Christophe Galtier has told Paris Saint-Germain's superstars that a team that defends together can win big together.
New head coach Galtier believes squad spirit is contagious, and that such togetherness holds the key to getting the best out of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi this season.
The man now at the helm at Parc des Princes watched the PSG trio from afar last term, while bossing Nice. They spluttered at times as a combination when they were widely expected to take French and European football by storm.
Rarely have such a starry trio belonged to the same club at the same time, and they will be expected to better last season's performance as PSG again go after their holy grail: Champions League glory.
In Ligue 1 last season, Mbappe rattled in 28 goals in 35 games, but Neymar again missed chunks of the campaign and finished with 13 goals in 22 outings in the competition, while former Barcelona captain Messi hit the back of the net just six times in 26 league appearances, despite having an expected goals (xG) tally of 11.4.
Mbappe was absent through suspension for the 4-0 Trophee des Champions thrashing of Nantes last weekend. Messi opened the scoring, Neymar added a double, and Sergio Ramos completed the rout as Galtier, who took over from the sacked Mauricio Pochettino in July, picked up early silverware.
When the Parisians head to Clermont for their league opener on Saturday, Mbappe will be available once more, and that means in all likelihood the front three will be reunited.
"It's a pleasure to have Kylian Mbappe back for the first league game," said Galtier. "He's been involved in our pre-season."
Galtier was asked directly about what the key would be to getting the best out of the front three, but the coach took a tangential path to offering his view, and in doing so indicated he perhaps expects extra effort from Mbappe, Messi and Neymar when it comes to contributing all over the pitch.
"In terms of our defensive set-up we have a collective desire and responsibility. Also, as individuals. There can be periods in matches where it is very tight and the team hasn't yet got on top of the opposition in terms of the scoreline or finding spaces," Galtier said.
"We want to be very focused on not letting the opposition affect our style of play. We have a priority as a team and as individuals.
"When you have team-mates making a big effort, of course, that is contagious, and it means the players around them want to make the same effort. So we need to make sure this is what happens.
"There might be moments in games where it is not going so well. The midfield and defence might need to accept that there can be periods of the game where, for whatever reason, these attackers might find it hard to get back, or that could also go for the wing-backs.
"We have to accept that we all have to defend together, but sometimes the players who might be involved in the first stage of recovery with our pressing game might not be in the right position. So we have to do everything we can to create time for them to get back into the right position in our defensive block."
Galtier said he and PSG would benefit from the experience of former Real Madrid captain Ramos, who spent the majority of his first season with the club on the sidelines due to injury woes.
"It is always good to have players like him, and they can bring their experience," said Galtier. "Professionalism. That is what they bring to their team-mates, and to me they also have experiences that I haven't had, so I can learn from that, and they might also have answers to questions that I am asking myself."
In Clermont's debut Ligue 1 season last term, they were beaten 4-0 and 6-1 by PSG on the way to finishing 17th, just avoiding the drop.
PSG have won each of their past seven opening games in Ligue 1, a sequence which has only previously been surpassed by Marseille (10) and Bordeaux (9).
This will be PSG's 50th season in Ligue 1, and it brings them an opportunity to land an 11th league title, which would take them ahead of Saint-Etienne to become the outright most successful team in the competition's history. Anything less would be considered a failure.
Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic is "fully convinced" of the quality in his squad, despite a lack of firepower up front.
Dortmund sold Erling Haaland to Manchester City, with the Norway forward moving on after two-and-a-half years in the Bundesliga.
Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 appearances across all competitions for Dortmund, who brought in Sebastien Haller as the 22-year-old's replacement.
However, the former Ajax and West Ham striker was last month found to have a malignant testicular tumour, with Dortmund confirming the 28-year-old will now undergo chemotherapy.
That has left Terzic, who has replaced Marco Rose as coach, with Donyell Malen – who managed only five league goals in his first season at Dortmund – as his likely striker choice for Saturday's Bundesliga opener against Bayer Leverkusen.
Terzic has no doubt over the quality at his disposal, though he suggested Dortmund will look to bring in another forward before the end of the transfer window.
"A coach's job is to find the best internal solution with the players available," he said in a news conference. "I am fully convinced and we are fully convinced of our squad, of the qualities in the squad.
"That we also said before the season that we lost something in the centre of attack with the departure of Erling Haaland, which we then wanted to make up for by signing Sebastien.
