Nurul Hasan was named as Yasir’s concussion substitute, although he won’t be allowed to keep wicket
Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2021
Yasir Ali felt concussion effects after a while and went off•AFP/Getty Images
Debutant Yasir Ali was taken for scans at a local hospital in Chattogram after being stuck on the back of his helmet during Bangladesh’s second innings on the fourth morning. Wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan was named as Yasir’s concussion substitute, although he won’t be allowed to keep wicket as Yasir isn’t a keeper.The incident occurred at the end of the 30th over when Yasir ducked into a Shaheen Shah Afridi bouncer. Yasir briefly took his eye away from the delivery while getting under the ball, and was hit on the helmet.Bangladesh’s physio Bayejidul Islam checked Yasir immediately, and he went back to batting. But an over later, Bayejid came back to check on Yasir during the drinks break, after which he walked off.The team director Khaled Mahmud confirmed a few minutes later that Yasir was out of the Test match, with Nurul as his replacement. Yasir has been taken to Imperial Hospital for a CT scan. A BCB statement said later that “he is medically stable. However, as a precaution, he will be observed for 24 hours at the hospital.”This is the third time Bangladesh have needed concussion substitutes. The first instance was during the Kolkata Test in 2019 when Liton Das and Nayeem Hasan were struck on the head. Mohammad Saifuddin was also substituted during an ODI against Sri Lanka in May this year.
Looking to keep hold of their Championship top spot, manager Regis Le Bris is still set to be without two of his Sunderland stars against Luton Town despite their returns to training.
Sunderland injury news
The Black Cats may have taken their time to find a permanent new manager, but it’s fair to say that Le Bris is more than proving to be worth the wait. The Frenchman has taken Sunderland from the depths of a potential relegation battle all the way to the summit and into early promotion contention in the space of a few months. Whilst it’s still early days, he couldn’t have asked for a much better start at the Stadium of Light.
What makes Sunderland’s form all the more impressive is that Le Bris is still waiting for the return of certain absentees from the sidelines, including central defender Daniel Ballard. The 25-year-old has been injured since the end of September and although he has returned to training, he is set to be missing once again against Luton Town.
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He’s not the only one, either. As confirmed by Le Bris and relayed by the Sunderland Echo, Eliezer Mayenda has also been ruled out of the Luton game even though he too has made his return to training. The forward has been missed since the Watford game at the end of September in the same timeline as Ballard, but could return against Oxford United this weekend.
Le Bris confirmed the news, telling reporters: “We won’t have either of the two players for the Luton game. Eliezer is training. He has trained this week. The Oxford game might come a little bit too soon for him because it was a muscle injury so he needs a bit of time, but he should be available after that. For Ballard, it should be next week when he is able to get back up to full speed.”
Sunderland returns should be crucial
Although the Black Cats won’t see either Ballard or Mayenda feature against Luton, it certainly seems as though they’re on their way back. By the time they travel to face Queens Park Rangers at the start of November, Sunderland should have both players back in action to hand Le Bris’ side an even further boost, as if they haven’t already impressed enough without them.
Still just 19 years old, £6,500-a-week Mayenda will be desperate to get a run of games under his belt when he returns from the sidelines. With two goals from six Championship games so far this season, the forward is certainly a player with plenty of potential and one who will only benefit from playing alongside the likes of Wilson Isidor.
Ballard, meanwhile, should hand Sunderland a major boost. The central defender has struggled with injuries all season, but may finally put his struggles to bed by returning against QPR. Having started 43 of Sunderland’s 46 Championship games last season, Ballard remains a crucial player at the Stadium of Light.
West Ham United chiefs have reached out to a £90,000-a-week Hammers star who has recently had words with Julen Lopetegui.
Tension building at West Ham after poor start under Lopetegui
The Irons haven’t had the start to the new Premier League season they would have been hoping for, especially after splashing the cash on several new faces over the summer.
So far, Lopetegui has guided West Ham to just one top-flight victory, and last time out, his side had to come from behind against Brentford to take a point after Tomas Soucek’s second-half equaliser.
