Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of Manchester United's travelling party for their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.

The Portugal international is said to have asked the club for a move away last week if a satisfactory offer is received in this window.

Ronaldo was due to return to training on Monday, but he was granted extra time off due to a family issue.

It was reported on Thursday that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will not be part of the squad that flies out to the Far East on Friday for the same reason.

According to the Manchester Evening News, a United spokesperson said: "Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United party scheduled to depart for our pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia on Friday. He has been granted additional time off to deal with a family issue.

"Cristiano remains under contract with Manchester United for another season, and he is not for sale."

United are due to take on Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday in a prestige friendly ahead of flying to Australia for the next stage of their pre-season preparations.

It is not known if Ronaldo will meet up with his team-mates ahead of further games against Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Ongoing speculation regarding Ronaldo's Old Trafford future comes less than a year on from his return to the club following 12 seasons away with Real Madrid and Juventus.

He led the scoring charts last term with 24 goals in all competitions, but his homecoming did not go to plan as United registered their lowest Premier League points tally.

United endured a fifth successive season without silverware and finished down in sixth, meaning no Champions League football in the 2022-23 campaign.

That is said to be the reason why Ronaldo, the leading scorer of all time in UEFA's primary club competition, is pushing for a move elsewhere.

Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Napoli and MLS clubs have been linked with the forward, as have his former sides Madrid and Sporting CP.

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of Manchester United's travelling party for their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.

The Portugal international is said to have asked the club for a move away last week if a satisfactory offer is received in this window.

Ronaldo was due to return to training on Monday, but he was granted extra time off due to a family issue.

It was reported on Thursday that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will not be part of the squad that flies out to the Far East on Friday for the same reason.

According to the Manchester Evening News, a United spokesperson said: "Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United party scheduled to depart for our pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia on Friday. He has been granted additional time off to deal with a family issue.

"Cristiano remains under contract with Manchester United for another season, and he is not for sale."

United are due to take on Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday in a prestige friendly ahead of flying to Australia for the next stage of their pre-season preparations.

It is not known if Ronaldo will meet up with his team-mates ahead of further games against Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Ongoing speculation regarding Ronaldo's Old Trafford future comes less than a year on from his return to the club following 12 seasons away with Real Madrid and Juventus.

He led the scoring charts last term with 24 goals in all competitions, but his homecoming did not go to plan as United registered their lowest Premier League points tally.

United endured a fifth successive season without silverware and finished down in sixth, meaning no Champions League football in the 2022-23 campaign.

That is said to be the reason why Ronaldo, the leading scorer of all time in UEFA's primary club competition, is pushing for a move elsewhere.

Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Napoli and MLS clubs have been linked with the forward, as have his former sides Madrid and Sporting CP.

Rafael Nadal has been forced to withdraw from Friday's Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios, ending his hopes of a first calendar Grand Slam.

Nadal played through the pain barrier in a mammoth four-hour quarter-final clash with Taylor Fritz on Wednesday, regularly being checked over by his physio during a 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) win on Centre Court.

The Australian Open and French Open champion admitted in the aftermath of that success he was "worried" about the prospect of having to withdraw from the tournament, adding: "I don't know [if I will be able to play] – I am going to have some more tests, but it is difficult to know."

Nadal appeared on the practice courts on Thursday in a bid to find a way of competing but was unable to serve at full power, and reports said tests had revealed a 7mm abdominal tear.

The 36-year-old's efforts were ultimately in vain as he confirmed he was pulling out at a news conference later on Thursday, meaning Kyrgios advances to a first major final.

Cameron Tringale was delighted with his "red-hot" putting display after shooting a remarkable nine-under 61 to take the lead at the Scottish Open, matching the course record in the process. 

Tringale reached the turn at three-under after making a steady start, but the 34-year-old – whose only previous professional victory came in the Franklin Templeton shootout team event in 2014 – picked up the pace to birdie six consecutive holes through 10 to 15 and finish day one top of the leaderboard.

The American ended Thursday three shots clear of compatriot Gary Woodland and four ahead of South Africa's Justin Harding – one of four LIV Golf players to feature at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.