"And when these qualities are not available, then of course you have to think about it. We are doing that now. We are in a very close and trusting exchange.
"But the job of a coach now is to find the best possible solution with the available players that are there. And with the players available, I'm convinced that we can have a very, very good season."
One player who will not be available for Saturday is Niklas Sule. The centre-back signed from Bayern Munich on a free transfer, but suffered an injury in the DFB-Pokal win over 1860 Munich on July 29.
"Unfortunately, Niklas injured his muscle in the first half of the game," Terzic explained. "On the front [of the] thigh. He wanted to keep playing. To be on the safe side, we substituted him at half-time.
"Unfortunately, he wasn't able to train with us this week, so he's not yet available for the coming weekend. He's already pain-free, so we're slowly starting to not only treat him with therapy. We just hope it doesn't take too long."
Andrea Dovizioso has announced that he will end his illustrious MotoGP career after the San Marino Grand Prix next month.
The Italian will not see the MotoGP season out with Yamaha, having won only 10 points from 11 rounds this year.
Dovizioso is 22nd in the championship standings after signing a full factory contract with the Iwata outfit for 2022 and has decided to quit after his home race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on September 4.
Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow will replace the 36-year-old for the final six rounds of the season, starting at the Aragon GP.
Lin Jarvis, managing director Yamaha Motor Racing, said: "I want to start by saying that, of course, we are all sad that Andrea will be leaving the sport earlier than expected. He is a big name in MotoGP, and he will be missed in the paddock.
"We considered ourselves very lucky last year that he was available and willing to join our MotoGP programme when Franky [Franco Morbidelli] switched to the Yamaha Factory Team thus creating the need for a replacement rider for the remainder of the 2021 season.
"Andrea's great expertise, experience, and methodical nature were of great interest to Yamaha and the RNF team and the project was fixed to include the full 2022 season.
"Unfortunately, Andrea has struggled to extract the maximum potential out of the M1 and thus the results have not been forthcoming, which has created understandable frustration for Andrea. Finally during the summer break, he confirmed to us his desire to retire before the end of the season.
"After mutual discussions it was deemed appropriate for Andrea to ride his final race in Misano at his home GP. Naturally, Yamaha will continue to give 'Dovi' their full support over the next three races. In the meantime, let's enjoy his last three GPs and celebrate in Misano the end of a spectacular career."
Dovizioso said: "I thank Lin for his words, I totally agree with them. In 2012, the experience with the Iwata manufacturer in MotoGP had been very positive for me and since then I have always thought that, sooner or later, I would have liked to have an official contract with Yamaha. This possibility presented itself, actually in a somewhat daring way, during 2021. I decided to give it a try because I strongly believed in this project and in the possibility of doing well.
"Unfortunately, in recent years the MotoGP has changed profoundly. The situation is very different since then: I have never felt comfortable with the bike, and I have not been able to make the most of its potential despite the precious and continuous help from the team and the whole of Yamaha. The results were negative, but beyond that, I still consider it a very important life experience. When there are so many difficulties, you need to have the ability to manage the situation and your emotions well.
"We did not reach the desired objectives, but the consultations with the Yamaha technicians and with those of my team have always been positive and constructive, both for them and for me. The relationship remained loyal and professionally interesting even in the most critical moments: it was not so obvious that that would happen.
"For all this and for their support, I thank Yamaha, my team and WithU, and the other sponsors involved in the project. It didn't go as we hoped, but it was right to try. My adventure will end in Misano, but the relationship with all the people involved in this challenge will remain intact forever. Thank you all.2
Dovizioso has won 24 races and has finished the season as a runner-up on three occasions in the premier class.
Mikel Arteta expects Gabriel Jesus to offer a lot to Arsenal as the new-look Gunners hope to hit the ground running with an early statement of intent in the new Premier League season.
Arsenal had been in dire need of attacking reinforcements after allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave mid-way through last season and then letting Alexandre Lacazette's contract expire.
Brazil international Jesus was quickly identified as a primary target and Arsenal sealed his £45million signing in early July, allowing him to link up with Arteta once again having worked together at Manchester City.
Some expressed doubts over Jesus being the right sort of player to fill the void given he had rarely been seen as dependable enough at City to be their first-choice striker – he spent most of last season playing on the right wing.
