Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard should be in strong contention to replace Dean Smith at Aston Villa, according to former midfielder Paul Merson.
After suffering a fifth straight defeat by going down 1-0 to Southampton on Friday, Smith became the fifth Premier League manager to lose his job this season.
The former Brentford boss spent three years at Villa Park, guiding his boyhood club back into the Premier League at the first attempt before establishing their top-flight status with a creditable 11th-place finish last term.
However, the 50-year-old ultimately paid the price after the Southampton defeat left Villa just two points and two places above the relegation zone.
Merson, who spent four years at the club between 1998 and 2002, sympathised with Smith and believes his impressive work warranted the opportunity to turn their fortunes around.
But the former Arsenal man has urged his old club to consider replacing Smith with either Lampard and Gerrard.
While Merson acknowledges it would be difficult to persuade Gerrard, who guided Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title last season, he feels the lure of the Premier League would be tough to turn down.
Merson told Sky Sports: "I would like to see a Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard get the job.
"It's going to be hard to prise Steven away, he's managing a massive club in Rangers.
"He's got them buzzing again; he stopped Celtic winning 10 in a row, they are in the Europa League, and they've got a chance of winning the Scottish Premiership.
"Everyone wants to manage in the Premier League; that is no disrespect to the Scottish Premiership. Rangers and Celtic are bigger clubs than probably half of the teams in the Premier League.
"But it's the Premier League, and when you start out managing, I'm sure in the back of people's minds if you could get a job like Aston Villa – wow."
Merson also highlighted the credentials of former Chelsea boss Lampard who, though restricted by financial sanctions imposed on the club, guided the Blues to the 2020 FA Cup final and Champions League qualification.
The 43-year-old, who previously steered Derby County to the Championship play-off final, also regularly gave youth the opportunity to shine at Stamford Bridge, the likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Reece James all stepping up to the plate.
Merson feels that quality would certainly complement the scenario at Villa.
"I think you have to put Frank's name in the hat as well," he added.
"He's managed Chelsea, where he did a great job in steadying the ship at the time.
"If you look at all the kids who have come through at Chelsea since, and then look at Aston Villa's academy, it's very good as well.
"On Friday night, Dean Smith had five or six players from the academy in the squad for what was his final game."
Yorkshire have suspended head coach Andrew Gale pending a disciplinary hearing into an historic tweet, while director of cricket Martyn Moxon has been signed off due to a stress-related illness.
Gale, who in 2014 led Yorkshire to County Championship success as captain, is reported to have used an anti-Semitic slur in a Twitter conversation.
Jewish News, who brought the comment to light, published a response from Gale in which he insisted he deleted the post as soon as he was informed of its offensive nature, with the 37-year-old concluding the publication had been sent a screenshot that "that someone took at the time and waited 11 years to release".
Yorkshire has told him to stay away from the team pending an investigation.
"We can confirm that Andrew Gale, Yorkshire First XI Coach, is currently suspended pending a disciplinary hearing following an historic tweet," read a statement.
"The club will make a further statement once this process has been completed."
Additionally, Moxon has been given time off work due to a stress-related problem.
He is set to appear at the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee hearing on November 16 following Yorkshire's handling of Azeem Rafiq's allegations of institutional racism during his time at the club.
An independent report into Rafiq's complaints upheld that the spinner had been a victim of "racial harassment and bullying".
The county side were punished, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspending Yorkshire from hosting international and major matches indefinitely, while sponsors such as Emerald and Nike have withdrawn from agreements.
Daniil Medvedev has confirmed he will play at the Australian Open next year, as the debate over vaccine mandates continues.
Medvedev was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the final of this year's tournament, though the Russian has gone on to enjoy a brilliant season.
He has won four titles, including his first grand slam, beating Djokovic at the US Open in September to end the latter's pursuit of a clean sweep of the four majors in 2021.
Djokovic and Medvedev met again on Sunday, with the world number one coming out on top to clinch his sixth Paris Masters title and a record 37th triumph at ATP 1000 events.
Medvedev had appeared non-committal about being vaccinated against COVID-19, which is likely to be a requirement for any player wishing to compete at the Australian Open, but he dispelled doubts around his involvement when he tweeted on Tuesday: "See you in January @AustralianOpen."
