Ange Postecoglou described Celtic as a “bucket list” club for managers as he tipped continuing success under his replacement Brendan Rodgers.

The new Tottenham boss stunned Hoops supporters when he left for London at the end of last season, days after clinching the domestic treble in Scotland with a Scottish Cup final win over Inverness.

Postecoglou, who won five out of six trophies in his two seasons in the Celtic hot seat, was succeeded by Rodgers, who has returned for a second spell in charge of the cinch Premiership champions.

Speaking at his first Tottenham media conference, the former Australia manager was asked if leaving Glasgow was a difficult decision.

“Yes it was a tough decision,” he said. “It’s a special football club. If you have a bucket list as a manager of football clubs you want to manage, that is probably one of them.

“The supporters are not really supporters, the club is an extension of them, it’s a family.

“We had a brilliant two years, great group of players, great staff. We had some fantastic success and great moments within that.

“I will cherish them, but I am the kind of guy who loves a challenge. I love a build, I love a rebuild. That is where I feel I am at my best.

“This challenge when it came along had all the elements I need to get going again.

“I know Celtic have appointed Brendan Rodgers, who is an outstanding manager, and they will continue to have success.

“They have great players, great infrastructure, it is a great football club. I was very fortunate to be allowed that responsibility for a couple of years.

“Now my goal is to try and make some special moments here and create something special for this great football club as well.”

George Boughey’s Soprano has the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes in her sights after an encouraging Royal Ascot performance.

The chestnut daughter of Starspangledbanner won on debut in a Newmarket maiden in May, beating subsequent Hilary Needler winner Midnight Affair, and was then an admirable third in the Albany Stakes.

On the latter occasion she was two lengths behind the winner, Porta Fortuna, and a length behind Aidan O’Brien’s Matrika, since successful in the Group Two Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh.

Soprano will also be making the step up from Group Three to Group Two level when she heads to the July course on Friday.

Harry Herbert, of owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said: “She’s in great form, she runs in the Group Two at Newmarket – the Duchess of Cambridge.

“That’s very much the plan, with Ryan Moore booked to ride.

“There’s been a really good form boost and she’s a very smart filly.

“I think she will be even better over further which is exciting for the future, but she’s in good form and I think a stiff six at Newmarket will suit her.

“She ran such a blinder at Royal Ascot, William (Buick) said that had things gone a bit differently, had she broken better and been a bit nearer the pace, then she might have gone very near to winning.

“We’ll see, she deserves to take her chance and she’s very exciting.”

The British Grand Prix is closing in on a deal to secure its long-term future, with the head of Motorsport UK David Richards insisting it is “just a matter of time” before a new contract is announced.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen extended his winning streak, with Lando Norris holding off Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling battle between the two British drivers, at Silverstone on Sunday.

However, a five-year £100million contract signed off by Formula One’s American owners’ Liberty Media, Silverstone and the British Racing Drivers’ Club, which owns the Northamptonshire venue, in 2019 is up for renewal next season.

The British Grand Prix has been an ever present on the F1 calendar, dating back more than 70 years, with Silverstone staging the sport’s first world championship race.

But Motorsport UK chairman Richards said: “I don’t think there is any question that the deal will get done. Both the BRDC and Liberty are keen to see that resolved and it is just a matter of time.

“We were hoping it would be announced this weekend – that wasn’t the case – but that is not because there is no willingness to get it done.”

A record crowd in excess of 150,000 people watched Verstappen’s sixth consecutive win on Sunday, with nearly half-a-million fans in attendance at Silverstone over the course of the weekend.

Liberty has flirted with the idea of staging a street race in London, but a number of roadblocks have thwarted any serious progress.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said: “We don’t have a new contract yet.

“But we are the most sustainable race in the championship – by virtue of having seven out of 10 teams located nearby, so there is no long-haul aviation.

“We have got 2,700 solar panels powering the Paddock Club. We have a huge recycling operation here and that is very important to F1 in helping them achieve their net zero carbon 2030 target.

“We have radically improved our entertainment programme. The races are thrilling and they get excellent television audiences. It is very popular with sponsors and VIPs. The Paddock Club is in the top two or three of all the races that Formula One sell every year.

“And for the last four years that F1 has surveyed its fans after every race, Silverstone have won those customer surveys, and by some margin too.