But he has looked extremely sharp in pre-season, scoring seven goals in five games, including a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Sevilla last weekend.
While pre-season form may not count for a lot, Arsenal fans' expectations have understandably increased – not that Arteta is worried.
"When you bring top players, they're coming from top clubs and they've been extremely successful over the years, they're going to expect that [high expectations]," Arteta told reporters ahead of Friday's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.
"The role Gabby has here is going to be very different to the role he had in his previous club, and need some time and adaptation.
"We're all surprised with how quickly he's done it [adapted], but we have to share that responsibility.
"He's an enormous talent and a player with a mentality that's so contagious and is going to give us a lot."
Jesus' arrival and early form have increased positivity around the club, and Arteta is seemingly setting his sights high.
"It's great that people are excited but there's a lot of excitement across the Premier League because a lot of clubs have done a lot of business, getting stronger and stronger, and the competition is really big. We're focusing on what we want to do, and we want to be at the top of that table," he added.
Another major change over pre-season was the appointment of Martin Odegaard as the club's new captain.
Lacazette had been captain until his departure, with the Frenchman taking the armband when Aubameyang was stripped of the role last year.
The Arsenal captaincy has been contentious in recent seasons, with Aubameyang not the first to seemingly struggle with the responsibility, but Arteta has a good feeling with Odegaard.
"This season we had the opportunity to do it in a way I believe could work, picking a player, Martin, who's been with us 18 months, who in my opinion represents values of the club in the perfect way," Arteta said.
"He's well respected by everyone in the team, he's admired by the staff, has experience even if he's 23 because [he is captain] for the national team [Norway], and then he's got that drive and passion for the game that he promotes every single day and in the way he plays.
"I'm very happy to have someone like him and he's onboard, enjoying the responsibility. He'll need support but it's a huge thing for him as well."
Arteta also delivered some positive injury news on the eve of the season's start. While Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe have been struggling with injuries in recent weeks, as many of three of them could travel to Selhurst Park.
However, Arteta would not reveal which is set to miss out.
"Good question," he said. "You'll find out tomorrow [Friday]."
Robert Lewandowski's departure leaves a big void for Bayern Munich to fill, yet Julian Nagelsmann has full confidence his squad is stronger now than it was last season.
Bayern sold star striker Lewandowski, who scored 50 goals across all competitions last season, to Barcelona last month.
Lewandowski had refused to sign a new contract with the Bundesliga champions, who made the reluctant decision to cash in on the 33-year-old.
Sadio Mane had already arrived from Liverpool as Lewandowski's de facto replacement, with Bayern chief executive Oliver Khan having confirmed the club do not plan to sign another senior forward this transfer window.
Bayern have also brought in defender Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, as well as Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax and teenage attacker Mathys Tel from Rennes.
Niklas Sule, Corentin Tolisso, Marc Roca, Omar Richards and Chris Richards are members of the first-team squad to have also left alongside Lewandowski, but Nagelsmann is confident his side have improved overall.
"I'm looking forward to the start with great anticipation I tend to put pressure on myself," Nagelsmann told a news conference ahead of Bayern's Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt.
"I read very little. It's normal for Bayern Munich that we always strive for the highest. We lost a striker who scored more than 50 goals, we have to compensate for that.
"I think that's okay, our squad has improved. I know we're going to do well. The lads are very motivated."
Asked if more players might yet arrive, Nagelsmann said: "When the season starts, as a coach you focus on the players that are there and on preparing [for] the opponents.
"As a coach you have to do justice to every player in the squad. I don't have any expectations one way or the other.
"I'm very happy with the squad, and I'll see what happens between now and August 31."
As for Bayern's goals this season, Nagelsmann is aiming to improve on their trophy haul. A 10th straight Bundesliga title arrived last term, but they exited the DFB-Pokal early on and lost to Villarreal in the Champions League quarter-finals.
"My first championship was nice. The club is longing for more," Nagelsmann said. "The goal will be to come to Berlin and win the [DFB-Pokal] trophy. We also want to get further in the Champions League.
"It always depends on how lucky we are at the draw and the games. I would also like to take a photo with more titles in it. Maybe we can do that after this season."
Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls rallied from a six-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun three-time gold-medallists Australia to top Pool A at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Thursday.
