Brendan Rodgers is relishing the opportunity to build on the “great foundation” left by Ange Postecoglou at Celtic.

The Northern Irishman has returned to take charge of the Hoops on the back of a campaign in which his predecessor won five of the six domestic trophies available, including a treble last season, before leaving earlier this month to become manager of Tottenham.

Rodgers admits it is rare for him to take on a new job when the team is already in such a position of strength and he feels the fact he shares similar ideas to Postecoglou about how the game should be played can help ensure a smooth transition.

“I come to a club for one of the very few times in my career where it has an upward feel to it,” he said. “A lot of the jobs I’ve gone into, the teams have been suffering and I’ve gone in to pick it up.

“Here I’ve come in with a great foundation on the back of the great work Ange has done over the last couple of years.

“I’ve not spoken to Ange, but I’ve exchanged messages with him. I’ve spoken in depth to John Kennedy who has been a pivotal person at the club and who will be my assistant.

“I’ve obviously watched Celtic as well. The football philosophy is not too different in terms of how we would work and how a Celtic manager is perceived to work with his team.

“It’s an attacking club. You have to win and you have to win stylistically in a certain way. Ange has obviously done that and hopefully in my period to follow we’ll be able to continue doing that. It’s a continuation of that and hopefully building on that.”

Rodgers is “excited” about the squad he has inherited but is keen to make quality additions over the coming months ahead of the Champions League, which gets under way in September.

“It’s a good time to strengthen whenever you’ve done so well,” he said. “A team coming off the back of a treble, I’ve been in that position before and we were able to do another treble, so I understand the feeling now over the course of the summer and what it is you need over this period, and that will be about strengthening.

“I’m also really excited to work with the players here because it’s a young squad and there is still a lot of growth within that. I’m really looking forward to getting to see them over the course of pre-season.

“There’s only a few players that were here from when I was here. It’s an exciting squad and now is a really good time to add to it.”

Tammy Beaumont’s maiden Test century helped England rebound after their understaffed bowlers were made to toil by Annabel Sutherland’s unbeaten 137 on day two of this Women’s Ashes series opener.

Beaumont rode her luck but a fine 100 not out lifted England to 218 for two at stumps, sharing a 115 stand with captain Heather Knight, who made a composed 57, after Australia had posted a formidable total of 473.

Sophie Ecclestone claimed a maiden Test five-for, a fitting reward after 46.2 overs of exertion as she took the onus with Nat Sciver-Brunt unable to fulfil her bowling duties due to a jarred right knee.

England’s premier all-rounder fielded then batted, showing no sign of the minor injury with a fluent 41 not out, although her omission from bowling was understood to be precautionary at the outset of this multi-format series.

Her unavailability meant an increased workload for her team-mates as England sought to wrap up the lower order and restrict their opponents to under 350 at Trent Bridge, but Sutherland seized upon the hosts being a bowler light on a flat pitch as Australia added 235 for the last four wickets.

Sutherland’s highest score in 33 previous internationals was 35 but she capitalised on England’s aching limbs – they were kept in the field for 124.2 overs – to record the fastest Test ton by an Australian woman off only 148 balls.

There was no keeping her out of the game as she also bagged a wicket after showcasing the enviable depth of Australia’s batting pool with the highest score by a number eight in women’s Tests.

She lost Alana King, who was bowled through the gate for 21 by a hooping Lauren Bell inswinger once Sutherland had taken her 39 in Australia’s overnight 328 for seven to a first international fifty.

The debuting Lauren Filer bristled with intent and beat the bat on a couple of occasions but the seamers were largely innocuous and Sutherland even set after the more frugal Ecclestone upon her introduction after 40 minutes, having bowled a mammoth 31 overs on Thursday – 28 of them in a row.

While she held up an end, Ireland-born Kim Garth was a capable foil on her Test bow for the expansive Sutherland, who went through the gears and required only 48 balls to bring up a second 50, reaching a maiden ton in her third match in this format with a clip through midwicket off Filer for a 12th four.

That was the first of three fours in the over, the third out of Knight’s reach in the slips, and Sutherland continued to churn out the runs after lunch with a mighty heave for Australia’s first six.

However, she ran out of partners as Ecclestone rapped Garth (22) on the back pad after skidding through her defences, ending a 95-run stand for the penultimate wicket which had carried Australia past 450, before taking a sharp caught and bowled off Darcie Brown in the spinner’s 16th consecutive over.

