Smriti Mandhana, ranked No. 1 among batters in the ICC ODI rankings for women, has gone past Tahlia McGrath to move to No. 3 on the T20I table after her match-winning 62-ball 112 against England in the first match of the series. The other big mover after the match was Lauren Bell, the England quick who returned 3 for 27. She moved up to No. 4, pushing team-mate Sophie Ecclestone and India’s Renuka Thakur down.Mandhana’s 112, her first T20I century in what was her 149th appearance in the format, also gave her the best rating of her career – 771 points. No. 2 Hayley Matthews is just three rating points in front, and well within Mandhana’s reach when England India play their second T20I on Tuesday, but table-topper Beth Mooney is quite a distance away, with 794 points.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

Shafali Verma, who returned to India’s T20I XI and partnered Mandhana at the top in the first game after last having played a T20I in October 2024 after which she was dropped, also moved up a spot to No. 13 after scoring 20 in 22 balls and looking fairly rusty.Harleen Deol also re-entered the rankings at joint-86th after she scored 43 in 23 balls. Deol had last played a T20I in July 2023 and had dropped out of the rankings.Bell’s rise in the bowlers’ rankings has created something of a traffic jam at the top of the table. Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal is the No. 1 with 746 rating points, but Bell – with Australia’s Annabel Sutherland (736 points) and India’s Deepti Sharma (735) above her – is just 19 points behind. In fact, Deepti, Bell and Ecclestone (725) are all a good performance or two away from getting to the top of the table.

Alejandro Garnacho broke new ground for English clubs in the Champions League with his goal for Chelsea against Qarabag. The Argentina international came off the bench when his side were 2-1 down but grabbed a crucial equaliser soon after his introduction. And in doing so, the former Manchester United star created a little bit of history for himself.

Garnacho claims personal record

The winger made a name for himself at United, where he graduated from their academy to the first team. In 144 appearances, he scored 26 goals – one of which came in the Champions League against Galatasaray in 2023. Following his switch to Chelsea this summer, Garnacho is back playing in Europe's elite competition, and with this goal, he became the first player to score Champions League goals for two English clubs by the age of 21. But while he impressed off the bench, the Blues flattered to deceive for long periods. Qarabag would have been worthy winners if they had held on but in the end, both sides settled for a point. The result means the two teams are in with a shout of qualifying for the next stage of the competition, without needing the play-offs, but for Enzo Maresca's team, there is a lot of work to do.

AdvertisementAFPMaresca's rotation game doesn't pay off

The head coach made seven changes from the Chelsea team that outclassed Tottenham in a 1-0 Premier League win last weekend. The Italian decided to rest the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto, Garnacho, and more, for their trip to Azerbaijan but they missed their heavy hitters in this clash. Despite the result, Maresca says rotation is key after their Club World Cup exploits this summer.

He said at a press conference: "The intention is always, you know, when we make changes, is because the intention is always, because we think that the plan with the players that they start against is the correct one. I think today, I don't know, the feeling that it's about, you know, is more, because we start in the right way, we score the goal, and then, again, we concede two goals, especially in the first one with 10 players. So, for me, the big difference today (Wednesday) has been, especially in the second box, in our box, we concede two goals that we can avoid, and in their box, for the amount of times that we are there, probably we can be more clinical."

Chelsea boss repeats himself amid injury concerns

The 45-year-old added, "I think I've tried to explain already many times. We have players, the intention tonight was to rest Enzo, to rest Moises, to rest Malo [Gusto], to rest more players, because they are not able to play every three days.

"They need recovery from last season, as you said, the Club World Cup affects a lot. We try to rotate when you win, no one mentioned all that. I know that when we don't win, everyone is focused on that, and now I think it's important to recover energy for Saturday and go again."

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AFPBlues return to Premier League action

Chelsea, who sit seventh in the Premier League after 10 matches, will hope to return to winning ways on Saturday when they host lowly Wolves in the last game before teams head off for the international break. 

Manchester United have an unseen teenager at Carrington who Red Devils defender Harry Maguire is helping around the training ground.

Maguire reaches 250 Man Utd appearances

After signing from Leicester City in a deal worth £80m back in 2019, Maguire has had plenty of ups and downs at Old Trafford but continues to be a regular at the back under Ruben Amorim.

