What the papers say

Former Everton winger Ademola Lookman, 26, is attracting attention with his performances for Atalanta, according to The Sun. Atletico Madrid and Juventus are being linked with a summer move for the Nigeria international.

Defender Cedric Soares, 32, could still leave Arsenal, despite the transfer deadline passing. The window remains open in Turkey for another week and the Daily Mirror reports, via ESPN, that Galatasaray, Besiktas and Trabzonspor are interested in the Portuguese full-back.

West Brom were among three Championship clubs who enquired about defender Calum Chambers, according to the Daily Mail. The 29-year-old opted to stay at Aston Villa.

Liverpool and Arsenal are being linked with Eintracht Frankfurt teenager Hugo Larsson. The Daily Mirror, via German outlet Bild, said the 19-year-old midfielder has been dubbed “the next Rodri”.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Albert Sambi Lokonga: The Belgian midfielder, 24, could be given a fresh chance at Arsenal after impressing on loan at Luton, according to Football Transfers.

Stefano Sensi: The Italy midfielder, 28, is staying at Inter Milan despite passing a medical for a loan move to Leicester, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Shoaib Bashir made a memorable start to his England career, dismissing India captain Rohit Sharma on the first morning of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

The 20-year-old off-spinner only arrived in the country six days ago, his visa application held up due to his Pakistani heritage, but was handed a debut in place of the injured Jack Leach.

Bashir claimed the first wicket of the morning session when Sharma flicked a catch to Ollie Pope, roaring in excitement and clenching both fists in celebration.

But it was hard work for the tourists after losing the toss on a good batting pitch, with India reaching 103 for two after James Anderson removed Shubman Gill just before lunch.

Yashavi Jaiswal led the way with 51 not out, biding his time and picking off bad balls as he collected six fours and a six.

Anderson, recalled in place of Mark Wood as the solitary seamer, kicked things off after Ben Stokes lost the toss and allowed just six runs from his first five overs.

The 41-year-old, who made his Test debut five months before Bashir was born, beat the bat a couple of times but the early signs suggested a flat track.

Joe Root shared the new ball but was unable to make his match-up with the left-handed Jaiswal pay off and soon made way for Bashir. The newcomer came to the crease with just 10 first-class wickets to his name across six matches, but quickly settled into a groove.

After three tidy overs he struck midway through his fourth, Sharma following a drifting ball and turning it to leg-slip after an unusually quiet 14 from 41 deliveries. Bashir’s team-mates thronged as he took in the moment, but with Jaiswal settling to his task there was plenty still to do.

Tom Hartley, England’s seven-wicket hero in Hyderabad, started steadily but was unable to create a chance and began to over-pitch as he searched for a breakthrough. Bashir held an end for 10 straight overs, erring only when he sent down a full toss which Jaiswal flogged for six.

Anderson got his side back into the fight in his second spell, taking Gill’s outside edge for 34 as Ben Foakes dived in front of slip to take the catch.

Shoaib Bashir made a memorable start to his England career, dismissing India captain Rohit Sharma on the first morning of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

The 20-year-old off-spinner only arrived in the country six days ago, his visa application held up due to his Pakistani heritage, but was handed a debut in place of the injured Jack Leach.

Bashir claimed the first wicket of the morning session when Sharma flicked a catch to Ollie Pope, roaring in excitement and clenching both fists in celebration.

But it was hard work for the tourists after losing the toss on a good batting pitch, with India reaching 103 for two after James Anderson removed Shubman Gill just before lunch.

Yashavi Jaiswal led the way with 51 not out, biding his time and picking off bad balls as he collected six fours and a six.

Anderson, recalled in place of Mark Wood as the solitary seamer, kicked things off after Ben Stokes lost the toss and allowed just six runs from his first five overs.

The 41-year-old, who made his Test debut five months before Bashir was born, beat the bat a couple of times but the early signs suggested a flat track.

Joe Root shared the new ball but was unable to make his match-up with the left-handed Jaiswal pay off and soon made way for Bashir. The newcomer came to the crease with just 10 first-class wickets to his name across six matches, but quickly settled into a groove.

