Trent Alexander-Arnold admits England's players agreed with Gary Lineker's controversial description of the Three Lions' Euro 2024 performances as "s***".
Lineker hit out at England's display in a 1-1 group-stage draw with Denmark on his podcast, The Rest is Football, in comments that attracted a fierce response from captain Harry Kane.
Kane responded by saying former England players in the media had a "responsibility" when it came to discussing the national team, calling on them to be more supportive.
Alexander-Arnold, however, says many in the camp agreed with Lineker's criticism and feels some used it as motivation as the Three Lions grew into the tournament, finishing as runners-up to Spain.
"We had all seen it and heard it and felt it," the Liverpool ace told The Daily Mirror. "We all knew that we could be playing and performing better.
"It is never nice for someone to point that out but everyone deep down knew it within ourselves, too.
"It was something we were already thinking about, we knew we needed to be better. We had to add that to our performances, some players may have used that as motivation."
England created chances worth just 6.15 expected goals (xG) in their seven games in Germany, with only Scotland (0.32), Serbia (0.7), Slovenia (0.81), Albania (0.82) and Italy (0.84) averaging a lower xG figure per game than their 0.88.
The Three Lions needed a stoppage-time overhead kick from Jude Bellingham to overcome Slovakia in the last 16, a penalty shoot-out to advance against Switzerland in the quarter-finals and a last-minute Ollie Watkins winner to beat the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
After England's dramatic run ended with a 2-1 final loss to Spain, manager Gareth Southgate announced his resignation following eight years at the helm.
Alexander-Arnold believes the Three Lions' aim for the 2026 World Cup must be to finally get over the line, promising the squad will give their all for Southgate's successor.
"Everyone has a high expectation with England now and rightly so, it is true of us as players," he added.
"We feel we should be winning tournaments, that is the goal and standard we have set ourselves. That will be there for the new manager."
Shane Lowry believes it will be difficult, but not impossible, for him to win The Open for a second time after sliding down the leaderboard at Royal Troon on Saturday.
Lowry entered the third round with a two-stroke lead at seven under, but a six-over 77 saw him slip three shots behind new leader Billy Horschel.
The Irishman, who won the 2019 edition of the tournament at Royal Portrush, failed to recover from a dismal double bogey on the eighth, finding the bunker from the tee then missing a subsequent bogey putt.
Xander Schauffele and Justin Rose are among six players at three under, while Scottie Scheffler (two under) also sits between Lowry and the top of the leaderboard.
Asked if he was still in with a chance of winning the tournament, Lowry told reporters: "I am, but it's hard now. I've just finished, and I really wanted to hole that one on the last.
"I knew Billy made bogey, and I knew Dan [Brown] was obviously going to make double. I would have been two back. Three back, you're still right in the tournament.
"This is going to take me a couple of hours to get over. I'm obviously pretty good now, but I have a job to do tomorrow and a similar chance to win this tournament."
Lowry felt his putting let him down on a wet day in Scotland, outlining the impact the blustery conditions had on his game.
"I felt like I played unbelievable golf today. Missed the first fairway and then didn't miss another fairway until 16," he said.
"I hit some great iron shots, just didn't hole the putts early on when I had the chances, and then I missed a few par putts.
"It's not much fun out there. You have to question why there wasn't a couple of tees put forward, to be honest. I think 15 and 17… 15 is 500 yards playing into that wind.
"They keep trying to make holes longer, yet the best hole on this course is about 100 yards."
Billy Horschel will go into the final round of The Open with a one-shot lead after carding a two-under 69 on Saturday, with Shane Lowry tumbling down the leaderboard.
Horschel leads a group of six players on three under, with Daniel Brown joined by Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Thriston Lawrence, Russell Henley and Sam Burns.
The American, who missed the cut at last year's tournament and has never finished higher than T21 at The Open, did well in blustery conditions at Royal Troon.
Horschel bogeyed the last after six straight pars, but a fine first nine featuring four birdies put him in a strong position as he chases his first major title.
Speaking to Sky Sports after completing his round, Horschel said: "This round in the Open Championship is by far the best one I've played in a major.
"I knew I had to grind out a score. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty, it was going to be tough... but I was prepared for what the last nine holes were going to entail.
"It would be the biggest win of my career. I have won a lot of great events, but this one would top all of them, and it's something I've always wanted in my golf career."
Having started the day at five under, Rose hung on in challenging conditions to stay within reach, while Brown – who has never won a tournament on the PGA Tour – found himself at six under after making a brilliant birdie on the 16th.