While Medvedev will be involved in Melbourne, the participation of Djokovic – who is a nine-time Australian Open champion – is not yet known.
The Serbian has previously appeared hesitant over the coronavirus vaccine mandate, though he has not revealed whether he has been vaccinated or not.
Australia has enforced strict measures throughout the pandemic, with Melbourne having been under lockdown on six occasions since March 2020. Indeed, the city only lifted its most recent restrictions towards the end of October.
Athletes arriving in Australia prior to last year's event had to go through a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine.
Despite Australia's vaccination programme gaining momentum, travellers who are not citizens must be able to provide proof of vaccination and a negative PCR test result, while quarantine regulations vary depending on state rules.
Tennis Australia is reportedly still hopeful of securing a deal for unvaccinated players to compete in the tournament, subject to a two-week quarantine, with prime minister Scott Morrison suggesting players could be granted an exemption.
On Tuesday, though, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews insisted players will have to be vaccinated.
"I'm not going to have people sitting in the grandstands having done the right thing, only to have millionaire players that ought [to] be vaccinated running around the place being essentially at such higher risk of spreading this – getting it and giving it," he said.
Speaking last month, Djokovic said: "I don't know if I'm going to Australia, I don't know what's going on. Currently, the situation is not good at all.
"Of course, I want to go, Australia is my most successful grand slam, I want to participate, I love this sport, I still have motivation."
England's T20 captain Eoin Morgan says the Yorkshire racism scandal is as "serious and relevant" to the squad as any of their playing achievements.
An independent report into Azeem Rafiq's allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire upheld that the spinner had been a victim of "racial harassment and bullying".
The county has been punished, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspending Yorkshire from hosting international and major matches, while sponsors such as Emerald and Nike have withdrawn from agreements.
Roger Hutton resigned as Yorkshire chairman, with his replacement – Lord Patel – offering Rafiq an unreserved apology on Monday.
Gary Ballance has also been indefinitely suspended from international selection after the batsman – who has not played for England since 2017 – admitted he was responsible for some of the offensive and inappropriate language Rafiq was subjected to when they were Yorkshire team-mates.
Morgan, whose side are preparing for a T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, revealed England's players have discussed the matter, and are committed to using their platform to end discrimination within the sport.
"We definitely don't shelter anything that's going on, particularly things as serious and as relevant to our squad as anything that we've ever done, really," Morgan told reporters.
"We talk about discrimination quite a lot because in our group there is a lot of diversity.
"After winning the 2019 World Cup and becoming a more formidable side with a bigger platform, that has allowed us to feel comfortable enough to continue to tell our different stories."
Morgan also outlined how important it is for his players to act as role models for future generations.
"We feel comfortable within our own skin to play great cricket on the field but also to be really strong role models," he added.
"With what's going on in Yorkshire, we've continued to chat about things and how it might affect younger generations.
"Being at the forefront of change both on and off the field for us is not always easy. Particularly at the beginning.
"We're at one of those stages right now for Yorkshire, and within the group we talk about seeing the bigger picture down the line and the huge benefits we will see coming into that county.
"We all want to be able to share our dream that we've dreamt about for so long as kids and have been so looking to live that dream. We want young kids to be able to picture that but also picture a pathway to be able to achieve it.
"So the things we do during this World Cup and beyond are very important."
Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani has revealed the injury that kept him out of the defeat to Manchester City is a recurrence of tendon damage.
Cavani missed the 2-0 derby loss to the Premier League champions at Old Trafford on Saturday after scoring in the win at Tottenham and making a substitute appearance during the Champions League draw at Atalanta.
The striker was omitted from Uruguay's squad for World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Bolivia following the setback.
Cavani says the injury is one he was also troubled by in pre-season but did not shed any light on how long he might be sidelined for.
The forward told El Observador: "The issue was like this. Before starting the season, I had discomfort in a tendon.
"It made me spend a couple of weeks out until I began to gain some minutes [on the pitch] in my team. I had to go back to the national team, always with a bit of pain, but with the hope that it would disappear. It was improving but, after Tottenham, it started coming back.
"They are difficult injuries and I decided to have the treatment so that it does not continue to get worse, and to recover as soon as possible to be fit for my team and the national team."