In claiming a place among the early leaders, Harding fared far better than fellow LIV Golf star Ian Poulter, who made nine bogeys during a calamitous opening round to finish eight-over.

Poulter was allowed to feature pending an appeal against a DP World Tour ban but may be wishing he had not bothered after slumping to near the bottom of the leaderboard, at one point sharing last place in the expanded field.

But the story of the day was undoubtedly Tringale's career-best round. He is now targeting greater consistency after setting a terrific pace. 

"I got lucky this morning with the wind not being up, the other guys in my group were off to hot starts, making some putts and I decided to join the fun on number five," Tringale told Sky Sports. 

"Then my putter got red-hot, and that's how you do it!

"You do the best you can, I think I was just fortunate with the amount of putts I holed and I got plenty of practice shots around the green, I didn't have to use them all that much because I struck it pretty nicely.

"But I was just dialled in on the greens and that tells the story. I'm just really focused on what I can control, I've done it poorly enough to learn the lessons. 

"Hopefully I can continue to go and play, and the good outcomes will come as a by-product if I can keep my head on straight."

Lewis Hamilton's optimism has been renewed by improvements to his Mercedes, as he now believes the team can compete for race wins in 2022.

Seven-time Formula One world champion Hamilton has endured a hugely testing season with the Silver Arrows.

New regulations were always likely to threaten his place at the forefront of the sport, but Mercedes' bouncing car has caused unexpected issues.

Hamilton has not secured a single victory through the first 10 grands prix of the campaign – his worst ever drought from the start of a year.

In fact, neither Hamilton nor new team-mate George Russell have even finished in the top two; not since 2011 have Mercedes waited so long for such a result.

Yet a Silver Arrow has finished third in each of the past three races, including consecutive podiums for Hamilton – his second and third of the season.

The Mercedes superstar was even in position to challenge for the win at Silverstone last time out.

While Hamilton ultimately fell short, the performance of his car encouraged hope for the remainder of the campaign as he bids to record a victory in a 16th straight season, a potential outright record ahead of Michael Schumacher (also 15).

"With a bit more hard work, hopefully we can get closer to having a chance of winning," Hamilton said ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

"I truly believe we can get a race win this year.

"There was a long way back. Earlier this year, I definitely wasn't sure we would ever get a win in this car, but that was not the way we like to think.

"It felt there's a long way to catch everyone up, knowing the progress everyone makes."

Mercedes have five wins at the Austrian GP – one shy of McLaren's record of six – but Max Verstappen and Red Bull have triumphed at three of the past four editions.

Hamilton added: "At Silverstone, there was definitely potential to win the race.

"With our current performance, we are not at the same level as the teams ahead of us – we needed everything to align.

"We have always struggled in Austria, so it is going to be hard to win here knowing the combination of corners – but not impossible.

"The weather is up and down. I am hopeful we will be pleasantly surprised [on Friday], but I might be wrong. I am staying hopeful."

World Rugby has hit out at "irresponsible" safety campaigners who have criticised the governing body's head injury assessment (HIA) process.

Safety campaign group Progressive Rugby claimed the HIA protocols had been "exposed" after Johnny Sexton was passed fit to play in Ireland's second Test against New Zealand.

Ireland skipper Sexton was taken off with a head injury during last weekend's first Test, but he passed the subsequent HIA checks and was given the all-clear to play again on Saturday.

Responding to the criticism, World Rugby said in a statement on Thursday that the wellbeing of players is never put at risk.

"It is the duty of any individual or organisation commenting on the head injury assessment process to do so using the facts," the statement read.

"Attempting to diagnose a serious medical condition like concussion from afar, without all the relevant information including a player's medical history, is irresponsible and no substitute for the world-leading medical care received by elite rugby players.

"Doctors are supported by the head injury assessment and recently updated return-to-play protocols put in place by World Rugby. 

"These protocols are developed using scientific evidence and independent expert opinion which are kept under constant review, as we never stand still on player welfare."

As part of changes announced by World Rugby last month, players now face an increased minimum period of 12 days out of action should they be found to have suffered a concussion.

