Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says defender Ben White can "make the step up" to be part of England's 2022 World Cup squad.

The 24-year-old centre-back was left out of Gareth Southgate's last England squad for the Nations League games against Italy and Germany.

Right-back Kyle Walker's groin injury has opened up the possibility of a World Cup recall for the versatile White, who has played that role with the Gunners this season.

"Ben would be very comfortable playing on the right side of a back three as well as in the middle or as a full-back," Arteta said.

"If you ask me if he is ready to make that step [to England], then the answer is yes because he is a very confident boy, he gives you absolutely everything, he is always available and he has the courage to play under real pressure."

White, who has four caps for England, was a replacement for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold in the Euro 2020 squad after initially missing the cut.

Alexander-Arnold will be part of the Liverpool side to face Arsenal on Sunday and looms as one of the strongest contenders for the England right-back role.

"He is a very special talent," Arteta said about Alexander-Arnold. "What he adds offensively to the team every year is difficult to find in that position."

White, who was Brighton and Hove Albion's Player of the Season in 2020-21 before joining Arsenal, has made eight Premier League starts this term.

Patrick Cantlay carded a joint course record and career low 60 to move to grab a share of the lead with Tom Kim at the Shriners Children's Open with one day to go.

Cantlay, who had shot back-to-back 67s, tied the course record on the third day at Las Vegas' TPC at Summerlin with 11 birdies in his 11-under-par round.

The American world number four just fell shy of the elusive 59, missing with his birdie putt from just under 25 feet on the 18th hole.

Cantlay's 60 was his first on tour as a professional, having achieved the feat in 2011 as a 19-year-old amateur at the Travelers Championship.

Kim and Cantlay are three strokes clear on the leaderboard at 19-under overall, with halfway leader Mito Pereira back with Matthew NeSmith on 16 under.

The South Korean managed six birdies on the back nine to score an impressive nine-under-par 62 on Saturday.

Kim landed his approach on the 18th two feet from the hole to close out his round with birdie and earn the joint lead.

Pereira could only manage four birdies to lose his grip on the lead, while NeSmith had a strong eight-under round fueled by three birdies on the final four holes.

South Korean pair Im Sung-jae and Kim Seong-hyeon are next best on the leaderboard at 15 under.

Behind them is a group of five tied at 14 under, including Kim Si-woo and Aaron Rai, who carded a nine-under 62 on Saturday, with four birdies on his final five holes.

The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to modify concussion protocols following an investigation of Tua Tagovailoa's recent injury, saying his return to a game against the Buffalo Bills was "not what was intended when the protocols were drafted".

Although the investigation found the Miami Dolphins to have followed existing protocols "as written", NFLPA president J.C. Tretter believes Tagovailoa's treatment was not a "meaningful application" of the rules.

The Dolphins came under heavy scrutiny for their decision to field Tagovailoa against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4, a game in which he sustained a concussion.

In Tagovailoa's previous outing against the Bills, he appeared unsteady on his feet after his head slammed against the turf following a heavy collision. 

The NFL and NFLPA launched an investigation into the handling of that injury after he returned to the field shortly thereafter, with head coach Mike McDaniel saying he suffered a back injury.

A joint NFL-NFLPA statement released on Saturday read: "The parties have completed their joint review of the application of the NFL's concussion protocol following the injury to Miami Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa during their game on September 25, 2022.

"While the investigation determined that the team medical staff and unaffiliated medical professionals followed the steps of the protocol as written, the NFL and NFLPA agree that the outcome in this case is not what was intended when the protocols were drafted.

"As such, as has been done in previous cases, based on the advice of the parties' respective medical experts, the protocol will be modified to enhance the safety of the players.

"Specifically, the term 'ataxia' has been added to the mandatory 'no-go' symptoms. If a player is diagnosed with 'ataxia' by any club or neutral physician involved in the application of the concussion protocol, he will be prohibited from returning to the game.

"The parties remain committed to continuing to evaluate our protocol to ensure it reflects the intended conservative approach to evaluating player-patients for potential head injuries."

Tretter, however, has since taken to social media to criticise the Dolphins' handling of the incident, tweeting: "We do not believe this was a meaningful application of the protocols. 

"Nobody, including the NFL, believes he should have been put back in the game. It is problematic that he was cleared for a back injury for which the lead doctors never took the time to examine."

