Hull of a way to say goodbye as three squash legends bow out with hugs and smiles
By SEAN REUTHE in Hull

An emotional second day of action at the 2019 Allam British Open saw three of squash’s most decorated players call time on their glittering careers as eight-time World Champion Nicol David, two-time British Open champion Laura Massaro and former World No.2 Jenny Duncalf played their final professional squash matches.

David, the iconic Malaysian who won five British Open titles and spent an unprecedented nine years at World No.1, bowed out after a 3-1 defeat to World No.3 Nour El Tayeb, with the Egyptian player winning 11-4, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5 to end David’s 21-year career on the PSA World Tour.

The 36-year-old was voted the greatest female squash player of all time in a poll conducted by the Professional Squash Association (PSA) last summer and ends her career after winning 81 PSA titles from 102 finals, which is unmatched by any other female player.

“The British Open was the thing that really kicked things off and winning that title gave me the belief that I could be one of the best on tour and gave me the confidence to win my first World title and get to World No.1,” said David, the World No.18, afterwards.

“At the time, you just never quite know until you experience it first-hand, and as the years went by, that’s when I won my second World title and things really kicked off for me. It all really started from the British Open, I can’t believe it’s nearly been two decades.

“It’s a really special time for women’s squash to see the crop that is coming through. All the top girls are all gunning for that World title, British Open title, the World No.1 spot and to see them makes me so proud to have been a part of that group.”

Massaro, the most successful Englishwoman of the modern era, saw her career come to an end at the hands of Belgium’s World No.39 Tinne Gilis as she fell to a surprise 11-5, 2-11, 11-5, 11-7 defeat.

Preston-based Massaro, the current World No.10, won the British Open in 2013 and 2017, with the second of those wins seeing her become the first female English player in 66 years to win the sport’s longest-running title on two occasions.

In a speech full of emotion, the former World Champion said: “Hull has become a special place for me. My first British Open title at the then-KC Stadium was one of the best locations we have played in England.

“To be in two finals and to win it twice is just a dream come true really. There’s not many people that can say they have won it twice and I am hugely grateful to the [title sponsors] Allams and all of the sponsors, Hull will always be special for me because of the memories I have made here and it seems fitting that even though it didn’t end with my best today, that the Allams were able to watch my last match and that it was in Hull.

“No one steps on court at seven-years-old and thinks they are going to achieve that. If hard work can get you anywhere, then it has been down to a lot of hard work. It’s been a complete rollercoaster, it’s been unbelievable highs and lows throughout my career and I’m extremely proud of my achievements – hopefully once it all sinks in then I can look back and reflect a bit.”

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Gilis will play older sister Nele in the next round and, after the biggest win of her career, said: “It was mentally so hard, but I’m so happy. I gave it everything today and it paid off and it is such an honour to play Laura in her last match. I tried not to think about it being her last tournament, as if I thought about it too much then it would have made me nervous.

“I know how much this tournament meant to Laura, so I’m a bit sad for her as well, but I wish her all the best in her next chapter.”

Meanwhile, Massaro’s international teammate, 36-year-old Duncalf, played her final professional match against World No.1 Raneem El Welily, going down in straight games.

Duncalf retires with 11 PSA titles and was runner-up to David in the 2008 British Open and 2011 PSA World Championships final, while she even took up MC duties later on in the day to interview David on court after her final match.

“Before I had my hip operation, I was sort of borderline retiring before the Commonwealth Games last April.” Duncalf said.

“I needed a hip operation, and I thought I would see how I got on, but it’s a struggle playing all these youngsters, and I’m so pleased to be leaving the sport in good stead. We have so many different nationalities playing the game and I feel so proud to have been a part of it and it’s definitely time for me.”

In the men’s event, six of the seven Englishmen in action exited the tournament, including three-time runner-up James Willstrop, who fell to two-time winner Mohamed ElShorbagy in straight games.

Despite the scoreline, Willstrop and ElShorbagy played out an extremely high-quality affair, with World No.2 ElShorbagy taking a trio of 11-9 victories to send Yorkshireman Willstrop out.