However, a double bogey on the last saw him lose the lead, a poor shot into the bunker leaving him with a 25-foot putt for bogey.
Despite an excellent showing, the 29-year-old was disappointed with the way he let his lead slip, telling Sky Sports: "That finish is a little bit frustrating.
"But at the start of the week, if you told me I was going to be one back going into the final round of The Open then I would have snapped your hand off!
"I've not really come here with any expectations... I've still got one round to go, I'm not going to get ahead of myself and start thinking about outcomes.
"I'm going to keep going about my business and hopefully come tomorrow evening, we will be there or thereabouts."
Further back, two-time major champion Scottie Scheffler is at two under after finishing even for the day, one stroke ahead of second-round leader Lowry, who endured a dismal third round.
Lowry carded a six-over 77, failing to recover from a double bogey at the Postage Stamp eighth as he found a deep bunker from the tee.
Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has suggested Joshua Kimmich's future at the club could be in question, saying no player is guaranteed a regular starting place.
Kimmich has entered the final 12 months of his contract with Bayern, who he joined in 2015 and has helped win eight Bundesliga titles and one Champions League.
Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City have all been linked with a move for the 29-year-old, who endured a difficult 2023-24 campaign.
Kimmich reportedly had a strained relationship with former Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel, as the club saw their 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga title ended by Bayer Leverkusen.
Speaking to Welt am Sonntag, Eberl hinted every player in the Bayern squad must prove themselves ahead of Vincent Kompany's first season in charge.
"Joshua is a very good player, but it is generally true that professional football is a competitive sport," Eberl said.
"We cannot say to any player; 'Hey, you are the one who is going to play.
"I'm just saying what applies to everyone. We have exciting players in all positions and therefore many alternatives."
Bayern strengthened their midfield options by clinching a deal for Fulham's Joao Palhinha earlier this month, having already signed Michael Olise from Crystal Palace.
England took control of the second Test against West Indies as the hosts established a 207-run lead at the close of play on Saturday's third day at Trent Bridge.
The hosts ended the day on 248-3, aided by two century partnerships from Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett, and Joe Root and Harry Brook. Both Brook, on 71, and Root, on 37, will resume batting on Sunday.
Despite Chris Woakes claiming the wickets of Alzarri Joseph (10) and Jayden Seales (duck) in successive balls, a final-wicket stand of 71 from Shamar Joseph (33) and Joshua da Silva, who was left unbeaten on 82, saw West Indies, who resumed at 351-5, reach 457.
Scores: England 416 & 248-3 (Duckett 76, Brook 71*, Pope 51, A Joseph 2-58) lead West Indies 457 (Hodge 120, Da Silva 82*, Woakes 4-84) by 207 runs
England's second innings, which they began 41 runs adrift, got off to a nervy start as opener Zak Crawley (three) was run out by Jayden Seales at the non-striker's end.
However, much like they did in the first innings, Duckett (76) and Pope (51) settled the hosts down with a 119-run second-wicket stand, before Alzarri Joseph claimed both in the space of eight deliveries.
Still, Brook and Root also produced an important, unbroken 108-run partnership that placed Ben Stokes' side in command heading into day four.
Data Debrief: Successive century partnerships for Duckett and Pope
With a strong finish to their opening innings, the Windies reached 457 - their highest total on English soil since 1995.
England's response was led by Duckett and Pope's impressive stand of 119, their second three-figure partnership of the series.
They became only the ninth pair to make two century stands for England in a men's Test, and first since Joe Root and Alistair Cook achieved the feat against Pakistan eight years ago.
Max Verstappen believes Red Bull are currently playing catch-up to McLaren, who sealed a lock-out in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Lando Norris clinched his third career pole at the Hungaroring, beating team-mate Oscar Piastri by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046 back in third.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, meanwhile, crashed out in Q1 and will start the race 16th on the grid, casting further doubt on his future with the team.
Red Bull started the 2024 season with three one-twos in the first four races, while Verstappen came out on top on seven of his first 10 outings.
However, they have seen their sizeable advantage whittled down, with both McLaren and Mercedes pushing hard in recent races.
Speaking after Saturday's final qualifying session, Verstappen said: "I tried, the whole weekend we have been a little bit behind, and I think that was also the case in qualifying.
"I tried to make it as close as possible but unfortunately just not enough, a bit difficult to pinpoint why. I would have liked a bit more grip but it's not there at the moment."
Verstappen finished second at the British Grand Prix last time out, having been fifth in Austria one week earlier – the first time he has failed to win at two straight races all year.