Match
Date
Opponent
Competition
Result
#8
28/09/2024
Brentford (A)
Premier League
1-1 draw
#7
25/09/2024
Liverpool (A)
Carabao Cup
5-1 loss
#6
21/09/2024
Chelsea (H)
Premier League
3-0 loss
#5
14/09/2024
Fulham (A)
Premier League
1-1 draw
#4
31/08/2024
Man City (H)
Premier League
3-1 loss
#3
28/08/2024
Bournemouth (H)
Carabao Cup
1-0 win
#2
24/08/2024
Crystal Palace (A)
Premier League
2-0 win
#1
17/08/2024
Aston Villa (H)
Premier League
2-1 loss
Lopetegui took the positives after coming away from Brentford with a point, saying: “We knew that we had a very tough match, they won both matches here against Southampton and Crystal Palace and we suffered by conceding in the first minute.
“We showed this [Brentford’s record of scoring early] to the players and it’s incredible we suffered. It’s a bad picture to concede so early. We kept calm and I think we deserved to win the match in the second half, we showed character and commitment.
“We had three or four very clear situations to score a second goal but we didn’t manage it and we take a point. I have to keep positive. We always have to work as a team or we are weaker – I think we did this in the second half.”
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However, it seems as if there was plenty of tension in the dressing room against Brentford at half-time between Lopetegui and star winger Mohammed Kudus.
Kudus and Lopetegui involved in words during West Ham’s draw with Brentford
According to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas on Wednesday, there were words exchanged between Kudus and Lopetegui at the interval on the weekend. Kudus, on £90,000-a-week, spoke out to the manager at his half-time withdrawal for Carlos Soler but did join his teammates to watch the second half.
Mohammed Kudus for West Ham
It is claimed that Lopetegui wasn’t impressed with the Ghana international’s display and since then, contact has been made between some members of the West Ham hierarchy and Kudus’ representatives ‘to reassure them that there were no issues between the player and the head coach’.
Talking after the game, Lopetegui explained his decision to replace Kudus: “It was for tactical reasons. The second half we worked as a team, and for me this is a very important step. I highlighted the behaviour in the second half because I think we put on the pitch what we needed.”
Speaking after Manchester United’s dismal 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday evening, Erik ten Hag was confident he’d stay in the job. He was pretty confident after the FA Cup win a few months back too.
That’s rather ominous and worrying for fans, don’t you think? Talking to the media, the Dutchman said: “I’m not thinking about being sacked, not at all. We all made the decision to stay together We knew it would take some time. We are on the same page together.”
On the same page they might be, but the playing squad certainly isn’t. It hasn’t been for much of Ten Hag’s tenure truth be told.
The hierarchy at United may have a sounder structure to it now but all is now well on the playing field. Talisman Bruno Fernandes was given the first red card of his career just to sum up their woes.
Now sitting in 12th place, there are few signs that it will get better quickly. So, what’s the plan? Where do the Red Devils go from here? It’s the million-dollar question. Change simply has to be made in the dugout irrespective of the decision made by INEOS over the summer.
Potential Erik ten Hag replacements
Before Ten Hag agreed a new deal with United after the FA Cup success, it was thought that they were looking to onboard Thomas Tuchel.
He was set to leave Bayern Munich and as a result, would be able to be snapped away without any compensation fees. It was the perfect remedy. So they thought anyway.
Tuchel was indeed replaced at Bayern but he is still out of work after allegedly taking no interest in the position at Old Trafford.
Heading back to the German now is unrealistic, but could a certain Zinedine Zidane arrive? The Frenchman seems to get linked every time the managerial position is discussed at United and his name emerged again earlier this month.
Reports from Spain suggested that ‘Ratcliffe dreams of seeing Zidane as the next coach’ with the idea of seeing the iconic Real Madrid hero in the Premier League now ‘gaining strength.’
The former midfielder has been out of work since leaving the Bernabeu behind back in 2021.