While Ecclestone, who finished with 46.2-9-129-5, bore the brunt of Sciver-Brunt’s absence from the attack, Kate Cross racked up 29 overs, with Filer bowling 22 and Bell 20 as Australia’s registered the sixth-highest total in Women’s Tests.

England amassed 650 in 118.2 overs in a warm-up against Australia A last week, with Beaumont notching a rollicking double century, but the situation in Nottingham initially demanded a pragmatic approach.

Beaumont had a life on four as a diving Phoebe Litchfield was unable to hang on to what would have been a screamer but fellow opener Emma Lamb was not so fortunate after Sutherland was brought on. Seduced into a drive, Lamb merely edged low to second slip on 10.

Beaumont, though, punished Australia’s seamers when they over-pitched with a few lusty drives and two full tosses from Sutherland and one from Ellyse Perry were given the treatment.

While Knight started confidently, Beaumont had a couple of moments of luck after going past 50 against leg-spinner King, who found the inside edge twice – with the first ballooning over the short leg fielder and the second thumping into the boot being before caught but Australia neglected to review.

Knight joined Beaumont in passing an untroubled 50 but was undone by a hint of turn and bounce from Ashleigh Gardner and nicked off. But Sciver-Brunt got off nought with an authoritative drive off Gardner for the first of seven fours as she upped the ante.

Beaumont moved into the 90s with an edge off Gardner that dropped short and wide of Jess Jonassen before bringing up her hundred with a clip off her hip for a couple in the penultimate over of the day.

In doing so, Beaumont became just the second woman – after Knight – to score a hundred in all three international formats.

Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan says the club are now aiming to be “number one” after their transformation from relegation strugglers to Champions League participants.

The Magpies finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the Carabao Cup final last season, just over a year they had been battling to get out of the bottom three.

The catalyst for the improvement was the club’s takeover by the Saudi-led consortium headed by Al-Rumayyan and Amanda Staveley in 2021.

“It is a great achievement to start with,” Al-Rumayyan told NUFCTV in an interview reflecting on his first full season at the helm.

“Did we expect to do that? Yes. We have the ingredients for success. We have the will. We want to achieve the best positions we can.

“(We) have the right people in management – the technical director (Dan Ashworth), the manager (Eddie Howe) – and we have the right players. To top it all, we have a great fanbase.

“If you have the right people and the will, and the right processes and funds, if you put all these together I think it is a great recipe for success and that is what we are achieving right now.

“Finishing in the top four, our revenue is increasing. Remember, you have to work within the financial fair play framework, so the more revenue we will have, the more players we will have ready.

“Then the Champions League will add more revenue for us. The sponsorship is improving and that’s more funds and more revenue.

“If you put all these things together, I think we should have an ambition and aspiration to be number one.”

Al-Rumayyan, who was wearing a suit lined with black and white stripes and the club crest, described his first visit to St James’ Park as “one magical, electrical moment for me.”

He added: “We have one of the best fanbases in the EPL and potentially the world.”

Cameron Norrie’s bid for a first grass-court title was ended by Sebastian Korda in the quarter-finals of the cinch Championships.

The British number one and fifth seed was beaten 6-4 7-6 (1) by American Korda, the world number 32.

His defeat means there will be no British interest, in singles or doubles, going into the weekend at Queen’s Club for the first time since 2012.

Korda, who also accounted for British number two Dan Evans in the first round, broke Norrie for 3-2 and had another break point for 5-2 in the opening set.

Norrie wriggled out of that tight spot with a pair of aces, but he was unable to prevent Korda wrapping up the set in 37 minutes.

Norrie, runner-up here in 2021 and a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, hauled a break back for 3-3 in the second, the first time he had got anywhere near the Korda serve.

But Korda, the son of former Australian Open winner Petr and brother of major champion golfer Nelly, raced away with the tie-break to reach the last four on his Queen’s debut.

The 22-year-old, who recently recovered from three months out with a wrist injury, said: “It’s massive. I’m playing really well on grass, I feel comfortable and I’m really enjoying myself here.

“As many matches as I can get, I’m always super happy. Everything is clicking right now.”

Saturday’s first semi-final will see Alex De Minaur face Danish second seed Holger Rune.

Australian De Minaur was watched by his girlfriend, Britain’s Katie Boulter, as he beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-4 4-6 6-4.

Rising star Rune, 20, got past Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 7-5.