"I love competition but I like being on top of the competition," the three-time world champion added.
"At the moment, I feel like we are chasing and having a few more difficult weekends, I don't back out of a fight but it's just a tricky situation I guess.
"The last few races, especially the McLaren has been really good in the race, even compared to qualifying.
"Today was a lot colder than expected I guess with the clouds and the rain, tomorrow is going to be quite a different day and I just hope that will help us."
Manchester United claimed their first victory of pre-season with a 2-0 win over Rangers at Murrayfield.
Amad Diallo and Joe Hugill were on target for Erik ten Hag's side, who bounced back from their 1-0 defeat by Rosenborg last time out.
The Red Devils, whose starting XI included new signing Leny Yoro and the returning Jadon Sancho, went close with young striker Ethan Wheatley calling Jack Butland into action, while Diallo was narrowly off target from a free-kick.
The latter broke the deadlock four minutes before half-time, cutting inside from the right wing before flashing a shot into Butland's bottom-right corner.
Sancho shot over from close range before United doubled their lead 19 minutes from time. Maxi Oyedele provided a neat throughball for fellow substitute Hugill, who brilliantly fired home first time off the underside of the crossbar.
Andre Onana denied Ridvan Yilmaz's acrobatic effort later on to preserve a clean sheet for Ten Hag's side, who will travel to Los Angeles to face Arsenal next week.
Alexander Zverev will have a chance to defend his Hamburg Open title against Arthur Fils after overcoming Pedro Martinez in the last four on Saturday.
Zverev needed one hour and 25 minutes on court to beat Martinez 6-2 6-4, ending a run that saw the Spaniard eliminate seeds Matteo Arnaldi and Francisco Cerundolo.
The home favourite earned his first break in the third service game and followed up with another in the seventh, also winning 92% of his first-serve points in the opener as Martinez failed to apply any sustained pressure.
Zverev broke again at the start of the second set before producing crucial holds in the second and seventh games, reaching his third straight clay-court final after also going all the way at the Masters 1000 in Rome and the French Open.
He will face Fils in the showpiece match after the Frenchman overcame Sebastian Baez by a 6-2 6-2 scoreline in just 67 minutes, reaching his first ATP 500 final.
Data Debrief: Zverev eyes Hamburg history
Zverev became just the second German to win the Hamburg title last year after Michael Stich in 1993, and he could now become the first to defend the trophy with Stich falling to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the 1994 semi-finals.
George Russell was left to rue "a fundamental error" that led to a "disaster" in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.
The Mercedes driver will start Sunday's race towards the back of the grid in 17th place after suffering a shock exit in Q1 on a dramatic day of qualifying at Hungaroring.
Russell did so as a result of his team failing to provide him with enough fuel in the wet-dry conditions.
"There are two factors," he told Sky Sports. "The first was I didn't do a good enough job at the beginning. The second was we didn't have enough fuel to complete the session.
"It was a disaster from both aspects. We should have got through comfortably. Not having enough fuel is a fundamental error from the team."
There were better fortunes for Oscar Piastri, who finished in second place and just 0.022 seconds behind team-mate Lando Norris, ensuring McLaren's first lock-out in qualifying since the 2012 British Grand Prix.
"It's cool to be here, especially when you get a result like this," he said. "Very happy, of course, but I missed out by two-hundredths, so you think of all the little things you could've done better.
"We had a bit of a tricky day on my side yesterday, but it's nice to bounce back this morning and obviously this afternoon in [qualifying].
"It wasn't easy - a lot of decisions on the fly - but to end up with both cars on the front row is an amazing result."
Yves Bissouma and Dane Scarlett were on target as Tottenham continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers.
Ange Postecoglou's side made it two wins in the space of a week, following their resounding 5-1 rout of Hearts on Wednesday.
QPR carried the greater attacking threat during the first half. Rayan Kolli's rasping 25-yard effort was tipped onto the crossbar by Brandon Austin, while Michael Frey was denied by the offside flag.
However, Spurs broke through four minutes before the break. Bissouma played a neat one-two with Dejan Kulusevski and glided away from a couple of challenges, before rounding Paul Nardi and scoring.
Son Heung-min and Timo Werner went close to doubling the lead before half-time, while Nardi denied Mikey Moore and James Maddison in the second half.
However, Tottenham did put the game to bed with three minutes remaining as Scarlett, moments after coming on as a substitute, turned home Moore's cross at the far post.
Lando Norris said he is expecting to secure a second-ever Formula 1 victory after claiming his third career pole at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
Norris edged out team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen as McLaren claimed their first lock-out in qualifying since the British Grand Prix in 2012.