After three tidy overs he struck midway through his fourth, Sharma following a drifting ball and turning it to leg-slip after an unusually quiet 14 from 41 deliveries. Bashir’s team-mates thronged as he took in the moment, but with Jaiswal settling to his task there was plenty still to do.

Tom Hartley, England’s seven-wicket hero in Hyderabad, started steadily but was unable to create a chance and began to over-pitch as he searched for a breakthrough. Bashir held an end for 10 straight overs, erring only when he sent down a full toss which Jaiswal flogged for six.

Anderson got his side back into the fight in his second spell, taking Gill’s outside edge for 34 as Ben Foakes dived in front of slip to take the catch.

All-Star Jalen Brunson poured in 40 points and the New York Knicks overcame the loss of two starters again to rally for their ninth straight victory, 109-105 over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.

Hours after being voted a first-time All-Star, Brunson scored 11 points in the fourth quarter in a game the Knicks trailed by 15 points. He shook off an eye injury late in the game and made a driving layup with 1:46 remaining to give the Knicks the lead for good.

Donte DiVincenzo added 20 points, Miles McBride had 16 off the bench and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 12 points and 19 rebounds for New York, which was again without starters Julius Randle and OG Anunoby.

The Knicks, coming off a 14-2 January, have won nine in a row for the first time since a 13-game run from March 18-April 9, 2013.

Jalen Smith scored 22 points and Aaron Nesmith had 17 as the Pacers had a three-game winning streak snapped.

 

Maxey drops 49 as 76ers win

All-Star Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 51 points with seven 3-pointers and Tobias Harris added 28 points as the Philadelphia 76ers stopped a four-game losing streak with a 127-124 win over the Utah Jazz.

Maxey shot 17 of 27 from the field, hit 7 of 9 from beyond the arc and was 10 of 11 from the line. He surpassed his previous career high of 50 points - set Nov. 12 at home against Indiana – with two free throws with 4.1 seconds left.

He joined Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson and Joel Embiid as the only 76ers to score 50 points in multiple games in a single season.

Lauri Markkanen had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Collin Sexton scored 22 for Utah, which has lost five of seven.

 

Short-handed Lakers stun Celtics

Austin Reaves scored a season-high 32 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers as the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers defeated the league-leading Boston Celtics, 114-105.

The Lakers became just the third team this season to beat the Celtics at home despite playing without top scorers LeBron James (left ankle) and Anthony Davis (Achilles tendon and left hip spasms).

D’Angelo Russell had 16 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds and Jaxson Hayes added 16 points and 10 boards for Los Angeles, which made 19 of 36 3-pointers.

Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser added 17 apiece. The Celtics have lost three of five at home after a 20-0 start at TD Garden.

Former England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard retired as a player on this day in 2017 after a stellar 21-year career.

Lampard, then 38, widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats, announced his decision on social media after spending the previous year at Major League Soccer side New York City.

He said: “After 21 incredible years, I have decided that now is the right time to finish my career as a professional footballer.

“Whilst I have received a number of exciting offers to continue playing at home and abroad, at 38 I feel now is the time to begin the next chapter in my life.

“I’m immensely proud of the trophies I’ve won, of representing my country over 100 times and of scoring more than 300 career goals.”

Lampard is the Premier League’s fourth-highest appearance maker (609) and sixth-highest goalscorer (177). He is also fifth on the all-time assists list with 102.

After starting his career at West Ham, Lampard spent 13 years at Chelsea and became part of his country’s ‘golden generation’ despite failing to win major honours with England.

The former midfielder is Chelsea’s all-time record goalscorer (211) and only three players have made more than his 648 appearances for the club.

He added in his retirement statement: “The largest part of my heart belongs to Chelsea, a club which has given me so many great memories. I will never forget the opportunity they gave me and the success that we managed to achieve together.”

Lampard won 11 major trophies at Stamford Bridge – three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Europa League and the Champions League in 2012.

He made his senior England debut in a friendly win against Belgium in 1999 and went on to win 106 caps in total, placing him eighth on the all-time appearances list, and scored 29 goals.

