England prop Ellis Genge believes the Rugby World Cup in France is a “wide open” tournament.

Only four countries – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England – have won the competition across its nine previous stagings.

But if the current world rankings prove an accurate guide, then a new name could be engraved on the trophy this time around with Ireland currently topping that list and France holding third place.

“Someone spoke to me recently and said about Ireland, South Africa and Eddie (Jones) going back to Australia,” England prop Genge said.

“They didn’t even mention New Zealand, so it shows where people’s heads are at. New Zealand are still one of the best teams in the world.

“You have seen the upsets we’ve had in recent years, and I think it is wide open.

“I think any good team is very, very good at what they do. There is no magic potion.

“You have to be very good at what you set out to do, and that is what all the best teams in history have done.

“I think the key factor is finding your identity and being really good at that. It is about hanging your hat on something.”

While Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Scotland all find themselves in the draw’s top half, England’s initial testing hurdles appear to be pool rivals Argentina – they meet in Marseille on September 9 – and potential quarter-final opponents Australia, Wales or Fiji if they reach the last-eight.

Genge is set to win his 50th cap at some point during England’s World Cup warm-up schedule.

Since the last tournament in Japan four years ago, when Genge made two appearances as a replacement, he has captained his country and established himself as England’s first-choice loosehead prop.

He is also among two World Cup vice-captains named by head coach Steve Borthwick, joining Courtney Lawes in understudying World Cup skipper Owen Farrell.

Asked how much he feels he has grown as a player since the last World Cup, Genge added: “I wouldn’t even pin it on growing as a player, to be honest. It’s more growing as a person.

“I’ve had two kids in that space of time. I’ve had some things go on with my family, so I moved back home (to Bristol).

“I am probably in a lot better spot psychologically, as opposed to looking at my performances on the pitch, which have obviously been bolstered by what has happened off it. They definitely coincide.

“It’s about that mentality of switching off, which I am quite good at, and then turning it back on when it counts.

“Switching off is very easy when you’ve got two young kids and a dog – a very big dog at that! That has really helped me as a person and the gym (Genge’s fitness business) is another avenue to take my mind off the game.

“Going into this World Cup, I am more of a senior player and I can’t wait to get involved. I really want to get going now.”

* Ellis Genge is a Dove Men+Care ambassador. For more rugby and stories of personal growth and selfcare, follow @DoveMenUK Twitter or @DoveMenCare Instagram

Rory McIlroy has thanked Tiger Woods for easing the burden on his fellow players by joining the PGA Tour’s policy board in response to anger at the proposed deal between golf’s rival factions.

Woods and McIlroy have been the biggest advocates of the established tours in their battle with LIV Golf, but were kept in the dark before the shock announcement of a deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV.

Masters champion Jon Rahm said players felt a sense of “betrayal” that the deal was negotiated in secret, with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan facing calls to resign when the Framework Agreement was revealed on June 6.

Woods becoming a player-director is part of what the PGA Tour announced last week as a new agreement “to ensure that the Tour lives up to its mission of being a player-driven organisation, for the players, by the players”.

It means the new board will be made up of six player-directors, five independent directors – including a replacement for Randall Stephenson, who resigned over “serious concerns” about the deal last month – and the PGA of America director.

Woods, 47, has not played since withdrawing from April’s Masters and concedes his playing opportunities will be extremely limited going forward, but the 15-time major winner remains a hugely influential figure in the game.

McIlroy, who is also on the policy board with Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati, said: “It’s a great addition.

“The player that, especially over the last 20 years, has left the biggest legacy on the game, for him to be involved in the discussions around the future of professional golf and what that may look like is very important.

“Tiger’s stepped up for all of us on Tour and I think he realises all the players on the policy board are trying to play regular golf and at the same time trying to navigate all these different things as well, so he’s maybe got a little bit more time on his hands than we do.

“So for him to step up and sort of take a little bit of the load off us is very much appreciated.”

McIlroy was speaking in a press conference ahead of this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship as he bids to win the overall FedEx Cup title for a fourth time.