“So I struggle to know what more we can do if that is not enough. We are really enjoying working with F1 at the moment. The product is fantastic. Privately F1 are recognising our efforts and I hope publicly they are too.”

Sonny Liston will be attempting to land a knockout blow at York on Saturday when he lines up in the John Smith’s Cup.

Ralph Beckett’s charge was outboxed by stablemate Jimi Hendrix when second in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot but now has the chance to get the judge’s verdict as one of 33 who remain in contention for the valuable £200,000 contest.

Owned by Chelsea Thoroughbreds, the four-year-old has not had his hand raised since striking on debut when trained by Charlie Hills, but connections are banking on the gelding relishing a step up to 10 furlongs to return him to the winner’s enclosure.

“He runs off his old mark and we wanted to get him in somewhere off that mark,” said Emma Spencer, managing director of Chelsea Thoroughbreds and also racing manager for the owners.

“He’s proven over a mile and a quarter and although he didn’t stay in the Derby, he was third at Chester in the Dee Stakes and then he was third in a Group Three at Goodwood.

“So there is a case for saying that a mile and a quarter is his ideal trip and if he runs like he did the other day and he seems to be in a good place then the race could really suit him.”

Richard Fahey’s course-and-distance winner and last year’s fourth Spirit Dancer is also among the possibles for the historic 10-furlong handicap, with Simon and Ed Crisford’s Sea The Casper, William Haggas’ Amleto and Andrew Balding’s Nobel all potential improvers who head to the Knavesmire appearing unexposed and on the back of victories last time.

Also looking to go one better than at Royal Ascot is Kerdos who will line-up in the John Smith’s City Walls Stakes.

The three-year-old son of Profitable was downed late on by Rhythm N Hooves when a silver medallist in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes and trainer Clive Cox hopes he can get in the mix once again as he steps up to Listed level.

“Kerdos ran a blinder at Ascot and the Listed race at York, the City Walls Stakes, that would be our next target for him,” said the Lambourn-based handler.

“Obviously it is against older horses, but he’s a progressive three-year-old who we are really happy is going the right way.

“We know the family very well. I trained his sire Profitable and he’s out of a half-sister to Priceless who was a Group Two winner in the Temple Stakes at Haydock. They normally progress with age and this fella seems to fit that profile well.”

Kerdos is one of 17 possible runners for the five-furlong Listed event, with Edward Bethell’s Regional chief featuring in the opposition following his Achilles Stakes victory at Haydock last month.

Achilles second and third Equilateral (Charlie Hills) and Raasel (Mick Appleby) are also involved, while Fahey’s Great State was a winner of the Listed Westow Stakes over course and distance during the Dante meeting and will be bidding to provide his Malton-based handler with more success at one of his local tracks.

Beatriz Haddad Maia was left in tears after she was forced to retire during her fourth-round match with defending champion Elen Rybakina.

The Brazilian was enjoying her best run at Wimbledon, having never previously got past the second round, but hopes of a first quarter-final appearance were taken away from her when she suffered a hip injury early in the first set.

She had a lengthy medical timeout trailing 3-1 and tried to carry on but after being unable to move during a Rybakina service game it was clear that she could not continue.

Having been in tears throughout the last game, she reluctantly walked to the net and shook hands with the score at 4-1.

It meant that Rybakina’s smooth progress continued as she was on court for just 21 minutes and will now be able to put her feet up to watch Ons Jabeur and Petra Kvitova battle it out for the chance to play her in the quarter-finals.

Former England bowler Steve Harmison believes Ollie Robinson’s Ashes series could be over, suggesting the hosts “can’t afford to take the risk” over his fitness.

Robinson has played all three games so far, taking 10 wickets at 28.40, but was sidelined for the majority of the three-wicket victory at Headingley with back spasms.

The 29-year-old, who was restricted to just 11.2 overs, suffered similar issues during the last Ashes series Down Under in 2021-22 and in the subsequent tour of the West Indies.

With record wicket-taker James Anderson raring to return at his home ground of Emirates Old Trafford in the fourth Test, Robinson looks set to step down, but Harmison believes he may also be out of contention for the series finale at the Kia Oval too.

“He’s done for me; I think he’s done in the Ashes,” Harmison told talkSPORT.