Cavani has only started two games for the Red Devils this season, coming off the bench six times and scoring just the one goal against Spurs.
Struggling United are next in action against Watford at Vicarage Road on November 20.
Eoin Morgan says it would be a "hell of an achievement" for injury-hit England to beat New Zealand and reach the T20 World Cup final.
England and the Black Caps do battle at Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday in a repeat of the 50-over World Cup final in 2019, when Morgan's side were crowned champions in the most dramatic fashion at Lord's.
Jason Roy has joined Tymal Mills on an injury list that already included Jofra Archer, Sam Curran and Ben Stokes.
England have won three of their past four T20 World Cup matches against New Zealand, one of those coming in a semi-final five years ago.
Captain Morgan says it would be a huge feat if they could defeat Kane Williamson's side once again in Abu Dhabi to set up a showdown with Pakistan or Australia.
The batsman said: "I wouldn't say [England are] strong favourites. New Zealand have a full-strength squad, we've obviously been hampered with a lot of injuries throughout this tournament.
"I think of all the things we've done well throughout this tournament, probably the strongest point has been the resilience within our squad to be able to find a way to move forward and forge on.
"We're playing really good cricket, the guys are extremely excited about the challenge against New Zealand and potentially the opportunity that might follow that.
"You might only get to the final and lose but getting to the final would be a hell of an achievement. We can't wait."
Morgan refused to be drawn on who will replace Roy at the top of the order to partner Jos Buttler, with another bowler coming into the side being one of the options.
"Within the group we’ve made a decision, I'm not willing to share that, unfortunately, but also the balance of the side will be determined on how the wicket looks and how we match-up against the Black Caps," Morgan added.
"Replacing him with another bowler would mean that you have 28 genuine overs on the field and a lot of options. If you were to go with a batter, it would mean a like-for-like replacement.
"Depending if it's a really good batting wicket, predicting if it's going to be a really good batting wicket, we might need the extra bit of bowling. If it's not, you might need the extra bit of batting.
"We're lucky, we have guys who queue up and want to bat in that top three, which is great because they want to go head-to-head with the big-name players in the tournament and big-name bowlers in the opposition."
Black Caps skipper Williamson knows England have the strength in depth to replace Roy.
He said: "I suppose whenever there's an injury, someone else comes in and you're not to know who they are until the toss. But you try and prepare and plan as best you can and then when you go out there, you're sort of competing in the moment.
"And that all matters then. But Jason's a big player for England and has been playing really nicely and getting the team off to good starts along with Jos.
"But as I mentioned, the depth on the England side is one of their strengths and we'll try and plan accordingly to the best of our ability.
"But largely [we] want to focus on the sort of cricket that we want to play as a group and keep developing on that as we've been doing throughout this tournament."
Rohit Sharma has been named captain for India's upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
The three-match home series, which begins on November 17, will be the first since Virat Kohli's decision to step down after the T20 World Cup.
Kohli, who will stay on as ODI and Test captain, led India in the short format for the final time on Monday, as the pre-tournament favourites bowed out of the World Cup with victory over Namibia.
The 33-year-old captained his nation in 50 T20Is – winning 30 and losing 16 – while scoring 1,570 runs, including 114 boundaries and 59 sixes.
Kohli is one of several notable absentees from the squad to face the Black Caps next week along with Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan are among the players to come into the squad.
Rohit will take over as skipper – with KL Rahul as his deputy – although it is yet to be confirmed whether he will be given the role on a permanent basis.
Following his knock of 56 against Namibia, Rohit became one of only three players – along with Kohli – to reach 3,000 T20I runs, while he has averaged 32.66 in 108 innings.
India T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj.
Germany's national team director Oliver Bierhoff has confirmed Niklas Sule is the player to have tested positive for coronavirus.
It was announced earlier on Tuesday that a member of Germany's squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Armenia had returned a positive PCR test result and had immediately gone into isolation, though the player was not named at the time.
Four other players who were judged to have been close contacts also had to isolate, though no other positive results had been recorded within the camp.
At a subsequent news conference, Bierhoff confirmed Bayern Munich centre-back Sule was the player to have contracted COVID-19.