After moving into management, he took Derby to the Championship play-off final and Chelsea to an FA Cup final, losing both games.

He avoided relegation with Everton in 2022 but was sacked the following January with the club 19th in the Premier League, and won just one of 11 games after returning to Chelsea in a caretaker capacity.

Yorkshire members will vote later this morning on whether to accept a loan offer from former chairman Colin Graves which would pave the way for his controversial return to Headingley.

Last month the existing board of the debt-ridden club recommended members back a special resolution at Friday’s extraordinary general meeting which, if passed, could ultimately lead to Graves and three associates being appointed to the board and unlock up to £5million in funding.

With time running out to keep the business viable, almost £15million owed to the Graves family trust and a host of other potential investors no longer at the table, the board said it was recommending a loan offer from Graves “having exhausted all other options” in its search for refinancing.

Graves’ reinstatement would represent a divisive move considering the racism scandal which has engulfed Yorkshire in recent years, an episode which partially took place during his first stint in charge.

Earlier this month he apologised to anyone at Yorkshire who had experienced racism, and expressed “profound regret” at the language he had used in a Sky Sports interview last June when he said there had been “a lot of banter”.

Azeem Rafiq, who in 2020 blew the whistle on the racism he experienced at Yorkshire, said Graves’ apology was not something he could accept, adding: “It’s got to be further than just words.”

The special resolution will only pass on Friday if 66 per cent or more of members vote in favour. Sources have told the PA news agency there is a concerted mobilisation against Graves, but it remains to be seen whether that will be sufficient to block his return.

Even if the resolution does pass, his reinstatement will still be subject to the Financial Conduct Authority approving the rule changes contained within the special resolution.

Graves said in a statement on Thursday: “Yorkshire members will vote tomorrow at the EGM on whether to ratify the board’s decision to accept my offer to the club.

“If, as I very much hope in the best interests of YCCC they do so, we will have to await the regulatory approval of the offer from the Financial Conduct Authority before forming a new board.

“The immediate responsibilities of that new board will be to elect a new Chairman and then begin work to resolve the YCCC financial situation.

“In the meantime, I will not be making any further comment.”

Premier League clubs spent just £100million in one of the quietest transfer windows in recent memory.

That figure, as estimated by leading finance company Deloitte, is down from a staggering £815m last January and an average of just over £319m since the 2016-17 season, when the value of domestic television rights first jumped past £5billion in a three-year cycle.

A relative plateauing of broadcast revenues and the threat of sanctions under the league’s profit and sustainability rules – with Everton already docked 10 points this season – have been cited as potential reasons for the lack of activity this month.

Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “After record-breaking spending in the last three transfer windows, Premier League clubs’ spending this January has been subdued.

“The more prudent approach is likely driven by the high level of spend invested during the summer window, but may also have been influenced by a heightened awareness of the Premier League’s financial regulations and the potential repercussions of non-compliance.

“Securing the highest-quality player talent remains pivotal for Premier League clubs, but we’ve seen in this window that retention has been of higher priority than attraction.”

Spending stood at around £70m going into deadline day – in line with the Covid-affected January 2021 window, when Said Benrahma, Amad Diallo and Morgan Sanson were the only arrivals league wide for fees in excess of £10m.

Thursday’s deals, including Morgan Rogers’ move from Middlesbrough to Aston Villa pushed that figure to £100m, but Radu Dragusin’s move to Tottenham for a reported £26.7m on January 11 remained the biggest of the month.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Manchester United have not made a single addition, while Manchester City’s £12.5m signing Claudio Echeverri was loaned straight back to River Plate.

Belgium’s Thomas Detry took a one-shot lead after the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM as Rory McIlroy suffered a dramatic late-round collapse.

McIlroy, playing his first PGA Tour round of the year after a win and a second place in Dubai, was leading after 14 holes as three successive birdies took him to six-under-par.

But the world number two dropped five strokes in his final four holes at Spyglass Hill – one of two courses being used by the 80-strong field – including a triple bogey at the par five seventh hole after he fell foul of a rule change which cost him a two-shot penalty.