In the intense battle between the unbeaten top two teams in the pool, Jamaica led by Jhanielle Fowler’s 47 goals from 50 attempts and Shanice Beckford’s perfect 10 from 10, outscored the Diamonds 17-9 to pull off their first victory over the three-time champions at the Commonwealth Games.
Australia enjoyed a slim one-goal lead at the end of the first quarter 14-13 but as Jamaica gained confidence they matched the Australian’s 16-16 to remain one goal down at the half-time break.
The experienced Australians surged to a five-goal lead in the third quarter, winning the stanza 16-11 before the Jamaicans, the only team to score 100 goals in a match at this year’s Games, turned the game on its head with a 17-9 score-line to get a famous victory. Jamaica levelled the score with eight minutes to go before taking the lead for good with four minutes left to play.
Australia’s Gretel Bueta led the Diamonds’ scoring with 36 goals from 39 attempts while Steph Wood scored 19 goals from 22 tries in the losing cause.
Carney Chukwuemeka was hailed as one of Europe's hottest young guns after Chelsea raided Aston Villa to sign up the talented teenager.
The 18-year-old has moved for a reported £20million fee, signing a six-year contract after switching his Premier League allegiance.
Already an England Under-19 international, Chukwuemeka will face a battle to earn first-team favour at Chelsea, given the resources available to head coach Thomas Tuchel.
However, he is already relishing that challenge, saying Chelsea's interest had become an all-encompassing obsession this week.
"It's been quite hectic but I couldn't get Chelsea out of my head the last few days, so I'm just happy and relieved that it's all done," Chukwuemeka said.
"I'm so excited and just can't wait to get on the pitch, meet all the players and try to win games and trophies with Chelsea."
Tuchel already had the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and N'Golo Kante available to him in midfield, with Chukwuemeka presenting a more youthful option.
He joins Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly in arriving to bolster Tuchel's squad ahead of the new Premier League season, which for Chelsea begins at Everton on Saturday.
Chukwuemeka helped the young England team win the European Under-19 Championship last month, scoring three goals in his five appearances, including an extra-time strike in the final against Israel.
Such age-group high performance has convinced Chelsea that Chukwuemeka has the ability to step up onto the senior stage and shine.
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said: "Carney is one of the most exciting young players in Europe, so we are really looking forward to seeing him in action at Stamford Bridge."
Boehly added on the club's website: "We are delighted to be able to bring him to Chelsea and add such a talented young individual to our squad for the new season and beyond."
Chukwuemeka featured 12 times for Villa in the Premier League last season, with 10 of those appearances coming off the bench.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers sent Tom Brady birthday wishes, but left little room for doubt over his intention to retire before the age of 45.
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, turned 45 on Wednesday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB retired in February, but reversed that decision just 40 days later and is now set for his 23rd straight season in the NFL.
Rodgers, meanwhile, is ready to go again with the Packers after signing a bumper contract back in March. The 38-year-old was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player for 2021, winning the award for a second year running and a fourth time overall.
But when asked if he planned on matching Brady by playing until he is 45, 38-year-old Rodgers told reporters bluntly: "No. Happy birthday [to Brady]."
Brady topped the charts for touchdown passes last regular-season, recording 43 from 17 games, though Rodgers boasted a better pass completion percentage (68.9 – the third-best in the league) and the NFL's best TD percentage (7.0).
Death, taxes and Bayern Munich winning the Bundesliga title.
It is slightly paraphrasing the old idiom to say these are the only three things certain in life.
Such is the optimism of football fandom, though, the question always arises ahead of the new campaign whether this year will be the one where someone steps up and takes Bayern's throne.
The 2021-22 season saw the Bavarian giants claim their 10th Bundesliga title in a row, with Julian Nagelsmann leading Bayern to the championship by eight points in his first season at the Allianz Arena.
Since Jurgen Klopp's exciting Borussia Dortmund side of 2011-12, no team has been able to halt the relentless Bayern dominance of German football.
In fact, in the last decade, only the 2018-19 campaign saw anyone finish closer than the eight points Dortmund were behind last season, when BVB were just two points shy of their Der Klassiker rivals.
How can anyone seriously make the argument that their run will halt any time soon then? Well, let Stats Perform have a go as we take a look at some of the reasons why Bayern might struggle to maintain their stranglehold in 2022-23.