Tagovailoa has been ruled out of the Dolphins' Week 5 fixture against the New York Jets on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp hopes Mohamed Salah is close to "exploding" into a rich vein of goalscoring form, but believes comparisons with Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland are unfair.

Salah shared the Premier League's Golden Boot with Son Heung-min after scoring 23 goals in the competition last term, but has only found the net twice in seven outings this season.

The Egyptian's diminishing returns have mirrored those of his team, with Liverpool sitting 13 points behind City – with a game in hand – ahead of Sunday's trip to Arsenal.

Haaland's arrival has taken City to new heights this campaign, with the Norwegian hitting 15 goals in his first nine Premier League games, and Klopp believes any comparisons with Salah would be unhelpful.

"With Mo, I hope it's like us, we are close to exploding," Klopp said. "Whose season was it yet? From our side, nobody.

"Mo is like this, even when his goalscoring numbers aren't crazy, often he's involved, it's just the problem that if you don't score around that, nobody appreciates that.

"Nobody in the world can cope with the [Erling] Haaland situation, it's crazy what he's doing. 

"He's an exceptional player in an exceptional team and I don't think we should compare anyone with that at the moment.

"Mo wants to score goals desperately, 100 per cent, that will never change. Call him in 20 years, it will be the same."

Liverpool approach their trip to the Emirates Stadium having recorded two draws and one defeat in their first three away outings of the Premier League campaign.

Not since 2010-11, under Roy Hodgson, have Liverpool failed to win any of their first four away league games in a single season.

Meanwhile, Saturday represented the seventh anniversary of Klopp's appointment at Liverpool, and the German left each of his two previous posts – at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund – before bringing up an eighth year at the helm.

Klopp, however, insisted Liverpool's struggles have nothing in common with those of his former clubs, saying: "The situation in the clubs was very different. 

"A seven-year spell was not planned or because I lost energy or these things. I was manager at Mainz and after three years, we got promoted to the Bundesliga then three years later we got relegated.

"We tried one more year and the club needed a change. Players left us for the Bundesliga, so they needed a fresh start, definitely.

"I was full of energy. I went directly to Dortmund and it was all fine. [It was] seven years and it was just a situation that players constantly got bought by other clubs.

"It was a really hard job to do, instead of developing a team, constantly making two steps back. It was really intense and really exhausting.  

"I can understand that I left after seven years, and now we are in a difficult situation, but, if you think twice about it, you realise the situation is completely different.

"Being here for seven years is intense, no doubt about it. But it's nice as well, I got so many things back. If there's one club that has a chance to go through it together, it's us."

Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier confirmed a common Spanish insult was the cause of Sergio Ramos' bizarre red card against Reims, as he claimed referee Pierre Gaillouste failed to control the contest.

Ligue 1 leaders PSG dropped points for just the second time this season on Saturday after a 0-0 draw at Reims, failing to make the breakthrough against their struggling hosts after Ramos' red card.

Ramos received two yellow cards in less than a minute shortly before the break, having remonstrated strongly with the referee after tripping Marshall Munetsi.

The Spaniard's dismissal was the 21st of his league career (in LaLiga and Ligue 1) – at least seven more than any other defender in Europe's top five leagues has received this century.

Speaking after the draw, which leaves PSG three points clear of Marseille at the summit, Galtier stressed his belief that Ramos did not mean to offend Gaillouste.

"I know Sergio Ramos very well, I'm not sure that the insult that came out was directed at the referee," Galtier said. 

"It's an insult that you hear all the time on a training ground, that you hear a lot in Spain. The referee took it from him and kicked him out, I'm not going back [to speak] on that."

PSG faced 24 shots against Reims, the most they have had to contend with in a Ligue 1 match since December 2011 (against Saint Etienne), and Galtier was unhappy with their performance.

"There was a lot of nervousness that I can't explain, on both sides," Galtier added. "There were a lot of duels, clashes, neither of the two teams mastered the events. 

"None of the three parties, the teams and the referee, did control this game and there was a lot of nervousness."

Gaillouste has handed out six red cards in the six Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches he has refereed this season (four in Metz v Guingamp, one in Nantes v PSG, and one in this match).

