Philippe Coutinho has worn a child's size Bayern Munich replica jersey this season because none of the adult shirts fit him.

Coutinho, who arrived on loan from Barcelona in the summer, joined after Bayern had taken delivery of their shirts from adidas for the first half of the season.

Rather than wearing the replica shirts that are available to purchase in the club store, Bayern wear "authentic" shirts which are lighter and dry quicker but none of those came in a size suitable for Coutinho.

Bayern's away jersey and Champions League home strip do fit the Brazil international, but he will have to wait until the winter break for the next delivery of "authentic" tops.

That means he will have to wear the junior shirt one more time, in the home game against Freiburg on Saturday.

It doesn't seem to have affected Coutinho, though. The former Liverpool man scored a hat trick in the 6-1 win against Werder Bremen at the weekend.

And so far this season he has seven goals and seven assists for Bayern.

The 2020 IPL season is likely to begin in late March, with the BCCI earmarking the period between March 28 and May 24 as the prospective window for the tournament. The upcoming edition will, for the first time, allow loans of capped players - Indian or overseas - between teams after the halfway point of the season.

Last year, the IPL had made a provision for uncapped players to be loaned mid-season in the manner of football transfers. A five-day window was opened after the halfway stage for uncapped players to be loaned, subject to the player not having played more than two matches. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Mahela Jayawardene were among voices that had supported the move, but no franchise utilised the trading window.

However, teams might be more open next season, considering capped players would now be allowed to go on loan. The IPL has set the condition that the player needs to have played a maximum of two matches before the halfway mark (28 matches). The arrangement would be between the franchises and the money will be paid from outside the auction purse. The player will not benefit from the transfer, but the IPL would be notified about the transaction.

At a briefing on Wednesday in Kolkata, the venue for Thursday's auction, the IPL told the eight franchises that the final dates for next year's tournament would be worked out soon, but there would be an emphasis on reducing the number of day matches as far as possible. It is the start date that the IPL is understood to be working on, keeping in mind the availability of overseas players, who will start arriving around April 1, which happens to be a weekday. The IPL has, over the years, usually started during the weekend, so that is one aspect the organisers are concerned about.

The IPL also added half a dozen more names to the auction pool, which will now comprise 338 players. Four Indians and two overseas players figure among the six new names: Vinay Kumar, Ashok Dinda, Robin Bist, Sanjay Yadav, Matthew Wade, and Jake Weatherald.

Bangladesh's tour of Pakistan, scheduled for next month, is now facing uncertainty with the BCB offering to play only T20Is in Pakistan, while asking that the two-Test series be shifted to a neutral venue.

"We have had a round of correspondence with them [the BCB] and they are happy to play three T20s in Pakistan but they are slightly reluctant to play two Tests," Wasim Khan, the PCB CEO, told a press conference on Wednesday. "I have written back to them, being very strong in my response, and asked the reason why. We have our security plans signed off by ICC and it has been signed off for a while now.

"Sri Lanka are going to compete their series here and everything went very safely with all security provisions in place. So we are asking Bangladesh what is the reason for you not wanting to come. It (correspondence) is not finished yet and it doesn't mean they are not coming. They are talking about three T20s, but for us playing Test cricket in another country isn't an option now."

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Sri Lanka are in the middle of a two-Test series in Pakistan - the first Tests in the country since the terrorist attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in Lahore in March 2009 - with the second Test set to begin in Karachi on Thursday. The visiting players have given positive feedback about the security arrangements on the tour. An MCC team, led by Kumar Sangakkara, is also scheduled to tour Pakistan next year, and the PCB is set to host the entirety of the Pakistan Super League in Pakistan as well.

These moves are part of the PCB's plan to bring all of Pakistan's home cricket back to Pakistan, and away from neutral venues such as the UAE, which had been the primary "home" venue since 2009. ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB felt it was not financially viable to host lower-ranked teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the UAE.