The 34-year-old has brought an old putter out of his garage to use at TPC Southwind in Memphis as he tries to overhaul Masters champion Jon Rahm and world number one Scottie Scheffler at the top of the standings.

“I sort of treat it like a 12-round tournament,” McIlroy added of the play-offs format. “You’ve got 12 rounds to play, and you’re trying to go out there and get the best out of yourself for those 12 days.

“I missed the cut here last year and then was able to bounce back with a good finish at the BMW (Championship) and then go on and win the Tour Championship.

“If you’re up there in the standings, at least you know you’ve got a little bit of wiggle room. Going into the Tour Championship, if you’re sort of within four of the lead starting on Thursday, I think you’re in a really good spot.”

McIlroy’s place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team for this year’s contest in Rome was officially confirmed on Wednesday, along with that of Rahm, but the Northern Irishman’s preparation will be somewhat unorthodox.

After the PGA Tour season finishes McIlroy will return to Europe for the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, but added with a smile: “I’ve got a buddy’s bachelor party in Mykonos after Wentworth for a few days and then I have a few days to dry out before the Ryder Cup.”

The New York Knicks and swingman Josh Hart have agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension worth $81 million, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old Hart is now under contract through the 2027-28 season after he exercised his $12.96 million player option for the 2023-24 campaign on June 30.

New York acquired Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers on February 9 as part of a four-team trade. He averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.36 steals while shooting 58.6 percent overall and 51.9 percent (27 of 52) from 3-point range in 25 games after joining the Knicks.

The Utah Jazz selected Hart in the first round (30th overall pick) in 2017 before sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers in a draft-night trade.

Hart played his first two NBA seasons with the Lakers before getting dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans in July 2019 as part of the trade that saw Los Angeles acquire Anthony Davis.

New Orleans sent Hart to Portland in February 2022.

Hart has averaged 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 372 career games, including 170 starts.

Jim Goldie is doubtful Euchen Glen will get another crack at the Sky Bet Ebor, despite finishing an honourable third when in action at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

The 10-year-old has won 12 times in a long and distinguished 61-race career, but is without a victory since winning the Listed Gala Stakes in 2021 and as such has seen his rating drop from a career high of 116 to 96.

Looking to snap that two-year loosing run in the Coral Summer Handicap on the Sussex Downs, Euchen Glen gave a fine account to make the podium in heavy ground.

However, his handler believes he needed to win to stand a chance of making the final field of the Ebor for the fourth successive year with him currently lying 37th on the list for the £500,000 contest which has a maximum field of 22.

“He’s going fine, but we’re probably going to miss the Ebor,” said Goldie.

“I think he had to win at Goodwood to get in the Ebor. We will probably have to look at another race at York.

“He needs quite a few to come out and if they do we will be running in it, but we might miss it by one or two.

“If we got the ground you got at Goodwood, you never know, and he is one of the few horses who does handle it. That would make it interesting, but I think we will get a summer at some point!”

The current favourite for the Knavesmire handicap is Euchen Glen’s Goodwood conqueror Sweet William, who was also ahead of Goldie’s stable stalwart when they clashed over two miles at Newbury last month.

But the Scottish handler is keen to take another crack at John and Thady Gosden’s improving stayer, having bridged the deficit between the pair in their most recent encounter.

“I think it was two very progressive horses that beat him at Goodwood and it was a good field,” added Goldie.

“I know they think a lot of the winner, but it is interesting because we are getting closer to him. We ran against him at Newbury and we probably closed that gap by four or five lengths at Goodwood.

“With another 7 or 8lb we might actually pass him one day, with the theory that weight will stop a train eventually.

“Euchen Glen is obviously a superstar and he’s from a good family, Sir Chauvelin is his brother, so we’ve had a lot of winners out of that mare.”

England are among eight nations still standing at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as preparations continue for their respective quarter-finals.