Although Galtier disagreed with the decision to send Ramos off, he was equally irritated by the "stupid" nature of his red card, particularly given Ramos will now miss a meeting with Marseille next week.

"I will talk about it with them because there are sequences of matches. We need the maximum number of players," Galtier added. "Missing matches because we took stupid cards… obviously we have to fix that. I will talk about it with them."

PSG have only lost one of their last nine Ligue 1 games in which they received a red card and finished against 11 men (W4 D4), a 5-1 loss at Lille in April 2019. 

Carlo Ancelotti considered a "solid" defensive display cause for celebration as Real Madrid beat Getafe 1-0 to move above Barcelona at the LaLiga summit.

Los Blancos were far from their fluid best at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, but Eder Militao's third-minute header was enough to see them return to winning ways in the league after last weekend's 1-1 draw with Osasuna.

It was the first time Madrid had kept a clean sheet in eight LaLiga games this season, so Ancelotti was pleased in that regard, hailing his central defenders.

He was less enthused by Madrid in an attacking sense as they failed to add to their early opener.

"We were very solid and both Militao and [Antonio] Rudiger played a great game," he said. "We could have scored more goals, but at this point in the season that doesn't matter.

"Scoring early did not force us to be in a hurry, and we did not force our plays that much. We created many opportunities, but we did not score enough.

"The team has played very well, and we are satisfied. Last season here we were beaten, and today the team has been more solid.

"I asked the players not to risk passing late on and to ensure their passing was accurate because the score was very tight."

Madrid face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday, before a mouth-watering Clasico clash against Barcelona next weekend.

Ancelotti rested Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy for the short trip to Getafe, and the Italian head coach suggested he is likely to rotate his side for the midweek match in Warsaw against their opponents from Ukraine.

He is trying to avoid talking about the Barcelona game for now, but that fixture is taking on major significance given both teams have started strongly.

"I think the Clasico is still a long way off," Ancelotti said. "I've rested Benzema and Mendy, and it may be that on Tuesday I can rotate a little more."

Eden Hazard was an unused substitute against Getafe and has been limited to just 98 minutes of league action so far this season.

Ancelotti, however, said the former Chelsea winger will be called upon in the coming matches.

"Hazard is training well and will have his chance very soon," the Madrid head coach added.

Edin Terzic applauded his Borussia Dortmund players for their "wild" comeback which brought about a dramatic 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in Saturday's Klassiker.

Head coach Terzic saw his side fall two goals behind after Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sane both struck from long range.

He later suggested other teams would have folded at that point and crumpled to a heavy defeat, so Dortmund's resilience and refusal to buckle brought cause for celebration.

Youssoufa Moukoko narrowed the deficit in the 74th minute, and Anthony Modeste equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage time when he headed in Nico Schlotterbeck's cross.

The scenes of delirium inside Signal Iduna Park told their own story, with Dortmund halting a run of eight consecutive defeats to their great rivals.

"It was a very intense match," Terzic said. "In the first half in particular, we defended very well and kept it compact in the middle.

"The ball was in front of us. We gave away only that one shot at goal which made it 1-0. 

"At that point, it's not so easy to keep your discipline when the emotions and the desire to take risks are being transmitted to the team from the stands.

"You then need to be careful that you don't open up too early and that the gaps don't become too big."

Terzic responded to Sane's 53rd-minute strike by bringing on substitutes Karim Adeyemi, Modeste and Thorgan Hazard in an effort to save the game.

"It got wild towards the end; that was also the aim of the substitutions," Terzic said. "It was end to end.

"What was very positive was that we believed up until the last moment that something was still possible, even though we'd missed a huge opportunity to equalise in the 82nd minute."

Modeste scuffed his shot from Adeyemi's cross on that occasion, but after Bayern went down to 10 men, losing Kingsley Coman for a second bookable offence when he tugged at Adeyemi, there was a final twist to come.

"It was a very deserved point because we created many chances at the end," Terzic said. "When you're 2-0 down against Bayern, the match normally ends 4-0 or 5-0.

"That didn't happen today. We were able to put an exclamation mark behind the mentality question for today."

Filippo Ganna made cycling history by beating the UCI hour world record by over a kilometre with his attempt in Switzerland on Saturday.

The INEOS Grenadiers rider was trying to beat the previous mark of 55.548km set by his team-mate Dan Brigham in August.