That has seen the likes of Tom Curry and Tomas Francis return home from England's and Wales' tours of Australia and South Africa respectively this week after sustaining such injuries in their opening Tests.

Divock Origi is drawing inspiration from the feats of Milan striking greats Marco van Basten, Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi after joining the Serie A champions from Liverpool. 

Origi signed a four-year deal with the 2021-22 Scudetto winners on Tuesday, having enjoyed a trophy-laden eight-year stint at Anfield before departing on a free transfer.

The Belgium international scored 41 goals in 176 appearances as he earned cult-hero status at Liverpool, netting seven goals in 10 games against Merseyside rivals Everton and adding a crucial second goal to seal the Reds' 2019 Champions League final win over Tottenham.

In his first media conference in Milan, the 27-year-old hailed the Rossoneri's title-winners as he targeted making a valuable contribution next term.

"I spoke with the club towards the end of the season, but I was just concentrating on finishing the season with Liverpool," he said.

"Once that was done, I understood and shared the vision of the club, the people here made me realise the special journey this squad is on and the history being written, and I want to play my part in continuing it in the coming years.

"There are many players that have played their role in Milan's history that I admire, therefore, it's quite difficult to choose. 

"For example, I'm thinking of Van Basten, Shevchenko, Inzaghi, who have all been part of this wonderful club. I don't like to compare myself with others because we all have our own story to tell and path to take. 

"I believe it's possible to take inspiration from any player, in any position, and even from outside the footballing world. My goal is just to continuously grow as a player."

Origi scored in San Siro during a 2-1 Champions League win for Liverpool last December and says the sense of history surrounding Milan's famous home was a key attraction.

"I absolutely felt the atmosphere in the game in San Siro," he added. "In this stadium, you are able to feel the sense of history and the culture of the club. 

"This is also why it is an honour and a pleasure to be here, to have the opportunity to play in this magical stadium. 

"When Milan got the first goal, you could hear the backing and push given by the fans, that feeling between the crowd and players is special."

Origi won six major trophies – including Premier League and Champions League titles – at Liverpool, and emphasised his gratitude for former boss Jurgen Klopp's contribution to his career as he looked forward to the challenge of featuring in another major league.

"I am extremely grateful and appreciative of my time at Liverpool, it's a club that has provided me with everything," Origi added.

"Me and Klopp have shared an incredible experience together, we've won lots, and I'm very proud to have had him as my coach. With coach [Stefano] Pioli, I hope it will be the same and I can't wait to start working with him. 

"My time at Liverpool was very emotional, especially the goodbyes, but now it's time to start a new journey, giving this club the best version of me.

"Serie A and the Premier League are two completely different leagues. I have been fortunate to be able to play in different national championships – Germany, France, England – and also in international football. 

"The Italian league is very tactical, maybe in England, it's more physical. I think I'm going to learn a lot tactically in Italy, but at the same time contribute in the way I can from my experiences."

Elena Rybakina is determined to enjoy herself after setting up a groundbreaking Wimbledon final against Ons Jabeur.

Rybakina had not won a single grass-court semi-final prior to Thursday's match against Simona Halep, but she rose to the occasion in a stunning 6-3 6-3 win.

While the Kazakh said she was "quite nervous", it did not show as she forged nine break point opportunities – including in each Halep service game of the first set – and faced just one.

Rybakina's serve was similarly effective, with five aces and no double-faults; Halep had no aces and nine double-faults.

"It was really, really good," the victor said. "Usually, I have ups and downs. But I think today I was mentally prepared, and I did everything I could, and it was an amazing match."

Now, attention turns towards facing Jabeur, with both women playing their first major finals.

It will be the first time in the Open Era the women's singles final at the All England Club will be contested between two players who have not played a championship match at a grand slam before.

The stakes are only getting higher for Rybakina, but she is relishing the opportunity.

"I think it's going to be a great match," she said. "I'm going to try to do my best, but I'm going to enjoy it. I've already done a lot; it's time to enjoy the final."

Cameron Norrie can thrive as an underdog against Novak Djokovic and cause a sensation in Friday's Wimbledon semi-final, according to a former coach of the British star.