The last-eight fixtures begin on Friday when Spain play the Netherlands and Japan take on Sweden, while the Lionesses face Colombia after co-hosts Australia and France clash on Saturday.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at the first of two fixture-free days Down Under before the action resumes.

We’re not happy – Bronze

Lucy Bronze admitted England “are not happy” with their World Cup displays, but vowed the Lionesses will step up on Saturday against Colombia.

The European champions rode their luck to beat Nigeria in the last 16 on penalties and will be without Lauren James, who will serve at minimum a one-game ban after her dismissal on Monday.

Barcelona defender Bronze said: “We’ve built on every game, we’ve taken something from every game, whether that was the Haiti game that was physical, the Denmark game when we lost our key player in Keira (Walsh), the China game we changed the formation completely, (Monday) we had a red card.

“Everything that has been thrown at us, we’ve dealt with and moved forward. I don’t see many other teams who’ve had that adversity and if they had, I don’t think they’ve managed to overcome the way we have. At the same time, we are not happy with our performances.”

Matildas prodigy tipped for top

Australia’s Cortnee Vine says there is no limit to what team-mate Mary Fowler can achieve in the game and insisted she has not been surprised by the 20-year-old Manchester City forward’s stellar contribution.

Vine said: “She can just be amazing. I said to her before this tournament began that she’s going to have a fantastic tournament. She just has so much more to go and she’s still so young, I think we forget sometimes.

“She’s so mature and knows what she wants and is her own individual kind of person and when she gets on that field, you just see something special.

“I just think she’s going to keep growing from that. I can’t wait to see Mary keep going because she’s just killing it at the moment.”

Swedes wary of Japanese threat

Sweden pair Fridolina Rolfo and Zecira Musovic believe quarter-final opponents Japan have been one of the best sides in the tournament so far.

Japan edged closer to a second World Cup triumph on Saturday by beating Norway 3-1 in the last 16, having cruised through their group without dropping a point or conceding a goal.

Barcelona forward Rolfo said: “They have been great, I have to say that. They have been one of the best teams so far in the tournament. So we need to analyse them really well and need to have a good match plan.”

Chelsea goalkeeper Musovic added: “We know it will require a lot of hard work. I think Japan is maybe the most exciting and maybe the team who has impressed me the most so far.”

Post of the dayQuote of the dayWhat’s next?

Quarter-final: Spain v Netherlands, Wellington, Friday 2am.

Quarter-final: Japan v Sweden, Auckland, Friday 8.30am.

Caernarfon will have her sights slightly lowered for her next outing following her game effort in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

Although only fifth on the Sussex Downs, Jack Channon’s Oaks third was beaten just two-and-three-quarter lengths in a muddling renewal of the 10-furlong Group One.

The contest was run at a steady pace before turning into a dash for the line as Roger Varian’s Al Husn proved best placed to grab the honours and although proud of his filly for once again proving herself worthy of a place at the top table, Channon was left to rue the way the race was run.

He said: “It was a mess of a race. Ryan (Moore, aboard Above The Curve) has walked round, controlled the race and then they have sprinted and us, the French filly (Blue Rose Cen) and Nashwa had no chance from where we were.

“Nashwa has picked up well and our filly has picked up as well all the way to the line. They took two lengths out of her and never got further away, she’s been beaten just over two and a half lengths.

“She ran an absolute cracker, but the race certainly wasn’t run anywhere near what we would have liked to suit her. We’re not the only one, it was the same scenario for Blue Rose Cen and Nashwa. I couldn’t be happier with her performance.”

Caernarfon could now get her passport stamped as the West Ilsley handler eyes securing the confidence-boosting success her consistent efforts this season have deserved.

She has options at both the Curragh and Deauville, as Channon prepares to drop the filly back to Group Two or Group Three level over the coming weeks.

He continued: “I honestly believe she is quite a flexible filly and I wouldn’t hesitate going a mile and a half or a mile and a quarter with her, it will be just where the best race for her fits from now.

