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United midfielder Mata backs goalkeeper Valdes

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Juan Mata

London: Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has backed Victor Valdes after the goalkeeper replaced the injured David de Gea to make his debut in the second half of United’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

De Gea is expected to leave United this summer and return to Spain with Real Madrid. But Mata is confident in Valdes’ ability should he replace the 24-year-old, believing his experience is valuable to the squad, dailymail.co.uk reported on Sunday.

Mata wished De Gea well after he was replaced with 15 minutes to go due to a leg injury but also praised the talent of former Barcelona goalkeeper Valdes.

Writing on his blog, he said: “We had more bad news when David had to leave the pitch with an injury, which allowed Víctor to make his debut as a Manchester United player.

“I hope David gets well soon and at the same time I wish Víctor the best, always. A goalkeeper like him, so good and with so much experience, is always a big help to any team.”

De Gea picked up an injury attempting to clear a cross, and as he went off United supporters applauded having earlier sung his name.

Mata insisted that United would be doing all they can to win against Hull City, who must win to avoid the drop on the final day.

Hull have Newcastle two points ahead of them in 17th and Sunderland a further point in front in 16th with a game in hand against Arsenal on Wednesday, but Mata says United will not lie down.

“Now we must finish the season in the best possible way. We owe it to this badge. Besides, we must respect the fight against relegation between Hull City, Newcastle and, maybe, Sunderland, so we will try to win, as always.”

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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia

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The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.

Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.

Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”

Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.

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