Erik ten Hag reiterated Cristiano Ronaldo remains part of his Manchester United plans beyond this transfer window, despite the forward's lack of playing time this season.
Ronaldo has been named among the substitutes for two of United's opening three Premier League matches following a disrupted pre-season owing to family reasons.
The 37-year-old has been linked with a number of clubs across Europe, though a move away from Old Trafford has not materialised ahead of the September 1 deadline.
Ten Hag's decision to leave Ronaldo out of his starting line-up to face Liverpool on Monday only increased talk of the Portugal international's days at United being numbered.
However, with a lack of viable options to replace Ronaldo, Ten Hag is hopeful the five-time Ballon d'Or winner can adapt to his playing style over time.
"We plan with him. We know he scores goals, and that is one of the most important factors in football," Ten Hag told Sky Sports prior to the confirmation of Monday's team news.
"We want him to be here. It's not like we can easily appoint three or four top strikers, because they're not available.
"We are happy with him and we have to fit him in our system, our way of playing. That's what he's trying and that's what we're trying."
Ronaldo indicated last week that he intends to confirm the "truth" about speculation that has surrounded his future in a revealing interview later this month.
Asked for his thoughts on the interview, Ten Hag said: "I don't know what he wants to achieve with that. You'll have to ask him."
When it was then put to Ten Hag by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher that Ronaldo has asked for a move away, Ten Hag replied: "That's not what he's telling us."
The 24 goals Ronaldo scored in all competitions in 2021-22 were 14 more than next-best Bruno Fernandes, with no other United player reaching double-figures in a dire season.
New York Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is expected to miss around three weeks after sustaining a sprained right MCL in Sunday's 25-22 preseason win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was hurt on a cut block from Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss on a running play early in the second quarter.
An MRI revealed the MCL sprain, leaving the door open for Thibodeaux to potentially play when New York open their season with a visit to the Tennessee Titans on September 11.
"Fingers crossed," first-year Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "Hopefully his rehab goes well."
New York selected Thibodeaux with the first of two top-10 choices in this year's draft following a standout three-year career at Oregon.
The 6ft 5in, 258-pound edge rusher amassed 19 sacks in 32 games for the Ducks, earned 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honours and was a unanimous All-American in 2021.
Thibodeaux has been running with the first-team defense during training camp and is being counted on to boost a unit that tied for 22nd in the NFL with 34 sacks last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire were both dropped by Erik ten Hag for Manchester United's crucial Premier League derby with Liverpool on Monday.
Veteran forward Ronaldo and club captain Maguire started on the bench against Jurgen Klopp's Reds at Old Trafford, as the Dutchman looked to stimulate his side following a pair of dismal performances to start the campaign.
Ronaldo, arguably United's brightest spark during a turgid 2021-22 campaign, has failed to find the net this term in the wake of a disrupted pre-season that saw him sit out the club's tour of Asia and Australia.
The Portugal international has reportedly been seeking an exit from the club to play Champions League football, though with just over a week until the transfer window shuts, it appears likely he will remain.
Maguire, frequently a scapegoat for the club's struggles last term following a superb 2020-21 season and Euro 2020 performance for England, has meanwhile looked shaky at the back, with United shipping six goals in their first two games.
A home loss to Brighton and Hove Albion was followed by a 4-0 rout at the hands of Brentford, and Ten Hag sought to make corrective action for one of his side's biggest games of the season.
Ten Hag made four changes in total, with Luke Shaw and Fred also dropping out, while Tyrell Malacia, Scott McTominay, Antony Elanga and Raphael Varane were recalled.
Liverpool made three alterations for the trip to Old Trafford, meanwhile, with fit-again Roberto Firmino joining Joe Gomez and captain Jordan Henderson in the XI. Nat Phillips and Fabinho dropped out, while Darwin Nunez served the first of a three-match ban.
Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski has revealed head coach Antonio Conte wants him to "kill the opponent in a sporting way" in order to become more ruthless.
Spurs sit fourth in the Premier League having won two and drawn one of their opening three games as they look to follow up last season's fourth-place finish, where a strong run at the end meant they pipped fierce rivals Arsenal to the final Champions League qualification spot.
Kulusevski has impressed since arriving from Juventus at the beginning of the year and has started this campaign well, scoring and assisting in the opening day 4-1 victory over Southampton.
But the 22-year-old says Conte is demanding even more from him, despite the versatile winger having 15 Premier League goal involvements in 21 appearances since his arrival in North London in January.