Ganna achieved it in style as he finished with a distance of 56.792km, a full 1.244km ahead, achieving his feat at the Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen.

The double world time trial champion, who signed a four-year extension with INEOS in August, said: "To arrive at this amazing goal is fantastic for me, and all the INEOS Grenadiers staff who worked for a long time to arrive at this result. This result is amazing. 56.792 kilometres is not bad!

"Next time maybe I'll try in another part of the season with fresher legs and we can go higher again.

"This result is amazing. Now I'm thinking about recovery and trying to celebrate together with everyone here."

Brigham also congratulated Ganna on taking his record, saying: "A massive kudos to Filippo for that historic ride. I know the commitment, determination and work that's needed to put in a performance like that.

"It's fantastic that this ambitious project came together on the night. Having my record beaten by Filippo was always part of the plan and it's great to have such a deserving team-mate as the new record holder."

Antonio Conte will attend the funeral of Gian Piero Ventrone on Sunday after the Tottenham boss oversaw an emotional Premier League win at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Spurs fitness coach Ventrone died on Thursday, reportedly after being diagnosed with leukaemia, and Conte said his fellow Italian had asked just days ago if he could be allowed to miss work due to illness.

After Harry Kane's goal earned a 1-0 win for Spurs, who sit third in the table, Conte spoke about the trauma that all at Tottenham have felt over the loss of Ventrone.

It was the first time Conte had opened up in public about Ventrone, having cancelled his regular pre-match press conference on Thursday.

He said it had been "really, really difficult for us to focus on the game", saying the experience of recent days had been "incredible".

Conte had not been expecting Ventrone's death, and its impact on the former Juventus and Italy coach has been profound.

He said he was aware Ventrone's health was "really problematic" early in the week.

"But no one could have expected this situation because no one knew something about this illness," Conte said. "It was an illness but under control and then it is very difficult because the situation hit me a lot under the emotional aspect.

"When it happens, it is very difficult to cover your feeling with the players and with the people that work in Tottenham.

"At the same time, I have seen a lot of solidarity. The players were really devastated by the pain and in the whole Tottenham environment the feeling was really bad because in only 10 months I think Gian Piero got through the heart of everybody."

Ventrone was a man Conte wanted on his Spurs staff, confident he would make his players stronger and fitter, with the pair having known each other for 30 years.

He described Ventrone as "a scientist". Conte spoke to Ventrone on the Thursday prior to his death, when illness was taking a toll. Ventrone said he was experiencing "a bit of a fever" and felt he could not attend training, according to Conte, but at the same time he was reluctant to be absent.

Conte said Ventrone then spoke to him about his health situation, and in turn was told not to worry about his Tottenham duties but to take care of himself.

Manager Conte said Spurs' players were "really devastated" by news of Ventrone's death, which came at the age of 62. Many have paid fond tributes to the trainer.

"Sometimes life puts you in difficult situations, but we have to cope in the best possible way to overcome this situation," Conte said in an interview posted by Tottenham. "But we'll never forget Gian Piero. Gian Piero will live in my heart and my head."

Conte explained a Tottenham delegation, which he is expected to lead along with chairman Daniel Levy, will head to Naples for the funeral.

"I want to tell his son and daughter that they need to be strong because Gian Piero was strong, a strong character," Conte said.

"He doesn't want to see us unhappy. It's difficult to make him happy because we are really devastated by the pain."

Real Madrid leapfrogged Barcelona to the LaLiga summit as Eder Militao's thumping header secured a 1-0 win over Getafe on Saturday.

Los Blancos dropped points in the league for the first time last weekend when they drew 1-1 with Osasuna, but they bounced back to winning ways at Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez.

The only goal of the game was scored after just three minutes when Militao powered home Luka Modric's left-wing corner from close range – the Brazil international's first goal of the season.

The result saw Carlo Ancelotti's men jump above Barcelona, who they face next weekend, into top spot, although Xavi's men will usurp them if they beat Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Madrid wasted little time stamping their authority on the game as Militao stole in at the near post to convert Modric's corner from three yards.

Fabrizio Angileri flashed narrowly wide for Getafe soon after, while at the other end David Soria kept out a header from Vinicius Junior.