Trainer Denis Hogan has lodged an appeal against the decision to suspend his licence for three months and his €5,000 fine after one of his horses tested positive for a prohibited substance.

Ballyadam Destiny showed elevated levels of triamcinolone acetonide (TCA) and dexamethasone after winning at Galway last October.

Dr Lynn Hillyer, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board chief veterinary officer, stated in a report published on Friday that Hogan had been advised not to run his horse for 40 days after being treated by his vet, Donncha Houlihan.

Hogan accepted the findings in the report, stating he had mistaken the withdrawal period due to an administration error and has now employed additional staff as well as putting new measures in place to avoid a reoccurrence.

It is the fourth time in the previous five years a horse of Hogan’s has failed a post-race drugs test – including point-to-points. His ban is due to begin on August 1.

Hogan said: “We have lodged an appeal, while we have the appeal in, I don’t want to say too much.

“I was shocked and it took me a day or two to digest (the findings) but it is what it is now and we’ll have to make the best of it. I haven’t thought beyond August 1 and will have to speak to my solicitor and see what he thinks and take it from there.”

King Of Steel gained compensation for his Derby near miss when storming to an impressive victory in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Roger Varian’s lightly-raced son of Wootton Bassett produced a tremendous effort on just his third start when touched off by Auguste Rodin at Epsom and confirmed the promise of that performance in the hands of Kevin Stott at the Berkshire track.

Dubai Mile led from Artistic Star in the early stages, with John and Thady Gosden’s Arrest keen in the hands of Frankie Dettori. But an ultra-confident Stott was in no rush and happy to bide his time aboard the 11-10 favourite, anchoring the King Of Steel in rear.

Stott asked his mount to improve as the six-strong field rounded the turn for home and having made stylish progress to the front, he soon defied momentary greenness to put the race to bed in fine style.

The rider, who was enjoying the his third Royal Ascot winner and first as retained rider for owner Amo Racing, was able to salute the crowd as he crossed the line three and a half lengths clear of Aidan O’Brien’s Continuous who kept on well for second, with Artistic Star a further two and a half lengths back in third.

It was a second winner of the week for Amo and also for the trainer, who struck on day one with Royal Champion, but has since seen big fancies Eldar Eldarov and Sakheer turned over and was making a welcome return visit to the winner’s enclosure.

Varian said: “It’s relief, when they run so well in the Derby you want them to back it up. We were confident he would but we know horse racing! It’s a tough game.

“He’d come out of the Derby so well, he’s such an agile horse and he’s got a great constitution. He’s never left an oat since the Derby, he’s been training super.

“I tried to put into the back of my mind that it was the Derby because we all know they can bounce after their effort at Epsom. I just went on the signs the horse was giving us, which were great.

“Raul Da Silva has done a wonderful job riding this horse most mornings, and the whole team at home. I’m delighted for Kia (Joorabchian of Amo), I was delighted he got his winner yesterday to take a bit of the pressure off for us!

“I’m delighted for the horse, he’s a super horse and he confirmed today what he did in the Derby which is very satisfying.”

Connections had been eyeing the Grand Prix de Paris as a next port of call, and Varian added: “That’s what we’d like to do, but we all know horses so we’ll see how he is tomorrow.”

Stott admitted he had felt the pressure following King Of Steel’s Derby run.

He said: “From the first time I sat on him at Roger’s, he’s always given me a lovely feel. I remember coming home and saying to Meg (Nicholls, agent and partner) that I was really excited about this horse.

“Not running in the Dante, I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to see if he was what I felt at home.

“His run in the Derby was incredible, so coming here obviously there was a huge amount of pressure on me and Roger.

“He was a bit keen, we didn’t go overly quick. We could easily drop him back if we had to, he’s got plenty of speed and in four strides he put the race to bed. It’s brilliant for everyone here.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from June 23.

Jamie Carragher enjoyed Glastonbury.

A landmark day for Newcastle’s women’s team.

John McGinn put pen to paper.

Brendan Rodgers was back on familiar territory.

Happy birthday to a pair of midfield maestros…

…And a doyen of the dugout.

Sol Campbell likened himself to sprint king Usain Bolt.

Alan Shearer gave a warm welcome to Newcastle’s newest fan.

Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas got reacquainted with Wimbledon.

Reigning champion Elena Rybakina’s backhand was on point.

Billie Jean King marked a major anniversary.

Frankie’s way.

Tammy Beaumont was on fire.

Chris Froome found an upside to missing out on Tour de France selection.