“The British Open is the tournament with the most history,” ElShorbagy said. “When you win it, you’re down in the history of the sport and nobody can take that away from you. It’s the last tournament of the season and that is pretty brutal. We all have a lot of niggles, so it’s survival of the fittest in this event and I’m going to give it a big push and let’s see how far I can go.”

Meanwhile, World No.15 Declan James, the highest ranked male English player, saw his tournament cut short by an ankle injury as he went down to former World No.3 Omar Mosaad.

England No.3 Daryl Selby is the only home player to reach the last 16 of the men’s draw after he beat wildcard Patrick Rooney, while ElShorbagy’s younger brother Marwan got the better of last year’s surprise semi-finalist Raphael Kandra, coming back from two games down to exact his revenge for a quarter-final defeat to the German in this tournament 12 months ago.

He will take on World No.1 Ali Farag for a place in the quarter-finals after Farag came back from a game down to beat 18-year-old Mostafa Asal in four games. In the longest match of the day, the highest-ranked British male, Welsh ace Joel Makin, went down to No.4 seed Paul Coll, with the New Zealander taking it 11-4 in the fifth after 87 minutes.

The third round of the British Open begins tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12:00 (GMT+1) and action will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

Allam British Open 2019, University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre, Hull, England.

Men’s Second Round:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-1: 6-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 (42m)
Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-2: 6-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8 (52m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-1: 11-8, 11-4, 14-16, 11-8 (81m)
[7] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-2 (31m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt [8] Diego Elias (PER) 3-2: 9-11, 13-11, 3-11, 11-3, 11-5 (67m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-1: 4-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-5 (45m)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt [WC] Joshua Masters (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 12-10, 11-5 (33m)
[4] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Joel Makin (WAL) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-4 (87m)
[3] Simon Rösner (GER) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 3-0: 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 (37m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Declan James (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 6-3 ret (43m)
Zahed Salem (EGY) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-0: 13-11, 11-5, 11-8 (47m)
[5] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-1: 11-9, 11-4, 7-11, 11-6 (54m)
[6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL) 3-1: 11-3, 12-10, 7-11, 11-4 (61m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 3-1: 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9 (58m)
Daryl Selby (ENG) bt [WC] Patrick Rooney (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (47m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt James Willstrop (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 (44m)

Women’s Second Round:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-4 (20m)
[12] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Samantha Cornett (CAN) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 (24m)
Joey Chan (HKG) bt [14] Salma Hany (EGY) 3-2: 7-11, 11-6, 4-11, 11-9, 11-7 (44m)
[7] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-1, 11-3 (20m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 (28m)
[10] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Yathreb Adel (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8 (38m)
[11] Annie Au (HKG) bt Olivia Fiechter (USA) 3-0: 11-3, 2-0 ret (11m)
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Nicol David (MAS) 3-1: 11-4, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5 (41m)
[4] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-1: 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-3 (39m)
[9] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-2: 11-6, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10 (64m)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [8] Laura Massaro (ENG) 3-1: 11-5, 2-11, 11-5, 11-7 (37m)
Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [16] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-2: 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 5-11, 11-7 (82m)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [WC] Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 (24m)
[15] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-0: 12-10, 11-3, 11-9 (34m)
[13] Victoria Lust (ENG) bt Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 3-2: 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-9 (58m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (23m)

Men’s Third Round (Top Half, May 22):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [7] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) v Lucas Serme (FRA)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [4] Paul Coll (NZL)

Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half, May 23):
[3] Simon Rösner (GER) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Zahed Salem (EGY) v [5] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
[6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v Cesar Salazar (MEX)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Women’s Third Round (Top Half, May 22):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [12] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
Joey Chan (HKG) v [7] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) v [10] Alison Waters (ENG)
[11] Annie Au (HKG) v [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)

Women’s Third Round (Bottom Half, May 23):
[4] Camille Serme (FRA) v [9] Tesni Evans (WAL)
Nele Gilis (BEL) v Tinne Gilis (BEL)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v [15] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[13] Victoria Lust (ENG) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 

Pictures courtesy of PSA

GRANITE CITY, Ill. – The Brandt River Town Showdown finale, featuring a USAC doubleheader with the AMSOIL National Sprint Cars and NOS Energy Drink National Midgets, has been rescheduled for Aug. 30 at Tri-City Speedway.