Having dropped within a club length of an unplayable lie, he was informed before signing his card for a final 71 of a change in the rules that a player must drop on the direct line.

“I wasn’t aware that that rule was changed again in 2023, so I took a drop thinking of the 2019 rules when everything was sort of changed, said McIlroy, who trails Detry by eight strokes.

The Belgian started and finished with three birdies as he carded an opening 63, one clear of American Patrick Cantlay.

Matthieu Pavon, who on Saturday became the first French winner on the PGA Tour since 1907, was a shot further back on 65 after the best round of the day at Pebble Beach.

Justin Rose birdied his three holes at Spyglass Hill in a four-under-par 68, one better than fellow Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Nick Dunlap, playing his first round as a professional after winning The American Express tournament as an amateur last month, was tied for last place after a four-over-par 76.

The Baltimore Orioles made a major move to upgrade their rotation Thursday, reaching a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers to acquire former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes for a package of prospects.

The 29-year-old Burnes is one of the best pitchers in baseball and was the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner. The right-hander struck out 234 in 167 innings that season with a league-leading 2.34 ERA.

Burnes, who is a free agent after the 2024 season, went 10-8 with a 3.39 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 193 2/3 innings last season to help the Brewers win the NL Central title.

In 2022, he topped the NL with 243 strikeouts in 202 innings while going 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA.

Heading to Milwaukee in the deal are left-hander D.L. Hall, infielder Joey Ortiz and the 34th pick in the 2024 draft.

Hall went 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA in 18 relief appearances last season and made his only major league start in 2022. Hall, 25, has spent most of his minor league career as a starter and has struck out 42 over 33 innings with 11 walks in 29 career appearances in the majors.

Ortiz, 25, made his major league debut last season and batted .212 with no home runs and four RBIs in 15 games.

A highly regarded defender, Ortiz could start in the Brewers’ infield this season, and could take over at shortstop in 2025 if incumbent Willy Adames leaves via free agency. Ortiz spent time at shortstop, second and third base for the Orioles.

Baltimore is coming off an AL East title and a 101-win season but was looking to upgrade its rotation. The Orioles now will have a payroll of around $90 million with Burnes’ $15.6 million salary added.

He joins a rotation with Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez – who had the third-best ERAs, respectively, among AL pitchers in the second half.

An MRI revealed that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid suffered an injury to the lateral meniscus in his left knee and is out indefinitely, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.

The reigning MVP has been ruled out at least through Saturday as the 76ers’ medical staff formulates a treatment plan, but Embiid is expected to miss multiple games.

Shams Charania of The Athletic initially reported the injury as a torn meniscus in a post on X but later deleted the post.

Embiid missed the final 37 games of the 2016-17 regular season with a torn left lateral meniscus.

Embiid suffered his latest injury in Tuesday’s loss to Golden State when Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell onto the star center’s leg.

While the severity of the injury has not been announced, Embiid can only miss five more games this season to be eligible for season awards. A new provision in the league’s collective bargaining agreement requires players to play at least 65 games to be voted as the MVP or to an All-NBA team.

Embiid had been a major contender to win his second consecutive MVP award, with even better numbers than last season. The Cameroon-born star is averaging a league-leading 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists this season in 34 games.

Embiid’s absence will likely result in a starting role for Paul Reed and an increased workload for Mo Bamba, but the 76ers could opt to bolster their frontcourt ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

Philadelphia are 3-9 in games that Embiid has missed this season.

News of Embiid’s injury broke at virtually the same time that the NBA announced his teammate, point guard Tyrese Maxey, was selected to his first career All-Star Game.

Michael Smith insisted Luke Littler’s popularity is “even bigger than Phil Taylor” after denying the 17-year-old darts sensation a shot at victory on his Premier League debut.

Smith edged out Littler 6-5 in a high-quality semi-final before going on to beat home favourite Gerwyn Price and silence a capacity Cardiff crowd.

“I actually thought in the semi-final Luke Littler was Welsh,” said Smith, the 2023 world champion.