“I think history has repeated itself. He came into the last Ashes and wasn’t able to bowl the overs he could do because of his body. I’m not going to speculate on where he is from a fitness point of view or whether it’s just unfortunate that these injuries have come.

“But England can’t afford to take the risk. With two games left in the series that we have to win, we have to pick the best bowlers. Ollie is one of them but he’s got to be fit to be one of them.

“He started the last couple of Tests at 78mph…and you’re starting to drop to 76, 75mph. As great a record as he’s got in Test cricket, unfortunately he needs to get his fitness and his body up before he starts playing Test cricket again.”

Robinson riled Australia with his fiery send-off of Usman Khawaja in the first Test, with the likes of Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden queuing up to criticise the seamer.

Hayden did so in particularly colourful fashion, taking aim at his pace by accusing him of bowling “124kph nude nuts”.

Great Britain softballer Alana Snow is eager to move on from the heartbreak of narrowly missing out on the 2020 Olympics as her side prepare to kick-start a redemptive new era and take on the world.

Snow was part of the GB squad that in 2019 were one win away from qualifying for the Tokyo Games but fell to Italy at the last hurdle, and she has now reunited with her team-mates in Dublin for the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup.

While their campaign may not receive as much attention as the Lionesses, whose FIFA World Cup bid also begins this month, Snow is sure her team has similar potential to inspire girls to dream of representing their country in a fast-growing sport – just like she once did.

“I can speak of my own experience growing up in Surrey,” Snow told the PA news agency. “My aspirations, my goals and who I saw was always the national team.

“Though I went to the States and played at university, the goal was always playing for my country. Like the Lionesses, they’re such symbols and hopefully being a symbol for girls in softball and maybe us being that next step is so, so important.

“My motivator was not professional, my motivator was not college. My motivator was how can I represent my country the best I can, and I think that if we have a chance then this team can really do that for girls here and I would love to be a part of that.”

Last month, Snow participated alongside Major League Baseball greats in a Trafalgar Square home run derby during MLB’s London Series weekend, a valuable opportunity to alert the general British public to the fact of her team’s very existence.

Unlike football’s World Cups, the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s 18-team showpiece is a multi-stage process, beginning with the first round of matches on Tuesday in Fingal-Dublin, one of three group stage hosts alongside locations in Spain and Italy.

World number 16 Great Britain will take on ninth-ranked Australia in the Group A and tournament opener, with two teams from each of the three six-nation groups advancing to next July’s finals in Italy.

In February, UK Sport funnelled an extra £90,000 of funding into Great Britain’s baseball and fastpitch softball national teams, a boost of both confidence and resource designed to increase the teams’ chances of Olympic qualification – though first the sports themselves will need to clear a major hurdle.

Athletes are eagerly awaiting the International Olympic Committee’s October session in Mumbai, where the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is expected to be finalised.

Baseball and softball featured at the Tokyo 2020 Games but will not be part of next summer’s Paris Olympics, with the sport’s leaders hopeful that a United States-hosted Games will catalyse their respective returns and beat out fierce interest from competition including lacrosse, cricket and flag football.

“It’s a must,” said Snow of the decision’s impact on the GB programme. “It’s so inspiring for us to be a part of. Our goal right now, all we’re talking about long-term wise is the 2028 Olympics.

“How optimistic am I? I’m in my head counting it as a guarantee. Like, America obviously loves baseball and softball. It’s the American pastime. I have no doubt that it’s going to be passed.

“Like, 100 per cent. And I think we are building, and this result this summer in Ireland is so important for us, for the building blocks of what’s to come next.”

Teenager Mirra Andreeva was given a point penalty for throwing her racket and refused to shake the umpire’s hand in a fourth-round loss to Madison Keys at Wimbledon.

The 16-year-old Russian, who has been a crowd favourite on her debut at the All England Club, looked set to become the youngest player since Anna Kournikova in 1997 to make the quarter-finals here when she led by a set and 4-1.

But Keys fought back and Andreeva was given her first warning by umpire Julie Kjendlie after flinging her racket across the grass when she lost the second-set tie-break.

She then appeared to throw her racket again when Keys forced deuce at 2-5 in the deciding set, earning a second warning and an automatic point penalty, which gave her opponent a match point.

