Daniel Ricciardo will only remain in Formula One "under the right circumstances" and would only return to the circuit with a team that will help him fight to get back on the podiums.

Ricciardo was contracted to McLaren until the end of the 2023 season, but the agreement was cut short following underwhelming results amid continuous struggles with the car.

Alfa Romeo, Haas, AlphaTauri and Williams have vacant driver spots for the next grid, though, as the Australian's future team and position remains unclear.

The 33-year-old is yet to reveal his intentions, but wants to remain competitive in whichever team he signs for, and is even considering a break if no one can offer the right seat on the grid.

"I want to get back to winning, I want to get back to fighting for podiums and wins," he told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. 

"That's what gives me the most happiness. One thing that has remained unchanged for me is I've never wanted to be a driver just to be on the grid.

"Of course, I love this sport and I love everything that comes with it. But at this point in my career, it's just about winning.

"Under the right circumstances, the right opportunity, absolutely it's where I want to be, but obviously I might not have every option available."

Ricciardo has history with Alpine – the former Renault team he left in 2020 for rivals McLaren – and speculation persists as to whether he would return to his former team under their new name.

That largely depends on the ongoings between Oscar Piastri and McLaren, who are embroiled in a battle with Alpine to secure the driver's signature.

Asked if he would consider a return to his former side under a new guise, Ricciardo responded: "Yes. I don't know how else to say that. I'd say, if it's right.

"Obviously, it was tough because we made the announcement [joining McLaren] before racing had even started in that year. It was Covid and there was a lot going on.

"For sure, it was a little bit awkward for a bit, but once we were racing and had the year we had, I think everyone saw I was dedicated to make the most of that year.

"We'll see what feels right and is right, but it's purely going to be on where I feel I can be the most competitive."

While talks continues as to who Ricciardo will sign with, he admits he has received numerous offers, but will not be rushed into a decision.

"I don't want to make rash decisions, I want to get racing then see what feels right once I get the helmet back on," he added.

"I haven't signed anything. At this moment, I'm a free man so to speak."

Ricciardo also explained how he was targeting a team who were competitive immediately.

"When you understand a team a little bit more and if what you see is inspiring and motivating, you can quickly change your thought process [on a long-term project]," he continued.

"But I won't lie, I would like results quicker rather than later. But I am very open to what the future may hold, so I'm not going to sit here and shut anything down."

Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe has joined Ligue 1 side Nice on a season-long loan deal.

The Ivory Coast international, who arrived from Lille in August 2019 for a club-record fee of £72million (€79m), returns to France as he links up with Lucien Favre's side for the 2022-23 campaign.

Pepe was presented to supporters at Allianz Riviera prior to the second leg of Nice's Europa Conference League play-off tie with Maccabi Tel Aviv, where the French side are aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

The forward has racked up 111 appearances across all competitions during his three seasons at the Emirates Stadium, scoring 27 goals, and will link up with another former Gunner Aaron Ramsey. 

However, the 26-year-old has struggled to nail down a regular starting berth in recent times, starting just five Premier League games last season under Mikel Arteta.

And Pepe did not play a single minute during the early stages of this campaign, appearing as an unused substitute during the top-flight victories over Crystal Palace and Leicester City.

Pepe will hope he can make his debut for Nice when they welcome Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Jonny Bairstow batted England out of trouble after James Anderson and Stuart Broad delivered with the ball as the hosts made a strong start to the second Test against South Africa.

The Proteas posted 151 all out at Old Trafford, with Anderson and Broad taking three wickets each, as South Africa's innings victory at Lord's last time out was quickly forgotten.

England moved to 111-3 at the close in reply after an unbroken stand of 68 for the fourth wicket between Bairstow and Zak Crawley.

Bairstow's 38 not out from 45 balls was not quite a full-blown return to 'Bazball', but his positivity was refreshing as Crawley lived up to his name at the other end, trundling to 17 important runs from 77 deliveries.

At the start of the day, Anderson made a breakthrough in the fifth over after finding early movement off the pitch, having Sarel Erwee caught behind off an inside edge.

Broad soon sent South Africa captain Dean Elgar on his way as Bairstow took a sharp low catch, before the same bowler accounted for Keegan Petersen, snaffled by Joe Root at first slip.

Captain Ben Stokes snagged a fortunate fourth wicket when Aiden Markram mistimed a pull and a top edge was pouched by Ben Foakes, and the skipper had Rassie van der Dussen trapped lbw before lunch as South Africa went in on 77-5, in big trouble.

Anderson pinned Simon Harmer in front, and it was two wickets in two balls as the Lancashire paceman, on his home ground, struck in the same way to remove Keshav Maharaj.

