Manchester United scouted Kylian Mbappe at Monaco but decided against…

Manchester [UK], September 10 (ANI): Manchester United had the opportunity to sign Kylian Mbappe during his teenage years at Monaco but decided against pursuing the future France superstar, former club winger Ryan Giggs has revealed.

Giggs, United’s record appearance holder, said the club became aware of Mbappe during his time as a youth player at Monaco in 2015, when the former Wales international was serving as an assistant to manager Louis van Gaal, according to ESPN.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Giggs recalled being approached in southern France by a man who urged him to watch the young Mbappe. hilogame.news

“So, I’m in the south of France. I was coaching United, so it’d be 2015. I’ve been for a walk in the local village and I’m walking back to the hotel. I’m walking on the beach back to the hotel. And you can feel, I can feel someone, you know, when you feel someone like following you," he said, according to ESPN.

Giggs added, “And I’m like, I get to the hotel and then all of a sudden I can feel someone coming up to me. Anyway, this guy is called Lionel, French guy. So he comes up to me and says ‘hi, I’m Lionel. I just wanted to just say hello. I’m a big United fan and big fan of yours. But I watch a lot of youth football in France, and you have to look at this player. He’s called Kylian Mbappé. He’s at Monaco, and I think he’s a player for Man United.'"

Giggs said he subsequently passed the information to then United assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg, with the pair going to watch several Monaco youth matches.

“A few weeks later, he emailed me all the details. So me and Albert [Stuivenberg] again, who’s the coach with Arsenal, he was another assistant at United at the time. We used to in the afternoons just go and watch games or go and watch players at the training ground. So anyway, I’ve told him about this thing. He says ‘come on, let’s get him up.’ And we got a few youth games with Monaco and we seen him and just like, ‘wow, what is this?’ You know, you can see players and they can be special, but he did look exceptional, obviously," said Giggs.

United’s scouting team subsequently watched Mbappe during a Monaco match against Paris Saint-Germain, but the club ultimately decided not to pursue the forward.

He further added, “So anyway, we told the scouting team. They went to watch him. Someone in France went to watch him and he was actually playing PSG. Monaco were playing PSG. So they went to Paris to watch him. Anyway, I think a few weeks later, I said to this guy ‘how did it go?’ and he went ‘yeah, they weren’t too sure about him, so we just left it, and that was it.'"

Mbappe went on to join Paris Saint-Germain on loan from Monaco in 2017 before making the move permanent the following year. He later established himself as one of the world’s leading forwards with PSG, Real Madrid and France.

The Frenchman has won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot twice, in 2022 and 2026, becoming the first player to claim the award on two occasions. He also won the Golden Boy award in 2017 and the Kopa Trophy in 2018.

Mbappe was part of France’s 2018 World Cup-winning side and also won the UEFA Nations League in 2021. He finished as the World Cup runner-up in 2022 before helping France to further success on the international stage.

His prolific scoring record has also seen him collect multiple Ligue 1 Player of the Year honours and major domestic scoring awards.

At the 2026 World Cup, Mbappe further enhanced his legacy by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history with 22 career goals. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

India vs Afghanistan2026 T20: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors had selected four cricketers subject to them getting a fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence (CoE) ahead of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan which begins at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. The good news for Shreyas Iyer’s side is that three out of those four cricketers – Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah – have been declared fit and should be available for the Afghanistan T20I games.

The only cricketer who is still likely to be ruled out for the three-match series will be Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Harshit Rana, who had made his comeback against Afghanistan in ODI series earlier this year. But the biggest good news for the reigning T20 World Cup champions will be the availability of Bumrah, who has been out of action since the second ODI match against England in July this year – same as all-rounder Washington Sundar.

The selectors wanted to pick Bumrah only for ODIs and Test matches in the lead up to the ICC ODI World Cup 2027 but want to test his fitness in the shorter format of the game this month. Bumrah and all-rounder Nitish Reddy, nursing knee and quadriceps injury respectively, were included in the India squad subject to fitness.