"I can attack the goal more for sure. Sometimes I'm just in a different world when I play," Kulusevski told Standard Sport. "I feel so comfortable sometimes, so I just play and have fun. But [Conte] doesn't want me to have fun. He wants me to kill the opponent in a sporting way.
"I feel very good. I think I can do better but the important thing is always to be humble, to work harder because we have a goal this season and I think we can do it.
"For sure it's easier with a pre-season. You have more time to adapt. Last season you came into the game and you had one chance. If you played bad you did not play again. It was more pressure. Now I feel much better, a better start and physically in better form."
Spurs' strong opening to the season has been aided by their threat from set-pieces, with Harry Kane scoring headers from corners in successive games after bagging against Chelsea and then Wolves at the weekend.
And Kulusevski has playfully suggested that new set-piece coach Gianni Vio should be asking for a better contract because of Tottenham's newfound potency from dead-ball situations.
"I told [Vio] three times that we have to give him more money. He has to get a pay rise for sure! Shout out to him. He's very important," Kulusevski added.
"He makes a difference, like you can see. At the end of the day, we won on a set-piece so we have to keep working on that. It's not the funnest thing in the world but it makes results. It helps a lot. We have to keep listening to him and do what he says.
"I don't remember that we scored so many [from set-pieces] last season but it's very important. Now we have to get better. Every time we get a set-piece we have to believe we can score."
Casemiro was spotted at Old Trafford ahead of Manchester United's Premier League fixture with Liverpool as the midfielder prepared to be unveiled as the Red Devils' latest signing.
The Brazil enforcer is joining United from Real Madrid in a deal reportedly worth an initial £60million (€70m), having won an incredible 18 trophies during a nine-year spell with Los Blancos.
Having bid farewell to Madrid in a press conference earlier on Monday, Casemiro was seen at pitchside ahead of United's clash with Liverpool, in which Erik ten Hag's under-fire side will bid to end an eight-match winless run against their rivals.
Casemiro starred as Carlo Ancelotti's Madrid claimed their 14th European crown with a Champions League final win over Jurgen Klopp's team in May, and should offer increased protection to a United defence which capitulated to a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford last time out.
Earlier on Monday, Casemiro took to social media to thank Madrid for the emotional send-off he was afforded after a hugely successful spell with the club.
"The truth is that I never dreamed of such a farewell to Real Madrid. Never," he wrote on Twitter.
"Excuse the emotion that was impossible for me to contain. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for so much love. Here a Madridista leaves. Good luck and Hala Madrid!"
The competition for the Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback job for the season opener is complete.
Baker Mayfield will start in Week 1 when the Panthers host his former team – the Cleveland Browns – on September 11.
"When we started this process, we were looking at three things," Carolina coach Matt Rhule said on Monday. "Number one, mastery of the offense, number two, situational football excellence, and number three, moving the ball and getting guys involved. That's been our focus all along.
"Baker has made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short amount of time."
Mayfield and Sam Darnold had been battling for the starting job since the Panthers acquired Mayfield in a trade with the Browns in July.
"All along, we've felt like we need to have a really strong quarterback room, and have every quarterback ready to play," Rhule said. "The reality of this league is most teams will play multiple quarterbacks. Sam has worked incredibly hard, played really well for us during training camp, and will be ready to go if and when it's needed."
Rhule was not ready to name a starting QB after the Panthers’ 20-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Friday – a game in which neither Mayfield nor Darnold played – but with rookie third-round draft pick Matt Corral suffering a Lisfranc ligament tear in his foot in that game and the season opener now less than three weeks away, he is ready to give Mayfield the opportunity to lead the offense in Week 1.
"Like I said all along, when we know we know," Rhule said on Friday, "And we’ll announce something when it’s right."
Rhule did not say anything about the starting job being Mayfield’s all season, so it’s certainly possible Darnold could take over if the 27-year-old struggles or the losses pile up and the team needs a spark.
The two signal-callers will be forever linked as the top two quarterbacks taken in the 2018 draft, with Mayfield going first overall to the Browns and Darnold being chosen third by the New York Jets.
Mayfield started 59 games in his four seasons in Cleveland and helped lead the Browns to their first playoff victory since the 1994 season in 2020.
He battled injuries in 2021, however, and his production on the field dipped as he posted an 83.1 passer rating – fourth lowest among the 30 QBs with at least 350 pass attempts – as Cleveland struggled to an 8-9 record, prompting the team to pursue Deshaun Watson in the trade market.