The Bangladesh tour of Pakistan comprises three T20Is, scheduled to be held in Lahore on January 23, 25 and 27, followed by two Tests, which were originally slated to be held in Rawalpindi and Karachi. Before the new offer to split the series, the tour was hanging in the balance with the BCB awaiting government approval on touring a country Bangladesh has not enjoyed friendly terms with historically.

Bangladeshi sides have toured Pakistan in the recent past, but the senior men's team hasn't done so since playing a five-match ODI series there in 2007-08. Since then, Pakistan have toured Bangladesh twice, in 2011-12 and 2015. . Seven years ago, they were close to deciding on a tour to Pakistan, only for the AHM Mustafa Kamal-led BCB to pull out shortly after the decision to tour was taken.

The move aggravated relations between the PCB and the BCB. The PCB stopped communications with the BCB and barred Pakistan's cricketers - who had already been auctioned to various teams - from featuring in the Bangladesh Premier League. Relations later improved during Shahryar Khan's term as PCB chairman, and Pakistan invited Bangladesh for a two-match T20I series in 2017, only for the BCB to rebuff the invitation.

FRISCO, Texas -- Quarterback Dak Prescott, who suffered a right shoulder injury Sunday, will be limited as the Dallas Cowboys begin their preparation for a crucial NFC East game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Coach Jason Garrett on Wednesday said Prescott had an MRI after a victory over the Los Angeles Rams and "everything seems to be OK."

"He just banged it up and it's hard for him to function right now," Garrett said, "so [I] don't want him throwing much in practice today."

Prescott took part in stretching during Wednesday's portion of practice that was open to the media, but he did not do jumping jacks and he did not throw a pass.

He suffered the injury on a first-quarter run in which he was tackled by Rams linebacker Clay Matthews. Prescott did not miss a snap but reported soreness after the game. He is also dealing with an injury to his right index finger and a sprained left wrist.

Prescott has not missed a game in his career, and Garrett could not remember a time where the quarterback was even limited in a practice.

"He's as tough as they come," Garrett said. "His physical toughness and mental toughness are on par with anybody I've been around, and that's just what he's all about. He handles success. He handles adversity. He handles issues as well as anybody."

Prescott's backup, Cooper Rush, has seen only mop-up duty this season and has not thrown a pass in a game. Typically, he gets only a series of work on a Friday practice, but he will get more on Wednesday.

Normal Wednesday practices focus on the running game in first- and second-down situations, so there is not as much throwing as there is later in the week.

Garrett was not worried about the injuries piling up on Prescott.

"He's a pretty tough individual," Garrett said. "He'll be ready to go."

Prescott will not be the only offensive starter limited in practice. Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith has an infection in his right eye that could keep him out. Smith has battled through back, elbow and Achilles injuries during the season but, like Prescott, should be ready to play Sunday.

Smith wasn't present during Wednesday's portion of practice that was open to the media.

The Stanford Cardinal made a splash on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday by getting a commitment from running back E.J. Smith, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.

E.J. Smith is the No. 96 recruit in the ESPN 300. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound back from Jesuit College Prep in Dallas chose the Cardinal over Florida, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas A&M.

"They just love my versatility and the way they use their running backs is something I focused on, and also the education played a major part in it, too," Smith said. "It's a great feeling because only people know the athletic part of me, but they don't know how much time I put in on the education side of it as well."

Smith was accepted into Stanford, which he viewed as an accomplishment on the same scale of getting a scholarship offer in football. That acceptance into such a prestigious academic school was just too much for other schools to overcome.

That included Florida, where Smith's father was an All-American in the late 1980s. Smith has said he is trying to pave his own path and didn't let where his father attended school influence his decision. He didn't feel pressure to go to Florida, because his father allowed him to go through the process on his own and make his own choice.

"He has been there only when I needed help, asked for help, and not more," E.J. Smith said. "It's really been a turning point in my maturity because I've had to make this decision on my own, unless I needed help from my dad. Other than that, I've been on my own in this situation."