“It’s going to be every week, it doesn’t matter where it is.

“Everyone’s fallen in love with him. He’s even bigger than Phil Taylor who won 16 world titles, Luke is the most popular thing in darts.”

He continued: “I’m going to ride the wave. People keep following, sponsors keep coming in, and the prize money is going up for us lads.

“When I walked in this afternoon there were no interviews.

“Luke Littler walked in and it was ‘can you do this one, can you do that one?’.

“That was me last year. This time I got to sit and chill, break up my time on the board and it worked.”

Smith beat seven-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen 6-5 in his opening match on the way to lifting a trophy for the first time since last April.

The St Helens thrower had to deal with unsportsmanlike whistling from some unruly individuals among the crowd.

Smith said: “I enjoyed the crowd apart from one or two individuals.

“I’m not going to say the crowd was disgusting because it was only two or three people, the other three or four thousand were amazing.

“Luckily enough it did not put me off, it’s expected. You know you’re going to expect some stick and some boos, especially playing Gezzy here.

“Whistling is not the best, but it happens in any sport. How do you stop it? It happens and it’s up to the sportsperson to get on with the job.

“Going top of the league after week one is a message to myself. I’m happy to win and there’s a few chinks in there, but to get five points on the opening night and a 10 grand cheque is always nice.”

Littler had earlier avenged his World Championship final defeat by Luke Humphries four weeks ago with a 6-2 quarter-final win.

He averaged 100.30 in that match and 105.31 in a ding-dong affair with Smith.

Littler hit six 180s in the semi-final, but a missed match dart on double 15 cost him dear as Smith capitalised.

A comfortable win over Price – who had earlier taken out Nathan Aspinall and Rob Cross – put Smith top of the embryonic table ahead of week two in Berlin next Thursday.

Crystal Palace’s swoop for midfielder Adam Wharton from Blackburn looked to be the biggest Premier League move of deadline day as the transfer window closed with a flurry of late loan deals.

The Eagles – fighting to stay clear of being dragged into a relegation battle – are said to have paid an initial fee of £18million, which could potentially see a further £4m in add-ons for the talented 19-year-old.

Wharton, who has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract, feels Crystal Palace is the right place for him to further his ambitions.

“The way they have brought players from the Championship and developed them into world-class players in the Premier League is something that stood out to me,” Wharton said on the club’s website. “It is a big reason why I wanted to come here.”

Burnley, who sit second bottom of the table, completed a loan deal for Montpellier defender Maxime Esteve until the end of the season and then also announced the arrival of right-back Lorenz Assignon on loan from Rennes.

Centre-back Esteve, 21, had watched the Clarets’ 3-1 defeat at Manchester City on Wednesday night before completing the formalities of his deal ahead of the transfer deadline.

There were plenty of loan deals announced late in the window.

Sheffield United confirmed Mason Holgate’s arrival until the end of the season from Everton after ending his spell at Southampton six months early having only made seven appearances.

Chelsea’s 19-year-old Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos has joined French club Strasbourg on loan until the end of the season, having spent the first half of the campaign at Nottingham Forest.

Earlier, Forest had signed 18-year-old striker Rodrigo Ribeiro on loan from Sporting Lisbon and there were more late deals at the City Ground, with veteran goalkeeper Matz Sels arriving from Strasbourg.

Bournemouth have signed Turkey forward Enes Unal on loan from Getafe for the rest of the season and Tottenham forward Alejo Veliz has completed a loan move to Sevilla.

Forest also confirmed Orel Mangala had completed a loan move to Lyon, who have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

Spanish side Villarreal reached an agreement to take Bertrand Traore for the rest of the campaign after he was allowed to leave Aston Villa on a free transfer.

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was delighted as striker Ivan Toney stayed at the club, having been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea during the January window.

Despite the 11pm deadline, more transfers could be completed provided clubs have lodged a ‘deal sheet’ to allow extra time to tie up the formalities.

Fulham have been chasing a loan deal for Chelsea striker Armando Broja.