Maguire recently hit 250 appearances as a Man Utd player, following in the footsteps of teammates Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw. Talking about reaching the milestone, he said:

Going on to talk about fellow defender Shaw, Maguire said: “You don’t play at this club 250 or 300 times if you’re first and foremost not a good player.

“Luke’s an excellent footballer, and every manager that comes in, he gets questioned a lot. That’s what happens at this club.

“Every manager that comes in plays Luke, and there’s a reason why they play Luke, because he’s an excellent footballer, always has been and always will be.”

Maguire’s current Old Trafford contract is worth £190,000-a-week, making him the fourth highest paid player at the club currently, however, that deal is set to expire in 2026.

1

Casemiro

£350,000

2

Bruno Fernandes

£300,000

3

Matthijs de Ligt

£195,000

4

Harry Maguire

£190,000

5

Matheus Cunha

£180,000

Whether or not he remains at the club remains to be seen, but he appears to be helping out the future generation at Carrington.

Man Utd teenager Shea Lacey impressing

According to a report from The Daily Mail, Man Utd teenager Shea Lacey, who is yet to make his debut or a first team matchday squad and be seen by fans, but is catching the eye of those at Carrington.

It is claimed that the 18-year-old ‘was invited back after a handful of sessions with the seniors’ and is impressing first-team stars with his technical level.

Maguire ‘has taken it upon himself to help Lacey settle into the senior group and act as a sounding board’, with the winger running riot against opponents at academy level.

In just three Premier League 2 appearances this season, Lacey has scored two goals in 122 minutes of action, and in total, has contributed to 14 goals for the U18s.

"Sealed and signed" – Man Utd agree $1m deal and personal terms with 17 y/o

The exciting young talent has represented his country nine times at the U17 level.

ByCallum Kemp Oct 2, 2025

It appears as if he could be the next Carrington graduate to make the grade at first-team level, although it is stated that ‘United are eager to take a slow and steady approach when it comes to Lacey, particularly in terms of managing his minutes, after injuries in recent years’.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Seleção Brasileira saiu de campo derrotada pelo Uruguai, por 2 a 0, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de 2022, mas esse nem foi a maior das preocupações, já que Neymar deixou o gramado chorando por conta de uma torção no joelho esquerdo, que ainda não foi diagnosticada de forma mais profunda. Certo mesmo é de que se trata da sexta lesão do atacante vestindo a camisa canarinho.

RelacionadasFora de CampoNeymar se pronuncia nas redes sociais após lesão no joelho em Uruguai x Brasil; vejaFora de Campo18/10/2023Seleção BrasileiraVÍDEO: Médico da Seleção Brasileira fala sobre a lesão de Neymar: ‘Esperar 24 horas’Seleção Brasileira18/10/2023Fora de CampoMessi marca golaços contra o Peru, e brasileiros temem clássico: ‘Será constrangedor’Fora de Campo18/10/2023

+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Há mais de 13 anos representando o time principal do Brasil, Ney tem um histórico de recordes, conquistas e muitos gols pela Amarelinha. No entanto, ao mesmo tempo, ele vive um histórico de problemas físicos quando se reúne com os companheiros de selecionado, inclusive em duas Copas do Mundo. Ao todo, como citado acima, o camisa 10 se machucou seis vezes em um intervalo de nove anos.

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4/7/2014 – Brasil 2 x 1 Colômbia – Copa do Mundo de 2014

Nas quartas de final da Copa do Mundo do Brasil, no Castelão, a Seleção Brasileira vencia a Colômbia por 2 a 1 pelas quartas de final da competição. No entanto, em uma entrada por trás totalmente desproporcional, Zuñiga acertou uma joelhada nas costas de Neymar, que imediatamente caiu no gramado, preocupando a todos. Resultado: fratura na terceira vértebra lombar e fora da Copa.

20/11/2018 – Brasil 1 x 0 Camarões – Amistoso

Em amistoso realizado na Inglaterra, o Brasil enfrentou Camarões para encerrar a temporada de 2018. Mas antes mesmo dos dez minutos de jogo, Neymar sentiu dores musculares na coxa direita e acabou sendo substituído por Richarlison, que fez o gol da vitória por 1 a 0.