Loss of Lewy means new Bayern approach
Bayern's signing of Robert Lewandowski from Dortmund in 2014 was one of the catalysts for their concerted period of dominance.
However, after eight years of service and 238 goals in 253 Bundesliga games for Bayern, the Poland striker wanted to move on and eventually sealed a transfer to Barcelona.
His goals-per-game ratio in the German top flight of 0.94 bested even the great Gerd Muller (0.85), and his loss was certainly not one Bayern had planned for, with the club initially indicating they expected him to honour the final year of his contract, before finally relenting.
Despite being 33 years old, Lewandowski's impact had not waned at all, with him scoring 50 goals in all club competitions last season, making it seven consecutive seasons with at least 40 goals to his name.
Nagelsmann has insisted his team will evolve in Lewandowski's absence, though, and the signing of Sadio Mane appears to suggest that.
After Lewandowski's sale was confirmed, Nagelsmann told BR24: "I'm not worried right now, we are very well-equipped offensively and I'm still spoiled for choice. We have a possibility of building FC Bayern without a striker that can reliably score 40 goals."
With 120 goals in all competitions for Liverpool, Mane averaged a goal every 178.3 minutes for the Reds – a return of one in slightly under two matches. He also assisted 37 goals, meaning he was directly involved in a goal every 137 minutes.
In the Premier League, only Harry Kane (134), former team-mate Mohamed Salah (118) and Leicester City's Jamie Vardy (104) scored more goals than Mane (90) over the course of his Liverpool career.
His scoring rate has never been close to that of Lewandowski, though he has played a significant amount of his career on the left of a front three rather than through the middle, where he ended last season for Liverpool and is expected to mostly play at Bayern.
That means the likes of Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala and Thomas Muller will need to step up and contribute more goals, while it will be interesting to see if 17-year-old striker Mathys Tel will feature much in his first season after signing from Rennes.
The club has also added Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui from Ajax, while former Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt has arrived from Juventus to replace the outgoing Niklas Sule, who chose to swap Munich for Dortmund when his contract expired.
Will Dortmund finally solve flakiness issue?
Marco Rose looked to be a very astute appointment in 2021, but the former Borussia Monchengladbach boss just did not work out at Dortmund.
Rose has been replaced by Edin Terzic, who enjoyed a spell as caretaker boss in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign, winning the DFB-Pokal.
Terzic now has the reins permanently and has two big jobs on his hands.
The first is fixing a leaky defence, which conceded 52 goals in the Bundesliga last season, more than any other team to finish in the top eight, and only one goal fewer than relegated Arminia Bielefeld.
The club may have addressed the issue in the transfer market as they have essentially procured the German national team's central defence by adding Sule from Bayern on a free transfer and the highly rated Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg.
Schlotterbeck won 69 per cent of his duels in the Bundesliga last season, the joint-most of all players who contested at least 100 duels, while Sule was third with 68 per cent.
Another issue that needed addressing was similar to Bayern's Lewandowski issue, with Erling Haaland having departed for Manchester City.
The Norwegian scored 86 goals in 89 appearances at Dortmund, including 22 of their 85 league goals last season, though he was only able to feature in 24 games due to injury.
Sebastien Haller was signed to replace Haaland but will unfortunately miss the first few months of the campaign after undergoing surgery for a testicular tumour.
The addition of exciting young talent Karim Adeyemi from Salzburg will give them a dynamic in attack they have missed since selling Jadon Sancho to Manchester United, while in Haller's absence it will be interesting to see if Youssoufa Moukoko, still just 17-years-old, can add to the five Bundesliga goals he already has to his name.
Having also signed defensive midfielder Salih Ozcan from Cologne to provide some steel alongside Jude Bellingham, who it appears they will be keeping hold of for another season at least, the balance of a frequently wobbly side could be there for Terzic to build some momentum.
Best of the rest
Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed a strong campaign last season and have replaced Lucas Alario with promising Czech striker Adam Hlozek.
They also appear to have fought off interest in Moussa Diaby so it would not be a surprise to see them go well again, but with Champions League football to contend with, questions remain whether they have the depth of squad to excel on all fronts.
RB Leipzig will hope to provide a challenge and have also kept hold of their star player in Christopher Nkunku, though losing Tyler Adams and Nordi Mukiele will be a blow, while Eintracht Frankfurt will want to build on last season's Europa League success.