Andreeva argued her case with Kjendlie, saying: “Do you understand what you are doing? I didn’t throw the racket. I slid. It’s the wrong decision. I slid and then I fell.”

But the decision stood and Keys won the next point to clinch a 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-2 victory, with Andreeva heading to the net to shake hands with her opponent but walking straight past the umpire.

Andreeva had feared being defaulted after whacking a ball angrily into the crowd at the French Open and teenage petulance is something she will clearly need to grow out of, but there is no doubt she is a special talent.

She had not played on grass until the qualifying tournament two weeks ago but she has learned quickly on the surface and her mix of terrific defence and intelligent point construction will win her a lot of matches.

For nearly an hour she was completely in control, with Keys, who possesses one of the most natural ball strikes in the game but can be very erratic, making error after error.

The American pulled herself together just in time, changing her tactics to follow her big groundstrokes to the net and even breaking serve with a left-handed forehand winner.

By the time the second-set tie-break came around, it was Keys who had the momentum, and Andreeva was unable to shrug off her disappointment at the beginning of the deciding set.

She briefly threatened to turn things around again but Keys kept her composure while Andreeva lost hers and with it the match.

As expected, Royal Ascot winner Khaadem has been supplemented for the Pertemps Network July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday where he will clash with another Ascot hero, Shaquille.

Charlie Hills stated last week the “obvious target” for his surprise Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer was the midsummer highlight on the July course, and the £36,000 supplementary fee was paid on Monday.

Julie Camacho’s Shaquille put up a remarkable display to win the Commonwealth Cup during the same meeting having missed the break, but this time he will have to beat his elders – as well as confirm form with Aidan O’Brien’s Ascot runner-up Little Big Bear.

Another northern raider, the Michael Dods-trained Azure Blue, is also strongly fancied on the back of her win in the Duke of York Stakes over Highfield Princess.

Kinross is in there for Ralph Beckett, but he will have to do without his usual partner Frankie Dettori, who is currently on the sidelines suspended.

Cold Case, Art Power and Run To Freedom are also among the 14 possibles.

Aidan O’Brien’s exciting City Of Troy is one of 12 in the bet365 Superlative Stakes.

The Justify colt won easily on his debut, making even the usual reticent Ryan Moore reach for the superlatives.

Charlie Appleby’s Great Truth and the Richard Hannon-trained duo of Son and Haatem are among his possible rivals.

There are 42 left in the bet365 Bunbury Cup, with Saeed bin Suroor’s Shining Blue at the top of the weights.

Chaldean is set for a break while connections attempt to get to the bottom of his lacklustre performance in the Prix Jean Prat.

Andrew Balding’s 2000 Guineas hero was dropping back in trip for the Deauville Group One having suffered defeat at the hands of Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, despite travelling with what appeared his usual zest close to the pace in the hands of Oisin Murphy, the Classic winner failed to pick up and his challenge faded tamely as Fabrice Chappet’s Good Guess ran out a convincing winner.

The Frankel colt will now be fully checked over to see if there is any physical reason for the below-par display or whether a busy early season has simply caught up with the Juddmonte-owned colt.

“It was obviously not the horse’s true running, but we’ll have to wait until the horse gets home to check him out fully to see if there is something there or whether it was he had a hard race in Ascot and was just flat,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for the owners.

“On all known form it was not his true running and we’ll just have to see if anything comes to light.

“I think he’ll have to have a break now. Whether there is something underlying or it just turns out he has run flat, we’ll have to wait and see, but I think he will need a break now to freshen up for the back-end of the year.”

There are still plenty of big-race options on the table for Chaldean when he does return, with a trip to the Breeders’ Cup a possibility for later in the season.

Mahon added: “There’s lots of races for him. There’s the Prix Jacques le Marois (August 13), the race at Ascot on Champions Day (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, October 21) and the Breeders’ Cup Mile (November 4), so there will be plenty of opportunities for him.

“I always felt the Breeders’ Cup would suit him, especially this year at Santa Anita, but we’ll have to see. We’ll get him checked out first and we know that wasn’t his true running.”

