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For the first time in his Manchester United tenure, Erik ten Hag is in an unexpected rut, watching on as his side struggle to even show signs of picking up all three points, losing three of their first five Premier League games this season.

Their latest defeat, coming against Brighton & Hove Albion, proved once again just how far away the Red Devils are from returning to their best, with this season seen as two steps back so far, after progressing so much during the last campaign.

The bad news just keeps coming for those at Old Trafford, with the latest injury news revealing the timeline for another star's absence, dealing Ten Hag even more injury woes.

What's the latest Manchester United injury news?

On top of their poor form this season, United have been fairly unfortunate when it comes to injuries, losing the likes of Raphael Varane, Mason Mount, and Luke Shaw. That said, their summer transfer business, welcoming Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, and Sofyan Amrabat, as well as others, means that they've got no excuse for their results.

Now, to make matters worse, they've been dealt another long-term injury blow, potentially impacting them on the pitch once again. According to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, Aaron Wan-Bisska will miss the next two months through injury:

"Aaron Wan-Bissaka out for up to two months after sustaining hamstring injury in final minutes after coming on against Brighton."

The news will leave those at Old Trafford fairly frustrated, given that Wan-Bissaka's introduction to the game was unnecessary so late on, with Brighton 3-1 up and cruising to victory. Nonetheless, they must now face the consequences of being without Wan-Bissaka in what will be a busy period, especially when the Champions League gets underway.

When it comes to right-back options, Ten Hag will have to hope that Diogo Dalot avoids injury, with the Portugal international now the Red Devils' only natural option in the role.

How has Aaron Wan-Bissaka performed this season?

There was a period of time when it looked as though Wan-Bissaka's Manchester United career was destined to end in failure. To his credit, however, he has battled back superbly to put himself firmly in Ten Hag's plans.

Prior to his injury against Brighton, the former Crystal Palace man had started all four games for United this season, and looked like the first-choice option when it came to the right-back role, making his injury all the move devastating.

Wan-Bissaka has been credited for turning his United career around, too, with commentator Micky Gray praising the defender after his performance in the Carabao Cup win over Burnley, telling talkSPORT: “Aaron Wan Bissaka has been absolutely fantastic tonight, he really has. He’s been out of the frame for a long, long time, I saw him midweek, he set up the first goal for Christian Eriksen.

“What a performance he’s put in tonight, not a foot wrong, and he’s getting in the opposition's half, putting balls in the box, making things happen, great performance.”

With that said, United will be hoping to have the defender back as soon as possible, particularly after their poor start to the season, combined with the fact that they've now been left short at right-back.

Some worrying team news has come out of Arsenal ahead of their crunch Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, with a key player set to miss out.

Arsenal vs Tottenham preview

Mikel Arteta's side, after battling with PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday night, will now take on arch rivals Spurs in the north London derby on Sunday.

Arsenal head into the contest in good stead, having won four out of their opening five league games with top flight victories over Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Man United and Everton.

Arteta's men remain unbeaten despite not being at full throttle; grinding out a narrow three points against the likes of Forest, Palace and Everton.

However, Tottenham enter the contest on a similar run of form and the feeling around Ange Postecoglou's tenure is one of much promise.

Spurs are also yet to taste defeat in the league this season, with Postecoglou's brand of exciting, attack-minded football on display for all to see.

The Lilywhites convincingly beat Bournemouth, Man United and Burnley prior to the international break and displayed real character to see off Sheffield United in the dying seconds of added time last weekend,

This match comes as, arguably, one of the most interesting head-to-heads between the two sides in recent memory.

Arsenal vs Tottenham team news

Arteta has been without a fair few key players lately, including summer signing Jurrien Timber, who suffered an ACL injury on the opening day against Forest.

Arsenal's boss described it as a "huge blow" at the time, with Timber not expected back until far after the new year.

Another player currently sidelined is Mohamed Elneny, who is apparently in the latter stages of his rehab.

“He’s in a good place, obviously it’s been a while and it’s been a very significant injury, but I think he's in the latter stages of that rehab process," said Arteta ahead of PSV.

“He’s been training for almost two weeks with the team and he is in a good place. It’s always great to have him around.”

The Evening Standard, sharing news on Thomas Partey's situation, have an update on the Ghanaian on top of the aforementioned duo.

He will certainly miss Tottenham, as that has come too soon in this stage of his recovery, with the outlet estimating his return date to be around October time.