PA understands West Ham’s Pablo Fornals – who was set to be named on the bench against Bournemouth – has permission to discuss a £7million move to Real Betis.

However, Said Benrahma’s proposed move to Lyon broke down, despite the player having travelled to France for a medical.

“West Ham United can confirm that the deadline day deal for Said Benrahma to join Olympique Lyonnais was not concluded ahead of the deadline, with a deal unable to be completed before 11pm,” a spokesman for the Premier League club said.

Like Forest, Aston Villa and Newcastle had also completed early deals to strengthen their squads.

Morgan Rogers swapped Middlesbrough for Villa Park in a reported £8million switch and Newcastle brought in teenage midfielder Alfie Harrison from Manchester City.

Villa later announced Australia goalkeeper Joe Gauci would be joining from Adelaide United following the Asian Cup, while Brighton midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud has joined Stuttgart on loan.

In the Sky Bet Championship, promotion-chasing Ipswich signed Wales forward Kieffer Moore on loan from Bournemouth.

Norwich have signed Dutch forward Sydney van Hooijdonk – son of former Celtic and Nottingham Forest forward Pierre – on loan from Serie A club Bologna, with an option to make the deal permanent.

West Brom brought Celtic winger Mikey Johnston to The Hawthorns, versatile Manchester City player Josh Wilson-Esbrand signed for Cardiff until the end of the season and Liverpool defender Billy Koumetio linked up with Blackburn on loan.

QPR strengthened their midfield in a bid to beat the drop with the loan signings of Isaac Hayden from Newcastle and Joe Hodge from Wolves.

Sheffield Wednesday completed the loan signing of forward Ian Poveda from Leeds and Cristian Pedersen from Swansea.

Defender Connor Roberts heads to Elland Road from Burnley and Stoke signed Netherlands Under-21 winger Million Manhoef from Vitesse Arnhem.

Earlier, midfielder Alex Pritchard completed a move from Sunderland to Birmingham, where he will be reunited with former Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray.

Sunderland signed winger Romaine Mundle from Standard Liege and then brought in Callum Styles from Barnsley on loan ahead of the deadline.

Hull’s busy transfer window continued with the signing of Turkey midfielder Abdulkadir Omur from Trabzonspor and Burnley winger Anass Zaroury on loan.

Swansea brought in Poland international Przemyslaw Placheta after his contract at Norwich was cancelled along with signing young forward Charles Sagoe Jr on a six-month loan from Arsenal.

Erik ten Hag heaped praised on Kobbie Mainoo after the teenage star’s stunning stoppage-time winner sealed Manchester United a needlessly stressful 4-3 win at Wolves.

The misfiring Red Devils produced their best first half performance of the season at Molineux, where Marcus Rashford struck inside five minutes of his first match since last week’s reported Belfast escapades.

The returning star then played a part in Rasmus Hojlund’s bundled second, before United bounced back as substitute Scott McTominay scored shortly after Pablo Sarabia had converted a softly-awarded penalty.

But United wobbled and looked set to blow a much-needed win as Max Kilman scored before Pedro Neto equalised in stoppage time, only for Mainoo’s moment of magic.

The 18-year-old showed skill and courage to take on the Wolves backline, before bending home to win it at the death and spark wild United celebrations.

“To be honest, I had mixed feelings,” boss Ten Hag said after the breathless clash. “One side very pleased, of course it’s a massive win this.

“I think for a neutral fan, spectator of this game, it was great to see but as a manager when you see you dominate a game for an hour, you should go 3 or 4-0 by the hour, because we had the chances and we conceded nothing.

“But then the way we concede the goals we should manage that better on the pitch, this can’t happen.

“But then you see the spirit of the team and the resilience and especially in Kobbie Mainoo, that is great to see.

“We have the right character, the spirit in the dressing room is very good when you can show this.”

Mainoo was part of the United team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2022 and caught the attention of Ten Hag shortly after he arrived that summer.

The midfielder has made 13 appearances so far this term and would have played more had it not been for an unfortunate injury sustained against Real Madrid in a Houston pre-season friendly.

