The Premier League has recommended a deduction of up to 12 points for Everton over alleged breaches of financial rules, according to a report on Wednesday.

The Daily Telegraph has reported that the league has asked an independent commission hearing charges against the Merseyside club to impose a severe sanction.

A 12-point deduction would leave Everton on minus-five points in this season’s league table. The club and the Premier League have not commented on the report.

The league referred the club to the commission in March over an alleged breach of its profitability and sustainability (P&S) rules over a period ending with the 2021-22 season.

The league’s P&S rules allow clubs to lose a maximum of £105million over a three-year period or face sanctions.

Everton said in a statement issued on the day that news of the referral was confirmed: “The club strongly contests the allegation of non-compliance and together with its independent team of experts is entirely confident that it remains compliant with all financial rules and regulations.

“Everton is prepared to robustly defend its position to the commission. The club has, over several years, provided information to the Premier League in an open and transparent manner and has consciously chosen to act with the utmost good faith at all times.”

Everton have recorded annual losses for five consecutive years – more than £430million in total over the period.

The club are the subject of a takeover bid by American private investment firm 777 Partners, which last week denied a New York Times report that its bid had stalled because of a failure to supply information to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Million-pound purchase Rogue Lightning will return to action next year for a top-class sprint campaign for new owners Wathnan Racing.

The bay son of Kodiac has worn the silks of The Rogues Gallery all season, chalking up a hat-trick of five-furlong sprints that culminated with Listed success in the Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster.

The gelding was then stepped sharply up in grade to take on the Group One Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp and was not beaten far when fifth and only a length and a quarter behind the winner Highfield Princess.

He was then auctioned via the Goffs Qipco British Champions Day Sale prior to racing at Ascot on Saturday and fetched an impressive £1million as Richard Brown was the winning bidder on behalf of Wathnan Racing.

Rogue Lightning will stay in the care of trainer Tom Clover and will return to training next season with an eye on a programme of valuable sprint contests.

“It’s absolutely fantastic news, it’s terrific to have a horse like him in the yard,” Clover said.

“He’s been a great horse for the Rogues and for us, as an ambitious yard, to keep him for some fantastic new owners in the yard is very exciting.

“We’ll have to speak to Richard Brown but the plan for now is that we’ll give him a break and bring him back fresh in the spring.

“He’s the type of horse where you’d hope that the programme would work itself out, all the obvious races – King’s Stands, Nunthorpes, who knows?

“He should winter very well, I hope, and should shape into a top-class sprinter.”

Cody Gakpo could return for Liverpool when they face Toulouse in a Europa League clash on Thursday night.

The Dutch forward has been missing since suffering a knee injury in the 2-1 defeat to Tottenham at the end of last month, but after returning to training in the build-up to the 2-0 derby win over Everton at the weekend, Gakpo is now available for selection, Jurgen Klopp has said.

Andy Robertson, meanwhile, has undergone surgery on the shoulder he injured while on international duty with Scotland, but faces a longer road to recovery.

“Robbo had surgery and all went well, as good as it could be, so the recovery starts after he wakes up,” Klopp said. “I think it happened this morning. That’s it. We don’t know how long it will take or whatever, but the first step is done, that’s good.

“Cody is in full training now since Sunday, which means he is available for the squad. Whatever we do with that we will have to see, but that’s good as well.”

Klopp hinted at making changes for the visit of Toulouse, but with the game an opportunity to open up a commanding lead in Group E, Klopp does not want to take anything for granted.

“Toulouse deserve all our respect,” he said. “It is a really interesting story, winning the (French) Cup last year…it was a massive thing. They are a young team, a talented team, you see them playing really nice football and they have a clear idea.

“They got a point against PSG and it was a massive one so we have to make sure we are really ready. Then it is about us. We have to create an atmosphere through the way we play.

“I’m pretty sure they are looking forward to playing at Anfield as players and coaches, but we have to make sure they cannot enjoy it.”

Liverpool would go five points clear in the group with a win and put one foot in the knock-out stages, and with that in mind Klopp said he would be careful in not making too many changes that might disrupt his side.

“We want to win football games and this is the next opportunity,” he said. “(A win) would bring us to nine points with Toulouse on four, but knowing that changes nothing. We have to play our best. We will make a few changes but not too much.

“The boys have shown they are really ready for the competition. That’s what I wanted to see. We hope to go a long, long, long way in this competition, but for that we have to make all the decisive steps and tomorrow is another big one.”