Partey was a key player for Arsenal last term, standing out as one of their best-performing players per 90 while making 33 appearances.

How good is Thomas Partey?

The midfielder has been praised for his defensive work in the middle of the park.

Partey, who averaged more tackles per match than any of his Gunners teammates in the league last season, was called a "monster" player earlier this year by members of the press.

"Thomas Partey is a defensive monster and controller," wrote journalist Abdu Dilshan Wasike on X in January.

"Usually clubs are partnering 2 players with one of each to have this attribute in their midfield. Arsenal have both qualities in 1 player. He is the best six (6) in the league. MoTM against Newcastle"

It will be a huge boost for Arteta to have Partey back next month, but he will be missed against Spurs this weekend.

As the glitter and cacophony of the IPL engulfs India, Cheteshwar Pujara is in Yorkshire hoping to return the former champions to title contention

Melinda Farrell11-Apr-2018As the glitter and cacophony of the IPL engulfs India, with maximums and power hitting among the most prized batting traits, Cheteshwar Pujara is happily discussing the value of the leave in Leeds.While it is common for the County Championship to see visiting Test players use the competition as a valuable acclimatisation period before a Test series, Pujara maintains he would have played in England even if India were not touring later this summer. It is, after all, his fourth stint in the Championship and his second for Yorkshire. At Headingley they hope his return is an omen: when he was here in 2015 the title followed.Yorkshire are seeking a refocus in their approach to batting this season, with an emphasis on consolidation before attack. They could hardly have found a better exponent of this than Pujara. Generally a cautious starter, he is notoriously difficult to pry from the crease, as evidenced by his 14 Test and 44 first-class centuries.”They have spoken to me about that,” Pujara told ESPNcricinfo. “The guys played too many shots in the last couple of seasons. They’ve learned from their mistakes and obviously they will try to change the way they play a little bit but at the same time one has to know their strengths and weaknesses so you still need to play according to your strength.”It is always important to spend a lot of time at the crease, have a lot of patience when the ball is doing a lot understand the situation where you need to be a little defensive and know your time to attack because you will always have a time when the ball doesn’t do much and that is where you can capitalise.”Not everyone appreciates Pujara’s discipline and control. His trademark slow starts and a Test strike rate of 47.45 frustrate those fans who have grown impatient on a white ball diet and its effect on the longer formats. When Pujara scored a majestic double-century against Australia in the third Test in Ranchi, which ended in a draw, some critics pointed to the time it took – 525 balls – for him to make 202 as a major impediment to India winning the match. He feels fans in England have a greater appreciation of his skills and temperament.Cheteshwar Pujara works the ball to the leg side•BCCI”Sometimes I do feel that when I start leaving the ball people really don’t appreciate that because of shorter formats of the game, ” said Pujara. “But when I come here they understand what my role is.”In the India team they do understand but I’m talking about the fans’ perspective where they want to see fours and sixes. So when I come here fans they do understand the game, they do appreciate if you’re leaving the ball, if the bowler is bowling well, if the conditions are challenging, they understand that you need to survive that. Then obviously, once I’m set, I always start scoring runs.”

Since Nottingham Forest’s promotion to the Premier League ahead of the 2022/23 season, they have gained a reputation for their activity in the transfer windows.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis has overseen a total of 43 signings, some of which have already moved on.

Despite the remarkable number of incomings, the Reds don’t intend to slow down their presence in the market, with another target already being lined up ahead of the winter transfer window.

Who have Forest signed since being promoted?

Of the Reds’ 43 signings, some have stood out more than others.

The likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi have since become central to Steve Cooper’s plans since their big-money arrivals last season, while some of the newer faces such as Anthony Elanga and Matt Turner have made early impact at the club.

Jesse Lingard, who joined the club as a free agent last season, was unable to earn himself a contract extension and was subsequently released after an underwhelming spell at the City Ground.

After the departure of star player Brennan Johnson, who joined Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day for £47.5m, Forest are already planning how to spend the money, with Spanish newspaper Estadio Deportivo reporting that Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez is high on their list for the January window.

Who is Guido Rodriguez?

Rodriguez has been playing in Spain for almost four years now, after joining Betis from Mexican outfit Club America in January 2020.

The 29-year-old has been capped 29 times for his native Argentina and featured at the 2022 World Cup as they became world champions.