It will now be the start of a big racing weekend in Southern Illinois with DuQuoin State Fair events Saturday-Monday.

The event will be a full show for each series with qualifying, heat races, a semi-feature, culminating in a 30-lap main event for the Midgets and Sprint Cars.  Last Saturday’s Track Enterprises promotion of the event was rained out.

The night prior, Tyler Courtney (Midgets) and Chris Windom (Sprint Cars) won each end of the doubleheader.

SONOMA, Calif.  – After a second place finish in their Pikes Peak Int’l Hill Climb debut in 2018, Flying Lizard Motorsports is set to return to the Race to the Clouds with Toyo Tires and Clint Vahsholtz, racing a McLaren 650S GT3.

In the team’s Pikes Peak debut, Vahsholtz and the Flying Lizard Motorsports McLaren 12C GT3 finished second in class on the 12.42-mile, 156 turn course. Located on the highest summit of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Pikes Peak Int’l Hill Climb is the second oldest automotive racing event in North America, and the only course where the finish line sits 4,720 feet above the starting line.

“We are looking forward to taking on the Pikes Peak Hill climb for a second year with Toyo Tires,” said Flying Lizard Program Manager Darren Law. “The McLaren 650S GT3 will allow us more options in gearing, and a better aero, suspension and electronics package which should help in all areas. Clint Vahsholtz is the winningest driver at Pikes Peak, and he has put a lot of work into learning the 650S GT3 with our recent testing at Sonoma Raceway.”

Flying Lizard Motorsports and Toyo Tires started a tire testing and development program in 2015, and have gone on to record four consecutive overall wins at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, one of the most challenging sports car races in North America. The relationship has not only allowed Toyo Tires the opportunity to develop, test and expand their Proxes Race Slick program with the six-time IMSA champions, but has also allowed Flying Lizard Motorsport the opportunity to expand their vast racing resume to pursue new challenges. Together, the pair hold six class wins at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

“With its high number of turns and challenging corners, the road up Pikes Peak has been excellent for the ongoing development of our Proxes Race Slicks,” said Marc Sanzenbacher, senior manager, motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “Our dedicated staff of engineers in Japan have developed a new range of Pikes Peak specific compounds we are confident will provide the needed traction and control to return our McLaren 650S GT3 to the podium once more in 2019.”

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will take place June 30. In preparation for the event, the Lizards recently completed a test at Sonoma Raceway in the McLaren 650S, giving Vahsholtz additional seat time with the GT3 machine. Former race car driver now Program Manager Darren Law was on hand to offer his expertise during the test.

“I am looking forward to the 97th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and teaming up with Flying Lizard Motorsports and Toyo Tires, said Vahsholtz. “Darren Law’s expertise and knowledge of the McLaren 12C GT3. His coaching has assisted my adaption immensely to this type of driving. Once again working with Marc and Toyo,which is the perfect tire for Pikes Peak, will allow my confidence in gripping the course. Also, with the set up expertise from Tommy Sadler and his team, we are expecting good results.”

“We are very appreciative of Toyo Tires and their commitment to this program,” concluded Law. “We have been working with them for many years now on multiple programs, they produce an amazing Proxes Race Slick that is perfect in these conditions and we can’t wait to go for the top step of the podium this year.”

CONCORD, N.C. – United Rentals has signed on as entitlement sponsor for the inaugural United Rentals Patriot Nationals, a two-day World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event on Friday and Saturday at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Sprint car stars including Donny Schatz, Brad Sweet, Daryn Pittman and Carson Macedo will take on The Dirt Track at Charlotte’s high-speed, four-tenths-mile dirt oval beginning with Friday’s first night of action and concluding on Saturday.

Each Patriot Nationals sprint car feature will pay $15,000 to win and $1,000 to start.

“United Rentals is extremely proud to sponsor the United Rentals Patriot Nationals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte,” said Dave Brown, United Rentals’ regional sales manager in the Southeast and the Carolinas. “We’ve enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Charlotte Motor Speedway and are excited to take the next step by sponsoring one of dirt racing’s most exciting weekends.”