It would be churlish to write Bayern off, of course. They go into the season as heavy favourites and rightly so.
Mane might not have the same goalscoring output as Lewandowski, but football has proven time and again that having one player who scores lots of goals is not the only way to be successful.
The African Football Player of the Year has the chance to be the face of the new Bayern, where everyone will be expected to chip in and Nagelsmann can truly cement his ideas on the team.
However, while Bayern have been somewhat forced into a new era, Dortmund appear to have reached theirs more by design and if everything clicks early on for Terzic, an exciting title race could develop.
After all, the only thing that is certain about football is that nothing is certain.
Tua Tagovailoa is confident the Miami Dolphins are "all in" on him despite the team having been punished for allegations of tampering involving Tom Brady.
It was confirmed this week the NFL had taken away two draft picks from the Dolphins and suspended owner Stephen Ross after an investigation found the team violated the league's anti-tampering policy.
The Dolphins were found to have had impermissible communication with Brady during the end of his time with the New England Patriots in 2019 and 2020, as well as in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and also broke NFL rules by communicating with coach Sean Payton in January.
Miami tried to lure both Brady and Payton to the team but did not go through the proper channels, according to league findings, with the Dolphins losing a first-round draft pick in 2023 and a third-round selection in 2024.
Tagovailoa has struggled with injuries and form during his time in Miami and had to contend with rumours for the first half of the 2021 season that the Dolphins were targeting Deshaun Watson, who was then at the Houston Texans and is now with the Cleveland Browns.
The news has further called into question Miami's confidence in the fifth overall pick of the 2020 draft, who himself has no doubt he has the trust of his team-mates.
"I would say everyone heard about it yesterday when we went into the locker room, seen it on the TV," Tagovailoa said.
"For me, I have no idea about all the details other than what was shown on TV with the $1.5million fine and then something happening with Brady.
"I mean, I don't know all the details. I don't even know what happened. But I got to talk to a couple of the guys to kind of find out what was going on, and everyone's wondering the same thing. So, not too sure.
"I remember I came in in 2020, so whatever happened in 2019, I can't even speak on that. I was here in 2020, and I'm still here, and I'm blessed to be here.
"If it has to do with support from the team, I think the team's all-in with me and all the guys that we have now."
The Dolphins begin preseason against Brady's Buccaneers later this month, before beginning their campaign against the veteran quarterback's former employers the Patriots on September 11.
Cristiano Ronaldo should be shown the door at Manchester United, according to the star's former club-mate Gary Neville.
Speculation has mounted over Ronaldo's future in recent months, with the 37-year-old seemingly wanting out of Old Trafford in search of Champions League football.
He has featured in only 45 minutes of United's pre-season, starting in a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano last weekend. He was taken off at half-time and left the ground before the match had finished, which manager Erik ten Hag branded as "unacceptable".
Ex-Ajax boss Ten Hag has previously stated Ronaldo is part of his plans heading into his first campaign as United manager, but Neville - who believed the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward would transform his old club into Premier League title contenders when he re-joined last year - thinks the time is right to cut ties.
He said on Sky Sports' The Overlap: "Ronaldo will go down in the top players of all time, and what happens this summer at Manchester United will be forgotten about in 20 years, but as an ex-Manchester United captain and senior player, it's unpalatable and unfeasible to see the star player in the dressing room playing up.
"You cannot have your star player running the shop.
"I know fans want Ronaldo to stay, but if he wants to leave, Manchester United should facilitate that."
Neville's fellow pundit Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, said he felt this type of situation was inevitable.
The former Liverpool defender said: "I always felt this situation would come, even if Ronaldo did great for a year, he signed a two-year deal with an option of another year which I couldn't believe, because he's never going to play second fiddle to anyone.
"Ronaldo turns 38 this season, he's a great goalscorer but he's not the same player.
"No other club in Europe wants him and I'm not sure Ten Hag wants him either, and I'm not quite sure the dressing room want him now either."
Ronaldo scored 18 league goals last season, yet those strikes were not enough to help United finish higher than sixth place with their lowest ever Premier League points tally (58).
United start their Premier League campaign at home against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
Another Ligue 1 campaign begins on Friday after a big window for French football, the highlight of which was Paris Saint-Germain retaining Kylian Mbappe.