The Argentine has excelled in Manuel Pellegrini’s side playing in a pivot alongside Portuguese midfielder, William Carvalho, and is best described as a deep-lying playmaker who can also be deployed in a back line of defence.

Rodriguez has been linked with a number of clubs in recent summers, including Barcelona, who would instead go with the cheaper option in Oriol Romeu, while Forest’s previous interest was disregarded by the player.

When questioned on Rodriguez’s potential summer move, Pellegrini stressed his side could not afford to lose another creative outlet, following the departures of several forwards who had already moved on.

As the midfielder enters the final season of his current contract, the report suggests that Betis would prefer to cash in during the January window, which could hand Forest a timely boost on a player that is estimated to be worth £15m by FootballTransfers.

Where could Rodriguez fit in at Forest?

Should Forest be able to tempt the 29-year-old "defensive monster" – as once lauded by analyst Marcus Bring – into a winter move, it would bring a priceless amount of experience into the squad, having racked up nearly 300 senior appearances since his professional debut back in 2014/15.

Rodriguez could be utilised alongside either Orel Mangala or Ryan Yates or among a back three, whilst his relationship with Forest’s new signing and his Argentina teammate, Gonzalo Montiel, can prove extremely useful for Steve Cooper’s side.

The next 12 months will certainly involve movement regarding Rodriguez’ current situation, whether that sees him sign a new deal with the club that brought him into European football or a new experience elsewhere, though Cooper and Forest would be wise to launch a move in the upcoming window to bolster the Reds' engine room substantially.

Ross Taylor, the New Zealand batsman, has signed to play as an overseas player for Nottinghamshire during the first half of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018Ross Taylor, the New Zealand batsman, has signed to play as an overseas player for Nottinghamshire during the first half of the season. Taylor injured himself during the course of his epic 181 not out in the fourth ODI against England, but is expected to be fit for a spell of eight Championship games and the Royal London Cup group stage at Trent Bridge.Taylor turned 34 on Thursday but had to put a birthday drink on hold after aggravating a quad problem in Dunedin, which makes him a doubt for the deciding ODI on Saturday, as well as forcing Notts to delay the announcement of his signing.One of New Zealand’s most prolific batsmen, he scored his 19th ODI ton – and second of the series – against England on Wednesday. As long as there is no reaction to his latest leg injury, Taylor will also be looking to add to his 6246 Test runs during the two-match series in late March.Taylor has been contracted until mid-June but could stay on for the Royal London Cup knockout stages, with Nottinghamshire looking to defend the trophy the won in 2017. He has previously played county cricket for Durham and Sussex.”I’m really excited about joining Nottinghamshire as they return to Division One of the Specsavers County Championship, and I hope I can play an important part in helping them become re-established at the higher level,” Taylor said. “It’s also great to be joining a team who are defending a white-ball trophy, with the club having won the Royal London One-Day Cup last summer, and hopefully the team can mount a strong challenge again.”I’ve enjoyed playing against England for New Zealand in the early part of this year, and I’m looking forward to testing myself in the early-season English conditions when I arrive at Trent Bridge for the start of the new season.”Taylor’s arrival will add significant red-ball experience to the middle order at Notts, after the retirements of Michael Lumb, Greg Smith and Chris Read, Brendan Taylor’s return to Zimbabwe and the request by Alex Hales to only play limited-overs cricket.Notts finished second in Division Two of the Championship last year, winning promotion after a season in the second tier, and also claimed a white-ball double by lifting the Royal London Cup and NatWest T20 Blast.Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket Mick Newell said: “Ross is a world-class performer who brings with him an excellent record at the highest level in both red- and white-ball cricket, as well as plenty of experience. He is just what we were looking for to strengthen the top order of our four-day batting line-up, where we have lost the likes of Michael Lumb and Brendan Taylor from last year, and his aggressive style suits the type of 50-over cricket we look to play.””With Ross suffering a recurrence of a previous quad injury in his century for New Zealand against England on Wednesday, we have been monitoring his fitness, which delayed the announcement of the signing by us. We will continue to check in with Ross and the New Zealand team’s medical staff, but he’s confident that he will be fully fit come the start of our season.”

The summer transfer window officially slams shut on Friday and Leicester City could look to make further additions to their squad before the deadline passes.

Who have Leicester signed this summer?

Foxes boss Enzo Maresca has been backed by the board as the club have brought in Harry Winks, Conor Coady, Mads Hermansen, and Stephy Mavididi on permanent deals.