“She’s proven she is capable of mixing it with the best Group One fillies, but hasn’t been quite capable of winning one just yet. I do believe she will eventually win one, where and when that will be I don’t know, but we’re trying to get her head in front now.

“There is no such thing as an easy Group race, but we will probably drop down a grade or two now and just try to find a race to win before we step back up again.

“She’s in the Snow Fairy Stakes at the Curragh (August 26), she’s also in the Prix de Alex Head which used to be the Prix de la Nonette at Deauville on August 20 and she’s also in the Blandford (Curragh, September 10) albeit that’s a few weeks later.

“I’ve got three races in mind over a three-week period and whenever I feel she is ready to rock and roll again we might have a go at one of those.”

Channon is also looking forward to the return of Gather Ye Rosebuds who created a taking impression on debut at Newbury before disappointing in the Musidora when upped in class for her second start.

She is reported to have thrived over the summer months and with the summer rainfall making conditions soft throughout the country, could have her optimum ground when next sighted on track.

“I couldn’t be happier with her and she has put on something like 30 kilos since the Musidora,” added the handler.

“All she has done is improve physically all through the summer and with her wanting a bit of juice in the ground we felt there was no point in battering her head against the quick ground in the summer.

“Obviously that meant we were a bit on the back foot when the soft ground has come around now, but she’s probably a couple of weeks away from running again with a view to having probably two runs at this back-end and then putting her away for a four-year-old campaign.

“She’s a massive filly with a big engine and I’m not going to rush her.”

Ex-Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy is chasing millions of pounds of back pay from his former club and is selling his house in a bid to avoid bankruptcy, the High Court has heard.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is seeking a bankruptcy order against the France international over a nearly £800,000 tax debt, a specialist judge was told.

The hearing in London on Wednesday comes less than a month after the 29-year-old was cleared of rape and attempted rape at Chester Crown Court.

Jacquille Jarrett, representing HMRC, said proceedings at the Insolvency and Companies Court had previously been postponed pending the outcome of the criminal trial and for a settlement of Mendy’s debt from backdated salary or the sale of his property.

“There has been no contact from the debtor,” Jarrett said, adding: “The agreement advises that an update would be given to HMRC but no contact was made.

“We look to secure a bankruptcy order today.”

Mendy’s accountant, who refused to give reporters his full name, told the hearing the now Lorient defender “was found not guilty in respect of those very serious criminal charges against him”.

He said Manchester City had not paid Mendy, who was not present at Wednesday’s hearing, since September 2021.

The accountant said Mendy’s agent is “in negotiations with Manchester City to get the back pay on the basis that he has been found not guilty”.

The sum is “in the order of nine to 10 million pounds gross”, the accountant told the court.

He also said Mendy’s house in Cheshire is being marketed by estate agent Savills for £5million.

“He himself has moved back to France where he comes from,” the accountant said.

“I would like to ask for a short extension because I am told very firmly by his agent that the pay issue will be resolved from Manchester City.

“He was very short of money indeed, the cost of the legal case were over one million pounds.”

Mendy left City in June at the expiration of his contract, having not played for the European champions since August 2021.

He has since signed a two-year deal with French club Lorient.

Judge Clive Jones told Wednesday’s hearing that Mendy’s HMRC debt is £788,409.

Criticising Mendy, the judge said: “I’m very unimpressed at the lack of information that’s been provided both to HMRC and to the court prior to this hearing.

“That, I really think, is the wrong step for him to take,” he said, adding that Mendy must attend any further hearing or be legally represented.

The judge adjourned the bankruptcy proceedings to 11am on October 4 to allow Mendy to sell his house.

He said he has been told there is “more than sufficient equity in a house”, adding that “time should be given to enable payment to be made”.

“I also bear in mind that there are also negotiations in place about the backdated pay,” the judge said, adding that Mendy could be being paid “a large sum in wages” in France.

On July 14 this year, jurors found the full-back not guilty of a charge of rape and one of attempted rape, following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court.

Mendy had been on trial for a second time, the jury failing to reach verdicts on the allegations made by two women.