Curtis Jones will hope to get another opportunity in midfield, having played only once – in the Europa League win over Union St Gilloise – since his controversial red card at Tottenham brought a three-match Premier League ban.

Jones was sent off for going over the top of the ball to catch Yves Bissmouma, but the replays made the incident look worse than it perhaps was.

“It’s been tough,” the 22-year-old said of his enforced time out. “I was at a point where I was playing games and doing well and then a small mistake like that stops the run of games. That’s in the past now and I’ve moved on, and I’ve got a chance now to play again so I’m excited.

“In terms of the tackle itself, I’ve seen it at the end of the game. It was unfortunate but then I’ve seen what the ref was shown, he was only shown the clip of my foot on the leg so I understand (the decision). I’ve moved past that and I’m excited for the next games.”

Derek McInnes waxed lyrical about free agent Gary Mackay-Steven but insists training facilities is still all he is being offered at Kilmarnock at the moment.

The 33-year-old winger left Hearts in the summer and is continuing his return to full fitness at Rugby Park following a foot injury.

McInnes was boss of Mackay-Steven at Aberdeen and is still a fan, but does not think “there will be anything imminent” in terms of a potential deal.

“I am delighted to have him,” said the Killie manager.

“Obviously I worked with him before and he did well for me at Aberdeen, and he has shown some lovely touches and has fitted in well with the lads.

“It is good to have him here and if I can help play a part in getting him up to speed then great.

“We are quite open to see where it maybe leads us, but at the minute there is nothing more to report on.

“He got his move to Celtic on the back of some good performances for Dundee United and we managed to buy him at Aberdeen for £150,000 I think it was, and he got involved in the fringes of the international squad.

“We were really keen to keep him at the time, but he got an opportunity to go to the MLS with New York and the whole lifestyle and experience thing won the race.

“He had decent experience out there and came back to Hearts.

“He is a player who can make the difference in certain games and he has always shown that quality.

“He is also a very good finisher and I thought he was terrific for me at Aberdeen, I really enjoyed working with him and he is a good boy.

“So he is someone we have kept in touch with and are giving him a helping hand at this moment in time, but you never know where it can lead.

“I haven’t even had a conversation with the board or anything like that. They know he is training but if it progresses, we will all know soon enough.”

London Broncos appear to have been doomed to spending a single season back in the Betfred Super League under rugby league’s new grading criteria which will determine the composition of the top flight from 2025 onwards.

The Broncos, who stunned Toulouse to clinch promotion via the Championship Grand Final earlier month, have been ranked a lowly 24th in the indicative grades which were released by RL Commercial and their strategic partner, the sports media giant IMG, on Wednesday.

Under the new criteria, promotion and relegation will be axed next year and replaced by a system which awards points across five key factors including support base, performance, finances, facilities and community integration – with the top 12 scorers automatically assuming a Super League place.

Seven clubs – Leeds, Wigan, St Helens, Catalans Dragons, Warrington, Hull KR and Hull FC – have been awarded Grade A status, which effectively makes them immune to relegation, with the remaining places allocated to the best-scoring Grade B clubs.

London scored just 8.07 out of a possible 25 under the new metric, leaving them, for example, six places below Newcastle Thunder, who resigned from the league and declared themselves unsustainable in the wake of relegation from the Championship last month.

IMG vice-president Matt Dwyer, who is heading the project, denied it was impossible for London to stay up but conceded: “Across all categories London need to be improving, (and) there’s plenty of room for them to improve.

“I would suggest that in 2024 they will be wanting to perform as well as they can to move along that path to being a category A club, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”

The Broncos were not immediately available to comment on the damning verdict, but it represented another blow for the sport in the capital, long championed as a “key area for growth” by rugby league chiefs, following the loss of London Skolars at the end of last season.

But Dwyer insisted the sport has a big future in London, adding: “Interest and participation is still quite high in London, so it still has the base that should make it a core market going forward.

“All that has been identified is the challenge we have to grow the market based off that score for London. It’s a hard market to crack and it’s a market we’ve tried to crack for a long time. It has the right ingredients, but we have to put those ingredients together and bake the cake.”

Based on the current rankings, which have been released in order to give clubs just under a year to address issues and potentially move up the table which will be released at the end of next season, Toulouse and Wakefield would be promoted back into Super League at the expense of London and 13th-placed Castleford.