Rob Walker reached Land’s End.

London (Stadium) calling for the Chicago Cubs.

Rafael Benitez is to become the new manager of Celta Vigo, the Spanish club have announced.

Celta have confirmed an “agreement in principle” has been reached for the former Liverpool, Newcastle and Real Madrid boss to take charge at the Balaidos Stadium from the start of pre-season training July.

Benitez, 63, has been out of management since he was sacked by Everton in January last year.

The Spaniard boasts considerable experience having also had spells at other clubs including Chelsea, Napoli, Inter Milan and Valencia. His successes include winning the Champions League, LaLiga twice, the Europa League, UEFA Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup and Coppa Italia.

A statement from Celta described Benitez as a “formidable leader” and “one of the most successful coaches in our country’s history”.

It added: “The Madrid coach has extensive experience on the bench with a career that is difficult to match.”

He will succeed Carlos Carvalhal, who left after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.

A pre-dawn wake up call and a fumbled start could not prevent Shaquille from securing a landmark success for connections in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

The three-year-old was homebred by his co-owner Martin Hughes and is trained counties away in Norton, North Yorkshire, by Julie Camacho.

He was loaded into the gates a 9-1 chance for the six-furlong Group One, middling odds that began to look far too short as he bounced upwards in his stall instead of outwards and let the field gain lengths on him from the off.

A little mischief has never been beyond the bay, who had only been beaten once prior to the Royal meeting but has looked a handful on both sides of the starter’s rostrum.

The phrase ‘pulled hard’ and ‘took a keen hold’ appear in the descriptions of almost all of his races, but under Oisin Murphy he was able to settle into a rhythm at the rear of the pack as the jostling took place ahead of him.

A few furlongs in he was gaining ground and looked like he might run into a place, but once he began to gun for Little Big Bear, the leader and 10-11 favourite, he dug deeper and deeper still to triumph by a length and a quarter.

The victory is hugely significant for Camacho and her husband and assistant Steve Brown, whose greatest success beforehand was the Group Three honours gained by Judicial, another sprinter, in the Chipchase Stakes and the Coral Charge.

“I watched it on my own, I was very nervous actually. I started to feel a bit sick and very nervous!” she said.

Of his steady start, the trainer added: “I thought well that’s it, isn’t it? He’s blown his chance. I’ve just watched it live and I’d like to go back and watch it properly but he was good, wasn’t he?

“It’s massive, we never thought we’d train a Group One winner, not at Royal Ascot anyway. For Martin (Hughes) it’s massive, he bred him, he’s got his mother at home and his siblings. Dad (Maurice, former trainer) looks after the stud and I’m sure he was screaming at home.

“When he started to run on I thought ‘oh he’s going to be place, he’s going to run a big race’.

“Then ‘oh my god, he’s going to win!’. I’m a bit speechless actually.”

Camacho, who does not seek out the limelight, reluctantly went up to collect the trophy as Brown pondered how good the horse could be with a neat start and a smooth passage.

He said: “I still maintain that we haven’t brought him racing and seen him do everything right, it’s fascinating. We’re enjoying the journey and hoping for a few more, he’s in the July Cup.

“It’s a good story. You come hoping, don’t you? We’re all dreamers and you’ve got to be in this game. We fed him at three o’clock this morning so he could have a smooth journey down, we didn’t want to bring him overnight as he’s never stayed overnight. We wanted him to sleep in his own bed and he left at quarter past four this morning.

“I think the making of him has been a paddock for him, every evening stables now he’s turned out and it’s just brought such a change about in him.

“He wouldn’t have walked around the paddock like he did before, he just goes out there and puts his head down – it’s made a huge difference to him and though it’s punchy for a colt, I’m so glad we did it.”

Manchester United have made another improved bid for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, the PA news agency understands.

With Mount’s contract at Stamford Bridge set to expire next summer, United have made the England international one of their transfer targets.

After an initial bid was rebuffed last week, United returned with an offer of £45million plus £5million in add-ons.

It is understood that was also rejected. United’s latest proposal, believed to be in the region of £55m, has now been received by Chelsea, but is yet to be considered.

Chelsea are reportedly holding out for higher fee, closer to £65m, but there is a limit as to how far United are willing to go, given the player is soon out of contract and they also need to strengthen in other areas this summer.

Completing a deal for Mount would certainly help bolster the options for United boss Erik ten Hag in a key midfield area.

Mount came through the ranks at Chelsea, scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances.