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Why Zidane is needed at Man Utd
This would be quite the story if the 52-year-old arrived to replace Ten Hag, not just because he’s one of the most successful coaches of the last decade but because, once upon a time, he could have been strutting his stuff in United red.
The great Sir Alex Ferguson wanted him at Old Trafford, famously quoted as once saying: “Give me ten planks of wood and Zidane and I will win the Champions League.”
So, there is a long-standing admiration for the iconic World Cup winner, not just in a playing capacity but now as a coach.
The only negative we can really think of is that he’s been out of the game for the last three years. That said, this is a man who bleeds success.
Zizou won the Serie A twice as a player, he won La Liga once and he also took home a Champions League trophy. For his country, he won the Euros and the 1998 World Cup before he bowed away from the international stage with that infamous head butt.
Since then, he’s become quite the manager, winning three straight Champions Leagues, two La Ligas and two Club World Cups. He commands respect, he has immense aura and he’s a winner, everything Ten Hag sadly doesn’t boast.
As a player, he won just one league championship and to his credit, he did win the Eredivisie three times with Ajax. The Dutchman has even won two cups with United but the chaos that has ensued with him at the helm has made that success a distant memory.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after winning the FA Cup.
So, from a stylistic point of view, what would be different about this team with Zidane in charge? Well, we’ll let the man himself do the talking for a second. “I want my team to play, spread the ball, build from the back and keep possession,” he once said.
Operating with a classic 4-3-3 system that was made so successful by the dominant trio of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, perhaps much wouldn’t change in possession from a formation point of view.
Matches
301
Wins
190
Draws
83
Defeats
48
Goals scored
657
Goals conceded
310
Points
633
Points per match
2.10
Yet, with regard to structure and organisation, there would surely be huge improvements. After all, he’s already proven he can dig Madrid out of a hole.
During Zidane’s first season in charge, there was a period of time between February 2017 and April 2017 when his men fell behind in seven out of 12 games. They did win six of those matches but it was chaos, the type of thing we’ve seen at United in recent years.
Unlike Ten Hag, he was able to arrest that slump. The year of 2020 showed how. After the lockdown for the Covid pandemic, Madrid won ten in a row, conceding just two goals in the first eight of those matches. Control. It was all about control. Madrid had it. United certainly don’t.
They have conceded eight times in six league matches and last term, shipped 58 goals, leaving oceans of space in the middle of the pitch for opposing teams to capitalise on. That wouldn’t be the case under Zidane.
Previously hailed as a “genius” by pundit Steve McManaman, this would be an appointment that appeases fans. It might not guarantee immediate success but you can bet he’d bring better principles than Ten Hag has.
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Hampshire’s teenage batting prodigy Tom Prest inspired his side to only their second Vitality Blast win of the season with an unbeaten 59 helping seal an 10-run victory over high-flying Gloucestershire at the Ageas Bowl.The visitors needed 20 from the last over but fell short thanks to some fine death bowling from Chris Wood to secure a morale-boosting success for the bottom-placed Hawks who earlier won the toss and elected to bat.Prest, who recently scored a triple century in a second XI match, showed maturity above his years in only his third senior appearance after the hosts lost their much-vaunted opening duo of James Vince and D’Arcy Short cheaply once again.The 18-year-old anchored the innings superbly after the hosts were teetering at 34 for 3 when Colin de Grandhomme chipped a Josh Shaw delivery to Benny Howell at mid-off for 1.Joe Wetherley’s breezy 30 off 24 balls breathed some life into the Hampshire innings alongside Prest before he fell lbw to Tom Smith who then immediately dismissed Lewis McManus for a first-ball duck as the Hawks slumped to 90 for 5 after 12 overs.But a crucial 53-run stand between Prest, who hit six fours and two sixes off 42 balls, and 38 from James Fuller saw the Hawks motor to 163 for 6 before Wood thumped 11 from five balls to help his side finish on 176 for 6 – their second-highest total of what has been a difficult season.Hampshire dismissed Miles Hammond and Benny Howell inside the first four overs for the powerplay but an 82-run stand for the third-wicket from Chris Dent and in-form New Zealand international Glenn Phillips put the visitors in a good position to push for victory.But Dent fell for 42 when he was stumped by McManus off Short before Phillips, who scored 94 in back-to-back innings last month, fell for 57 when young quick Scott Currie tempted him into a pull shot which he mistimed and was caught on the boundary edge by Fuller.Needing 47 from the last four overs, skipper Jack Taylor did his best to push for victory with 30 off 18 balls,but some tight bowling from Brad Wheal and Wood got their side home – much to the delight of the home crowd who witnessed a first T20 win by their side in 22 months.