His father hasn't pushed him one way or another, but the two often spend time watching film and the younger Smith soaks in all he can from his father, the leading rusher in NFL history.

"God put somebody in my life that can help with a sport that I truly enjoy and love, and just having a person that has excelled in football in my corner is a great feeling," Smith said. "He can give me things my high school coaches can't and being able to pick his brain is great."

Stanford now has five ESPN 300 commitments in the 2020 class, with Smith joining five-star offensive tackle Myles Hinton, receivers John Humphreys and Bryce Farrell and cornerback Ayden Hector.

ESPN 300 wide receiver Rakim Jarrett made a surprise announcement on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday by flipping his commitment from LSU to Maryland.

Jarrett, out of St. John's College High School in Washington, is the No. 21-ranked recruit overall and had been considering flipping from LSU to either Maryland or Alabama. He initially reported he would not sign in the early signing period, but he changed his mind and announced for the Terps.

He isn't the only prospect who flipped his commitment, as ESPN 300 wide receiver Johnny Wilson switched from Oregon to Arizona State.

Wilson is a 6-foot-6, 220-pound receiver from Calabasas, California, and is the No. 62 recruit overall.

The Sun Devils recently hired new offensive coordinator Zak Hill from Boise State. Hill now has quarterback Jayden Daniels, who starred as a true freshman this season, Wilson and four-star wide receiver Chad Johnson Jr., the son of former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson.

PHILADELPHIA -- Matisse Thybulle sat and watched.

It was an early-November night in Denver, and the Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard was on the bench as the Nuggets scored 35 points in the fourth quarter of a matchup of NBA championship contenders. He remained glued to the bench, picking up his first DNP-CD eight games into his young career, as Philadelphia suffered its third consecutive loss.

Thybulle arrived in the NBA as a premier defensive prospect. But mistakes at that end, coupled with poor shooting -- he was a ghastly 24.2% from the field and 23.8% from 3-point range -- had seen him lose the trust of Sixers coach Brett Brown.

A month later, those same Nuggets came into Philadelphia, again threatening to erase a Sixers fourth-quarter lead, cutting the margin to two points. This time, though, Thybulle wasn't watching from the bench. And when he knocked down a 25-footer to stem Denver's rally, the Nuggets never got any closer.

After a bumpy start to his NBA career, Thybulle is in a groove. And in finding his place, he is starting to show why the 76ers moved up to draft him in June.

"Matisse Thybulle is moving forward," Brown said. "I like the way that he is trending."

Thybulle's ability to move forward has been evident from opening night.

The rookie was summoned to make his NBA debut during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics. He was immediately given the assignment of slowing down point guard Kemba Walker. The All-Star goaded Thybulle into a pair of fouls in the span of 11 seconds. After just three minutes, his first stint of NBA action was over.

As the game went along, though, Thybulle began to hold his own. He eventually got a clean steal on Walker on one play and blocked his shot on another. It was an early glimpse of the defensive instincts and abilities that have scouts and fellow players raving.

"I've not seen a rookie come in with his defensive skills, and that's impressive," Philadelphia forward Tobias Harris said. "The only guy I would say is Kawhi [Leonard]."

The comparison is a lofty one, but Thybulle built his reputation on spectacular defense. He was a two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year at Washington, where he played like a football safety, constantly looking for an opportunity to pounce into a passing lane. He produced highlight-reel moments of the type he had earlier this month against Utah, when Mike Conley lofted a backcourt pass to Donovan Mitchell, only to see Thybulle dart in, nab the ball and hit Ben Simmons for an alley-oop slam.

But Thybulle's gambles can lead to wide-open shots for the opponent when they come up empty. And in those early-season moments when his playing time waned, those failed gambles were a primary reason.

"I've had to figure out time and place," Thybulle said recently with a smile. "It's been a huge feel thing. A lot of these guys, it's my first time playing against them. So I didn't know what to expect. I came in with my college mentality, like, try to steal every pass.

