot of success at Parkhead.

There can be no denying that Rodgers will go down as a great Celtic manager, given his achievements, but all things come to an end, and the team’s form this season suggested that it was the end of an era in Glasgow.

The Hoops lost their last two Premiership matches under Rodgers and currently find themselves eight points adrift of Hearts in the league table, which is not a position that the ex-Bhoys manager was used to being in.

25/26

9

1.89

24/25

38

2.39

23/24

38

2.45

18/19

27

2.33

17/18

38

2.16

16/17

38

2.79

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers ends his second Celtic spell with only one Premiership season averaging below 2.16 points per game, which is the current campaign.

Of course, the head coach may have turned things around and gotten over that two points per game mark later in the season, but the side’s current form shows that they were on a downward trajectory under the Northern Irishman, which is why his exit from Parkhead may be a good call for all parties.

Martin O’Neill is back in interim charge, for now, but the attention will turn to who the club are going to appoint as their next manager, and a former player has told them who to go for.

Celtic plot approach for new manager

It looks as though O’Neill will be in charge for the club’s clash with Falkirk at Parkhead on Wednesday night, but they will need a longer-term solution in the dugout.

Former Celtic centre-forward and current Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton has urged the Premiership champions to go and bring Ange Postecoglou back to Glasgow.

The Australian boss, who left Celtic in the summer of 2023, was recently sacked by Premier League side Nottingham Forest and that means that he is available and potentially ready to step into a new job.

In fact, Football Insider reports that the Hoops may make contact with the former Tottenham Hotspur head coach to discuss a sensational return to Parkhead.

Manager Focus

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

However, Football Insider does not reveal whether or not the former Celtic manager wants to make such a quick return to the game, or if he wants to return to Glasgow for a second spell at the club.

They do appear to be planning to make an approach to speak with the Europa League winner, though, which shows that they are interested in appointing him as Rodgers’ replacement.

Why Celtic should push for Ange Postecoglou to return

The Hoops board should be pushing to bring Ange Postecoglou back to Parkhead in the coming days because he could return to Scotland as an upgrade on Rodgers.

In his two seasons in charge in Glasgow, the Australian boss, whose football was hailed as “breathtaking” by Gary Neville, racked up a whopping 192 points in 76 Premiership matches, per Transfermarkt, which works out at 2.52 points per game.

Whereas, Rodgers won 453 points in 188 games in charge of the club across two spells at Parkhead, per Transfermarkt, which is an average of around 2.41 points per game.

These statistics suggest that the former Spurs boss got even more out of the team domestically, despite both managers winning titles in all of their full seasons in charge, as his sides won more points per game on average.

Hamish Carton, in the clip above, explains how impressive Postecoglou’s achievements at Celtic were off the back of the situation that he inherited when he first arrived, as Rangers had run away with the league title in the previous season.

This means that his dominance at Celtic was even more impressive than Rodgers’ was, because the 4-3-3 boss had to turn a bad situation around, whilst Rodgers came into a club that had just won the domestic treble in the summer of 2023, and he was able to build from that.

Postecoglou’s domestic treble in the 2022/23 campaign was not repeated by the Northern Irish boss in the 2023/24 or the 2024/25 seasons, which also shows that he had more success, in terms of trophies, than the recently departed manager.

Therefore, pushing to bring Postecoglou, who Carton also described as a “better manager” than Rodgers, back to Celtic could result in the club having an upgrade in the dugout for the rest of this season, and beyond, which is why they should take Sutton’s advice and make a serious move for his services.

Leeds United are back in action for the first time in two weeks this afternoon as they travel to Turf Moor to take on fellow newly-promoted side Burnley.

This is the club’s first meeting with one of the other two teams that came up with them from the Championship, and it is a chance to show that they have adapted better to the top-flight.

Daniel Farke’s side have twice as many points as Burnley, with eight points on the board, after seven matches in the division, which shows that the Whites have had a better start to the campaign.

Turf Moor is not an easy place to go to, though, as the Clarets have only lost once and conceded two goals in three home games in the Premier League this season.