Ninth seed Norrie has battled through to a showdown with 20-time grand slam winner Djokovic, who had to come from two sets adrift to beat Jannik Sinner at the last-eight stage.

Their clash will be first on Centre Court on Friday, with Norrie bidding to follow in the recent footsteps of Andy Murray, Britain's last men's singles champion at the All England Club.

Djokovic is riding a 26-match unbeaten run at Wimbledon into the match, as the top seed bids to move a step closer to a fourth consecutive title at the tournament.

Yet the lower-ranked man can win, and he could even do it with a set to spare, according to Mexican David Roditi, head coach of the Texas Christian University's tennis team, with whom Norrie honed his talent as a youngster.

As well as studying sociology, Norrie's sports scholarship centred on playing for the Horned Frogs team. He spent three years at the university before leaving in 2017 to embark on a professional tennis career.

Roditi told Stats Perform he expects Norrie to thrive after his battling five-set win over David Goffin last time out.

"Obviously it's not easy to make Djokovic uncomfortable, not easy to beat him on grass," Roditi said. "What I will say is that this is finally the first time that Cameron gets to play as an underdog.

"I'm hoping that he's able to loosen up a little bit, be a little bit more aggressive, be able to go after him a little bit more than he was able to in the quarter-finals.

"I could feel he was not comfortable during that match [against Goffin]. He knew it was a great opportunity. So that underdog mentality has usually worked out well for Cameron. And I'm hoping that that's exactly what happens. And then once you get into the physicality of the game, and I think the longer this match goes, the better chances are for Cameron."

Looking at a prediction for the contest, Roditi said: "Oh, Cameron, it's got to be all Cameron. It's got to be him. So I'm saying Cameron in four sets? Wow. We'll give Djokovic a set. And well, then Cameron can win in four sets."

Roditi said there was "so much pride and so much excitement" being felt in Fort Worth at seeing Norrie grow into an elite performer on the world stage.

The 26-year-old won the Indian Wells Masters last year, the biggest achievement of his career until this fortnight.

Roditi says he always saw world-class potential in Norrie.

"There's no doubt he was head and shoulders above your typical 18-year-old coming in: extremely competitive, always willing to do the extra work physically," Roditi said. "He would go for long runs on his own, and so his endurance level is tremendous. It's great for him and his five-set matches – that showed in the quarter-finals.

"What I will say is that there was nothing he couldn't accomplish, [nothing] that we would ever be shocked or surprised [by]. He's always been able to defeat the odds and do more than anybody would expect of him.

"It's scary to think about what would happen if he wins this match. I think at this point anything's possible."

Elena Rybakina overpowered former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep 6-3 6-3 in the last four on Thursday to reach her first major final at the All England Club.

Rybakina is playing in the main draw in SW19 for only the second time, having debuted in 2021.

Yet the Kazakh looks every bit as accomplished on the London grass as the esteemed Halep, who had not lost at Wimbledon since 2018, taking the title in 2019.

Indeed, the Romanian met her match in Rybakina, who forged nine break point opportunities in a dominant display, aided by a flawless serve as Halep gave up a costly nine double-faults.

Despite being one of the game's great returners, Halep found herself on the back foot right from the outset.

She faced break points in each of her four service games in the opener, with a rampant Rybakina decisively seizing the first of them as she dictated play from the back of the court.

Rybakina's power continued to cause problems for Halep, although a trio of double-faults – including to both set up and secure the break point – were to blame as the first-time semi-finalist was gifted an early lead again in the second set.

That advantage was cancelled out in similarly generous fashion, with four straight unforced errors seeing Rybakina unexpectedly broken to love.

However, normal service was swiftly resumed as Rybakina won a sublime rally to tee up another break, and there was time for one final flourish as a sensational return from the 23-year-old left Halep rooted and wrapped up victory in 77 minutes.

Data slam: Simona's semi-final struggles

Losing at Wimbledon may have been an unfamiliar feeling for Halep after 12 straight wins at the tournament, including 10 in straight sets, but she is becoming all too accustomed to failing in the last four.