New arrivals in the league include returns for Lyon duo Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso, while high-profile departures have seen Aurelien Tchouameni, Sven Botman and Nayef Aguerd depart.
With PSG once again investing heavily in their squad, adding the likes of Vitinha, Hugo Ekitike and Nordi Mukiele, the capital club are widely expected to storm to another title – but can there be an upset?
The verdict, unsurprisingly, is probably not – as Stats Perform AI predicted the outcome of the coming campaign, estimating the likelihood of teams finishing in each position informed by their expected results in each match.
These are calculated using betting odds and Stats Perform's team rankings – based on historical and recent team performances – and, while the title race is not likely to get going, there are some big battles elsewhere in the division.
PSG PARTY ONCE AGAIN
With one of the most expensive squads ever assembled, including the devastating attack of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, PSG are unsurprisingly expected to romp to another Ligue 1 success.
Having won eight of the last nine titles, Stats Perform AI has given PSG a 76.01 per cent chance of retaining their crown.
Marseille, runners-up last season, are seen as the side most capable of mounting a challenge, though their 7.29 per cent chance is slim. Monaco, title winners in 2016-17, are given a 6.55 per cent chance.
Lyon, once the dominant force in French football, have just a 4.29 per cent chance, while Rennes clock in at 3.44 per cent and Lille, the last side to prevent PSG from winning the title having lifted the trophy in 2020-21, have only a 0.71 per cent chance.
The gulf in class within French football is highlighted by the fact that nine teams, almost half of the division, are seen as having no hope in mounting a title challenge.
SCRAMBLE FOR EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
Unlike the other top leagues in European football, France has a limited number of places for qualification for UEFA competitions with just two guaranteed Champions League spots, one qualifying spot, one spot in the Europa League group stage and one in the Europa Conference League play-offs.
With PSG expected to surge to the title and take the first of the two group stage spots in the Champions League, with a 90.93 per cent likelihood, the scrap for the other automatic qualification spot could be fierce.
Marseille are seen as the favourites in that battle with a 29.97 per cent chance, with Monaco following suit with a 29.97 per cent chance.
Elsewhere, Lyon have an 18.7 per cent chance, with Rennes at 15.53 per cent, though they may have to settle for a third-place finish or a spot in the Europa League.
In the battle for fifth, and a play-off spot in the Conference League, it's also expected to be tight – with five clubs, as well as those already mentioned above, given at least a five per cent chance of reaching that spot.
Nice, Lens, Lille, Nantes and Strasbourg are all in with an outside shot of gunning for a spot in European competition, which could set up a thrilling battle.
REGULATION CHANGES INCREASE RELEGATION FIGHT
With Ligue 1 reducing to 18 teams from the 2023-24 season, the fight to avoid the drop to the second-tier will be fiercer than ever with the bottom four all being relegated – and there will be no play-offs either.
The situation looks bleak for Ajaccio (57.64 per cent chance of relegation), Clermont (57.57), Troyes (56.72) and Lorient (53.92), all of which are seen as more likely to suffer relegation than they are to avoid the drop.
Auxerre (46.58) and Toulouse (34.02) could also find themselves looking over their shoulders during the course of the season, while PSG, Marseille and Monaco are the three sides given no chance leaving the league through the bottom.
Of the promoted trio, it is Toulouse who are given the best chance of maintaining their top-flight status for another season – with their most likely position being 15th, with a 10.59 per cent chance of securing that spot.
The Premier League is back, with another fascinating season in store.
The 2021-22 title race went right to the wire, with Manchester City pipping Liverpool at the last, while the picture at the bottom was similarly dramatic as Leeds United survived.
The dominant top two have strengthened – including City pinching Leeds talisman Kalvin Phillips – and the league again looks so tough to call at both ends of the table.
Thankfully, Stats Perform AI is able to do that. It has predicted the outcome of the coming campaign, estimating the likelihood of teams finishing in each position informed by their expected results in each match.
These are calculated using betting odds and Stats Perform's team rankings – based on historical and recent team performances – and it has thrown up some interesting results, with some surprises at the summit.
LIVERPOOL SET TO LEAPFROG CITY
There was only a point between champions City and runners-up Liverpool last season, and Stats Perform AI expects the coming campaign to be similarly close.
But the Reds are the favourites for the title, with a 49.72 per cent chance of being crowned champions to City's 47.03 per cent.