Castleford have indicated they intend to appeal their indicative grade based on confusion over a point relating to finance, which if accepted would move them into the top 12 at the expense of Challenge Cup winners Leigh Leopards.

Championship winners Featherstone, who lost to the Broncos in their play-off semi-final, also expressed concern over the grading criteria which appear to diminish their own long-held hopes of reaching the top flight.

Featherstone rank 15th on the current list with a score of 10.65, meaning only a prospective expansion of Super League to 14 teams would give them a realistic chance of promotion.

In a wide-ranging statement, Featherstone questioned the weighting of some of the criteria towards what it called “future promises of potential” and said it was deflecting from deeper issues within the game.

“The leaders of the game, including key partners such as IMG, should urgently refocus its attentions on the marketing of the game rather than waste any more time on looking at structures and scoring systems,” said the statement.

“The excitement and jeopardy of our game is driven by what happens on the pitch, as has been admirably shown by London Broncos in their run to Super League.

“We have been promised that this would be at the forefront of the strategy under IMG – we remain unconvinced.”

Victory for either Vauban or Absurde in the Lexus Melbourne Cup would rank alongside the highlights of Willie Mullins’ career, according to the multiple Irish National Hunt champion trainer.

There is barely a prize in jumps racing that Mullins has not won, with the County Carlow handler counting three Cheltenham Gold Cups, four Champion Hurdles and two Champion Chases among his 94 Festival winners, plus the Grand National and any amount of the jewels of the Irish season.

However, Mullins believes a win the Flemington Group One on November 7 would match any of those achievements.

He said: “Looking at the profile of our yard, I don’t think we’re going to win a Breeders’ Cup, the chance of winning an Arc is going to be tough, so to us, the type of horse we have, it would probably be the biggest race in the world we could win.”

The Closutton handler acknowledged the historic nature of such a win, with County Carlow native George Watson among the 25 founding members of the Victoria Racing Club and the starter for the inaugural Melbourne Cup in 1861.

Mullins explained: “The guy who started it all was only two miles over the road, George Watson. He left here in 1840-something with a pack of hounds, started the Melbourne Hunt, that in turn founded the racecourse and in turn started the Melbourne Cup.

“He was the starter for 30 years, he was on the board that started Flemington and the Melbourne Cup, so it would be sort of rounding off the circle if we could bring it back to Carlow.”

Mullins is no stranger to Flemington, having first sent Holy Orders to finish a distant 17th behind Makybe Diva back in 2003.

He has hit the crossbar since with Max Dynamite finishing a half-length second in 2015 before returning two years later to take third, but he ranks ante-post favourite Vauban and Ebor victor Absurde as his best chances yet.

He said: “We’re very happy with Vauban and Absurde, both seem very well in Australia and David (Casey, assistant trainer) is very happy with the two of them.

“Both horses will handle any ground I think down there – probably softer ground would suit us better than a lot of the Australian or foreign horses. The weather down there, there’s a lot 30-degree days but it changes all the time. It’s not an issue I think with either of our horses, they could both go on fast ground.”

Vauban is a three-time Grade One winner over hurdles and made an immediate impact on the level when strolling home by seven lengths from Absurde in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot before a cosy Group Three win in the Ballyroan Stakes.

Absurde benefitted from an inspired Frankie Dettori ride to win the Ebor, but the Italian will not be in the plate again as even before he was given a 16-day ban that starts on November 7 for whip offences on Champions Day, he would not have been able to make Absurde’s weight of 8st 5lb.

Top Hong Kong jockey and old ally Zac Purton will instead take the ride as Absurde looks to make up the Ascot deficit with his yard’s number one hope.

Mullins said: “Zac Purton rides Absurde. He was third on Max Dynamite so I know Zac from before and he gave Max Dynamite a fantastic ride that day, so we were very happy when he became available. He can do the weight easily – Absurde has a light weight and it’s very hard to get top-class jockeys at that weight.

“I know their form ties in at Royal Ascot, Frankie gave him a good ride to get him settled and introduce him at the end but the race was over by the time he got going.

“You’d be hoping the Melbourne Cup would be a different pace and Zac can get Absurde settled. However, looking back on the Ebor, Frankie came up the wide outside from a wide draw which helped him to settle hugely.

“It might be harder for Zac to do something like that, although the straight in Melbourne is long enough from the two-mile start. We will have to see where we are drawn and what have you.”

Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews knows exactly what it takes to beat England at a World Cup and the veteran batter is promising to “fight fire with fire” when the sides meet in Bengaluru.

Mathews has only been an official part of the squad for 24 hours, called up as an injury replacement for Matheesha Pathirana after being left out of the original line-up, but goes straight into the side on Thursday.

The 35-year-old brings bundles of hard-bitten experience with him, including a few memorable tussles with England over the years.

There have been Test centuries at Lord’s, Headingley and Galle, as well as a brilliant knock in a losing cause in the T20 World Cup of 2016.

But most relevant to the task at hand was the dogged 85 not out in Leeds four years ago, a match-winning effort that threatened to derail what became a triumphant tournament for Eoin Morgan’s men.

Neither team can afford to lose at the Chinnaswamy Stadium this time, leaving Mathews ready for a high-octane affair.

“We have to fight fire with fire because we know they will come really hard at us,” he said.

“Obviously we have to play our ‘A’ game against a very strong England team. Even though they haven’t played to their potential they are a very dangerous team.

“We know their brand of cricket is all about being positive; if you take a backward step they are going to jump all over you and take the advantage. They can hurt us badly if we are complacent.”

Mathews also made it clear the expertise and inside knowledge of former England head coach Chris Silverwood, who now sits in their dressing room, has not gone to waste.

“Chris knows most of their players in and out, we’ve had discussions about their team as well,” he said.

Rasmus Hojlund says he is a work in progress that knows his worth as Manchester United’s big-money summer signing eyes improvements and derby success this weekend.

The Red Devils’ need for a striker has been obvious for some time but eyebrows were raised when they plumped for potential over a proven talent like Harry Kane.

United’s belief in Hojlund saw them pay Atalanta an initial £64million fee for the somewhat unproven striker, with the deal having the potential to reach up to £72m.

The 20-year-old’s promising start suggests the club’s confidence in the rough diamond was not misplaced and the Denmark striker appears comfortable with the price tag.

“I know my worth,” Hojlund said. “I know I have to perform every day because I play for Manchester United.

“In the end, I am only 20 years old and I am not the finished article yet. I still have a lot to improve and I am getting there slowly.

“I reckon I have had a fine start to the season and now we have to keep building and the goals will come in the Premier League.”

Hojlund was dealing with a back issue when he arrived from Italy, delaying his debut until September.

The 20-year-old has scored three in 10 appearances for United in all competitions, with the striker now looking to open his Premier League account having only scored in the Champions League to date.

“I play for my boyhood club,” Hojlund said. “I have always supported Manchester United, so I am living my dream every day.

“I try to show personality and want to give 110 per cent every time I play a football match, so maybe that is the reason why they are showing a special bond towards me.”

“I’ve tried my best every time I play, and I still need to find the rhythm.

 

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“We have been struggling a little bit, but we are getting there now. We have had three wins in a row, so that is very positive.

“For sure (I’m still getting used to the Premier League). I improve every day and my team-mates are starting to see my patterns in the game as well, so it is getting better and better every day.”

Hojlund believes a bond is developing with homegrown star Marcus Rashford, whose debut Manchester derby day heroics he would love to replicate this weekend.

The England forward scored United’s winner in his first senior match against rivals City, who head to Old Trafford for Sunday’s mouthwatering top-flight clash.

“It would be a big experience, so I am looking forward to it,” Hojlund said as United look to build on Premier League wins against Brentford and Sheffield United.

“It is always special to play a rival and if we win the game, we can get closer to the top, so it would be nice.”

Asked for his most memorable derby match, the boyhood United fan said: “The bicycle kick from Wayne Rooney, of course! Everybody remembers that, don’t they?”

Among the many talking points ahead of the Manchester derby is sure to be comparisons between Hojlund and City sharpshooter Erling Haaland.

The young talent’s profile, career trajectory and Scandinavian roots have led to numerous comparisons to the Norway striker, who United tried to sign in the past.

“Like I’ve said many times, I don’t want to be compared to him,” Hojlund said. “He is incredible and probably the best striker in the world right now.

“We can keep that on the low for now, but I hope I can improve and then we will see what I am capable of.”

Hojlund was speaking in the bowels of Old Trafford after United defeated his hometown team and former club in a crucial Champions League clash.

Erik ten Hag’s men needed kick-started their Group A campaign with Tuesday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory against a Copenhagen side that included Hojlund’s younger brother Oscar.