Sule is double vaccinated, and the earlier update stated he had not shown any symptoms.
His club-mate Joshua Kimmich, who has publicly confirmed he has not yet received either dose of his vaccine, is one of the other four players to have gone into quarantine.
Kimmich, 26, explained last month that he is not opposed to the prospect of getting vaccinated at some stage, but he wishes to wait for further research to be conducted.
Fellow Bayern players Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala have also been forced into isolation, given they were part of the same travelling party to the training camp, while Karim Adeyemi also has to quarantine.
"The squad is still strong, and we will prepare for the two games in World Cup qualification from noon today and make them successful," said Bierhoff.
"The situation is not easy for the players, but there is no huge concern now."
Asked about Kimmich, Bierhoff said: "It was clear that if someone in his environment tests positive, he would be put in quarantine.
"Of course, that's difficult to accept when you have acted correctly and paid attention to everything."
Bierhoff was joined at the media conference by Germany's team doctor Tim Meyer, who explained the length of the quarantine will depend on the regulations set by the local health authority in Wolfsburg.
Asked if Gnabry, Musiala and Adeyemi were vaccinated, Dr Meyer said: "I won't give you any information about that. The vaccination plays a role in the decision, but also how close the contact was.
"I have already given my personal opinion on vaccination against COVID-19. Joshua Kimmich's opinion is also known. We have to accept that."
Dr Meyer added that four other players have been classed as contacts, though will be allowed to remain at the accommodation and will be tested again in the coming days.
Germany have also lost Florian Wirtz and Nico Schlotterbeck to muscular injuries, with Kevin Volland and Wolfsburg duo Ridle Baku and Maximilian Arnold added to the squad.
The European Tour will become the DP World Tour from the start of the 2022 season in what has been described as a "ground-breaking evolution."
Prize money will increase to over $200million for the first time, with a new minimum prize fund of $2m for all tournaments solely sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
There will be 47 tournaments in 27 different countries, including new events in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Africa and Belgium, along with an expanded Rolex Series comprising of five events.
The Abu Dhabi Championship, the Dubai Desert Classic, the Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship will be the Rolex Series events.
The Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship in the United States and the Scottish Open will be co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour.
The Joburg Open will be the opening event of the DP World Tour from November 22-25.
Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour group, said: "Today’s announcement is undoubtedly a momentous one in the proud history of our Tour. The launch of the DP World Tour in 2022, coinciding with both of our 50th anniversaries, will herald a new era in global golf, and crucially it will benefit everybody involved – all our players, caddies, fans and partners – as well as making an important contribution to wider society.
"The entire ecosystem of our Tour will be strengthened because of this hugely significant deal, and that was essential to us and to DP World, who have been an incredible supporter of our Tour as well as golf more widely, from grassroots through to the elite professional game.
"The DP World Tour is, therefore, a natural evolution of our decade-long partnership, and the presence of ‘World’ in our new title better reflects our global reach."
Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA TOUR and board member of the European Tour, added: "Thanks to the support of long-standing partner DP World, today's announcement significantly elevates the European Tour on a global basis.
"We are excited for the continued growth and evolution of the European Tour, as well as the momentum this provides toward our Strategic Alliance. I've said before that our respective Tours are positioned to grow – together – over the next 10 years faster than we ever have at any point in our existence, and today's announcement is another point of proof in those efforts."
England will be without Joe Marler when they face Australia at Twickenham on Saturday after the prop tested positive for coronavirus.
Marler returned a positive lateral flow test on Monday and immediately went into isolation.
The 31-year-old will isolate for 10 days after a PCR test confirmed he has contracted COVID-19.
All of the other England players and staff returned negative lateral flow tests, with additional PCR test results not yet received.
Owen Farrell rejoined the squad on Monday after he missed the 69-3 hammering of Tonga on Saturday, having tested positive for coronavirus last week.
Marler came off the bench in that thrashing at Twickenham, but will play no part against the Wallabies.
He will hope to be available to return when Eddie Jones' side take on world champions South Africa on November 20.
New Zealand suffered a heartbreaking defeat to England in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final but they have a chance to gain a measure of revenge on Wednesday.
England were crowned 50-over world champions at Lord's in the most dramatic fashion, with a Super Over needed to finally separate the two teams in a thriller.