“I think very quickly I saw him,” Ten Hag said. “I think last autumn I saw him for the first time and at that moment I thought he was playing a little bit too comfortable in the Under-21s, he should be much more dominant.

“We pushed him a lot by that side, by pushing him in training and you see he makes such good progress and he is almost progressing from game to game.

“And of course, it’s wonderful to see and I hope he stays calm like he is, as he did with his goal as well.

“He is determined, he is a good character and I hope he keeps going with this progress.”

Ten Hag also praised Rashford as the United forward produced an impressive response to days of negative headlines and an internal disciplinary.

“I think the whole team played very good, Rashy as well,” the Dutchman said.

“Maybe you know that, you see the last games, there is coming about in the front line and if they get the service in the back they are a threat for every opposition.”

As for opposition manager Gary O’Neil, the last-gasp defeat was compounded by Wolves’ inability to bring in a striker on deadline day.

They made an approach for Chelsea’s Armando Broja but could not make the loan signing within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, with the striker instead heading to Fulham.

“We couldn’t afford to do it financially, where it ended up,” O’Neil said.

“But we haven’t been deducted 10 points, we’re still together, we’re still putting in performances that show we’re all together. We’ll try and keep it moving that way.”

Celtic and Rangers both completed loan signings on a relatively quiet transfer deadline day in the cinch Premiership.

The champions confirmed the capture of Norwich striker Adam Idah while Rangers announced the signing of winger Oscar Cortes from French side Lens.

The 20-year-old Colombian joins on loan for the rest of the season with Rangers holding an option to buy him in the summer.

The Light Blues are reported to have rebuffed interest from Galatasaray in Ridvan Yilmaz after missing out on an immediate bid to sign left-back Jefte from Fluminense, with the Brazilian’s loan club APOEL Nicosia reportedly intent on keeping him until the end of the campaign.

Reports from Italy also claimed Hellas Verona were set to launch a bid to sign striker Cyriel Dessers but there was no movement.

Rangers full-back Adam Devine moved on loan to Motherwell.

The arrival of 22-year-old Republic of Ireland international Idah at Celtic Park followed the departure of Mikey Johnston on loan to West Brom.

Another winger, Marco Tilio, rejoined Melbourne City on loan on Wednesday and David Turnbull was set to follow the two wingers out of Celtic Park with Cardiff expecting to wrap up a permanent transfer for the midfielder.

Celtic’s only other January signing was German winger Nicolas Kuhn.

Kilmarnock confirmed the loan signing of Kevin van Veen after fending off competition from Motherwell and St Mirren for the Dutch striker.

Van Veen scored 29 goals for Motherwell last term but the Fir Park side missed out on taking him back after failing to match Killie and St Mirren’s financial input.

The 32-year-old scored five goals for Groningen earlier this season but lost his place in the team after a disagreement with the manager and was keen to return to Scotland to be with his family.

Hibernian signed two young centre-backs on loan, landing Nectarios Triantis from Sunderland and Owen Bevan from Bournemouth until the end of the season.

Dundee landed Norwich goalkeeper Jon McCracken on loan after a temporary spell was halted in August following the signing of Trevor Carson.

Midfielder David Carson joined Livingston on an 18-month deal from Inverness while St Johnstone announced the signing of striker Adama Sidibeh, 25, for an undisclosed fee from Northern Premier League club Warrington Rylands. Jay Turner-Cooke has ended his loan spell in Perth and returned to Newcastle.

Aberdeen are said to have failed in late efforts to sign a centre-back while Hearts completed their business ahead of deadline day.

Ross County signed former Grimsby right-back Michee Efete on a deal until the end of the season.

Outside of the top flight, Queen’s Park head coach Callum Davidson believes he has pulled off “a bit of a coup” by signing 32-year-old former Liverpool, Rangers and Scotland defender Danny Wilson from Colorado Rapids.

Lowland League side Albion Rovers sold striker Joe Bevan to Premier League Burnley for an undisclosed fee. The 19-year-old scored 15 goals for Rovers after joining from Camelon 12 months ago.

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