 

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Rasmus spoke alongside the 18-year-old, who came off the bench at Old Trafford hours after twin Emil helped Copenhagen Under-19s beat United in the UEFA Youth League.

“It is a great feeling being on the same pitch as my brother, and not only in a normal stadium,” the United frontman said.

“In Denmark it is one of the most special stadiums in the world, so it is a special feeling.”

Corach Rambler will start his season off at Kelso on Saturday, rather than Cheltenham.

The Grand National hero is all set for the Edinburgh Gin Chase at the Borders track, in preference to a handicap at Prestbury Park.

William Hill ambassador Russell said: “We could have gone to Cheltenham, but we just thought with this being a limited handicap it was the better option. He doesn’t have to give quite as much weight away and it should suit him nicely.

“He’s in really great form at home and everything he’s shown us so far suggests he’s still going as well as he did before the Grand National.

“You can never be sure how much these races take out of a horse, but he seems really well in himself and we’re looking forward to getting him going. He doesn’t take an awful lot of work to get fit and we took him for a racecourse gallop at Ayr which will have hopefully brought him forward too.

“He owes us absolutely nothing and he’s just a real joy to have in the yard.”

Tom Curry starts England’s World Cup bronze final against Argentina despite receiving online abuse in response to the allegation that he was the victim of a racist slur against South Africa.

Curry claimed that hooker Bongi Mbonambi called him a “white c***” in Saturday’s 16-15 semi-final defeat at the Stade de France, prompting World Rugby to launch an investigation that is ongoing.

The Sale flanker continues in the back row despite being in the eye of the storm, however, and will win his 50th cap in a rematch of the pool victory over the Pumas.

Owen Farrell leads a team showing eight changes in personnel and two positional switches, one of them Curry’s move to blindside flanker to accommodate Sam Underhill’s first appearance of the World Cup in the number seven jersey.

Marcus Smith is restored at full-back after passing the HIA that forced him to sit out the South Africa showdown and the knock-on effect is that Freddie Steward moves to the right wing.

Everton manager Sean Dyche has paid tribute to Bill Kenwright, who died on Monday at the age of 78, calling the late chairman “an amazing servant” to the club.

On Wednesday morning, Dyche and club captain Seamus Coleman laid flowers at the statue of Dixie Dean outside Goodison Park, where the Everton squad were holding a training session.

All players and staff observed a minute’s silence before the session and Kenwright’s image was shown on the stadium’s screens.

Everton announced on Tuesday that Kenwright had died following a battle with cancer.

In a statement on the club website, Dyche said: “His influence in bringing me to Everton in the first place was important and I have nothing but gratitude and respect for his unwavering support of myself, the staff and our players.

“It was a pleasure to share the moment of reaching our objective last season with him – a moment I know he felt so strongly about after such an arduous season, on and off the pitch…

“He was an incredible professional, in terms of what he did with Everton and also what he achieved in the theatre industry. Spending time with him and learning about his family, you couldn’t help but be taken by his passion.”

Dyche was told of the news midway through Tuesday’s training and called an immediate halt to the session as players and staff paid their respects.

Kenwright, who succeeded Sir Phillip Carter as chairman in 2004 after first joining the board at Goodison Park in 1989, had a cancerous tumour removed from his liver in August.

Liverpool-born Kenwright was a successful theatre and film producer when asked to join the Everton board in 1989.

He bought a majority 68 per cent stake in the club in 1999 and became deputy chairman before replacing Carter in his current role.

Dyche added: “Beyond his deep love of his family, one of those big passions, of course, was football – the game as a whole, as well as his obvious lasting love of Everton football club.

“His story – a boyhood supporter who went on to become chairman – is something so rare in the modern game, especially at the top level.

“He always believed in Everton and stood by the club, even in the toughest times. He was steadfast until the very end.

“Like so many who knew him, my heart and my thoughts are with his family at this extremely sad time.”

Bluestocking will be back again next year after a frustrating winless season ended with her finishing second in another Group One on Champions Day.

Ralph Beckett’s filly chased home Savethelastdance in the Irish Oaks and just failed to reel in Poptronic at Ascot on Saturday.

She was also placed in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot and finished fourth in the Yorkshire Oaks but failed to get her head in front even when dropped to Listed company at Chester in September.

Barry Mahon, racing manger for owners Juddmonte said: “She ran another cracker, she’s having a break for the winter but she’ll be back next year.