The Midlands outfit have also snapped up Yunus Agkun, Cesare Casadei, and Callum Doyle on loans from Galatasaray, Chelsea, and Manchester City respectively.

It remains to be seen whether or not the club will go back into the market for further reinforcements but one player the manager should push to sign is Queens Park Rangers attacking midfielder Ilias Chair, who has been linked with a move to the King Power this summer.

How good is Ilias Chair?

The Morocco international is a proven Championship performer who has the ability to be an outstanding performer for Leicester and he could form an exciting link-up with Mavididi at the top end of the pitch.

Chair is capable of being deployed in a number of roles across the frontline as he has played at least 36 career matches as a central midfielder, number ten, or left winger.

This means that the 25-year-old wizard could play on one flank with Mavididi on the other or he could line up in a midfield role to create a direct link with the former Montpellier ace.

The summer signing has scored one goal and assisted one in four league clashes for Leicester so far and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.22, which is the sixth-best score within the squad and shows that he has hit the ground running as one of the top performers at the club.

Maresca could now secure a fantastic partner for the English whiz by swooping for Chair as the Moroccan technician has the quality to tear teams apart, which would make them a fearsome duo for opposition sides to defend.

Last season, the QPR star showcased his sensational creative ability with 12 'big chances' created and 2.4 key passes per game for his teammates across 40 league appearances, which resulted in nine assists for the talented dynamo.

Meanwhile, no Leicester player managed more than James Maddison's 2.3 key passes per outing and the England playmaker – now at Spurs – was the only gem who provided more than five assists (nine).

After four games this season, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (four) is the only Foxes star with more than 1.5 key passes per game.

These statistics suggest that Chair could be an outstanding creator for the Foxes and provide the likes of Mavididi, who scored 21 goals in 98 matches for Montpellier, and Kelechi Iheanacho with the chances they need in front of goal to find the back of the net week-in-week-out.

The QPR maestro, who was once described as "lively" by journalist Josh Bunting, only scored five league goals last season but did manage nine goals throughout the 2021/22 campaign and could add a goal threat to go alongside his sublime playmaking from a midfield or wide position.

Therefore, Chair and Mavididi, based on his early form for Leicester, could be a lethal duo in the final third with their respective ability to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch, which is why Maresca must push for the club to sign the £7k-per-week maestro.

The duo replaced Colin Munro, unavailable with a mild hamstring strain, and Glenn Phillips, who was released to play domestic one-day games

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2018New Zealand have brought in Ross Taylor and Wellington wicketkeeper Tom Blundell in place of Colin Munro and Glenn Phillips, respectively, for the deciding T20 against Pakistan on Sunday. While Munro was unavailable with a mild hamstring strain in his right leg, Phillips was released from the squad to feature in the domestic 50-over tournament, the Ford Trophy.Selector Gavin Larsen said the long-term prognosis for Munro’s injury wasn’t bad, but they wanted to make sure he got rest ahead of a busy schedule.”Colin picked up a minor injury during the match at Eden Park and, with a busy schedule coming up, we want to make sure he gets it right before getting back on the field,” Larsen said. “We’ll assess Colin ahead of Monday when we announce the squad to go to Australia and, at this stage, we are optimistic he’ll be available.”It’s a luxury to be able to bring someone of Ross’s experience into the squad as his replacement.”Munro has been in terrific form but Phillips had scores of 3 and 5 in the first two T20s against Pakistan, and had collected a total of 73 runs in the three T20Is against West Indies recently. Coach Mike Hesson said they wanted Phillips to “evolve” his game in the domestic circuit.”After discussion with Glenn, we felt he’d benefit from going back and continuing to evolve his game with Auckland,” Hesson said. “Glenn has a big future, but at this point in time we both think continuing to get experience on the domestic scene is the right move.”Tom’s ability to slot into the middle-order made him the right choice to come into the squad. Looking beyond Sunday’s game, we have a top three who are very set, so it’s important Tom can come into that middle-order and do a role for us.”The ongoing T20 series is level 1-1 after New Zealand blanked Pakistan 5-0 in the ODIs and won the first T20 too. Pakistan fought back with a convincing 48-run win in the second T20 in Auckland. The final T20 will be played in Mount Maunganui on January 28.