The Brazilian was awarded a penalty shortly before half-time after being brought down by Luis Milla, but referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz reversed his decision after VAR spotted that the ball had gone out of play in the build-up.

The second half started at a frantic pace, with Soria denying Aurelien Tchouameni and Andriy Lunin getting down quickly to keep out Carles Alena's strike inside the opening minutes.

Madrid were denied a second goal shortly before the hour mark as VAR spotted Rodrygo was offside before his cool finish over Soria, but it mattered little in the end as Madrid saw the game out to seal all three points.

What does it mean? Stubborn defence helps Los Blancos to victory

Madrid were winless in their last two visits to Getafe, failing to score in both, so Ancelotti will be relieved they took maximum points against their neighbours this time.

The Italian will also be pleased his side kept a clean sheet for the first time in eight LaLiga games this season.

Magical Modric

Modric's corner for Militao's header took the Croatian maestro up to 50 assists in LaLiga. He became the sixth Madrid player to reach this tally in the competition since the 2003-04 campaign, after Karim Benzema (103), Cristiano Ronaldo (87), Marcelo (63), Toni Kroos (59) and Guti (53).

Militao shines at both ends

He ensured the headlines were his with the decisive goal, yet Militao was just as effective at the back for Madrid. The 24-year-old made a joint game-high five clearances, while no Madrid player made more than his two blocks.

What's next?

Madrid are in Champions League action against Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw on Tuesday, before El Clasico takes place on Sunday. Getafe, meanwhile, visit Rayo Vallecano on Friday.

Paris Saint-Germain were hamstrung by Sergio Ramos' bizarre red card as they toiled to a 0-0 draw with Reims in Ligue 1, dropping points for just the second time this season.

With Lionel Messi absent through injury and Neymar starting on the bench, PSG were less than fluid with 11 men, struggling to make inroads against their stubborn hosts.

Christophe Galtier's men were forced to play the majority of the match with 10 after Ramos' moment of madness, the Spaniard picking up two bookings in quick succession shortly before the break, the second for dissent.

Neymar then came off the bench to squander PSG's best chance of the second half, as the perennial Ligue 1 champions failed to move five points clear of Marseille at the summit. 

Visiting goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf made a strong early save from Fabian Ruiz's curling effort, before Dion Lopy sent a volley over the crossbar at the other end.

PSG struggled for attacking inspiration in the early exchanges, but went close twice in quick succession after 33 minutes; Nordi Mukiele blazing over after Diouf had denied Kylian Mbappe at close range.

The Ligue 1 leaders were dealt an extraordinary blow 10 minutes later, with Ramos being sent off for confronting the referee less than a minute after seeing yellow for tripping Marshall Munetsi.

Gianluigi Donnarumma got down to stop Munetsi's goal-bound effort as Reims continued to press after the break, before Neymar side-footed wide of the near post from Mbappe's well-timed pass following his introduction.

Vitinha then curled over as Neymar's presence energised PSG, but Oscar Garcia's strugglers were ultimately good value for a result that lifts them back out of the relegation zone.

It is too early to declare the Premier League a two-horse race for the title, but the blows Manchester City and Arsenal continue to trade are making for increasingly compelling viewing.

Arsenal will have to respond on Sunday after City's latest majestic showing against sorry Southampton.

Chelsea look re-energised under Graham Potter, while Eddie Howe continues to weave his magic at Newcastle United, who scored more goals than even City on Saturday.

Antonio Conte's Tottenham only needed one goal to round off the day by maintaining their impressive start to the campaign at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Before attention turns to events at Emirates Stadium, Stats Perform picks out the best data from Saturday's matches.

Chelsea 3-0 Wolves: Manager-less visitors far from cloud nine

The sacking of Bruno Lage did nothing to improve Wolves' fortunes, as their run of winless away Premier League games was stretched to nine (D2 L7).

That is their longest such run since going 10 games (D4 L6) without a win on the road in January 2012.

On top of that, Wolves remain winless in nine league away games with Chelsea (D3 L6)

Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the Blues and has now found the net twice in his last three league games, more than in his previous 12 matches in the competition. The German has netted in consecutive home league games for the Blues for the first time.

Mason Mount laid on two of the goals for Potter's men, marking the first time he has recorded two assists in a single Premier League games since a meeting Leicester City in February 2020.