Darnold spent three seasons with the Jets before being traded to the Panthers for draft picks last April. He won his first three starts with Carolina last season before finishing 4-7 with nine touchdown passes and 13 interceptions and a 71.9 QB rating – one spot worse than Mayfield.
Thomas Tuchel has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association (FA) over comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor in the aftermath of Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Chelsea were denied a London derby win by Harry Kane's 96th-minute equaliser in their first home game of the Premier League season on August 14, leaving Tuchel fuming over a series of perceived errors from Taylor.
Tuchel claimed neither of Tottenham's goals should have stood, insisting Richarlison blocked Edouard Mendy's line of sight from an offside position when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg first levelled, before Cristian Romero pulled Marc Cucurella's hair in the build-up to Kane's late header.
The Chelsea boss then claimed "it would be better" if Taylor no longer officiated his team's games, adding: "I can assure you the whole dressing room of us, every single person, thinks that."
It was reported last week that the FA was investigating those comments, and a spokesperson for English football's governing body confirmed Tuchel's charge on Monday.
"Thomas Tuchel has been charged with a break of FA rule E3 in relation to comments that he made after Chelsea FC's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 14 August 2022," a statement read.
"It is alleged that the manager's comments in his post-match press conference constitute improper conduct as contrary to FA rule E3.1, they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match referee, and/or bring the game into disrepute."
Tuchel, who has until Thursday to respond to the allegations, has now been charged with improper conduct twice in the last week, with both instances relating to the thrilling draw against Spurs.
Both he and opposite number Antonio Conte were issued red cards after becoming involved in a touchline fracas at full-time, with the German subsequently handed a suspended one-match touchline ban.
Chelsea have collected four points from their first three games of the new season and host Leicester City in their next Premier League outing on Saturday.
Jamaica Basketball Association President Paulton Gordon hopes the recently concluded P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League at the National Arena in Kingston will revitalize interest in the sport locally.
“Well, I’m hoping that it gives it a shot in the arm,” Gordon said in an interview with Sportsmax.TV on Saturday.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we wanted an activity that would stimulate interest and create more awareness as it relates to basketball and I think this will do it,” he added.
The league was the first of its kind to be played in the Caribbean and Gordon says he’s glad that Jamaica was able to be a part of history.
“Bringing pro basketball to Jamaica has always been our intention. We decided that we’d try to do a pilot during the summer and, based on the feedback, I think we have accomplished most of our objectives,” he said.
“The players are excited; the fans are coming out and entertainment around the games has been good. We’ve gotten good feedback as it relates to the packaging and production of the event from overseas and I think we’re on our way,” he added.
With the presence of both North American and local players in the teams, Gordon says he’s also encouraged by the lack of a skill gap between the two sets of players.
“I had some discussions with some of the coaches and some of the GMs. What I’m happy about is that there isn’t a big disparity between the North American players and our local players. The teams have integrated quite well and, just looking on, there’s not much difference you can see between the skill level of the overseas players and our local players,” he said.
Bournemouth midfielder David Brooks hopes to make his comeback in the near future after signing a long-term contract extension with the Premier League club.
The 25-year-old missed the majority of last season after he was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma in October.
But the Wales international, a member of Rob Page's squad at Euro 2020 last year, was given the all-clear in May and returned to a modified training programme.
Brooks is eager to resume his career soon after putting pen to paper on a deal until at least June 2026.
"I am so pleased to have signed this deal and am looking forward to the next few years with this great club," he told the club's website.
"Of course, the last year has been extremely difficult for myself, my family and friends but I'm now in a position to resume my career, and getting this deal over the line is the icing on the cake.
"I am working hard alongside the excellent coaching team at Bournemouth and am hoping to be back on the pitch soon.
"In the meantime, I'll be supporting the lads every step of the way."
Shubman Gill made his first international century as India beat Zimbabwe by 13 runs to seal a 3-0 ODI series whitewash on Monday.
India started the match chasing a 15th consecutive ODI win against their hosts, as well as a second successive clean sweep on one-day tours of Zimbabwe, and they were not to be denied in a high-scoring contest.
Gill's landmark knock came after a solid start from opening duo Shikhar Dhawan (40) and KL Rahul (30), while Ishan Kishan made 50 as the tourists posted 289-8 at Harare Sports Club.
Brad Evans (5-54) recorded the best figures of his fledgling ODI career and although Sikandar Raza made a brilliant 115 off 95 balls, Zimbabwe fell short on 276 all out.