Fans in attendance will also get to enjoy the FUEL Racing Series on Friday and the SECA Late Models on Saturday, which will serve as undercards for the United Rentals Patriot Nationals.

“There’s an abundance of excitement this weekend at America’s Home for Racing,” said Greg Walter, the executive vice president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Memorial Day weekend is a special time for all of us to reflect on the freedoms provided to us by our nation’s Armed Forces. Adding United Rentals to the fold with the United Rentals Patriot Nationals gives us an extra chance to thrill our race fans at The Dirt Track while saluting our servicemen and women with the ultimate patriotic dirt-racing experience.”

CONCORD, N.C. – Everyone loves playing in front of their home crowd, whether it’s a high school baseball game at your school’s home field or a professional golfer teeing off on the hometown links.

Hometown advantage matters so much that certain professional sports leagues schedule their championship games in a neutral stadium as often as possible.

Professional race car drivers very rarely get the opportunity to race at the track where their careers began, because few professional racing sanctioning bodies schedule races at local short tracks. But once you make it up the stock car racing ladder you get to race in front of the home of the entire industry.

Whenever they open the gates at Charlotte Motor Speedway, those who strap into the cars that take to the speedway’s 24-degree banked turns are racing in front of their families, their friends, the people who build and maintain their racecars, and thousands of other industry insiders.

It can mean a lot of pressure, especially for young drivers.

With the entire industry paying attention, everyone wants to perform. The edge between a great day and a bad day can be razor thin, and that can mean a stressful day for those behind the wheel.

Last year, it was a great night for Brandon Jones as he earned his fifth career series victory. He took advantage of the misfortunes of Todd Gilliland, who had a great night going until the final round of pit stops changed the handling of his car and he was forced to settle for fourth at the finish.

Jones, who will be in the booth as a driver analyst for the FS1 broadcast of the General Tire 150, believes racing in the ARCA series gives drivers like himself plenty of relevant experience to succeed in the upper levels of NASCAR. He currently drives the No. 19 Menards Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

“I give the ARCA Menards Series a lot of credit for my success over the years and helping me get to the NASCAR Xfinity Series today,” Jones said. “I’ve gained so much confidence in that series, winning with multiple teams and at different tracks; it really helped build me up as I prepared to take the next step in my racing career. I’ve always felt that getting track time in the ARCA Series helps a lot when preparing for my Xfinity Series races.”

A couple of drivers that are prospects to join Jones as ARCA graduates who have gone on to success in the upper levels of NASCAR include Travis Braden and Christian Eckes.

Braden won in his ARCA Menards Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in 2015 and was included in ESPN’s list of drivers to watch for 2019. He is from Wheeling, W.Va., and a graduate of West Virginia University with dual degrees in aerospace and mechanical engineering. His team is located in Brownsburg, Ind., just outside of Indianapolis, so the Charlotte race isn’t necessarily a home game for him but he does see the value of a strong performance in the sport’s epicenter.

“Charlotte is still the capital of stock car racing and probably always will be,” Braden said. “To win at this venue is arguably as sought-after as an event like Daytona or Homestead, but for a little different reason. Obviously the opportunity to perform, and hopefully win, in front of the eyes of the majority of the sport’s leadership is of similar value to each of us. For myself and RFMS Racing, and any other non-southeastern-based team, I think you have an extra piece of motivation here. To go down there and beat those guys means a ton. It’s impressive in the eyes of any. You definitely won’t hear the typical “well he’s in the highest-budget ride and got all of the backing, he should have won” response if we were able to pull it off.”

Eckes is making his first run at the series title in 2019. Racing a part-time schedule in 2018, he won three times and has already collected one win so far in 2019 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. Eckes, a native of Middletown, N.Y., races for Venturini Motorsports, which is located near the race track in Concord, North Carolina. He will be making his first appearance at Charlotte and knows a good run will impress his other boss, Kyle Busch, who he drives for in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

“It’s going to be really cool to race at Charlotte for the first time,” Eckes said. “It’s going to be my first mile and a half race as well, so I’m really looking forward to it. We tested a few weeks ago and our No. 15 JBL Camry showed a lot of speed. My Venturini team is based about five minutes from the track so it’s important for us to go have a good run. We will be ready.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Two teams have three drivers each starting in the top nine of the 103rd Indianapolis 500.