Manchester City 4-0 Southampton: KDB the assist king for rampant champions

Pep Guardiola's men will be in the rare position of hoping Liverpool deliver a result against Arsenal on Sunday, after the champions leapfrogged the Gunners back to the top of the table.

Erling Haaland was on the scoresheet again, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, though he did only register one goal in this one-sided affair.

The Norway star is just the second player to score in seven consecutive Premier League games for Manchester City, after Sergio Aguero (May-September 2019).

Kevin De Bruyne provided the assist for Phil Foden to double City's lead after Joao Cancelo opened the scoring. De Bruyne's 94 assists mean he now has the outright most for City in the Premier League, overtaking David Silva (93).

City's incredible prowess in front of goal saw them become the first team to score at least four goals in five consecutive top-flight home games since Tottenham in September 1963 (a run of six).

Newcastle United 5-1 Brentford: Bruno the talk of the Toon

The Magpies are fifth after a dominant performance at St James' Park, and their fans can perhaps afford to hope of challenging at the top consistently for the first time since the days of Bobby Robson.

Newcastle's five-goal effort followed a 4-1 win at Fulham, making it the first time they have scored four-plus goals in successive Premier League games since September 2001, when Robson was in charge and oversaw wins over Middlesbrough and Manchester United. This was also the first time Newcastle have scored five in a Premier League game since May 2016 (5-1 vs Tottenham), a game that came after their relegation to the Championship was already confirmed.

Worries about the second tier look to be a distant memory now. Newcastle have lost just one of their last 11 Premier League games (W5 D5), while only City (66), Liverpool (61), Tottenham (61) and Arsenal (55) have won more points than the Magpies (52) in the competition this calendar year.

Newcastle's remarkable form under Howe is down in no small part to Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazil midfielder scored a fine double in this one and now has more goals (7) than any other Newcastle player since making his Premier League debut in February.

Brighton and Hove Albion 0-1 Tottenham: Conte defeats another compatriot

Conte is one of four Italian managers to lift the Premier League trophy and enjoyed success against another trying to make his way in England as Spurs saw off Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton side.

Conte is now unbeaten in all seven of his Premier League matches against fellow Italian managers (W6 D1) and has seen his sides keep clean sheets in four of their last five such games.

Son Heung-min teed up Harry Kane for the game's only goal, making it the 43rd time they have combined for a Premier League goal, extending their own record.

Kane has scored 12 goals in his last 12 league games, and has found the net in each of his last four, his joint-longest scoring streak in the competition and the seventh time he has achieved that feat.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green will step away from the team for a short period after being involved in a physical altercation with team-mate Jordan Poole.

On Wednesday, reports suggested Green could face disciplinary action after becoming involved in a heated interaction with Poole, forcing the team to halt practice.

Subsequent social media footage of the incident appeared to show the players pushing one another before Green escalated the confrontation by throwing a punch.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Green apologised to Poole and his family, and professed his hope he could still face the Los Angeles Lakers in Friday's season opener.

"Number one, I was wrong for my actions," Green said. "There's a huge embarrassment that comes with [this].

"Not only for myself, as I was the one who committed the action, but the embarrassment that Jordan has to deal with and that this team has to deal with, this organisation has to deal with.

"But also Jordan's family. His family saw that video. His mother, his father saw that video. If my mother saw that video, I know how my mother would feel.

"I watched the video 15 times, maybe more, because when I watch the video, I'm looking at the video, I'm like; 'this looks awful! This looks even worse than I thought it was'. It's pathetic."

Asked whether he expected to be involved on opening night after spending a short period of time away from the team, Green added: "Yeah, I expect to play. Will I play? That's a different story. It's something we will figure out. What the answer is, is to feel our way through this."

Green's future has been the focus of speculation recently, with the four-time NBA champion stating he does not expect to agree a contract extension in the near future.

But the 32-year-old was adamant any frustrations concerning that situation had nothing to do with Wednesday's incident, adding: "The one thing I can assure you is that that had absolutely nothing to do with anything.

"I am a flawed human being, and the work I've done to correct those flaws – I think – has been tremendous.

"There's a long way to go, that's a constant work in progress. The day that that took place, I was in a very, very bad space mentally, dealing with some things in my personal life."