In his first trial, lasting six months and ending in January, he was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four other young women or teenagers.

Nicky Henderson is looking forward to going novice hurdling with Willmount having taken over training duties of the unbeaten five-year-old.

Owned by Olly Harris, he commanded £340,000 at the sales following a maiden point-to-point win at Comea in February 2022 and then went on to make an immediate impact under rules last season.

He created a deep impression when partnered by Jamie Moore for his rules debut at Doncaster, scoring by 13 lengths and followed that up with another victory on Town Moor, winning by four-and-a-half lengths under a penalty.

Those two victories came while in the care of Neil Mulholland, but the talented youngster has now been switched to Seven Barrows ahead of the new jumps season kicking into gear.

“He’s only just arrived, he’s a nice horse,” said Henderson.

“He will certainly be going straight over hurdles. He’s a very nice horse actually and he looked a good horse for Neil last year. He looks very well.

“He did look a bit special, and interestingly we all knew he looked quite good because I bought his sister at the Derby Sale in Ireland over the summer hoping he might turn out to be a good horse.”

Justin Kluivert believes Bournemouth can reach "a higher level" in the Premier League under the coaching of Andoni Iraola.

Bournemouth impressively avoided the drop last season by finishing 15th and eyebrows were raised when Gary O'Neil was replaced despite securing survival.

But Iraola arrives with an impressive reputation from Rayo Vallecano and soon after joining he made Kluivert his first signing, with the Dutchman arriving from Roma.

Cherries chief executive Neill Blake said in June that beating a number of other high-profile clubs to the signing of Kluivert was a sign of Bournemouth's ambition.

Kluivert has revealed the opportunity to link up with Iraola was key, and he is starting the Premier League season – which begins with a home match against West Ham on Saturday – in an optimistic mood.

"I'm very excited because his philosophy is a bit what I know from my past teams that I've played at," Kluivert said to Stats Perform.

"Not every [team] but a lot of them – for example at Ajax I'm used to pressing a lot to go for the attack and that is his philosophy also. 

"We need to attack, we need to press, we need to want the ball and that's what I really like to do. 

"So I'm very happy he is the coach and with his philosophy, how he wants to play, I just can't wait to get started, and I know him from the Spanish league last year, so that is also nice.

"We speak some Spanish also a little bit sometimes, so that helps us.

"I'm always positive, I always think high and yeah, I can't wait to show my qualities and help the club and team to a higher level. If you have this mentality you will achieve a lot of good stuff."

Kluivert scored nine goals in 68 appearances for Roma and spent last season on loan at Valencia following similar spells with RB Leipzig and Nice.

It is clear the 24-year-old's goals with Bournemouth are more than simply retaining their Premier League status.

Kluivert added: "What excites me is just that I want to see how high we can end with this team.

"I have a strong belief like we can do very good with the team. I trust myself, I trust the team-mates, I trust the coach.

"I have belief that we can do some great stuff this season and that [belief] is what I always have."

The West Ham opener could be key for Bournemouth, as they have been handed a brutal run of fixtures after that, with matches against Liverpool, Tottenham, Brentford, Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal to follow in their first seven contests.

Ireland’s Leona Maguire hopes she has learned a valuable lesson from her experience of leading a major championship as she bids to win the AIG Women’s Open.

Maguire held a one-shot lead after 36 and 54 holes of the KPMG Women’s Championship at Baltusrol in June, having won her second LPGA Tour title just days earlier.

A third 69 of the week in the final round would have been enough to make Maguire the first female Irish player to win a major, but the 28-year-old could only card a closing 74 to slip into a tie for 11th.

“I think at Baltusrol I put three really good rounds together,” Maguire said ahead of the year’s final major at Walton Heath.

“I think I had had seven rounds in the 60s (in succession) leading into that final day so I was playing really nice golf.

“I think the win the week before took a lot out of me. I was quite drained come Sunday and just didn’t have enough in the tank to get over the line.