5/6/2019 – Brasil 2 x 0 Qatar – Amistoso

Durante a preparação para a Copa América, o Brasil recebeu o Qatar no Mané Garrincha e logo aos 20 minutos do primeiro tempo, Neymar precisou ser substituído por conta de uma entorse no tornozelo direito, que após ser examinada, acabou se concretizando em um rompimento de ligamento. A Seleção venceu por 2 a 0, mas perdeu seu principal jogador para o torneio que seria disputado no país.

13/10/2019 – Brasil 1 x 1 Nigéria – Amistoso

No mesmo ano, em amistoso disputado em Cingapura, o Brasil enfrentou a Nigéria e a atuação de Neymar durou pouco mais de dez minutos, já que ele sentiu dores musculares na coxa esquerda e precisou ser substituído por Philippe Coutinho. A Seleção acabou apenas empatando com os africanos.

24/11/2022 – Brasil 2 x 0 Sérvia – Copa do Mundo de 2022

Quando o Brasil vencia por 1 a 0 seu jogo de estreia na Copa do Mundo do Qatar, Neymar acabou derrubado em uma jogada na entrada da área e se machucou. Ele ainda ficou no gramado por pouco mais de dez minutos, viu a Seleção fazer 2 a 0, mas acabou sendo substituído. O problema foi diagnosticado mais tarde como entorse nos ligamentos do tornozelo direito, que o tirou de dois jogos da fase de grupos, retornando apenas nas oitavas de final, contra a Coreia do Sul.

17/10/2023 – Uruguai 2 x 0 Brasil – Eliminatórias

Logo após o Brasil levar o primeiro gol do Uruguai, Neymar tentou partir em uma jogada individual pelo meio-campo, mas acabou trombando com um adversário. Na queda no gramado, quando foi apoiar a perna esquerda, acabou torcendo o joelho e imediatamente sentiu o problema. Após chorar bastante ainda dentro de campo, acabou sendo substituído por Richarlison. Ainda não há diagnóstico sobre a lesão.

Celtic are reportedly preparing to make their first contact with Wales manager Craig Bellamy, who has become the latest of a number of coaches to be linked with the vacant managerial role.

There’s been a major shake-up in the Scottish Premiership so far this season. It’s not champions Celtic who lead. It’s not their Old Firm rivals Rangers. Instead, it’s surprise champions-elect Hearts who have taken an eight-point lead at the top whilst those in Glasgow have descended into chaos.

Revealed: Scott Brown's chances of replacing Brendan Rodgers at Celtic

The Bhoys are looking for their next manager.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 28, 2025

The Russell Martin experiment proved disastrous at Ibrox and a chaotic managerial hunt then followed before they landed on Danny Rohl. Now, Celtic are set to follow suit following Brendan Rodgers’ decision to leave the club – bringing an end to his second spell in charge of the club.

Those at Celtic Park will be hoping that their managerial search ends far quicker than Rangers’ did, given that their rivals were rejected by their top two choices.

As a result, work is instantly underway in search of a replacement for Rodgers. Names such as Ange Postecoglou, Edin Terzic and even Kevin Muscat, who rejected Rangers, have all threatened to steal the headlines so far, but it remains to be seen if any of the three emerge as priority choices.

Muscat would of course be an interesting choice after he rejected Rangers. Whether he’s the right choice should be the question asked by Celtic, however. The 52-year-old is yet to have any managerial success in European football and has enjoyed much of his career in Australia, China and Japan.

If Muscat is ruled out then the Bhoys could turn towards Bellamy, who has also emerged as a key option.

Celtic preparing first Craig Bellamy contact

According to Sky Sports, Celtic are now preparing to sound out Craig Bellamy among others about their vacant managerial role in the coming week.

The Wales manager has impressed on the international stage and has admirers at Celtic Park, despite losing both games in the last break, a friendly against England and World Cup qualifier defeat to Belgium. Alas, it remains to be seen whether he’d leave his post at Wales in the middle of that qualifying campaign.

Games

14

Wins

6

Draws

4

Defeats

4

As things stand, Wales sit third in their qualifying group and still have hope of reaching the 2026 World Cup. Luring Bellamy away from that may prove all too difficult for Celtic.

There’s no denying that he would be an excellent choice, though. Speaking to Sky Sports when Bellamy was appointed in his current role, former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw said: “It’s an excellent appointment.

“When I was thinking, ‘who could take Wales forward?’ He was one of the first names I thought about. He’s got a very sharp mind, a great passion for the game and they’ve made the right choice.”