Points

8

4

Wins

2

1

xG

7.6

4.9

xGA

7.9

13.4

Goals conceded

11

15

xGD per 90

-0.04

-1.12

The statistics in the table above suggest that Leeds should, though, be the favourites to claim all three points this afternoon, as they have offered more offensively and defensively as a team in the top-flight than Burnley so far.

However, some of the injury issues that Farke is currently having to deal with at Thorp Arch may lessen his side’s chances of putting another win on the board.

The latest Leeds team and injury news

The Leeds head coach has confirmed that goalkeeper Lucas Perri is back in training, but he will not start against Burnley ahead of Karl Darlow because he has only just returned to action and needs one or two weeks to settle back in.

There was less positive news on the winger front. Farke said: “Willy Gnonto won’t be available for this game because his calf problems are sorted, but sadly, he had to use the international break for a little minor hernia surgery. So not a major thing, but he needs to do this.

“He’ll be just back in team training next week, so I expect him then to have him available, perhaps only for the next home game, but definitely not for this away trip.”

Farke added that Dan James has returned to training earlier than expected, but the Wales international will not be in the starting XI against Burnley.

The Leeds boss said: “He’s definitely not in contention for the starting line-up, but due to the fact that we have lots of load and also a few problems in training, or Okafor is also struggling a little bit with some adductor problems, he could be perhaps even in contention to be picked for the squad.”

Noah Okafor, who joined from AC Milan for £18m, “struggling” with an adductor problem is a cause for concern for Farke and Leeds, because he is the team’s top scorer with two goals in the Premier League this season.

Given that Gnonto is out and James is unavailable to start, it would be a blow for the £72.5k-per-week star to miss out on the match through injury, or if he is not fit enough to play from the start.

This means that Farke may have to get creative with his team selection due to the dearth of natural wingers available to him if Gnonto, James, and Okafor cannot start on the left flank.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

One potential option for the German head coach to explore is the possibility of playing Gabriel Gudmundsson in a new role on the left wing, with James Justin coming into the side at left-back.

Why Leeds should unleash Gabriel Gudmundsson in a new role

All seven of the Sweden international’s appearances for Leeds in the Premier League this season have been at left-back, but he has played on the wing at previous clubs.

Per Transfermarkt, Gudmundsson has played 70 club matches as a left midfielder and 24 games as a left winger, scoring 12 goals and providing ten assists in those two positions combined. This shows that he is comfortable playing further forward as an attacking threat.

TEAMtalk editor James Marshment claimed that the Swedish star has been “up there with the best LBs in the PL so far this season”, but the concern over Okafor’s injury may force him to play higher up the pitch.

Gudmundsson could offer natural width down the left flank as a winger, with James Justin behind him, as he is a left-back who naturally wants to bomb forward and put crosses into the box.

In fact, his statistics in the Premier League so far this season for the West Yorkshire outfit suggest that he has attributes that could allow him to thrive in a more advanced position in the team.

xG

0.17

Top 29%

xA

0.38

Top 39%

Chances created

4

Top 36%

Successful crosses

5

Top 23%

Successful crosses

6

Top 16%

Touches

419

Top 18%

Touches in the opposition’s box

12

Top 18%

As you can see in the table above, Gudmundsson excels among full-backs in the top-flight in a host of attacking metrics, which suggests that he may be effective as a winger, getting more of the ball in the final third.

The left-footed star predominantly played as a full-back for Lille in Ligue 1 during the 2024/25 season, before his move to Leeds, but his goal in the clip below shows that he does have the potential to provide a threat in the box from a left wing position, arriving at the back post to score.

Therefore, playing the Sweden international in a new role could ease the possible Okafor blow that the Whites could be dealt if his adductor issue means that he cannot start against Burnley.

It would also provide summer signing Justin, who has made three appearances off the bench in the Premier League so far this season, with an opportunity to start at left-back and show Farke that he deserves more minutes on the pitch.

Their answer to Saka: Leeds now have "one of England's best prospects"

Leeds United have a teen star in their academy who could emerge as their own Bukayo Saka-type player.

ByDan Emery Oct 15, 2025

It is now down to the manager to get creative by unleashing Gudmundsson in a new role if he is without Okafor, James, and Gnonto from the start this afternoon.