“It was obviously a new learning experience, to be in that situation in the lead and the last group on Saturday and Sunday and sort of the emotions and everything that went along with that.

“I’d like to think that if I get myself in that position again, I’ll approach it a little differently and I’ll have learned from that experience.”

Maguire can also draw on the experiences of her male counterparts, with the likes of three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, former Open champion Shane Lowry and 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley happy to offer advice.

“Padraig’s been quite generous with his time and his advice,” Maguire added.

“(I’ve) chatted to Shane and chatted to Paul McGinley, he has been a big help as well. He was our captain at the Rio Olympics and has been a big help with advice.

“To be fair they all shared their knowledge in different ways and they have all had very different experiences and I’ve kind of leaned on all of them at different times for different bits of advice.”

Maguire feels keeping the ball out of the heather will be the key to success this week and world number one Nelly Korda was in full agreement after tangling with it in practice.

“Yeah, almost broke my wrist today,” the Olympic champion said with a smile.

“It’s not easy. It’s really bouncy. If you get a good lie, then maybe (you can advance the ball) but I would say 95 per cent of the time you will be pitching out with a 58 degree (wedge) just to try to get it back into play.

“It’s really tough to get out of that.”

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda will be in action at Walton Heath for the first time since being disqualified from the Evian Championship for refusing to accept a two-shot penalty for slow play, with Korda backing the decision to hand out sanctions.

“I really like Carlotta. She’s a great person. I enjoy playing with her,” Korda said.

“I am a fast player, but I would say at the end of the day the Rules of Golf are the Rules of Golf, and it’s good that it’s being enforced.

“I mean, if I’m being honest, if I was a spectator and I was out here for five and a half to six hours, you know, it’s tough to watch, right. You want to watch a sport that’s continuously moving and not continuously stalling.”

The R&A announced on Wednesday that AIG will continue as title sponsor of the Women’s Open through 2030, with Royal Lytham also named as the host venue for 2026.

This year’s total prize fund will be 9 million US dollars (£7.1million), a 23 per cent increase on 2022. The 2023 champion will earn 1.35 million US dollars (£1.1m).

Luton have signed former Chelsea and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley on a free transfer.

Former England international Barkley, 29, spent last season at Ligue 1 club Nice following his departure from Chelsea by mutual consent.

Barkley – who played for England at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and also had a loan spell at Aston Villa – could make his debut for the Hatters in their opening Premier League match at Brighton on Saturday.

“Why Luton? Going from the Conference to the Premier League is a great story and for me personally to be back in the Premier League, it’s great motivation,” Barkley said on the Luton club website.

“I’m still relatively young and over the last couple of years I’ve not played as much as I’d have liked.

“But I’ve reserved a lot of energy and looked after myself, so it’s great to be here now as I’ve got a lot to show but I’m ready and feeling motivated.”

Luton manager Rob Edwards is confident Barkley can bring something different to his squad as their embark on a first Premier League campaign after winning the Sky Bet Championship play-off final.

“Ross brings loads of experience at the top level, has international experience and brings an X-factor,” Edwards said.

“He gives us something different, he has that ability to make something out of nothing and we need that in the Premier League. He’s got all the tools required to make a difference for us.

“It’s really exciting for the football club. We want the fans to be excited and they should be about Ross’ arrival.”

Gary O’Neil has been appointed as the new Wolves head coach on a three-year contract following the departure of Julen Lopetegui.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues in his in-tray at Molineux.

Steady ship and pick up morale

It has been a turbulent summer at the club. Relegation was ultimately avoided with something to spare last season, but then problems began as the reinforcements Lopetegui wanted did not arrive and some key players left. With rumours of disquiet growing louder by the week, the players left have effectively been told throughout pre-season that they are not good enough. Morale will likely be low and one of O’Neil’s first tasks will be to restore some order.