The wickets began to tumble when Zimbabwe threw caution to the wind midway through the innings, losing Regis Chakabva (16), Takudzwanashe Kaitano (13), Ryan Buri (8) and Luke Jongwe (14) in the space of just under 10 overs.
Raza led a terrific fightback, hitting three sixes and finding the rope nine times before he was caught by Gill off the bowling of Shardul Thakur in the penultimate over, and Avesh Khan finished off the job by cleaning up Victor Nyauchi.
Avesh took 3-66, while Axar Patel (2-30), Kuldeep Yadav (2-38) and Deepak Chahar (2-75) also made an impact with the ball.
India have now won seven consecutive ODIs away from home, their best run since a sequence of nine in a row between July 2017 to February 2018.
Mohammad Hasnain has replaced the injured Shaheen Shah Afridi in Pakistan's squad for the Asia Cup.
Afridi was ruled out after sustaining a knee ligament injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka last month.
The left-arm paceman's absence has presented Hasnain with an opportunity to join up with the squad for a tournament that starts in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.
Hasnain has been playing for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, but will cut short that spell to report for international duty.
The 22-year-old quick has feature in 18 Twenty20 Internationals, taking 17 wickets at an average of 30.70.
Pakistan face fierce rivals India in their first Asia Cup match in Dubai on Sunday.
Faf de Klerk and Warrick Gelant are back in the South Africa team to face Australia in the Rugby Championship at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
De Klerk has completed his return to play protocol after missing the second Test against New Zealand due to concussion and replaces Jaden Hendrikse at scrum-half.
Gelant gets the nod over Jesse Kriel, who was unable to return after taking a blow to the head early in the 35-23 loss to the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has also made three changes to the replacements, with Hendrikse, Elton Jantjies and Frans Steyn on the bench.
Herschel Jantjies, Willie le Roux and Jasper Wiese miss out as the world champions look to respond to their loss in Johannesburg.
"This is a very important clash for us to set the tone for our Rugby Championship tour and we feel that continuity in selection is important to build momentum in our campaign," Nienaber said.
"Warrick was in good form for the Stormers earlier this season and he has been working hard at training, so we thought it would be good to give him a run on the wing. He also combined well with Damian Willemse in the Rugby Championship, so we are excited to see what they offer us in the match.
"Faf, meanwhile, is back from concussion and his experience will be important in this game.
"We also feel it is important to give the likes of Ox (Nche), Joseph (Dweba) and Duane (Vermeulen) another opportunity to further build combinations and give them valuable game time as we build toward the Rugby World Cup next year."
South Africa team to play Australia:
Damian Willemse, Warrick Gelant, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Ox Nche, Joseph Dweba, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, Jaden Hendrikse, Elton Jantjies, Frans Steyn.
World number two Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from the US Open as he recovers from ankle surgery.
The German went under the knife after tearing all three of the lateral ligaments in his right ankle during his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.
Zverev will not make his comeback at the final grand slam of the year in New York, as his withdrawal was announced on Monday.
The 25-year-old reached his only major final at Flushing Meadows two years ago, losing to Dominic Thiem.
Zverev stated after his operation that surgery was "the best choice" to ensure his ligaments heal properly and he could return to competition "as quickly as possible."
The US Open gets under way next Monday, with doubts remaining over whether Novak Djokovic will be able to play due to the 21-time grand slam champion opting against receiving a coronavirus vaccine.
Jose Mourinho has blasted the "scum" who claimed Felix Afena-Gyan was responsible for Georginio Wijnaldum's broken leg.
Wijnaldum fractured the tibia in his right leg during a training session on Sunday, just a fortnight after joining the Serie A club in a season-long loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain.
It has been claimed in certain quarters that teenage Ghana forward Afena-Gyan was to blame for an injury that could rule the Netherlands midfielder out of the World Cup in Qatar.
Roma head coach Mourinho hit back at those accusations in an Instagram post ahead of the Serie A encounter with Cremonese on Monday.
"Sometimes football can be s***. In only two weeks, Gini became one of us because of his human qualities (his football qualities we already knew)," he wrote.
"Sadly, in a very unfortunate accident he had a bad injury that will keep him away from playing for a long time.
"But it's not just football to be s*** sometimes, people can also be… Those who initiated the rumours that a top kid like Felix could be responsible for what happened are real scum.
"Let's all be together tonight: we play for @officialasroma, for gwijnaldum and for @ohenegyanfelix9."
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