Bumrah has been out of action since India’s ODI tour to England in July with a left knee injury. “Both Bumrah and Reddy are on track for their comeback,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.

The 32-year-old pacer has claimed 121 wickets for Team India in T20I cricket in 95 matches at an amazing average of 18.08. His last T20I match was the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand in March this year.

Best Bowling Average for India
(Min 100 Wickets)

In TEST – Jasprit Bumrah (19.79)
In ODI – Jasprit Bumrah (23.74)
In T20I – Jasprit Bumrah (18.08)
All formats – Jasprit Bumrah (20.56)

Apart from him, “No other batter or bowler” has topped the charts in all three formats for… pic.twitter.com/tChaD4JbCg

— (@Shebas_10dulkar) September 1, 2026

Harshit Rana to spend more time on sidelines

Rana, who was retained for Rs 4 crore by Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR ahead of IPL 2026, last played T20I cricket for India on the tour of England. He is unlikely to be fit in time for the three match series against Afghanistan beginning on September 13.

Rana was also included in the India squad for the three games in Delhi subject to fitness. He was also named in the Asian Games 2026 squad. “He has not yet fully recovered from his hamstring injury. He will need more time,” a BCCI source told PTI.

Rana was nursing a hamstring injury like Washington Sundar, who has been deemed fit for the Afghanistan series. After the Afghanistan series, India play a one-off game against Japan in Tokyo on September 22. They will open their Asian Games 2026 campaign with a semifinal on September 28.

In the ongoing Duleep Trophy final against East Zone, South Zone's skipper Tilak Varma missed his well-deserved century by just one run in the team's first innings.

Facing 211 balls, he smashed 99 runs, with the help of nine boundaries at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

After concluding the Duleep Trophy final match, Tilak will gear up for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. Ahead of the series, the left-handed batsman has expressed confidence in his form and said that his goal is to win the Afghanistan series.

"Yeah, the (personal) form has been really good. But at the same point, it's a different format (against Afghanistan). So, I should change my gears again. I'm pretty confident about it," he said.

"My goal now is to win the Afghanistan series. So I'll be going with the same confidence and let's see how it goes," added Varma.

The first match of the three-match T20I series between the teams is scheduled to be played on September 13, followed by the second game on September 15. The third match will be played on September 17.

All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Harshit Rana have also been included in India's squad for the series. However, their feature will be subject to fitness.

Lead pacer Bumrah will mark his return to the squad after being sidelined due to an injury. Earlier, he sustained a knee injury during the ODI series against England, following which he also missed the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

The squad for the Afghanistan series is similar to the Asian Games starting later this month in Japan's Aichi-Nagoya.

IND vs AFG T20Is: Full squads

India: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*.

Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ibrahim Zadran (C), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Nangeyalia Kharote, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Noor Ahmad, Noor ul Rahman (WK), Abdullah Ahmadzai.

(With PTI Inputs)

Josh Tongue produced a brilliant delivery to dismiss Pakistan captain Babar Azam on the opening day of the third Test against England at Edgbaston. The England pacer knocked back Babar’s off stump, sending him back for just 7 runs.

England Cricket shared the dismissal on social media with the message: “Josh Tongue on target”.

Josh Tongue on target

Follow every ball live https://t.co/VUdUehsgT2 pic.twitter.com/uzGWAoT65y

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 9, 2026

Babar’s early dismissal added to Pakistan’s batting problems as the visitors were bowled out for 133 before England finished the day on 156 for 4, taking a 23-run lead.

Pakistan’s top order collapses at Edgbaston

England won the toss and chose to bowl first under cloudy conditions. The decision quickly paid off as Ollie Robinson dismissed Saim Ayub for a duck in the third over.

Jofra Archer then removed Azan Awais for 9 before Robinson struck again to get rid of Abdullah Shafique. Archer added another wicket by dismissing Shan Masood, leaving Pakistan struggling at 26 for 4.

Babar came to the crease with his team in trouble but could not stay for long. Tongue beat him with a sharp delivery that hit the top of off stump, leaving Pakistan 48 for 5.