Get the fans onside

As well as getting the players on board, O’Neil is going to have to win over the fans. After the high-profile appointment of Lopetegui, a former Spain and Real Madrid coach with a strong reputation, the arrival of the former Bournemouth boss is underwhelming by comparison. It was clear some supporters were beginning to tire of Lopetegui’s complaints and perhaps felt replacing him now was better than allowing the situation to deteriorate further, but they could be forgiven for having doubts about the new man at the helm. Despite making an impression at Bournemouth last season, he remains relatively inexperienced and needs to prove himself.

Identify modest targets

The root of Lopetegui’s problems with the club was their need to balance the books. After spending heavily prior to the Spaniard’s arrival, a tightening of the purse strings has been necessary to ensure compliance with Financial Fair Play regulations. The implication from Lopetegui was that he was not aware of the extent to which this was necessary and consequently felt let down. After that rumpus, O’Neil should be more aware of the club’s financial constraints. The squad will need strengthening in areas, particularly in terms of strikers, and he will need to identify realistic targets.

Make a point to Bournemouth

This will not be in his in-tray as such, but O’Neil will also be driven by personal ambitions as well as those of the club. He took over in difficult circumstances at Bournemouth early last season, when Scott Parker was sacked after saying his squad was “under-equipped” to compete in the Premier League. He took the same group of players and guided them to a 15th-placed finish. His subsequent dismissal by the Cherries was widely regarded as harsh. By making an impact at Molineux he can undoubtedly make a point.

Prepare for Old Trafford

There will be little time to settle before the first game of the Premier League season arrives, and it is hardly a straightforward opener. Wolves travel to Manchester United on Monday. He will need to catch up quickly on Wolves’ pre-season performances, analyse what he has at his disposal and put a team together. It is a tall order but, in terms of assessing United, he may at least have some recent work to fall back on, having faced Erik ten Hag’s side in his penultimate match with Bournemouth.

Nicky Henderson says Constitution Hill “couldn’t be better” following his summer break – but he is yet to partake in the all-important schooling session which could determine if jumps racing’s unbeaten superstar remains over hurdles or goes chasing.

National Hunt racing’s flagship horse is a perfect seven from seven in his career to date and has swept the board over timber, blowing away his rivals to win six Grade One prizes on the bounce.

Having conquered all over the smaller obstacles, the burning question is whether connections will take the plunge and embark on a campaign over fences with the reigning Champion Hurdler in the new season.

Constitution Hill is back at Seven Barrows following an enjoyable summer at Hillwood Stud, with owner Michael Buckley and Henderson having plenty to consider together with jockey Nico de Boinville.

“He couldn’t be better, he’s looking enormous and great,” said Henderson.

“We’re waiting for the weather just to have a look-see and it will probably be a few weeks before we do, but we’re looking at him, not that he can talk.”

It is not the first time Henderson has had to make the crucial decision over which direction to send one of his stable stars, with the situation reminding him of Altior’s early days at the Lambourn centre of excellence.

Patricia Pugh’s pride and joy was unbeaten in five outings over hurdles, but the decision was made to switch and he went on to win 15 of his 18 starts over fences, including the Champion Chase twice and the Arkle.

However, Henderson believes there are more variables at play on this occasion, with the pull of becoming the first horse since Dawn Run to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup meaning stamina is a vital component connections need to be sure is in Constitution Hill’s armoury.

“It’s a difficult dilemma and I remember going through it with Altior when we were in exactly the same boat – OK, he hadn’t won a Champion Hurdle but he would have done if he had stayed hurdling, there is no doubt about that.

“It’s the same dilemma and again we schooled Altior over fences and he was absolutely brilliant and we decided to go down that route.

“There are other issues to consider this time, because it is also going to be a question of stamina really and we would be doing it if we think he is a stayer.

“You would want to be thinking along the Gold Cup lines, that would be the reason for going chasing.

“He can do most things because he is so relaxed about life and I think he would stay as far as you liked to be honest. He just goes to sleep very easily and he’s not one who will overrace.

“We’ve been talking about it as you can guess, but Nico is still away at the moment because there is a break (in the summer jumps season) and we’ll keep thinking, but he’s in very good form.”