The latest on Celtic's manager search

José Iglesias has been an important part of the New York Mets' success this year, providing his traditionally excellent defense and wielding a reliable contact bat. He also—and there's no other player in baseball that can say this—has brought immaculate vibes by creating and performing a legitimately good pop song.

The 12-year veteran went 1-for-5 in the Mets' Game 1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday and that was enough to make him an interview subject postgame. And that hit with SNY got off to a funny start when the reporter posited his question by using Iglesias's career batting average coming into the season instead of at the end of the season.

Iglesias was quick to point out that his .337 campaign this year means he's a .283 lifetime hitter not a lowly .280 lifetime hitter.

Incredibly savvy move here. Especially because the question was about Iglesias's long-term future with the Mets. Every little percentage point counts in these types of conversations. And being able to fact-check in real time is just another example of his malleability as a player who can help a team win in a lot of different ways. Including in the charm department.

Kevin Kiermaier has always loved a longshot. He went to community college, he was a 31st-round pick, he played for the low-budget Tampa Bay Rays. 

“I always root for the underdog, no matter what,” he says. 

Well, until this week. It’s hard to pull for David when you play for Goliath, and even Kiermaier—who joined the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline—cannot make the case for his new team as an underdog in this week’s World Series against the New York Yankees. 

“It’s two of the top dogs,” he says. “You can’t write it up any better.”

Well, as long as you grew up wearing Dodger blue or pinstripes. If you’re not inclined to pull for the team making its fourth World Series appearance in the last eight years or the team with the most titles in history, you’re left rooting for them to cancel the whole thing. 

Want to see the little guy succeed? Your choices are the Dodgers, who spent $1.2 billion this offseason … or the Yankees, the team comedian Joe Lewis once compared to U.S. Steel. 

They each finished first in their league, which marks only the fifth time in the wild card era that the top seeds have met in the World Series. They ranked No. 2 (Yankees, $296.7 million) and No. 3 (Dodgers, $266.8 million) in payroll. They boast between them, according to FanGraphs, the No. 1 (Aaron Judge), No. 2 (Juan Soto), No. 3 (Shohei Ohtani), No. 6 (Freddie Freeman) and No. 7 (Mookie Betts) players over the past four years. Judge and Ohtani will almost certainly win their respective league’s Most Valuable Player awards next month. 

asked members of both teams to explain why unaffiliated fans should fall in love with their band of plucky upstarts. It didn’t go great. 

“We kind of feel like the underdogs a little bit,” offers Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo. “Everybody kind of expected us to beat the Royals and Cleveland, but our mindset is: We’re underdogs. We’re hungry. We expect to win. We haven’t won in New York in a while, so that’s why we feel like we’re underdogs and we want to go out there and prove everybody wrong.”

In a while in this case means 15 years, and that was their 27th title—nearly three times as many as the second-most decorated team, the St. Louis Cardinals, who have 11. Cleveland Guardians fans (two championships, none since 1948) and Milwaukee Brewers fans (never, in 55 years) are seething. But it’s true; the Dodgers won as recently as 2020. They haven’t missed the playoffs since ’12. It’s hard to see them as anything other than a dynasty. Still, Dodgers president Stan Kasten does his best.

“First of all, the amount of injuries we had this year makes this not all the team we were envisioning in spring training, O.K.?” he says. “And we’ve had to adjust on the fly. A lot of our players—a significant number of our players—are new from the middle of the season, O.K.? And yet, somehow, we persevere to the best record in baseball. That’s hard to do.”

Sure, but you had the best player in the sport that whole time. 

“They’re the Yankees!” he says. “They’re full of best players, all up and down their lineup.”

Your lineup starts with three MVPs. It’s hard to argue that nobody believes in us. 

“We aren’t out there advertising that!” Kasten says. “This is your story. You wanted something for your angle!”

Fair enough, and you have to give him credit for taking a shot. Almost no one else even bothered. 

“Honestly, I can’t,” says Dodgers long reliever Brent Honeywell. “I don’t think you can say it about either one of these teams. I think both of these teams know what they’re getting into, and neither one of us can take each other lightly. And I’m excited for where baseball’s at. You get to see guys like Sho. You get to see guys like me.” He laughs and adds, “It’s: Who is the best in the league? And to me, that’s what makes the hair rise on the back of my neck. I want to be known as the best team in the league. I want to see the best of the best go at it, and people should be happy about that. Who cares about payroll? Who cares about any of that stuff? Just the best of the best.”