Chelsea have had themselves yet another busy transfer window full of exits and, once again, many incomings. In total, the Blues have welcomed nine reinforcements and waved goodbye to an incredible 19 players.

Among those sold include Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, and Mateo Kovacic, all to Premier League rivals to free up room for those who have made the move to Stamford Bridge.

Now, Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly set to welcome yet another player, as the summer transfer window nears its end.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

It's no surprise that Chelsea have splashed the cash and waved goodbye to a number of players this summer following last season's campaign to forget. The Premier League giants never really got going last time out, starting the season with Thomas Tuchel, before Graham Potter endured a nightmare tenure and Frank Lampard added the cherry on top to see the Blues finish as low as 12th.

Now, a new era is underway at Stamford Bridge, with former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino attempting to steer a sinking ship towards glory once more. So far, however, all we've got is an indication of just how tough a job the Argentine has on his hands, after his side earned a point against Liverpool on the opening day before suffering a shock 3-1 defeat against West Ham United.

With time still remaining in the summer transfer window, though, Chelsea have gone back to the drawing board amid their poor start, starting by welcoming goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who has undergone his medical, and will sign his contract until June 2030 before Pochettino's side square off against Luton Town tonight, according to Fabrizio Romano, who added his patented "here we go".

The goalkeeper's arrival follows the exit of Kepa Arrizabalaga, who left for Real Madrid earlier in the window.

Who is Djordje Petrovic?

Just 23-years-old, Petrovic will likely come in as a back-up option for Pochettino, who has already welcomed Robert Sanchez this summer.

Of course, if the Serbian does impress, then it would come as little shock if the new Chelsea manager made a dramatic change at the expense of Sanchez, who lost his place at Brighton & Hove Albion to Jason Steele last season.

With no European football to contend with, too, the former New England Revolution man may find initial opportunities hard to come by at Stamford Bridge, making competitions such as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup even more important.

From Pochettino's perspective, he'll just be hoping to see his side gain their first three points of the season against Luton in the Premier League's Friday night kick-off. If they do fail to secure victory against the newly-promoted side, questions may begin to be asked of the Argentine already.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

No matter how the result goes against Luton, however, it looks set to be a proud day for Petrovic, who will be going from MLS football all the way to the Premier League.

As the transfer window comes to a close, Chelsea will, as ever, be one of the most interesting sides to watch, despite already spending plenty of money on reinforcements in the last couple of months.

Ben Duckett was fined and given a final warning over his conduct but escaped being sent home early from the Lions tour of Australia

George Dobell in Perth10-Dec-2017Ben Duckett has been suspended from all remaining fixtures on England Lions’ tour of Australia and given a final written warning over his conduct. He was also fined the maximum allowable amount for an England Lions player, which ESPNcricinfo understands is close to £1500. But the 23-year-old escaped being sent home early.Duckett was due to play for England XI in Perth over the weekend but was suspended following a report that he poured a drink over James Anderson in a bar in the early hours of Friday morning. Joe Clarke took his place in the England XI.While the matter was described as “fairly trivial” by the England coach Trevor Bayliss, it came at a time when the England camp was under increased scrutiny following a couple of previous alcohol-related episodes. As a result, all the players had been warned about their conduct and an extremely dim view was taken of actions that might, a generation or so ago, have been dismissed as light-hearted fun.Crucially, this whole Ashes tour has been overshadowed by the arrest of Ben Stokes in September. Ever since that moment, the England camp has been under the microscope with allegations of out-of-control players and a drinking culture never far away.And while the England management remains confident that the vast majority of the squad is disciplined and focused, there is huge frustration that some foolish moments from the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Duckett should serve to fuel the fire for those who want to suggest otherwise.Duckett, who played four Tests for England towards the end of 2016, may well have been somewhat unfortunate. But as the ECB seeks to ensure the image of the game is attractive to a family audience and in light of his past history (he lost the England Under-19 captaincy due to fitness issues and then missed a Northants pre-season tour for similar reasons), Duckett might reflect on whether he has embraced the level of sacrifice and discipline inherent in the life of an international sportsperson.He and other players, some of them in the current England side, will be left in no doubt that any further indiscretions – however “trivial” they may seem – are likely to cost them their international careers. It will also be interesting to see if Duckett, a hugely talented batsman who in 2016 became the first man to win both the PCA’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the same season, makes the England Lions squad for their Caribbean tour in the new year.