Pakistan’s top five managed only 25 runs between them, highlighting their difficult start.

Josh Tongue leads England’s bowling attack

Saud Shakeel provided some resistance with a 43-run knock, but Pakistan could not build a meaningful partnership around him.

Tongue continued to trouble the Pakistan batters and dismissed debutants Ghazi Ghori and Mohammad Imran before eventually removing Shakeel.

Mohammad Abbas added 21 runs towards the end of the innings, but Pakistan were bowled out for 133 in 33.5 overs.

Tongue finished with 4 for 42, while Robinson and Archer took 3 for 15 and 3 for 25 respectively.

England lose three early wickets

England also had a shaky start with the bat. Ben Duckett was dismissed early by Mohammad Ali, while Jordan Cox fell lbw to Mohammad Abbas.

Joe Root then became the third wicket to fall when debutant Razaullah trapped him lbw. England were reduced to 39 for 3 and Pakistan had a chance to put pressure back on the hosts.

However, Emilio Gay and Harry Brook changed the momentum with a strong partnership.

Gay and Brook put England ahead on Day 1

Gay and Brook added 104 runs for the fourth wicket, helping England move ahead of Pakistan’s first-innings total.

Gay scored a patient 60 before Razaullah dismissed him late in the day. Brook remained unbeaten on 52, with Dan Lawrence alongside him as England reached 156 for 4 at stumps.

The result left England 23 runs ahead at the end of Day 1 and in a strong position heading into the second day.

Day 1 Brief Scores

Pakistan 133 (Saud Shakeel 43, Mohammad Abbas 21; Josh Tongue 4/42, Ollie Robinson 3/15, Jofra Archer 3/25)

England 156/4 (Emilio Gay 60, Harry Brook 52*; Razaullah 2/42)

England lead by 23 runs.

England will look to build a bigger advantage on Day 2, while Pakistan need early wickets to bring themselves back into the contest.

New York [US], September 10 (ANI): Coco Gauff overcame a set deficit and saved two match points in a dramatic second-set tiebreak to defeat fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 and reach the US Open semifinals for the second time.

Gauff, the 2023 champion, completed the comeback in two hours and 19 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday to extend her perfect record against Andreeva to 6-0, according to the WTA website.

The American appeared close to elimination when Andreeva earned a second match point on her own serve in the tiebreak, but Gauff held her nerve to force a deciding set. She then took control, winning the final set 6-2 to seal her place in the last four.

A crucial moment came earlier in the tiebreak when the two players engaged in a 39-shot rally with Gauff leading 4-3. The fourth seed eventually won the point with a drop-shot winner, giving her further momentum before she fought off the two match points.

The victory extended Gauff’s winning streak to 11 matches and took her record to 20 wins in her last 22 matches dating back to Wimbledon. She has also reached the semifinals at four consecutive tournaments during that stretch.

Gauff has recorded 12 comeback wins this season, level with fellow American Jessica Pegula for the most on the WTA Tour.

She will next face second seed Elena Rybakina, who defeated Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals and secured the world No. 1 ranking in the process. Rybakina will officially move to the top of the rankings on Monday and is chasing a third Grand Slam title.

The semifinal will be the third meeting between Rybakina and Gauff, with their head-to-head record tied at 1-1. Rybakina won their most recent encounter in the Toronto semifinals earlier this year.

The other semifinal pits top seed and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka against third seed Pegula.

Sabalenka leads their overall rivalry 9-4, although Pegula won their latest meeting in the Berlin semifinals. Their last four encounters have gone to three sets, with the two players winning two apiece.

Sabalenka has reached the semifinals while continuing her bid for a historic US Open three-peat, whereas Pegula is appearing in the New York semifinals for the third consecutive year and remains in search of her first Grand Slam title.

The four semifinalists also make this year’s US Open women’s singles draw historic. It is only the second time in the Open Era that the top four seeds have all reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows, after 1975.

It is also the first time since Wimbledon 2009 that the top four women’s seeds have reached the semifinals at any Grand Slam. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)