"I learned very quickly that was not going to work."

He learned very quickly because Brown forced him to sit and watch as a result.

"I've not seen a rookie come in with his defensive skills and that's impressive. The only guy I would say is Kawhi [Leonard]."

Tobias Harris on Matisse Thybulle

"At times I should have a higher tolerance level to endure his wild decisions defensively," Brown admitted.

Then, however, he explained why he doesn't.

"This league is so unforgiving that you [can't] just forget, oh, say, Joe Ingles," he said. "I forget he can shoot, and I'm just going to go [try to] make whatever play I want and go, 'Oh, my bad.'"

It's a lesson Thybulle has learned the hard way. After he played more than 20 minutes in each of the Sixers' first four games, his minutes quickly dwindled.

Through the first half of November, Thybulle averaged 9.4 minutes per game, with that zero-minute night in Denver coming right in the middle of that stretch. It was a clear signal that he needed to start figuring out the "time and place."

During the draft process, Philadelphia quickly zeroed in on Thybulle, an older prospect at age 22. Coming off an epic seven-game loss to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in the second round, the 76ers wanted someone who could come in and contribute immediately toward their own championship aspirations. The team made an agreement with his camp to shut down his workouts, promising to take him with the No. 24 pick in the first round. On draft night, they didn't even wait that long, instead moving up four spots -- giving up the No. 33 overall pick in the process -- in a trade with the Celtics to snag him with the 20th overall selection.

They believed Thybulle would bolster their defense. So far this season, the Sixers are up to sixth in defensive rating after finishing 14th last season. According to FiveThirtyEight's player metrics, Thybulle has rated as the NBA's seventh-best defender. Two of the players ahead of him -- Leonard and Rudy Gobert -- have combined to win four of the past five Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Only three players have more than five games this season with at least two steals and two blocks -- Andre Drummond (10), Anthony Davis (nine) and Thybulle (six).

But the Sixers also needed Thybulle to shoot, especially from 3-point range, having effectively swapped out Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick for more reluctant shooters Al Horford and Josh Richardson.

Thybulle had demonstrated shooting ability at Washington, with above-average percentages from beyond the arc (35.8% on 534 attempts) and from the free throw line (78.2%). The question that scouts and executives had was whether he would be willing to let it fly often enough to draw out defenses, providing the kind of gravity and spacing NBA teams need.

In the two games leading up to his DNP-CD in Denver, Thybulle attempted just two 3-pointers, missing them both. In the nine games that followed, he combined for just seven 3-point attempts, though he made four of them.

When Richardson exited with a hamstring injury during a win over the Sacramento Kings, Thybulle was pressed into a larger offensive role, and he stepped up. In the game against the Kings, Thybulle was 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from deep. During Richardson's absence, the rookie averaged more than three 3-point attempts per night while shooting 59% from beyond the arc.

And he kept it going when Richardson returned to the lineup. Against the Nuggets squad he'd sat and watched a month earlier, Thybulle was 5-for-8 overall and 3-for-4 from 3-point range to reach double figures in scoring for the third time in his brief NBA career, setting a career-high with 20 points. Entering Wednesday night's showdown with the Miami Heat (7 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App), Thybulle is shooting 46.7% from distance this season, fifth best in the NBA.

"It's been a growing process," Thybulle said. "I think it'd be very easy for someone to look at how I've played the last few games and think that it came naturally and it was just like, 'He's been like this the whole time.'

"But as everyone has seen, there's been a lot of ups and downs and growing pains. I think, for me, it was just learning from those and taking those lessons and being disciplined enough not to fall back on the things I've already learned."

For a team that sometimes appears unable to make a perimeter shot, Thybulle is giving Brown another reason to keep him on the court.

"Even though we have so many guys that can score the ball," Joel Embiid said, "him adding what he's been adding, especially his shooting, has been tremendous."