When Broad teased an edge out of Kyle Verreynne, South Africa were 108-8, and Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach picked up a wicket apiece to end lower-order resistance, with Kagiso Rabada the last man out for a team-best 36. Petersen and Verreynne were the only other South African batters to reach 20, both out for 21.

England lost Alex Lees (4), Ollie Pope (23) and Joe Root (9) as Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Rabada made early inroads, reducing the hosts to 43-3; however, Bairstow and Crawley saw them through to the close without any further setback, building a platform for day two.

Happy hunting ground

Heading into this match, England had lost only one of their nine Tests against South Africa at Old Trafford (W4, D4), a three-wicket loss in July 1955. They defeated the Proteas by 177 runs in their most recent such meeting (August 2017).

Jay Vine secured a first professional victory on stage six of the Vuelta a Espana in weather conditions so bad TV cameras could not even pick up footage of him crossing the line.

The Australian, a late convert from indoor cycling, finished a comfortable 15 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel, though the Belgian still took the red jersey, which hands for the third day in a row.

Enric Mas remained in the hunt with a third-place finish, sitting 28 seconds behind Evenepoel in the General Classification, while Primoz Roglic could not keep pace and finished over a minute behind his rivals.

Juan Ayuso came fourth, 55 seconds off the lead, while Rudy Molard – second in the standings and 21 seconds behind Evenepoel – finished 35th on the day.

Evenepoel's charge to the top of the standings sees the Belgian become the youngest leader of the Vuelta since Ettore Pastorelli 34 years ago, taking the red jersey following an unprecedented summit finish at Pico Jano.

Three more days of action over the weekend before the next rest period in Alicante on Monday leaves plenty left to be decided, and there have been several surprises over the course of the week.

Vine's jubilation

Vine was understandably over the moon with his performance and found himself looking back on fulfilling a dream after a tricky start.

"It's almost unreal. At 70k to go, I missed the break; got a flat tyre in the first 5k. Even though it was still the team's plan if it all came back together for me to go on the final climb, it's unreal to be able to do it," he told Eurosport.

"From the GC group, it's incredible. I've been working towards this all year, after last year, coming so close. It's a dream come true."

STAGE RESULT

1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 04:38:00

2. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +00:00:15

3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +00:00:16

4. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) +00:00:55

5. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +00:01:37

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 20:50:07

2. Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) +00:00:21

3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +00:00:28

Points Classification

1. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) 127

2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 118

3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 47

King of the Mountain

1. Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH) 13

2. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 11

3. Ruben Fernandez (Cofidis) 11

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been named the 2021-22 UEFA Men's Player of the Year, beating team-mate Thibaut Courtois and Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to the gong.

The France international solidified his status as the frontrunner for this year's Ballon d'Or with victory over the pair, with the award bestowed following the Champions League group-stage draw in Istanbul on Thursday.

Benzema, top scorer in both the Champions League and LaLiga last term as he guided Madrid to a double, netted 44 goals in 46 games across all competitions.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti also was feted at the ceremony, beating Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp to be awarded the UEFA Men's Coach of the Year Award.

Serena Williams will face Danka Kovinic in the first round as the American great begins her final US Open campaign.

It will be a final grand slam for 40-year-old Williams, who has won six singles titles in New York and been a runner-up on four occasions.

Her first singles crown in a major came as a 17-year-old at Flushing Meadows, when she beat Martina Hingis in the 1999 final.

Now the end of a glorious career is beckoning for the 23-time singles major winner, who has also landed 16 doubles grand slam titles.

Kovinic is the world number 80 from Montenegro, with the 27-year-old having only won two matches at the US Open in four previous main-draw appearances.

The winner of that match will likely face Estonian second seed Anett Kontaveit in round two. Kontaveit's first-round opponent will be Romanian Jaqueline Adina Cristian.

Defending champion Emma Raducanu, who was a shock winner last year, faces a tricky first-round assignment against France's Alize Cornet.

Cornet is the tour veteran who beat Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, ending the Pole's 37-match winning streak, and this will be her 64th consecutive grand slam appearance, a record for WTA Tour players.

World number one Swiatek starts against Italian Jasmine Paolini and could face 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in round two.

Former champion Naomi Osaka, unseeded this year, was paired with Danielle Collins, the 19th seed who was an Australian Open runner-up at the start of the year.

The tournament gets under way on Monday.

Men's defending champion Daniil Medvedev faces American Stefan Kozlov in his opener, while Rafael Nadal, who has not lost a grand slam match all year, faces Australian wild card Rinky Hijikata.

Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open titles before pulling out of Wimbledon ahead of his semi-final against Australian Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal tear.

That handed Kyrgios a bye through to face Novak Djokovic, who got the better of the Australian, but the Serbian must miss the US Open because his refusal to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus meant he would not be allowed to enter the United States.