The Black Caps and England do battle in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup at Zayed Cricket Stadium after qualifying from the Super 12 stage along with Pakistan and Australia.
England have won six of the past nine T20Is against New Zealand, including another Super-Over triumph in their last meeting in November 2019.
They have also won three of their past four T20 World Cup matches against New Zealand, one of those coming in a semi-final five years ago.
The top-ranked side in the world will have to do without explosive opening batsman Jason Roy, who joined paceman Tymal Mills on the injury list when he suffered a torn calf in the loss to South Africa on Saturday.
New Zealand took second place in Group 2 by beating Afghanistan on Sunday, their fourth win in a row after starting with a defeat to Pakistan.
Stats Perform looks at selection decisions to be made in Abu Dhabi and pick out who might be the key players in a blockbuster last-four showdown.
West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the Premier League win over Liverpool on Sunday.
The former Juventus centre-back did the damage in the first half of a 3-2 victory for David Moyes' high-flying side at London Stadium.
Ogbonna underwent a scan on Monday and has already started out on the road to recovery, with the Hammers waiting to discover how long he faces on the sidelines.
The London club's head of medical, Richard Collinge, said: “After being substituted following a separate incident that led to him suffering a cut above his eye, Angelo felt some discomfort in his right knee so we scanned him to ascertain the extent of the injury.
"That scan has shown up some damage to the anterior cruciate ligament and we have begun his rehabilitation immediately. Angelo will see another specialist this week and we will then have a clearer picture around his timeline of recovery."
Ogbonna has formed an imposing central defensive pairing with Kurt Zouma following the France international's move from Chelsea, after enjoying a strong 2020-21 campaign.
The Hammers are third in the top flight, three points behind leaders Chelsea, and are on course to qualify for the Europa League round of 16.
A Germany player has tested positive for coronavirus, with four others also forced into quarantine.
The player in question, who has not been named, is fully vaccinated and currently asymptomatic, according to a DFB statement issued on Tuesday.
All players and staff were PCR tested upon their arrival at Germany's training camp ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Armenia.
Only one player tested positive, but four others have been placed into isolation after being judged to be close contacts.
According to reports, Germany subsequently cancelled their training session on Tuesday, though the DFB statement did not confirm this.
Oliver Bierhoff, director of the national teams and academy, said: "The number of coronavirus cases has risen sharply across the country.
"Therefore, we will continue to implement the hygiene and behavioural measures in place for the final international game of the year, in order for us to handle the current situation as responsibly as possible.
"This news coming so soon before the final two World Cup qualifiers is very tough, both for the coaching staff and the whole team, but health and welfare is our top priority, of course.
"I hope the player who tested positive recovers soon and that he remains asymptomatic."
Germany has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. Indeed, last week, 169,483 cases were recorded (according to World Health Organisation statistics) – the largest spike in the country since December 2020.
Marc Marquez will miss the Valencia Grand Prix this weekend as he is suffering from issues with his vision.
Repsol Honda rider Marquez sat out the Algarve Grand Prix on Sunday following a training crash that left him with slight concussion.
The six-time MotoGP champion has also been ruled out of the last race of the season in Valencia and testing in Jerez on November 18 and 19.
A statement from the Spaniard's team said: "The Repsol Honda Team rider will not participate in the Valencia Grand Prix this coming weekend, nor in the IRTA Jerez Test scheduled for November 18 and 19.
"After Marc Marquez underwent a medical examination at the Dexeus Clinic in Barcelona last Tuesday, in which he was evaluated after a fall while practicing off-road, the rider has been resting all week at his home in Cervera.
"During these days of rest, Marc has continued to feel unwell and has suffered from vision problems, which is why this Monday he was visited by the ophthalmologist Dr. Sanchez Dalmau at the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, who examined him and performed the tests, which detected a new episode of diplopia."
Marquez suffered the accident last Saturday while preparing for the penultimate round of the season in Portimao, where he would have been going in search of a third successive win.
The 28-year-old missed the start of the season as he continued to recover from a serious arm injury.
He returned at the Portuguese Grand Prix in April and is sixth in the standings with 142 points following back-to-back victories in Austin and at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, when Fabio Quartararo sealed the title.
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