However, there was some joy for the owners this weekend as Ralph Beckett’s Westover enjoyed a more successful venture to France to pick up his second Group One in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

Last year’s Irish Derby winner had run fine races in defeat to finish second in both the Dubai Sheema Classic and Coronation Cup so far this term, but produced a brilliant display to open his four-year-old account.

“To start the season behind Equinox was a good run and he ran a great race in the Coronation and it’s now nice to get the Group One at Saint-Cloud and make him a dual Group One winner,” said Mahon.

“To break the track record was a special feat when you consider so many great champions have won that race over the years.”

Westover holds an entry for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot on July 29 and although that will remain high-up in connections’ thoughts, there is a chance that could come too soon following his heroic exertions in the Paris suburbs.

“I was talking to Ralph last night and we said we will definitely keep it (King George) under consideration,” continued Mahon.

“He’s had a hard race on Saturday – you don’t break the track record without having a hard race – and it’s not a huge amount of time between now and the King George. It will very much depend on the horse’s well-being and we’ll let the horse tell us.

“He is in everything and has options everywhere. He could go to an Irish Leger (September 10), he could go to an Arc (October 1), he could go to a Breeders’ Cup Turf (November 4). He could even go to Hong Kong and he’s in everything. He’s there to be enjoyed and we will see what Prince Khalid’s family would like to do and see as we go along.

“He’s mentally and physically more mature now and he’s a good traveller. In a race he’s adaptable which is great and we think he’s on an upwards curve.”

Chaldean is set for a break while connections attempt to get to the bottom of his lacklustre performance in the Prix Jean Prat.

Andrew Balding’s 2000 Guineas hero was dropping back in trip for the Deauville Group One having suffered defeat at the hands of Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, despite travelling with what appeared his usual zest close to the pace in the hands of Oisin Murphy, the Classic winner failed to pick up and his challenge faded tamely as Fabrice Chappet’s Good Guess ran out a convincing winner.

The Frankel colt will now be fully checked over to see if there is any physical reason for the below-par display or whether a busy early season has simply caught up with the Juddmonte-owned colt.

“It was obviously not the horse’s true running, but we’ll have to wait until the horse gets home to check him out fully to see if there is something there or whether it was he had a hard race in Ascot and was just flat,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for the owners.

“On all known form it was not his true running and we’ll just have to see if anything comes to light.

“I think he’ll have to have a break now. Whether there is something underlying or it just turns out he has run flat, we’ll have to wait and see, but I think he will need a break now to freshen up for the back-end of the year.”

There are still plenty of big-race options on the table for Chaldean when he does return, with a trip to the Breeders’ Cup a possibility for later in the season.

Mahon added: “There’s lots of races for him. There’s the Prix Jacques le Marois (August 13), the race at Ascot on Champions Day (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, October 21) and the Breeders’ Cup Mile (November 4), so there will be plenty of opportunities for him.

“I always felt the Breeders’ Cup would suit him, especially this year at Santa Anita, but we’ll have to see. We’ll get him checked out first and we know that wasn’t his true running.”

However, there was some joy for the owners this weekend as Ralph Beckett’s Westover enjoyed a more successful venture to France to pick up his second Group One in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

Last year’s Irish Derby winner had run fine races in defeat to finish second in both the Dubai Sheema Classic and Coronation Cup so far this term, but produced a brilliant display to open his four-year-old account.

“To start the season behind Equinox was a good run and he ran a great race in the Coronation and it’s now nice to get the Group One at Saint-Cloud and make him a dual Group One winner,” said Mahon.

“To break the track record was a special feat when you consider so many great champions have won that race over the years.”

Westover holds an entry for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot on July 29 and although that will remain high-up in connections’ thoughts, there is a chance that could come too soon following his heroic exertions in the Paris suburbs.

“I was talking to Ralph last night and we said we will definitely keep it (King George) under consideration,” continued Mahon.

“He’s had a hard race on Saturday – you don’t break the track record without having a hard race – and it’s not a huge amount of time between now and the King George. It will very much depend on the horse’s well-being and we’ll let the horse tell us.

“He is in everything and has options everywhere. He could go to an Irish Leger (September 10), he could go to an Arc (October 1), he could go to a Breeders’ Cup Turf (November 4). He could even go to Hong Kong and he’s in everything. He’s there to be enjoyed and we will see what Prince Khalid’s family would like to do and see as we go along.