Manchester City are set to be offered the chance to sign an exciting young defender in a player plus cash deal, according to a recent report.
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ByBrett Worthington Sep 17, 2024 Man City transfer updates
The Blues are said to be looking to tie Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri down to new contracts over the coming months, as the Belgian has entered the final year of his deal at the Etihad and Rodri is the subject of interest from Real Madrid.
But as well as looking to tie players down to new contracts, Pep Guardiola and Co. are also looking at potential transfer targets for January or next summer. The latest player to be on the radar of Man City is midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.
Nottingham Forest player Morgan Gibbs-White
The Blues are said to be keeping an eye on Gibbs-White and have compiled a detailed dossier on the midfielder after his impressive performances, which recently saw him handed his first senior England cap. The scouting network at the Premier League club are said to be huge admirers of Gibbs-White but may face a battle on their hands, as Nottingham Forest are keen on tying the player down to a new and improved contract.
But while City potentially look into a deal for Gibbs-White, they now potentially face a difficult task in keeping one of their star players as a European side prepares an interesting offer.
Barcelona prepare Araujo-Haaland swap bid
According to a report from Spain relayed by Football365, Manchester City could be offered the chance to sign Ronald Araujo from FC Barcelona. This report states that the Spanish giants are keen on signing Erling Haaland, and they are prepared to offer Araujo in exchange plus around £40m to sign the Norwegian.
The Blues are said to have “huge interest” in Araujo, who has been described as an “athletic monster” by BBC analyst Raj Chohan in the past. Guardiola is also keen to add a new centre-back to his squad, but the report states Barca expect City to reject their advances due to the inclusion of Haaland.
The 25-year-old has been at Barça since August 2018 and has played 150 times for the Catalans, scoring eight goals. Were Araujo to join Man City, he could become the Blues’ very own Virgil van Dijk, as the pair are very similar when it comes to their style of play and what they offer on the football pitch, as shown by Fbref’s comparison tool.
Ronaldo Aruajo
Virgil van Dijk
Pass completion rate
88.8%
91.4%
Shots per 90
1.04
1.27
Shot creating actions per 90
0.99
1.67
Tackles won
22
23
Fouls
25
23
Aerial duel win rate
73.2%
81.4%
The club’s president, Joan Laporta, sees Haaland as his dream signing for Barcelona and they think offering Araujo is a “galactic exchange”, albeit one they expect City to reject in its current format.
Chelsea, despite spending £219.6m this summer, failed to acquire one of their priority positions, at the top end of the pitch.
Whilst players such as João Félix, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho were signed, there is still a lack of clinical finishing from the striker department.
The Blues' number one target, Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, after failing to agree on a move on deadline day with Chelsea, has now taken a loan move to Turkish side, Galatasaray.
Osimhen made 32 appearances for Napoli in all competitions last season, scoring 17 goals, providing four assists, and totalling 2,476 minutes played.
Remarkably though, one of Chelsea's former flops did far more in front of goal.
Aubameyang's time at Chelsea
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Chelsea from Barcelona on transfer deadline day in the 2022 summer transfer window. The fee was in the region of £10m, plus Marcos Alonso going in the other direction to join Barcelona.
In his time at the club, he made 21 appearances, scoring three goals, providing one assist, and totalling 961 minutes played.
Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
One of the main factors for Aubameyang's unsuccessful stint with Chelsea was the fact he was bought in by Thomas Tuchel, who had worked with him previously at Dortmund and had a plan for the Gabon international to lead the line for his Chelsea side.
Fast-forward a few weeks, Tuchel was sacked which left the new manager, Graham Potter, with a striker who didn't quite fit his system. He found himself out of the squad, with Kai Havertz playing more often as a number nine.
Had Tuchel stayed at the club, Aubameyang's Chelsea career could be vastly different. However, this wasn't the case, and a year later the forward made the move to Marseille.
Aubameyang's time at Marseille
Now in Saudi Arabia (of course), the ex-Chelsea striker found his shooting boots in France, making 51 appearances for Marseille in all competitions in the 2023/24 campaign, scoring a whopping 30 goals, and providing 11 assists.
Despite finishing eighth in Ligue 1 last term, Aubameyang did fire Marseille to the Europa League semi-finals, scoring ten times along the way, including a hat-trick against Ajax in the group stage, a 4-3 victory.
Season
Aubameyang
Osimhen
23/24
30
17
22/23
3
31
21/22
20
18
20/21
15
10
19/20
29
18
Aubameyang refinding his goal-scoring form wasn't on everyone's prediction bingo card after his three-goal campaign the season prior. However, four of his past five seasons have now been 15+ goals, coming in a variety of leagues, such as the Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1.
Chelsea's primary striker target, Osimhen, only hit nearly half the amount of goals as Aubameyang and has only outscored the Gabon forward once in the past five seasons, netting 31 times in his superb 2022/23 campaign, firing Napoli to the Scudetto.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen
Of course, a massive factor in this is the stages each of these players are in their careers, with Aubameyang already playing his prime years at the top level, and Osimhen only just entering his now, as he looks for a move to one of Europe's elite.
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Liverpool are now closing in on the signing of an international player, who could become Arne Slot’s first signing at the football club.
The Reds have had to be patient this summer, as it’s been a struggle for the club to get players into the club. However, their lack of transfers didn’t affect the club’s start to the new Premier League season, as they secured a 2-0 win on the opening weekend against Ipswich Town.
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There has been a lot of change at Anfield in the last few months, as the club is now getting on with life after Jurgen Klopp, and they are also under a new regime in terms of people at the sporting director level, as Richard Hughes has joined the club from Bournemouth.
So, changes in the dugout and higher up have seen the club take their time to adapt, and that has potentially affected them in the transfer market, as the club has yet to get a new player on board. However, that is without a lack of trying, as Liverpool were very keen on signing midfielder Martin Zubimendi, but it was revealed last week that he will not be moving to the Premier League and instead staying with Real Sociedad.
Martin Zubimendi in action
Liverpool have also been mentioned with a possible move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi in recent days. It has been claimed that the England defender has admirers at Anfield, despite Newcastle United heavily chasing the centre-back.
But while the Merseyside club has been looking at potential arrivals, they have been busy in terms of departures. The club decided to let Joel Matip leave at the end of last season following the end of his contract, while Thiago Alcantara left and retired from football. Since then, Liverpool have also let Calvin Ramsey leave on loan, and most recently, they sold Fabio Carvalho to Brentford.
Liverpool's departures
Signed for
Fabio Carvalho
Brentford
Adrian
Real Betis
Calvin Ramsey
Wigan Athletic (Loan)
Thiago Alcantara
Retired
Joel Matip
Without a club
There could now be another exit on the cards, as midfielder Stefan Bajcetic is wanted on loan for the 2024/25 season by several sides. According to Football Insider, Liverpool have received multiple offers to take Bajcetic on loan, with those offers coming from the Premier League as well as clubs from Europe.
Departures may occur from Liverpool, but the Premier League could now be closing in on their first signing under Slot.
Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili
According to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are now closing in on the signing of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. The move that will see the Valencia goalkeeper join the Reds in June 2025 is “advancing to the final stages.”