The 24-year-old – a Champions League winner with the Blues – has won 36 England caps and started the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.

Major League Baseball’s second series in London is no holiday for Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad and his touring team-mates.

The 162-game regular season is only just approaching its halfway point, but this weekend’s two games against bitter National League Central rivals the St Louis Cardinals could still prove critical to the Cubs’ playoff ambitions.

So while the travelling pack from Illinois did briefly marvel at Westminster Abbey and other highlights of the capital, it became business as usual once workout day started at London Stadium.

“When we get the chance to explore and visit we definitely will do it and enjoy it and get to talk to the fans and get to know the area, but when it comes time to play we’re looking to have the same result and getting the victory and staying focused,” the right-hander told the PA news agency.

If the season ended today, the 2016 World Series winners would miss the playoffs as they currently sit third place in their division and three places out of the NL wild card spot.

Last season saw the Cubs finish 19 games behind the division-winning Cardinals, but the standings so far this campaign look very different.

With 74 games behind them, the Cubs sit just 3.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds while the Cardinals are bottom of the division after getting off to a terrible start.

Still, St Louis have won four of their last five games heading into the London Series which gets under way on Saturday.

Mexico-born Assad, 25, grins when he admits he is a huge Manchester City fan.

But it was memories of a former Manchester United and West Ham player that made the trip to this particular ground extra-special for the Tijuana native.

“It’s incredible,” said Assad. “Especially being Mexican, seeing ‘Chicharito’ (Javier) Hernandez having played here, it’s really, really cool to be sharing this field in this stadium as well. So it’s just incredible.”

Like his compatriot Hernandez, Assad has represented his country, most recently in the World Baseball Classic, the closest thing the sport has to a World Cup.

The 2023 edition was a historic moment for Great Britain, who qualified a team for the first time – and performed well enough to earn a berth for the next edition and a shout-out from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in Friday’s press conference.

Assad agreed that baseball being seen solely as an American pastime was hugely inaccurate and hopes events like the London Series and MLB’s Parisian debut in 2025 will help grow interest globally and shift those perceptions.

“It’s definitely a worldwide sport,” he added. “There’s a lot of talent in different countries, worldwide. It’s just incredible.”

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, who made his debut with the Cubs in 2016 before signing a five-year deal with St Louis in December, said his side was taking the London Series just as seriously as his old club.

He said: “I didn’t realise when I signed with the Cardinals that we were coming out here, so I was excited. I’m really thankful to be here with the Cardinals and to be in London, out of Venezuela.

“I never expected to be here to be honest. I think we’ve come here to do business. My main thing is to go do business the same way I go about playing in the USA. I don’t care who we’re facing, I don’t care about them.”

Brendan Rodgers admitted he regrets the “hurt” he caused Celtic supporters when he walked out for Leicester as he “guaranteed” he will see out the duration of his three-year contract this time round – unless he is sacked first.

The Northern Irishman returned to take charge of the Parkhead club on Monday, almost four and a half years after leaving for the Foxes in a move that sparked a backlash from a significant number of Hoops fans who felt betrayed that he left midway through a season when the team were chasing a treble-treble.

While many supporters have accepted Rodgers’ return to the club, the manager is hopeful he can win over those who still hold lingering resentment.

“Listen, I understand how supporters would feel,” he said as he faced the media at Parkhead on Friday for the first time since his appointment.

“It was an emotional time, the club was going for 10 in a row and there was a lot of emotion around.

“For the people I’ve had lots of support from since I left and now that I’ve come back, I really thank them for that. And for the people that maybe don’t want me here, hopefully I can shift their opinion with the football we play and the success we can have.”

Rodgers insists he has no regrets about taking the Leicester job but he is pleased to have an opportunity to try to make amends with the Hoops fans.

“I hope I can still have (a good relationship with the supporters),” he said. “It’s natural that when I left, it was a sad moment.

“I certainly don’t regret it but what I do regret is the hurt it caused people. And that’s the very reason I’m sat here today.

“As a Celtic supporter, I understood what it meant, and probably even more so when I left. That was my regret, that I hurt people who were Celtic supporters, and that was a big part of coming back.”

Rodgers’ previous Celtic reign lasted just over two and a half years. Asked if he envisages himself remaining for the long haul on this occasion, he said: “Well, hopefully. I signed for three years and I guarantee I will be here for three years unless I get emptied before that, as they say up here!

“That will be the plan. Then we can look at it from there.”