Like any other rookie, Thybulle has had mixed results during his first two months in the NBA. Still, the Sixers are quite pleased that as a Christmas Day showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks -- a team they expect to have to get through to reach the NBA Finals -- approaches, Thybulle is making himself a regular member of Brown's rotation.

"He's a good person, and he cares, and there is a tolerance level that I have to be better with," Brown said. "And at times, that's hard, because we're trying to win. [But] I think he has shown progressive growth in a mature way. And in a way, I can delineate. I can see it. I can feel it."

Progressive growth toward playing in December and January is one thing. Becoming a player Brown can trust in May and June? That is very much another.

Last postseason, the Sixers saw how costly a weak second unit can be. Philadelphia didn't have a single reserve average eight points per game. The Sixers' bench players collectively averaged 27.2 PPG, ranking 11th among the 16 playoff teams, and shot 29% from 3-point range.

The Sixers remain active in trying to upgrade their bench, per sources. But they drafted Thybulle with the thought that by the time the playoffs roll around, he can be an integral part of what this team hopes is a run to its first championship in 36 years.

Between now and then, Brown will repeatedly be reminding himself of just that: "I'm always reminding myself, 'If we woke up tomorrow and it's April 15, do I feel comfortable I've grown him the way that I should?'"

If the past few weeks are any indication, that growth is coming along just fine.

The baseball career of Boston Red Sox pitching prospect and Navy graduate Noah Song is on hold.

One of the top professional sports prospects from the service academies, Song does not expect to continue his baseball career for the near future after the Navy said on Tuesday they would not allow him a waiver to defer his service.

A recent policy announcement from President Donald Trump and defense secretary Mark T. Esper allows academy graduates to postpone their service in order to pursue professional sports. Song, who was drafted by Boston in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and spent the summer playing in the Red Sox minor league system for the Lowell Spinners, is not eligible for the new policy, which goes into effect for the class of 2020. Song graduated from the Naval Academy in May, and thus does not fall under the newly implemented policy.

According to a report from The Washington Post, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Robert Burke told Song that they would not recommend his waiver for service.

"I feel fine," Song told The Post. "I guess I didn't really expect too much to come out of it because I wasn't covered by the policy. So when I was told it was going to be negatively endorsed, I moved on. I'm just excited to get down to flight school."

Naval Officers told Song that the policy does not apply to commissioned officers. Song received commission in May, and previously told ESPN that he was going to report to flight school in Pensacola, Florida in mid-December, before the President directed the Pentagon in June to implement the new policy. The Department of Defense has previously allowed commissioned officers to pursue careers in professional sports after two years of active service.

The decision, however, is not finalized. Acting secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modly, along with Esper, have the oversight to grant Song's waiver against Burke's recommendation. Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Derrick Ingle told the Boston Globe no final decision has been made on Song's status. A service academy athlete can be nominated for a waiver if there "is a strong expectation that a Military Service Academy cadet or midshipman's future professional sports employment will provide the Department of Defense with significant favorable media exposure likely to enhance national level recruiting or public affairs missions," according to a memo previously released by Esper.

"Until we hear something definitive from them, both the Red Sox and Noah will remain hopeful that he gets a chance to play for the Red Sox and serve," Red Sox vice president of player development Ben Crockett emailed The Post. "If Noah has to serve two years, we will fully support him -- his service is important to the team, too. But as of right now, we still believe the opportunity is there for him to play right away and still get a chance to serve his country."

In seven starts last season for Lowell, Song allowed two runs on 10 hits over 17 innings, posting 19 strikeouts. Song also impressed for Team USA during the Olympic qualifiers in Japan, consistently flashing a 99 mph fastball, allowing zero runs and one hit over 5.1 innings out of the bullpen.

The world heptathlon champion reflects on her early days through to her global senior success

As I chat with Katarina Johnson-Thompson at Wavertree Stadium in Liverpool on a chilly winter morning on Merseyside, she recalls the fun she experienced here as a child.

At that time it involved rolling down the grass banking that surrounds the first bend of the track. But this morning, as she is here to promote England Athletics’ new Funetics project, the focus is still on fun and involves introducing children from as young as four to the joys of running, jumping and throwing.

