Manchester United sign experienced goalkeeper Karl Darlow on three-year deal

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Manchester, July 14 (IANS) Veteran Wales goalkeeper Karl Darlow has completed a move to Manchester United after leaving Leeds United upon the expiry of his contract, with the Premier League club confirming the 35-year-old has signed a deal until June 2028, with an option to extend for a further year.

Darlow arrives at Old Trafford after choosing not to renew his contract with Leeds despite being offered a new deal. The experienced shot-stopper opted to pursue a fresh challenge, ending his spell at Elland Road after helping Leeds during the 2025-26 campaign.

Manchester United confirmed the transfer on Tuesday, subject to registration, adding further experience to their goalkeeping department.

“I am extremely proud to sign for Manchester United. I’m joining an excellent group of goalkeepers, and I’m really looking forward to all pushing each other to ensure that we maintain the highest standards, which this club demands,” Darlow said after completing the move in an official statement.

“This is a really special opportunity; everyone can see what an exciting time it is for the club and I cannot wait to play my part in supporting my team-mates and helping to drive the group forwards,” he added.

Darlow brings considerable experience to Old Trafford, having made 279 senior appearances during his career, including 74 in the Premier League.

Last season, he established himself as Leeds United’s first-choice goalkeeper and registered five clean sheets.

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox welcomed the signing, highlighting the goalkeeper’s experience and professionalism.

“Karl has proven his ability to perform at the highest level. His work ethic and determined personality make him a really strong addition to our squad,” Wilcox said.

“We are delighted to add a player of his quality and experience to our excellent goalkeeping group.”

Leeds United confirmed Darlow’s departure in a brief statement, revealing that the goalkeeper had rejected the club’s offer of a new contract.

“Leeds United can confirm Karl Darlow has left the club upon the expiration of his contract to pursue an opportunity elsewhere,” the club said.

“Despite the offer of a new deal to remain in West Yorkshire, the goalkeeper wished to explore a different challenge and leaves the Whites with the best wishes of everyone at Elland Road.”

Darlow becomes Manchester United’s latest addition as the club continues strengthening its squad ahead of the new season, with the veteran expected to provide experienced competition and depth in the goalkeeping ranks.

–IANS

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Palani, Bhatnagar and Klair elected to ICC Chief Executives’ Committee

New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) Gurumurthy Palani, Anurag Bhatnagar and Gurdeep Klair have been elected to the influential Chief Executives‘ Committee (CEC) of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Palani (France), Bhatnagar (Hong Kong), and Klair (Canada) won the elections for the three CEC spots ahead of incumbents Sumod Damodar (Botswana) and Sankar Renganathan (Sierra Leone). The trio winning the elections were confirmed by their respective boards’ social media handles.

Apart from Damodar and Renganathan, Tim Cutler (Vanuatu), Stella Siale (Samoa) and Sarah Gomersall (Jersey) were also in the fray in the CEC elections, whose voting process involved 40 associate members and five regional representatives from Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and East Asia-Pacific.

The CEC is one of the ICC’s most powerful boards, comprising of all Full Member nation board representatives and elected Associate representatives. The CEC plays an influential decision making role in shaping policies, governance around promotion and the direction of cricket being played and organised at the international level.

The Associate Member seats are of huge importance as they serve as a critical link between the ICC’s top board and the member countries outside of it. Under ICC rules, candidates for CEC elections had to be a representative of an Associate Member or a current/past ICC director.

Palani, Bhatnagar and Klair will now have two-year terms and the trio will also be part of the Associate Member Committee, which works towards governing and regulating cricket at the Associate level.

The elections for the three coveted Associate Member seats on the CEC marked the commencement of the ICC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Singapore on Thursday and is slated to run till July 20.

It’s also the first major ICC AGM happening under chairman Jay Shah and newly-appointed CEO Sanjog Gupta.

–IANS

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IPL 2025: I’m just very pleased, says Klaasen on whirlwind century against KKR

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) After his unbeaten 39-ball 105 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday evening got Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) a mammoth 110-run win to sign off from IPL 2025 on a high, Heinrich Klaasen said he was just very pleased to conclude the season on a winning note after overcoming struggles throughout the tournament.

At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Klaasen made his promotion to number three count by striking the joint-third-fastest century in IPL off just 37 balls, as SRH finished with 278/3 on board – the third-highest total in the history of the tournament. His unbeaten knock was laced with nine sixes and seven fours coming at a strike rate of 269.23.

“It’s been a long season. I haven’t got a lot of starts, but I was hitting the ball nicely and got off to a good start again. I missed out the previous game on a very good wicket, so I’m just happy that I got the kick on here.”

“I don’t think I’ve hit it as nicely as I could. I didn’t pick some of the balls, which is a little bit disappointing. That could have made it even better. It was a little bit of a mental battle against myself. All in all, I’m just very pleased,” said Klaasen in a video posted on iplt20.com.

He was particularly severe in attacking the straight down the ground, cover and mid-wicket boundaries. That century also meant that Klaasen finished IPL 2025 with 487 runs coming at a strike rate of 172.69.

“We just want to be aggressive. The games that we won, that’s what we executed well, so it helps. Normally, you just need to be adaptable, which we didn’t do at the middle and beginning parts of the season. We found a little bit of the brand of cricket that we really want to play and just fine-tuned the brand that we wanted to play.”

“The last three and a half games have been phenomenal. We’ve got some big wins, so I think we’re getting to the brand that we want to play. We have about a win short this season to get us into the playoffs, so a lot of lessons learned, definitely,” he added.

He also lauded head coach Daniel Vettori and captain Pat Cummins for running the team well, though they finished at sixth place in the points table this season. “Look, Dan and Pat run the show and is just a nice tag to have. They’re unbelievable leaders.”

“Sometimes it’s just maybe if he second-guesses his decision or has a gut feeling and I say the right thing or the same thing, and that’s the only thing that goes by. They’re unbelievable this season again.”

Klaasen signed off by expressing gratitude to the franchise’s fans for supporting the side in home and away games. “The fans have been unbelievable. The Orange Army in the away games, we saw a lot of Orange shirts in the stands, especially Mumbai and even Chennai, which is a surprise to us. That means that we’re doing something right and that goes a long way.”

–IANS

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