“He’s mentally and physically more mature now and he’s a good traveller. In a race he’s adaptable which is great and we think he’s on an upwards curve.”

Dundee United have announced the loan signings of Luton goalkeeper Jack Walton and Cardiff defender Ollie Denham for the 2023/24 season, subject to international clearance.

The 25-year-old Walton joined Luton from Barnsley for an undisclosed fee in January but was unable to play a part in the Hatters’ promotion push to the Premier League after picking up an injury.

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin told his club’s official website: “Jack is a very good young keeper who commands his area and will put demands on the defenders in front of him by being vocal and a good organiser.

“Having played a number of games in the English Championship, he has also been part of two promotion-winning teams already in his career and we are very grateful to Luton for their help in getting the loan deal over the line.”

United have also signed 21-year-old defender Denham on a loan from Cardiff.

The former Manchester United youngster has made eight appearances for the Bluebirds and was called into the Wales squad last year.

Goodwin said: “Ollie is a young talent who is very highly regarded at Cardiff and played a number of games in the English Championship. He’s a modern-day centre-back with good mobility and one who enjoys defending.”

Georgia Stanway feels she has developed “so much” on and off the pitch during her year with Bayern Munich – although she rates her German as “terrible”.

The 24-year-old midfielder left Manchester City, where she had been since 2015, and joined Bayern last summer before playing a key role in England’s home-soil Euros triumph.

As she now prepares for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand starting next week, Stanway has had a season with her new club which began with some issues, ended with a league title and overall, she says, has enhanced her as a player and person.

Asked how she is faring in terms of picking up the local language, though, she said: “Terrible. I’ve seen a quote which says ‘life’s too short to learn German’ and I completely agree.

“I have two lessons a week and my teacher keeps saying ‘it’s going to click’, but nearly 12 months in and there’s no click yet.”

Of the bigger picture, Stanway said: “I’ve developed so much on and off the pitch.

“On the pitch I’ve got so much more responsibility. I have a leadership role which I never expected to happen in such a short space of time.

“I’ve been consistent in my performances in the position I’m playing in which I’ve been able to make my own and that only helps me when I come into this environment. Whether it’s technical actions or that I’ve got more control over my game, it helps.

“In terms of the way I am as a person I’m just so much more open. I went to a country where no-one knew who I was and I’d never met anyone I was with before and I could be whoever I wanted to be and no-one was going to judge me for that.

“I think that’s so important in a football environment…to just be you.”

Stanway arrived in Germany four days after the Euros final, was in one apartment for three months, then moved into one of her own that had no kitchen at first – a situation that meant, in a good way, that she “had to ask for help”.

Socialising with team-mates has been a big aspect of her experience, with her saying: “We do so much outside of football as a team at Bayern and that has made us stronger on the pitch which is really important.”

Stanway says she had a winter break “dip”, adding: “It wasn’t necessarily an emotional time but it was more just the kind of time where I could have just stayed on the sofa for two weeks.

“I was supposed to meet Keira (Walsh, her England and former City team-mate) in Barcelona for New Year but I didn’t even make it out there for New Year because I was just that tired. I was sleeping long past my alarm until the middle of the afternoon which is something I’ve never done before.

“I was just absolutely shattered. After that two weeks you’re able to go again. But it’s important people do recognise how hard we work.”

Stanway’s Bayern debut last September was a 0-0 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt in which, she says, she “really struggled”.

She said: “I couldn’t get on the ball and gave away a few fouls. Obviously first-game nerves, you want to try and turn up, be the hero, which is normal.

“But since then I’ve gained consistency. My technical actions are much more consistent and my range of passing is massively improved.”

She ended up making 21 starts, scoring six times, in Bayern’s league success, and also netted three Champions League goals.

Stanway – who sang Sweet Caroline to her team-mates as an initiation song, and then, thanks to an audio delay, “the worst version you’ve ever heard” to a Munich crowd after the title win – says she is “really proud” of how she has performed for Bayern, adding: “To win a trophy in my first year is unbelievable.”

Germany could be World Cup quarter-final opponents for England and Stanway said: “To be fair Sarina (Wiegman, the England manager) probably knows everything already. She probably knows more than me. She’s a genius that way.

“That could be interesting. I’ll probably have to stay off my phone that week.”