“The owners had said before Saturday that they would like to keep her in training.

“Rossa (Ryan) gave her a lovely ride on Saturday, I thought the winner would have come back to her a little more but in fairness to her, she kept going.”

Roger and Harry Charlton’s Time Lock ran in the same race but disappointed back in seventh.

“The ground was too testing for her,” said Mahon. “William (Buick) said he knew after a furlong she wasn’t in love with the ground, it was just too soft.”

Unfortunately similar comments applied to 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, he ended up being beaten 49 lengths.

“Frankie (Dettori) said he travelled great for five or six furlongs but then, having been off the track for a while, that ground found him out,” added Mahon.

“He couldn’t quicken off that really deep ground so he looked after him. We haven’t fully decided if he’s coming back next year or not.”

Next year promises to be another good one for Juddmonte either way, with the Middle Park runner up Task Force and Skellet, a narrow runner-up in the Oh So Sharp likely to take high order.

But Mahon also said it was too early to rule out Mill Reef winner Array from being a leading player despite him disappointing in the Dewhurst, for which he was supplemented.

“The horse we ran in the Dewhurst is a very nice horse but he came out of the that with an injury, so we didn’t see his true running there. I think he’ll be a nice horse next year, it’s not serious but enough to cause a below-par effort,” said Mahon.

Gabriel Jesus believes he can finally win the Champions League and has told his Arsenal team-mates to share the faith.

The Brazil forward has a love affair with Europe’s premiere club competition and was the difference-maker as Arsenal won 2-1 at Sevilla on Tuesday night.

Jesus provided a moment of magic to lay on the opening goal for compatriot Gabriel Martinelli before curling home a fine individual effort – although his celebrations were curtailed as he limped off with 10 minutes to go.

The former Manchester City striker, who came off the bench when Pep Guardiola’s side lost the 2021 Champions League final to Chelsea, has a phenomenal strike-rate in the competition – his goal at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium was his 23rd in 41 appearances for City and Arsenal.

He still harbours ambitions of winning the trophy and feels it is something he and his colleagues can achieve this season.

“It’s a competition that I love,” he said after his man-of-the-match display.

“All the competitions I love, because I just love to play football. But I don’t know, since day one in the Champions League, my debut, I scored goals.

“I haven’t won it yet, so I am looking for this, for this beautiful trophy. Obviously it is not easy, but I think we have to believe. If we don’t believe, we cannot be here.”

While his goal was a moment to savour, Jesus’ role in Martinelli’s opening effort will live long in the memory as a deft touch took two Sevilla midfielders out of the game.

A perfectly-weighted slide-rule pass played in Martinelli who, having missed a golden chance to break the deadlock earlier in the game, obliged with a cool finish as the two Brazil internationals combined to great effect.

“I think for me as the type of player I am, I drop a lot more on the left side than the right side,” Jesus replied when asked about his relationship and understanding playing alongside Martinelli.

“Obviously I drop on the right as well to help B (Bukayo Saka) and to play with B, but I drop more on the left. It works.

“The wingers we have, not just Martinelli and B, but Reiss (Nelson), Leo (Trossard) and even Eddie (Nketiah) or Fabio (Vieira) when they play there, they are quality players.

“I just go out wide and I try to play short passes and give them the ball, and they try to find me as well. It worked with Martinelli and I am very happy.”

Mikel Arteta’s side return to domestic action when they welcome Premier League bottom club Sheffield United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners are unbeaten in their opening nine league games of the campaign and Jesus could yet be involved despite limping off late on in Spain.

“I felt something. Let’s see,” he said. “I did some tests with the physio, it looks not that big, but let’s see. I have a scan, maybe tomorrow. I’m pretty sure it will be nothing.”

Tom Curry’s club have hit out at the “disgusting abuse” directed at the England player since he alleged he was racially abused in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa.

The flanker alleged he was called a “white c***” by Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi in the first half of the match and World Rugby is now investigating the matter.

Curry has been subjected to online threats since he made the allegation and his team Sale Sharks issued a statement expressing their strident support for him on Wednesday.

“Sale Sharks’ owners, players, coaches and staff are absolutely appalled by the nature and level of disgusting abuse directed at Tom Curry and his family in relation to an incident in the England v South Africa World Cup semi-final,” the post on X, formerly Twitter, read.

“Everyone at the club stands fully and proudly behind Tom and we look forward to welcoming him back to Carrington.”

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