Romano states that both Liverpool and Valencia are in contact to agree on the add-ons structure of the deal for Mamardashvili, as the overall transfer is said to be worth €30 million (£25.6 million).
The Georgia international is set to stay on loan with the Spanish side for the remainder of the campaign and then join the Premier League side next summer. This comes as a change, as last week it was stated by Romano that AFC Bournemouth were open to the idea of having the goalkeeper on loan, but it appears as if he'll remain in La Liga.
Frank Lampard's famous superstitions may be the key between success and failure as the new Coventry boss.
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Lampard announced as new Coventry manager
Set to split time between London and Midlands
Will continue traditional routines from previous roles
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Lampard signed a two-and-a-half-year deal that will see him take control of Championship side Coventry as they look to survive the drop from England's second tier. In an effort to improve their form, reports say the 46-year-old will continue some of his traditional routines from his time in charge of Chelsea, Everton and Derby. This includes walking his dog around the same route in the same park, visiting the same coffee shop and ensuring the routine is exactly the same to protect his team's fortunes.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Along with walking his beloved dog, Lampard will always spend 50 minutes on the exercise bike in an effort to will his team to success. It says a lot about him as a person and his desire to achieve. Coventry fans can only see this as a good indication of their new boss' drive and hunger. Lampard will have his work cut out for him on his return to the Championship but he has proven before that he is capable of competing at the top of the division.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lampard is set to take charge of his 200th game in management when he gets up and running with Coventry. A win on his debut this weekend could take his new club above Derby, where he began his journey in the dugout.
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WHAT NEXT FOR LAMPARD?
It is a huge first match for Lampard as he takes on Cardiff at home on Saturday. Their opponents are only one point behind the Sky Blues and could drag them closer to the relegation zone with a win.
“When we go abroad and get a seaming track, we don’t talk about excessive grass on the pitch”
Sidharth Monga15-Feb-20212:37
Is Axar Patel now ahead of Kuldeep Yadav in the pecking order?
Debutant left-arm spinner Axar Patel has asked the critics of the Chennai pitch to change their mindset towards spinning pitches, pointing out that India never complain about seaming tracks when they travel.Related
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The Chennai pitch has received criticism from former players such as Michael Vaughan, Mark Waugh, Damien Fleming and Sanjay Manjrekar.”It’s not as though someone has been hit in the helmet or the toes,” Patel said. “It is a normal wicket. We are playing on the same wicket and scoring runs. I feel no one should have an objection about this pitch. When we go out and get a seaming track, we don’t talk about excessive grass on the pitch. You have to change your mindset rather than think about the pitch.”The argument has been that a pitch with puffs of dust and mini-explosions on day one will only get worse for batting, turning it into lottery. But as Patel said, India have scored runs in both innings whereas the whole England side managed fewer runs in the first innings than Rohit Sharma’s 161. He was even asked if there was extra determination from R Ashwin and Virat Kohli to bat on and score as many as possible even though they had more than enough runs on the board.”We don’t think of outside and if we have to send a message,” Patel said. “We just batted normally. If it had been day four we would have thought of declaring.”Patel also said this wasn’t a pitch where you just turn up and release the ball and the surface will do the rest for you.”The way the wicket is behaving, you know there is spin, but the spin is there only if you put some strength behind the ball,” he said. “If you leave it like that or flight it too much, then there is not much turn from the pitch. The speed has to be high. Otherwise the batsman is going back and has time to adjust. Speed is very important for a spinner on this pitch.”Patel had all the strength to give after missing his debut a week ago with a niggle in the knee. He said that while it was frustrating to miss that match, had he risked it, he could have ended up losing out on giving his best in both the matches.”I was selected to play the first Test but I pulled out because of the injury,” he said. “I didn’t want to play with a niggle and take the risk of letting the team down halfway into the match. The physio told me if I gave it time I will be fine for the second Test. So the physio and I took that call. It was frustrating but the positive is that I could give my 100% here.”