One is expected, it’s the powerful Team Penske as Simon Pagenaud starts on the pole, with defending Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power sixth and Josef Newgarden eighth.

But the other is Indiana’s own Ed Carpenter Racing, with three of its drivers starting second, third and fourth in Sunday’s race.

Carpenter, a three-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner, barely lost the pole to Pagenaud, who ran a four-lap average of 229.992 mph. Carpenter’s speed was 229.889 mph. Carpenter lost the pole by just .1 of a mile per hour.

“Simon was just more consistent,” Carpenter said. “I think I had the fastest lap of qualifying and usually that’s a good sign for the pole, but I’ve also won a couple of my poles and not had the fastest lap. So, he was just a little more consistent than me, and that’s why he deserves to be on the pole.”

Pagenaud won his first Indianapolis 500 pole on Sunday. Carpenter was attempting to win his fourth and lost it by the narrowest of margins.

“That’s the way this series is now,” Carpenter said. “Everything is just thousandths and hundredths of a second all the way through. The battle that you saw for guys fighting for the 30th spot on Saturday, the ninth spot Saturday and now (Sunday) the strength of this series between the teams and drivers from top to bottom. You’ve got to be perfect to really put it together because if you’re not, everything is so tight you’re going to slide down, and that’s what’s great about being a part of the NTT IndyCar Series is it’s really the best competition in the world.”

Had Sunday’s Fast Nine been rained out, Carpenter’s teammate Spencer Pigot would have been the pole winner because he was the fastest on Saturday.

“Spencer was doing a rain dance, I was wanting to run,” Carpenter said.

Despite the fact he did not win the pole, Pigot was still happy to be starting on the outside of row one.

“Starting front row in the Indy 500 is a real honor, and like Ed said, a testament to our team,” Pigot said. “I wouldn’t say I was doing the rain dance all day. I think as race car drivers we love driving Indy cars at the limit, and you definitely get a chance to do that here in qualifying. Any chance we get to put four laps of qualifying together here is exciting in the car.

“Unfortunately, it was a little short, but like Ed said, great day for the team. 2, 3, 4, and I think all of us were pretty happy with our race cars Wednesday and Thursday, so we have a lot to look forward to and a lot to be confident about heading into next weekend.”

Ed Jones, who shares the No. 20 Chevrolet as the street and road course driver with Carpenter driving on the ovals, is in the No. 63 Chevrolet for the Indianapolis 500. His fourth-place starting position is his best Indianapolis 500 qualifying effort.

“Of course, it’s great to be where we are,” Jones said. “As great as that sounds, I really wanted the pole today. I’m a little bit bummed. I thought we had a good shot at it. It’s just frustrating.”

Raphael Varane will stay at Real Madrid amid reported interest from the likes of Manchester United, a source close to the player has confirmed to ESPN FC.

Sources told ESPN FC in April that the 2018 World Cup winner was seriously considering seeking a new challenge, which alerted clubs throughout Europe including United, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

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However, a source now says the 26-year-old has resolved to stay with Los Blancos and help the team bounce back from a disappointing 2018-19 campaign.

Since returning to the Bernabeu bench in March, Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has been clear that he wanted his fellow Frenchman to remain at the club -- and the pair have regularly discussed where Varane fits into the new project being planned by Zidane and club president Florentino Perez.

Varane also felt that leaving the Bernabeu after such a poor season was not something he could do, and is instead looking forward to a "new start" after the summer.

Monday saw the announcement of a contract extension for Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, another player who was reportedly unsettled this season. However, the source said that no discussions had taken place about extending Varane's current deal which ends in 2022.

The former Lens youngster has always had a strong relationship with Zidane, who was instrumental in his arrival in the Spanish capital as an 18-year-old for just €10 million back in 2011.

Varane has won 16 trophies since, including two La Liga crowns and four Champions League titles, but saw his form slip this season.