Yankees closer Luke Weaver agrees. “It’s just gonna be who plays better baseball,” he says. “And at the end of the day, if you’re choosing a team to root for … it’s East Coast–West Coast. Maybe just stick to one side? Or maybe it’s your favorite color? Maybe it’s the type of blue you like better.”

Yeah, these guys aren’t even trying. 

“I can’t make a case that anybody’s the underdog,” says Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. “It’s pretty even on both sides. I can make the case that the Yankees will win!” No, thanks. Baseball fans have heard enough of that. 

Former Southampton manager Russell Martin is “still in contention” for what would be a stunning return to St Mary’s.

Though Southampton endured a dismal 2024/25 Premier League campaign, they were still expected to be strong contenders for an immediate promotion from the Championship. Having established himself with Reims and Lens in Ligue 1, Will Still was appointed as Saints manager in the summer.

Despite his obvious potential as a coach, Still was unable to make things click during what was his first job in English football. After winning just two matches out of 13 in the second tier, Still was sacked by the club who, at the time, were 21st in the league following three successive defeats.

Working as interim boss of the Saints, Tonda Eckert won his first game in charge against Queens Park Rangers. Having been called up temporarily from the Under-21s, Eckert has made a good start to his time in charge as Southampton pursue a permanent successor to Still.

Now, reports have indicated that Southampton, who are eight points adrift of the top six, could look to bring a former manager back to the club.

Martin to return to Southampton?

According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Martin is “still held in high regard at Southampton and has admirers in the boardroom”.

Taking over the Saints in 2023 after managing MK Dons and Swansea City, Martin guided Southampton to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.

Wedded to his patient, possession-based brand of football, Martin was sacked by the club in December 2024, in a season that saw the club become the first Premier League side to be condemned to relegation with as many as seven games remaining.

Martin was, in turn, hired by Rangers in the summer of 2025, going onto endure a terrible tenure in charge that lasted for just 123 days. Amongst other reported options, including Frank Lampard and Mark Robins, Martin’s current status as a free agent may mean he is more inclined to take the job.

Football Insider have reported that, whilst Martin being hired by Southampton would be “a surprise, his return has not been ruled out,” as the club do not blame him for the season that they endured in the top flight.

Having been called “unbelievable” by Flynn Downes, who Martin brought to Southampton, the 39-year-old has certainly proven himself at Southampton in the past. Given their current predicament and how badly Martin’s tenure at Rangers went, though, it remains to be seen whether Southampton push further for a reunion.

"Very intelligent" coach interested in Southampton job

West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo has been dealt another injury blow ahead of their crunch clash with newly-promoted Leeds United on Friday, and one which will force the tactician to play around with his starting eleven yet again.

Nuno slammed after controversial West Ham line-up against Brentford

Nuno faced the wrath of critics after he named what was a bizarre starting eleven to play Brentford on Monday.

The Hammers, who fell to their fourth home league defeat of the season — an all-time club record at this stage of the campaign — deployed Olly Scarles and Kyle Walker-Peters on their opposite sides, with Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving chosen in midfield ahead of the more dynamic Soungoutou Magassa and Freddie Potts.

After Niclas Fullkrug’s thigh injury was confirmed by Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann, plenty of debate surrounded who would play the striker role against Brentford.

West Ham’s results in the Premier League so far
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Despite an expectation that Nuno could hand Callum Marshall his first ever Premier League start against Brentford, or play Jarrod Bowen in that role as the England international has done before, West Ham’s boss instead opted for Lucas Paqueta as a makeshift number nine.

The Brazil international was sloppy in possession and often left isolated, with the experiment ultimately failing to pay off.

West Ham legend Tony Cottee was among the critics to blast Nuno’s “awful” team selection after their uninspired 2-0 defeat, but the former Nottingham Forest boss moved to defend his choices.

Now, as per Nuno himself, he’ll have to tinker with the team once more, with defender Konstantinos Mavropanos now joining Fullkrug and George Earthy on the treatment table.