Such is the gulf between the top two and the rest that Tottenham, backed as their nearest challengers, have only a 1.81 per shot at ending their 62-year wait under former Premier League winner Antonio Conte.
Chelsea, the club with whom Conte claimed the title, are given a 1.1 per cent hope.
Only seven teams are given any chance at all of celebrating come May – the fewest across all of Europe's top five leagues – with Manchester United (0.18 per cent) and Arsenal (0.13 per cent) joined by a resurgent Newcastle United (0.03 per cent).
Last champions in 1927, Newcastle are closing on a century-long drought, so even with their big spending, a one in 3,000 shot sounds about right.
UNITED AND ARSENAL FALL SHORT
Stats Perform AI does not only fancy Spurs and Chelsea as the top two's nearest contenders but also as their fellow Champions League qualifiers.
City (99.33 per cent) and Liverpool (99.28 per cent) are shoo-ins for top-four finishes, and Tottenham (70.07 per cent) and Chelsea (62.46 per cent) are also in strong positions to repeat last season's leading quartet.
That would mean Manchester United (25.56 per cent) and Arsenal (22.0 per cent) missing out once more, with Newcastle (5.03 per cent) again next.
However, despite West Ham being given no hope of a title tilt and longer odds of Champions League qualification, they are ranked to repeat their seventh-placed finish ahead of Newcastle.
Every team in the division at least has the opportunity to dream of a top-four finish, even if Bournemouth (0.07 per cent) might instead be better off preparing for the reality of a relegation scrap.
TALL ORDER FOR PROMOTED TRIO
Bournemouth are not the only promoted team set to find life tough. In fact, Stats Perform AI predicts all three will go straight back down.
This has only happened once previously in Premier League history – in 1997-98 – but the prediction model considers the trio clear favourites to be relegated.
Bournemouth (45.03 per cent) have scarcely improved their squad, while Nottingham Forest have done the opposite and invested heavily (44.47 per cent); neither approach is expected to succeed, nor are Fulham (43.83 per cent), promoted as champions.
It may not be as clear-cut as this suggests, however, with Southampton (34.23 per cent), Brentford (31.85) and Leeds (31.24) also forecast to endure testing seasons.
Everton (15.06 per cent), like Brentford and Leeds, have lost key players, but the data is backing the Toffees to improve on last year's dismal campaign.
Juan Soto scored on his San Diego Padres debut to rapturous applause as his new side won 9-1 over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
Reigning Home Run Derby winner Soto, who sealed a Deadline Day trade from the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, was given a raucous applause upon his first at-bat by the Petco Park faithful.
Soto's first at-bat ended with a four-pitch walk, before hitting home plate when Jake Cronenworth was walked after being struck by Chad Kuhl's pitch.
However it was another new addition, Brandon Drury, who stole the show with a first-inning grand slam to open up a 5-0 lead with his 21st home run of the season.
Manny Machado and Cronenworth both hit home runs in the fifth inning, while Soto finished with two walks from his two at-bats, with the one run.
Cole aced by Mariners and Castillo
Gerrit Cole allowed six runs in the first inning as his poor form since the All-Star Game continued in the New York Yankees' 7-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Cole was on the mound for the first inning, with blasts from Eugenio Suarez, Carlos Santana and Jarred Kelenic opening up a 6-0 lead. The last time Seattle hit three homers in the first inning of a game was in May 2002.
The six runs were the most allowed in any inning of the career of Cole, who became the second pitcher in the modern era to allow three homers in the first inning of a game multiple times in the same season. He has given up five or more earned runs in consecutive outings for the first time since 2017 and has an ERA of 7.00 in three starts since the All-Star Game, having gone at 3.02 prior to that.
Luis Castillo, in his first start for the Mariners, put on a clinic with eight strikeouts, allowing five hits across six-and-two-third innings.
Vogelbach grand slam in Mets triumph
Daniel Vogelbach hit a grand slam as the New York Mets knocked off the Washington Nationals 9-5 to improve their record to 66-38.
Pete Alonso blasted his 28th home run of the season in the second inning, which was also the 21st of his career against the Nats, which is the most of any opponent he has faced.
Vogelbach's moment came in the fifth inning with the Mets 2-0 up and bases loaded, hitting high deep down the right field line.
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