Djokovic's absence was confirmed shortly before the draw was revealed.

Fast-rising Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz begins against Argentina's Sebastian Baez, while fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will face a yet-to-be-determined qualifier.

Jose Mourinho's words of advice to Dele Alli have been well publicised ever since the release of the Tottenham-focused All Or Nothing documentary series in 2020.

"I am 56 now and yesterday I was 20. Time flies. One day I think you will regret it if you don't reach what you can reach," the former Spurs boss told Alli, who for the first time in his rough career was, at the start of the 2019-20 season, enduring a rough patch of form.

"I am not expecting you to be the man of the match every game. I am not expecting you to score goals every game. I want just to tell you that you will regret it. You should demand more from yourself."

Less than 18 months after the documentary aired, Alli's Tottenham spell was over, moving to Everton on what was initially a free transfer at the age of 25.

Frank Lampard was confident he could reinvigorate the midfielder, whose ability to find space in the area had often drawn comparisons to the Chelsea great. Yet with Everton fighting to survive, questions over the sensibility of the transfer were raised.

Now, his stint at Goodison Park is coming to an end, at least for the season. Alli has joined Turkish club Besiktas on loan, and while a hero's welcome in Istanbul will surely have been a boost to his confidence, it is hard not to look back at Mourinho's words and think where did it all go wrong for one of England's brightest prospects?

Superstar in the making

Alli's rise was nothing short of sensational. Having signed from MK Dons, Alli made his Premier League bow for Spurs against Manchester United in August 2015. He went on to score 10 top-flight goals and provide nine assists in a remarkable breakout campaign.

His best season followed in 2016-17, when he scored 22 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions, averaging a goal every 182 minutes. He followed that up with 29 direct goal involvements (14 goals, 15 assists) in the 2017-18 campaign, and was a key player for Gareth Southgate as England went on to reach the World Cup semi-finals at Russia 2018. It is hard to see him being involved in Qatar this time around.

Given a free role behind Harry Kane in Mauricio Pochettino's side, Eriksen was able to thrive, running beyond the striker to latch onto pinpoint Christian Eriksen deliveries, or able to find pockets of space on the edge of the box to show his prowess with shots from range. He truly looked to have it all.

Hard times in north London

Spurs reached the Champions League final in 2019, but it would be fair to say even by that stage, Alli's impact had started to wane. Injuries did not help, but he managed only eight direct goal contributions in the Premier League that season and failed to score in Europe.

Pochettino's tenure came to an end in November 2019. Alli had scored twice in the league prior to Pochettino's dismissal, but had been particularly close to his coach (indeed, when Alli left Spurs, he paid tribute to the impact the Argentine had on his career).

Mourinho arrived and, while some hard truths might have been given behind the scenes, Alli looked sharp in the Portuguese's first weeks at the club. But the promising signs did not last, and prior to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown of March 2020, he was by no means a guaranteed starter.

Alli finished the elongated Premier League campaign with eight goals in 25 appearances, but in Mourinho's first full season in charge he was relegated to a benchwarmer, making just two top-tier starts before the former Manchester United and Chelsea manager was sacked in April 2021. 

Nuno Espirito Santo attempted to play Alli deep in midfield in his short-lived Spurs spell, and his last goal for the club did come under the ex-Wolves boss, from the spot in a 1-0 win at Molineux. Yet Antonio Conte started him just twice in the competition, and the writing was on the wall when he was left out of Tottenham's squad altogether for a meeting with Chelsea in January.

Goodison to Istanbul

Alli and Lampard both spoke glowingly of the transfer to Everton, sealed on the last day of the January window.

Those words did not translate into minutes for Alli, though. He came on for his Everton debut in a 3-1 loss to Newcastle United in February, and despite a promising cameo in a 3-0 defeat of Leeds United, time on the pitch was even tougher to come by as the Toffees slipped further into the relegation dogfight.

While Alli came on to play a key role in a 1-1 draw with Leicester City, it did seem as though whatever plan Lampard had for the midfielder had been cast to one side, but a game-changing performance in Everton's survival-clinching comeback win over Crystal Palace in May suggested there could be a place for him at Goodison this season, especially following Richarlison's sale to Spurs.

Even without a recognised striker fit to feature from the off in matches against Chelsea and Aston Villa, though, Lampard went with Gordon – himself set for a move to London – up front over Alli, who had deputised in an attacking role in pre-season.

Last week, reports of Besiktas' interest were confirmed by Lampard, and once again the writing was on the wall, especially with Everton wary that if Alli played 20 times (he finishes with 13 appearances, no goals or assists and only seven chances created), they would have to fork out £10million to Tottenham.