Excluding walkovers, this was the Romanian's fourth consecutive semi-final defeat. For Rybakina, it was a first win at this stage of any tournament on grass.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Rybakina – 13/16
Halep – 16/15

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Rybakina – 5/0
Halep – 0/9

BREAK POINTS WON

Rybakina – 3/9
Halep – 1/1

Jake Paul has vowed to "shut everyone up" after confirming Hasim Rahman Jr as his next opponent following the withdrawal of Tommy Fury.

YouTube sensation Paul announced on Wednesday that his proposed bout with Fury on August 6 will no longer be going ahead, with a new opponent being sought.

Rahman, the son of the former boxing heavyweight champion of the same name, was widely tipped to fill the void and that was confirmed by Fury on Thursday.

The 31-year-old heavyweight has a 12-1 record as a pro boxer, with six knockouts, and will provide the toughest test yet for 5-0 Paul, who has slowly proven himself early on.

It is the first time Paul has fought a professional boxer, and the American believes he is taking on an even bigger challenge than if he had faced Fury next month.

"I'm literally crazy," he told ESPN. "There's no reason why I should be taking this fight. I want to prove to the boxing world that I'm a real dog, which I am. 

"And I'm going to go in there against this 12-1 kid who is bigger than Tommy Fury, faster than Tommy Fury – all of these things. 

"I'm going to put on the performance of a lifetime and just shut everyone up."

The eight-round bout at Madison Square Garden will be contested at 200 pounds.

Paul's previous opponent Fury twice pulled out of the fight – once through illness in December and then due to visa issues preventing him travelling to the United States.

In a message posted on Twitter earlier on Thursday, Paul offered to fight Fury – the younger half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – in the United Kingdom later this year.

"I'm confident you are a scared little boy who doesn't want to fight or understand business," Paul said in response to a statement put out by Fury explaining his withdrawal. 

"I will pay you $500K to fight me in the UK. I will do it shortly after August 6. You accept?"

Tadej Pogacar declared each of his victories feels better than the last after claiming the yellow jersey with a thrilling win over stage six of the Tour de France, stepping up his bid for a third consecutive triumph in the race.

The 23-year-old attacked at the tail end of the climb into Longwy, accelerating away from the peloton to finish ahead of Michael Matthews and David Gaudu and snatch the overall lead from Wout van Aert.

Van Aert did not give up the yellow jersey without a fight, at one stage looking set for an extraordinary solo victory after breaking clear to establish a sizeable lead with 25 kilometres remaining. 

But the Belgian was eventually reeled in by a much-reduced peloton 11km from the finish, with Pogacar's lung-busting late effort allowing him to see off Matthews, Gaudu and the rest of the pack, clinching victory on the race's longest stage. 

With bonus seconds applied, Pogacar now boasts a four-second overall lead over Neilson Powless, and the Slovenian expressed his delight after sealing a victory which looked unlikely for much of the stage.

"Every time I win it's even better than before," he beamed after crossing the line. "It was such a hard day from the start. The first two hours were so crazy.

"The strongest guy was in the break. Many teams were pulling the peloton strongly, our team did it as well. In the end, the peloton was stronger [than Van Aert], but we were not sure to catch him.

"I was feeling good. My team did an incredibly good job to put me in a perfect position. It was not a pure sprint after we rode the last two climbs above threshold.

"I guess I had good legs to push in the end. I don't mind taking the yellow jersey, but I'm above all happy to take the stage win. Everything else is bonus."

Pogacar remains the man to beat

Pogacar began this year's edition of the Tour looking to become just the second rider to triumph on each of his first three appearances in the race (after Eddy Merckx won on each of his first five outings between 1969 and 1974).

While he had to remain patient after Van Aert accelerated away in the early stages here, his triumph – the fifth stage win at the Tour of his career – demonstrated he remains the rider to beat.

STAGE RESULTS

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 4:27:13
2. Michael Matthews (BikeExchange-Jayco) same time
3. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)
4. Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers)
5. Nairo Quintana (Arkea Samsic) 

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 20:44:44
2. Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) +0:04
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +0:31

Points Classification

1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 198
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 137
3. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 89

King of the Mountains

1. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education-EasyPost) 11
2. Alexis Vuillermoz (TotalEnergies) 2
3. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 2