West Ham dealt Mavropanos injury blow with Igor Julio in line for recall

Speaking to reporters before West Ham’s trip to Leeds, Nuno confirmed that Mavropanos will miss their imminent clash.

The Greek international was forced off against Brentford and unable to finish the 90 after coming on as a substitute, and Mavropanos will be absent from West Ham’s matchday squad for the trip to Elland Road as a result.

The 27-year-old’s unavailability means that summer signing Igor Julio, who was left out of the squad entirely to play Brentford, is surely in line for a recall.

According to reports, Julio has been impressing in West Ham training as he fights for a place in Nuno’s starting eleven, and the Hammers hardly have anything to lose by giving him a shot.

Both Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo really struggled to contain Brentford on a night to forget for the pair, with West Ham also conceding more league goals than any other side in the top flight so far.

Described as a strong one-v-one defender with “excellent” technique by members of the press, the Brazilian has also been called an “animal” by former Seagulls coach Inigo Calderón.

Julio hasn’t been given a chance to stake his claim in the squad this term, playing just one league minute so far, but the time could be now as Nuno looks for inspiration from somewhere.

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has moved swiftly to shut down claims that he urged Endrick to leave Real Madrid in the upcoming transfer window, insisting he never told the young striker that a loan move was necessary to secure a place with the Selecao at the 2026 World Cup. The 19-year-old sensation is on the brink of sealing a January loan switch to Lyon as Los Blancos have reportedly thrashed out a deal with the Ligue 1 outfit.

• A dream move that hasn’t taken off

  When Real Madrid secured Endrick from Palmeiras in 2022 for a monumental deal worth up to €60 million, much was expected from the prodigy. However, he has struggled to find his rhythm in the Spanish top-flight. His debut season showed sparks of brilliance as he scored seven goals in 37 appearances. It was enough to convince Madrid that they had unearthed a gem, but his second campaign has been a completely different story. A hamstring injury derailed his pre-season and forced him to miss both the Club World Cup and the start of Madrid’s league campaign. By the time he recovered, Xabi Alonso had put him behind Gonzalo Garcia in the pecking order. He has racked up 11 minutes of La Liga action this campaign, in a 4-0 win over Valencia. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Ancelotti shuts down rumours

  Speaking to , Ancelotti struck a firm tone. 

  "He's a very important player because he's one of the talents to have come out of Brazilian football," he said. "We're evaluating him. But it's not true that I said Endrick should leave Real Madrid to go to the World Cup. That's a matter between Real Madrid and the player. He needs to talk to the club and make the best decision for himself and for Real Madrid."

  According to , Real Madrid have accepted Lyon’s proposal in principle after weeks of negotiations. The French side, led by Paulo Fonseca, edged out late interest from Manchester United and Aston Villa. The Red Devils tried to swoop in after Benjamin Sesko’s injury, but Endrick had already been convinced Lyon was the right move. The young Brazilian sees Lyon as a safe place where he can start every week, regain sharpness, and rebuild his confidence.

  "It’s important for Endrick to start playing again," said the Italian coach in an interview with . “I spoke with him at the start of the season. He was injured, but now he’s fine. He needs to think with his team about what’s best, talk with the club, and decide what suits him."

• Madrid wanted Endrick to stay in Spain

  Madrid were initially leaning toward a La Liga loan, which would have helped him adapt and maintain continuity within Spanish football. There was also the matter of his upcoming Spanish passport, which is just six months away, and that made staying in Spain attractive. Endrick, however, pushed hard for France. He wanted a clean slate to start afresh and, most importantly, guaranteed minutes, which Lyon can provide him. Alonso had asked him to show patience and wait for his opportunity to shine in the Spanish capital, but the forward had other ideas. 

  "Of course, I’d like him to have played already," the Real Madrid coach admitted. "But the situations in our recent matches have been very tight since Endrick returned. I hope he can get those minutes soon. He’s training well, he’s ready, but the right moment has to come."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Endrick looking for a fresh start in France

  It has been reported that Endrick's entourage is already looking for a house in Lyon. This could well mean that personal terms have been agreed and only the formalities remain. The French outfit have been toothless in attack, with Czech forward Pavel Sulc having emerged as the highest scorer with five goals. Fonseca hopes that the addition of Endrick will add more firepower in attack and solve their goalscoring issues. The Brazilian will be hungry to prove himself to Ancelotti as a World Cup berth is on the lines.