Now, it is in Turkey that Alli will attempt to revive a career that once promised so much. He joins Istanbul on loan with an option for the Istanbul club to buy. It is hard not to think he won't have Mourinho's comments running around his head.

Dele Alli has completed a loan move to Besiktas from Everton, with the Turkish club having an option to buy the England international.

The midfielder only joined the Toffees from Tottenham in January on a two-and-a-half-year deal as one of the first signings for manager Frank Lampard.

Alli made 11 appearances for Everton as they escaped from Premier League relegation last season, with only one start, and has featured twice so far in the new campaign, both times from the bench.

The 26-year-old was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park last weekend, and will now look to get his career back on track with Besiktas.

Everton signed Alli on what was essentially a free transfer, but would have owed Spurs £10million once he had played 20 games across all competitions. That fee could have potentially risen to £40m if performance-related add-ons were met.

Everton are paying a portion of Alli's wages for the duration of his loan period in Istanbul. 

While Alli will hope to play regular football again, the move abroad likely ends any distant chances he may have had of forcing his way back into Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The attacking midfielder, who has not scored an open play goal in the Premier League since January 2020, was a key member of the England team that reached the semi-finals at Russia 2018, scoring in the 2-0 quarter-final win against Sweden, but was omitted from last year's squad for Euro 2020.

US Open boss Stacey Allaster said it was "very unfortunate" that Novak Djokovic would have to miss the upcoming grand slam.

Shortly before the draw announcement, it was confirmed that three-time Flushing Meadows champion Djokovic would be absent.

His stance on refusing a COVID-19 vaccination meant he would be prevented from entering the United States, denying the 35-year-old another shot at glory in New York.

Tournament director Allaster said: "Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government's vaccination policy for non-US citizens.

"We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open."

The tournament begins on Monday, with Russian Daniil Medvedev defending the title he secured by beating Djokovic in last year's final, when entry requirements to the US were not so restrictive.

Serbian Djokovic has won 21 grand slam titles, one fewer than Rafael Nadal who has already arrived in the Big Apple ahead of the final major of the year.

Nadal moved ahead of Djokovic and clear at the top of the men's all-time list by winning the Australian Open and French Open titles this year, before having to withdraw from a Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios because of an abdominal tear.

Djokovic was not allowed to play at the Australian Open at the start of the year, when issues surrounding his visa ended with him being deported from Melbourne on public health grounds due to not taking the vaccine.

Simone Inzaghi praised Romelu Lukaku's contribution since he returned to Inter on loan from Chelsea, as he backed the Belgian striker to hit top form sooner rather than later ahead of their trip to Lazio.

Inter have made a perfect start to their Serie A title bid, following up a last-gasp win at Lecce on the opening day by beating Spezia 3-0 last time out.

Lukaku, who fired the Nerazzurri to the Scudetto in 2020-21 with 24 league goals before heading to Chelsea, needed just 82 seconds to find the net when making his second Inter debut at Lecce.

While the Belgian then failed to score in Inter's routine win at San Siro last weekend, Inzaghi was content with his display and believes it will not be long until he is scoring regularly once more.

"I think he did the first two games in the best way. It is not a matter that concerns only Romelu, but the whole team," Inzaghi said at a pre-match press conference.

"We know that the condition is improving, we know we have players with important physicality and therefore we knew we needed some important games. 

"We started quite well, we want to continue trying to improve all our players, including Lukaku. 

"We also want to recover [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, who will be very important, there will be 19 games in a row before a stop [for the World Cup]. We will have to try to have all the players available. Tomorrow everyone travels except Henrikh."

Lukaku scored 47 goals in 72 Serie A appearances in his first spell at Inter. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (60 goals in 66 appearances) and Ciro Immobile (56 in 72 games) outscored him in the competition during that time.

Lukaku's return has raised hopes that Inter could reclaim the Serie A title this season, but holding onto defender Milan Skriniar, who was strongly linked with Paris Saint-Germain, could prove just as important.

While Skriniar struggled with a muscle injury during pre-season, Inzaghi is pleased with the Slovakia international's progress, adding: "I see him very well, concentrated, attentive. 

"There was a problem at the beginning of the preparation, it came from an injury with the national team, something new for him because he had never skipped a training session in the last years. 

"Instead, this time he slowed down for 40 or 45 days and his condition is growing."

Inzaghi suffered his first league defeat as Inter boss when visiting former club Lazio in October last year, with Immobile on the scoresheet.

And while Inzaghi still enjoys a close bond with last season's Serie A top goalscorer, he is not enthused by the prospect of facing the Italy international on Friday.

"A great affection binds me to him, he made very important seasons with me, he did it again last year with [Maurizio] Sarri," he added. 

"I know it's a special game for everyone, we all care about it. I hope Ciro always scores, but maybe tomorrow he rests!"