The McLaren pair have the opportunity to reach 10 or more podiums for the first time since 2012 (13), with Norris also presented the chance to equal Denny Hulme as the eighth driver with the most podiums in the history of the British team.
Norris beat Piastri to pole position by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046secs behind in a session that featured two red flags and changing weather conditions.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will have to achieve a record 200th podium from fifth place, while Ferarri duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and sixth respectively.
“I am very very happy, not an easy qualifying, different conditions, always ending up on top, it’s the best part of it all," Norris said.
“I’m happy especially for the team, a one-two is even better to see so congrats to the team.
“We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us, I’m looking forward to it. Two cars on the front row, we can control it from there so as long as we stay where we are, we will be happy.
“I’m expecting to [do well], if I don’t it’s not been a good day. The car is doing well, I feel like I’m driving well so it’s obvious what the aim is for tomorrow."
Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth respectively, with RB's Daniel Ricciardo finishing a place behind.
Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10, but sustained a heavy crash in the final qualifying session, with the Italian team facing a race to get their car ready for Sunday's race.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez endured another difficult time out on track, crashing out in the first qualifying session and will start 16th on the grid.
George Russell will also start towards the back of the grid after he and the Mercedes team were unable to recover from a poor wet-dry session.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
Lando Norris is expecting to secure a second-ever Formula One victory after claiming his third career pole at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
Norris edged out team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen as McLaren claimed their first lock-out in qualifying since the British Grand Prix in 2012.
McLaren now have the opportunity to reach 10 or more podiums for the first time since 2012 (13), with Norris also presented the chance to equal Denny Hulme as the driver with the eighth most podiums in the history of the British team.
Norris beat Piastri to pole position by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046 back in a session that featured two red flags and changing weather conditions.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will have to achieve a record 200th podium from fifth place, while Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and sixth respectively.
“I am very very happy, not an easy qualifying, different conditions, always ending up on top, it’s the best part of it all," Norris said.
“I’m happy especially for the team, a one-two is even better to see so congrats to the team.
“We are in the best position for whatever the conditions throw at us, I’m looking forward to it. Two cars on the front row, we can control it from there so as long as we stay where we are, we will be happy.
“I’m expecting to [do well], if I don’t it’s not been a good day. The car is doing well, I feel like I’m driving well so it’s obvious what the aim is for tomorrow."
Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth respectively, with RB's Daniel Ricciardo finishing a place behind.
Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10 but sustained a heavy crash in the final qualifying session.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez endured another difficult time out on track, crashing out in the first qualifying session and will start 16th on the grid.
George Russell will also start towards the back of the grid after he and the Mercedes team were unable to recover from a poor opening wet-dry session.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
Erik ten Hag said he has drawn a line under his public spat with Jadon Sancho ahead of the winger making his first Manchester United appearance since last August.
Sancho was named in United's starting lineup for Saturday's pre-season friendly against Rangers at Murrayfield, having spent the last 11 months in the wilderness.
Sancho spent the second half of 2023-24 on loan at Borussia Dortmund, having been frozen out by Ten Hag in the aftermath of a defeat to Arsenal last September.
The Dutchman questioned Sancho's efforts in training in a post-match interview, causing the winger to claim he had been made into a "scapegoat".
While Ten Hag had previously demanded a public apology from Sancho, he now says the incident is behind him as United prepare for his second campaign at the helm.
"We spoke well. Everyone can make a mistake. We draw a line and move on," Ten Hag told AD Sportwereld.
"This club needs good players and one thing is certain: Jadon is a very good player. I hope it will click and he will contribute to our success."
Rafael Nadal insisted he was forced into survival mode to reach a first tour-level final since 2022 following his win over Duje Ajdukovic in Bastad.
Nadal continued his preparations for the Paris Olympics by coming from a set down to reach the final of the Swedish Open on Sunday.
The Spaniard will either play Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges before travelling to France to try and claim a third gold medal at the games.
Nadal's last tour-level final came at Roland Garros two years ago, where this year's tennis will be taking place during the Paris Olympics.
Nadal's semi-final test came just a day after a gruelling four-hour win over Mariano Navone, the second-longest three-set match of his career.
The Spaniard was able to complete the victory in just two hours and 12 minutes, but insisted that Ajdukovic posed a difficult opponent on Centre Court.
“I think it was a tough match," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against.
"He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back.
"It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”
Nadal continues Olympic Games preparation later on Saturday, with a doubles semi-final clash against Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos, alongside partner Casper Ruud.
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