“I wish I’d had something like this when I first started,” the world heptathlon champion tells me. “It might have saved me a lot of trouble if I’d learned how to throw a little sooner.”

As a child her mother was keen for her daughter to have various interests and hobbies. “I was a bit of a tomboy, always running around, so my mum wanted me to burn up some of that energy,” she says.

“I enjoyed dancing but after being picked out to do the high jump in a school competition, simply because I was the tallest in the class, I quickly took an interest in athletics.

“We sought out the local club and after learning that a running group followed the high jump session, I just went from one to the other, my mother just being happy I was taking a keen interest in another activity.”

As she took part in the young athletes’ league competitions, she displayed a clear talent for multiple events and recalls long days out, taking part in the high jump, hurdles, long jump and the relay to close the day of intense activity.

Success came along but Johnson-Thompson remembers one competition which was something of a wake-up call that things could get more serious. “I was taking part in an English Schools competition and remember thinking I’d done rather well and won, only to discover another girl was yet to come in at her opening height!”

She adds: “After that, winning the World Youth Championships (heptathlon) in 2009, it gave me the focus I needed with the next big challenge being the 2012 Olympics in London.”

It was after the now customary final victory lap that all the combined event athletes share in, that Johnson-Thompson made the decision to quit university and focus her attention full-time on athletics.

“Even after several major championships, it was only during that victory lap in London that I knew I really wanted to focus on my athletics full-time,” she remembers.

Between the London and Rio Olympics, some may have begun to doubt her ability to win a major medal, but after deciding to move her training base to Montpellier in France and join a coaching team led by Betrand Valcin the medals have begun to materialise.

Commonwealth heptathlon gold in 2018 was followed by world and European indoor pentathlon titles in 2018-19 and, most recently, a British record of 6981 points and world heptathlon gold in Doha.

Johnson-Thompson returns to Montpellier the day after we speak to start her third winter in France. “Before moving to France, I was training maybe on four days a week,” she says, “but now its six days a week with double sessions on a couple of the days.”

As we chat, the high jump is still her first love and favourite event, but when I ask her what the least favourite discipline is she replies “none now” with what seems like a newfound confidence that has come from her training set up.

“Fartlek is probably my least favourite session.” She tells me, “I much prefer a full recovery before I go again, but event wise, now they are all my favourite.”

It is this confidence and focus that has no doubt helped propel her to become Britain and the world’s best female combined eventer and she’s clearly enjoying life and her success, which recently saw her nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

While there was no mention of a medal from Tokyo next year being on her Christmas list, it surely must be set now firmly within her sights.

“For Christmas I just want my mum to stop feeding my dogs too much – they are getting a little too fat while I’m away in France!” she tells me, before leaving to take them for a last walk before she heads back to Montpellier to begin the hard work in preparation for Tokyo.

Funetics for ‘pre-club’ kids

Katarina Johnson-Thompson was speaking with AW at the launch of Funetics – England Athletics’ latest initiative which is aimed at introducing four to 11-year-olds to athletics a little earlier than the traditional club route.

The Funetics sessions will be delivered in schools and in local community sports and athletics clubs and will include physical conditioning, running, jumping and throwing. The activities are divided into three stages: developing, practising and emerging (levels 1 to 9).

Each stage aims to provide children with new and progressively more difficult challenges appropriate to their stage of development and encourages them to learn all the skills and events of athletics, reinforcing the importance of a good, all-round skill base.

There is a free licence to affiliated clubs but with a percentage of income taken to cover central operating and digital costs. The school licence is £5100+ VAT to providers looking to deliver activity within schools. These providers could be charitable trusts, coaching operators or school sport partnerships.

A school provider will get access to a territory to deliver Funetics to school children within curriculum and after school settings and all providers receive training and support including attendance at a one-day coaching course, plus equipment packs, kit and access to digital tools.