Madrid have already added a new centre-back to their squad for next season, with 21-year-old Brazil international Eder Militao joining from Benfica for €50 million.

And with Varane now sure to stay, Madrid's transfer decision-makers will likely turn their attention to other areas of the team, with Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba, Luka Jovic, Christian Eriksen and Ferland Mendy among their many reported targets.

Manchester United are ready to make a formal offer for Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff, sources have told ESPN FC.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to sign at least one midfielder during the summer transfer window and has targeted the 21-year-old.

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Newcastle have no desire to sell Longstaff, who is under contract until 2022, and United are yet to agree a fee although there is hope he could be convinced to move to Old Trafford.

Longstaff, who has had loan spells at Kilmarnock and Blackpool, has made just eight Premier League appearances for Rafael Benitez's side.

Solskjaer is set to undertake an extensive overhaul of his squad this summer after finishing sixth in the table and missing out on a place in the Champions League.

The Norwegian will need to replace Ander Herrera after the Spain midfielder rejected the offer of a new contract to join French Champions Paris Saint-Germian on a free transfer.

There is also doubt about Paul Pogba's future. The French midfielder is being chased by Spanish giants Real Madrid although sources have told ESPN FC that United have no desire to sell the 26-year-old.

Sources also say Solskjaer is set to make 21-year-old Swansea winger Daniel James his first signing of the summer.

The Wales international is expected to move to Old Trafford for an initial fee of £15 million after United beat completion from Leeds, Newcastle, Brighton and Newcastle.

Frenkie de Jong receives a back-pass standing still in the Ajax half. Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric charge at him, but the Dutch playmaker, who seems to have all the time in the world, turns full circle and then accelerates away, leaving Modric chasing helplessly behind him. Vinicius, who has missed him by meters, falls over. The scene is a thing of beauty, like Charlie Chaplin escaping a posse of cops. Ajax won 4-1 in the Bernabeu on March 5.

There are supposedly no secrets in top-level soccer anymore. Everyone has been scouted, it seems, yet opponents are still trying to figure out how to handle De Jong. Last August, the Dutchman, who just turned 22 on May 12, was almost unknown outside the Netherlands. By January, Barcelona had agreed to buy him for between €75 million and €86 million (depending on bonuses or add-ons/incentives). Barcelona's president Josep Bartomeu admitted to me that the signing was "risky, of course, because he's young" but then said "there are players that maybe one or two seasons they are the best, and other players are so talented that they last 10, 12 years like Leo Messi, or [Gerard] Pique.

"We think Frenkie de Jong is going to create an era of Frenkie de Jong. Probably he's going to be one of the three best players [in the world]."

De Jong is a beautiful player, but will he turn out to be a great player? Is Barcelona the right club for him, and how will he change there?

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For now, De Jong is possibly unique in soccer: a playmaker who habitually dribbles out of his own defense. In his first full match against top-level opposition -- vs. France in Paris in September -- he kept going past the French captain Antoine Griezmann. Later Griezmann named him as his best-ever opponent, saying: "I tried very often to put him under pressure, but it never worked."

This makes De Jong the ideal creator for modern soccer. Pep Guardiola believes that as defenses get savvier and quicker, it's becoming hard to pass them apart as his Barca sides did a decade ago. Now you need players who can create numerical superiority by beating a man and then giving the killer pass. That's De Jong. In the Champions League through the quarterfinals, he gave 134 forward passes inside the other team's half -- more than any other midfielder except Madrid's Toni Kroos, according to data providers Opta. De Jong is also a remarkably effective (and elegant) tackler.

It's no wonder that half the big clubs in Europe came in for him. Last summer he turned down Tottenham, who deserve kudos for spotting him first, but this winter the shortlist was another level entirely: Guardiola's Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. De Jong would reportedly lay awake at night sometimes, fretting over the choice.

Whatever De Jong's criteria, Barcelona don't appear to have made him the biggest offer. They claim (oddly, given that their annual revenues of over €1 billion are the highest of any sports club in history) that they cannot match City's or PSG's salaries. But De Jong grew up with a very Dutch love of Barcelona. There's a photograph from 2015 of him and his girlfriend posing in the stands of the Nou Camp before a game: just two ordinary teenage fans enjoying their moment.