Mark Wood is preparing to press his claim for a late call-up to England’s Ashes squad by turning out for the Lions in a three-day match against Queensland

David Hopps26-Nov-2017Mark Wood is preparing to press his claim for a late call-up to England’s Ashes squad as Mitchell Johnson, the Australian quick who terrorised England four years ago, ridiculed their attack as a bunch of “sweatband swingers”.Wood’s opportunity comes in a three-day match for England Lions against Queensland in Brisbane before what is essentially an Ashes shadow squad moves on to Perth.Wood, who was England’s fastest bowler until he was stricken by ankle trouble, hopes to emerge from three operations to rebuild his Test career.If you believe Johnson, it can’t come fast enough.Johnson collected 37 wickets and three Man-of-the-Match awards on England’s last Ashes tour and is clearly missing all the attention.He took to Twitter to goad two former England batsmen, Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen, who are in Australia on media duties: “Hey @KP24 @MichaelVaughan yesterday [you] were carrying on about the pommy fast bowlers being able to bowl in the 140s. Ever since they’ve taken the second new ball they’ve been bowling medium pace. They are allowed to bend their backs, and there’s 4 of them #ashes #sweatbandswinger”

Hey @KP24 @MichaelVaughan yesterday were carrying on about the pommy fast bowlers being able to bowl in the 140’s. Ever since they’ve taken the second new ball they’ve been bowling medium pace. They are allowed to bend their backs, and there’s 4 of them #ashes #sweatbandswinger

— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) November 25, 2017

Even on a surprisingly sluggish Brisbane surface, the advantage of speed on Australian pitches has been hard to ignore. Joe Root was struck on the helmet by Mitchell Starc, Alastair Cook was beaten on the hook by Josh Hazelwood and England’s tail looked unlikely to detain Australia for very long.Wood, 27, claimed the wicket which saw England regain the Ashes at Trent Bridge in 2015, but lost his England central contract and a tour place for Australia last month after an injury-hit season in which he managed only 14 wickets in seven first-class appearances and his ankle issues were compounded by persistent heel problems.He did take four wickets against Australia in an impressive Champions Trophy campaign, but by the time he featured in two Tests against South Africa, he was well down on pace. That did not dissuade Ottis Gibson from billing him as England’s most hostile fast bowler as Gibson relinquished England’s bowling coach role to take charge of of South Africa.Andy Flower, the Lions head coach, said: “Woody will definitely play in our match against Queensland. He’s looking fit and strong and full of energy. He had two good days bowling at the England players which he came through well, so this is the perfect game for him.”Wood met up with the England squad at net sessions in Brisbane before the first Test and was told in a meeting with the MD of England cricket Andrew Strauss, national selector James Whitaker and coach Trevor Bayliss that an appearance in the Ashes series was not being ruled out.That door might be slightly more ajar after a Test in which Jake Ball made little impression and fitness concerns have swirled around the leader of England’s attack, James Anderson.”They said that if I got my body right I’d still be in a position to have an impact in the series,” Wood said recently. “So in the back of my mind I’ve always thought I’ve got a chance.”But I’m not here to put any of the lads under pressure. You don’t want anyone to get injured – I’ve had enough myself to know you don’t want people to go through that. We’ll just have to wait and see.”I might be just in the background underneath the radar with the Lions hopefully doing well and I can just slot in. It’s a long series, so I’m still hoping at some stage I might be a part of it.”I’ve been building it up out here and my action feels good. It’s just I’ve got no overs under my belt. So the more bowling training I can do in games the better.”As newspaper headlines blared about an incident involving England’s wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, alleging that he had “headbutted” the Australia batsman Cameron Bancroft in a bar in Perth in the early days of the tour, attention will also be focused upon the deputy wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.It was not entirely clear, though, on the eve of the game, whether Foakes, who was originally carded at No. 4 as a specialist batsman, would take the gloves or whether Alex Davies would be retained as wicketkeeper.England are suggesting privately that the Bairstow story has been ramped up with the deliberate intention of destabilising the squad, but Strauss will continue discussions with Bairstow after the completion of the Brisbane Test in full knowledge that there have been calls for him to be suspended.Tom Curran, who has yet to play since he replaced Steven Finn in the Ashes party, also has his first run out of the trip.England Lions (12-a-side game): Keaton Jennings (capt), Nick Gubbins, Tom Westley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Liam Livingstone, Alex Davies, Paul Coughlin, Tom Curran, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, George Garton