As a player, he seems made for Barca too. Both Ajax and Barcelona were bequeathed almost identical styles by the same father, Johan Cruyff. De Jong isn't Cruyff, of course, but his long torso, short legs, upright head, and surprising decisions recall the great man.

Bartomeu repeated for me the pitch he made to De Jong and his father. "Whoever is the coach of Barca, the style will be always the same. Now we have Ernesto Valverde as coach. The following coach will be another name, but you don't see too many differences. Other clubs, depending on the coach they choose, change the style or the idea of the football.

"If you look for a coach, go with Pep Guardiola, but when he leaves City, I don't know who is going to be the following coach. If you look for money, go to PSG. You will be a billionaire. But if you want to enjoy your life for the next 12 or 14 years, come to Barcelona."

Bartomeu adds, "Frenkie is 21, but his maturity is older. He knows what he wants. He doesn't want to be the best footballer in the world. The first thing he said was 'I want to enjoy my life with my girlfriend, playing.'"

De Jong's worry was that he wouldn't get enough playing time at Barça "especially because I'm a doubter by nature," he told Dutch magazine Voetbal International. After all, he considers Sergio Busquets the world's best defensive midfielder. Breaking into PSG's team looked more realistic, even if he couldn't imagine spending a decade in the French league. But Barcelona told him that in the short-term, he could fit into either of the two midfield positions in front of Busquets.

Finally, De Jong decided that if he turned down Barca, he might spend his life wondering whether he could have made it there. As he told Voetbal International: "You have to have a bit of faith in yourself." Bartomeu assured him: "If one day you say 'I don't like it,' we will talk. We are not a prison." When Pedro, Alexis Sanchez and Marc Bartra had asked to leave, Barcelona did let them go.

Money isn't De Jong's primary motivation: he drives a Mercedes, but not the most expensive model. Still, at a crucial point during the contract negotiations, Barcelona's kit sponsor Nike agreed to top up his salary. Nike wants to put the name Frenkie on his shirt. The player, named after the 1980s British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, isn't sure about that, but given what we know about money in soccer, it will happen. When he finally signed a five-year contract, Barca asked him to knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League, so he did. Yet Barcelona's former coach Louis van Gaal believes that perhaps he should have joined PSG first.

"He still needs to go through a whole development," Van Gaal said on Dutch TV. "If [Ivan] Rakitic and Arthur don't leave, it's going to be hard for Frenkie to play them out of the team."

Anyone who watched the Netherlands' 3-2 defeat to Germany on March 24 will have seen Van Gaal's point. Whenever the Dutch tried to build from the back, the Germans filled the spaces around De Jong. He failed to make space for himself, and so the Netherlands, dependent on him and Memphis Depay for creativity, was stifled. His tactical helplessness was surprising for a man capable of providing an acute analysis of a game on live TV moments after walking off the field.

At Barca, a team with many creative threats, opponents won't be able to target him the same way, but De Jong does need to learn how a player without much speed can find space. He also knows he needs to register more goals and assists.

Furthermore, no club at the highest level will tolerate his current appetite for risk. Even in the most dangerous situations, he considers it beneath him to give a boring square ball or back pass, so opponents now try to choose the right moment to press him. He gave away a goal against Bayern in December with a bad pass, and very nearly another in Madrid when he lost the ball to Karim Benzema just outside his own penalty area. After the game a Dutch TV presenter told him, jokingly, "Don't do that again." De Jong laughed before replying: "I think: do it, but better."

All his life he has ignored advice to play it safe. He has said, "My quality is my intuition. I can't just ignore that, can I? Then I'd be a player of whom there are a thousand of my age. Often I'd say I understood the coach, then do my own thing on the field."

Still, he will have to learn that sometimes, when there's a Benzema at his back, he needs to be boring. Over the next decade, he might well become as good as Bartomeu and Barca envision, but along the way, he will also become a more normal, less extraordinary player. Something will be lost in translation, so enjoy the untamed version now.