Chelsea boss Graham Potter has rubbished reports that Denis Zakaria's loan spell could be cut short in January.

Zakaria was signed by previous head coach Thomas Tuchel from Juventus on a season-long loan deal just before the transfer window closed at the start of September.

The midfielder is yet to make his debut for the London club and has only been a substitute on one occasion in the Premier League.

It has been reported that the Switzerland international could be on his way back to Juve when the next transfer window opens, but that is news to Potter.

He said: "There's no decision been made at all on that. Denis has been in the group, he's been training well.

"He's ready to help the team, obviously there's competition for places in that area, but there's no talk of anything.

"He's an important member of the team, he's been patient and he's trying to help the team from the side at the moment and waiting for his chance."

Chelsea will make the short trip for a derby at Brentford on Wednesday in search of a sixth consecutive victory and looking for a fifth clean sheet in a row.

It has been a great start to head coach Potter's tenure, with his side fourth in the Premier League and on course to qualify for the Champions League round of 16.

Mason Mount's double secured a 2-0 win at Aston Villa on Sunday and Potter says he is bemused over why there appears to be mixed opinions on the England midfielder's credentials.

He said: "It's a joy [to work with Mount], he's a fantastic person. He loves to play football, loves the club here. It's surprising I get some questions like there's some sort of mixed opinion on Mason, I find that strange.

"Especially from the outside and then when you start to work with him, you just think he's got everything you need to be a top, top player. He's got a great attitude, understands spaces, connects, can execute, assists, scores goals. He's a top player."

Potter revealed Chelsea have no new injuries to contend with ahead of their clash with the Bees, allaying concerns Thiago Silva could be sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Eddie Howe has clarified comments on Newcastle United's "ceiling" after Jurgen Klopp congratulated the Magpies on their limitless outlook following last year's Saudi-backed takeover.

Newcastle have made the most of their buyout by an ownership group including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, the richest owner in world football.

No club spent more in the January window, before Newcastle shattered their transfer record with the £59million August signing of Alexander Isak, who netted on his Premier League debut against Klopp's Liverpool.

So, when Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth last week spoke of the club having "no ceiling" – wording that was soon echoed by head coach Howe – it irked Klopp.

"I hear now at Newcastle they said, 'there's no ceiling for this club'," the Liverpool manager said. "He's absolutely right, there's no ceiling for Newcastle. Congratulations; some other clubs have ceilings."

Howe was asked about Klopp's reaction ahead of Newcastle's next match at home to Everton and felt the perception was unfair.

"I think it's probably been used in the wrong way," Howe explained. "I think what Dan meant with his comment was that there's no ceiling to our ambition.

"Long term, the club have huge plans and huge ambitions. But at the moment, the reality of what we're working towards and working with, there is a ceiling, because of all the things I've sat here and explained every week – Financial Fair Play, we're still in a training ground that's being renovated.

"We're not living that life that's being discussed. We're living a very different reality.

"Our wage bill is very controlled, we're trying to do things in a very stable and controlled way. Although we spent money on players, it's not been extravagant or out of sync, I think, with the rest of the Premier League.

"I think everyone has to be careful with comments and opinions. That's just my belief."

Newcastle were initially linked with a host of big names in January, only to instead turn their attention to younger talents like Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Isak.

"It could have gone a totally different way," Howe acknowledged. Although Newcastle are sixth, he added: "We're a long, long way from where we want to be."

Asked if he had been frustrated by the response to his and Ashworth's comments, Howe replied: "I try not to spend too much time thinking about it. I'm just aware that one or two comments may not be totally accurate – that's when I have to stand up for us."

Diogo Jota will miss the World Cup after suffering a "pretty serious" calf muscle injury in Liverpool's win over Manchester City.

The Portugal forward was carried off on a stretcher in stoppage time at Anfield on Sunday.

He appeared to overstretch and was clearly fearing the worst in the immediate aftermath.

The news is bad for Jota, Portugal and Liverpool, whose forthcoming games he will also inevitably miss.

"It's really not good news. Yes, he will miss the World Cup," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said in a press conference on Tuesday.

"It's a pretty serious injury, calf muscle. Now we have to recover. The process starts like this. That's the first diagnosis which was pretty clear. 

"It's very sad news for the boy, for us, and for Portugal."

Klopp said Jota would not require surgery on the injury but that "we're talking about months" in terms of his lay-off.

"I don't want to put a number on it. Yes, it will be long," Klopp said.

He explained Jota had taken the news phlegmatically.

"It's Diogo and he's surprisingly OK, so far. He's an incredibly smart boy and very reflective. I think he knew it when we carried him off the pitch," Klopp added.

"When I came out we passed each other after the game and he expected what happened. I think in that moment he knew it was a serious one and could be pretty impactful on his World Cup dreams."

Jota's injury also leaves Liverpool short of another key attacking player, with Luis Diaz already sidelined until after the World Cup.

Thibaut Courtois suggested the Yashin Trophy had been "invented" to appease goalkeepers as he struggled to understand his seventh-placed Ballon d'Or finish – scepticism that was shared by Iker Casillas.

Keeper Courtois' Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema took the top award in Monday's Paris ceremony, named the best player in the world by France Football.

Benzema was a deserving winner, as Courtois himself acknowledged, having scored 44 goals in 46 games as Madrid won LaLiga and the Champions League in 2021-22. He netted two hat-tricks among a record-equalling 10 goals in the Champions League knockout stage.

But Courtois was also a part of those two triumphs and had an equally vital role in the European success, making nine saves in the final against Liverpool – a record since Opta data was first gathered in 2003-04 and worth 2.5 prevented goals, according to expected goals on target data.

The Belgium international beat Liverpool's Alisson to the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the world's best goalkeeper, yet he felt he should have fared better in the overall ranking.

"First of all, I want to say that I am very happy for Karim Benzema," Courtois told Cadena SER.

"It seems that it is better to score a goal than to stop one. It is a battle that remains to be won. Seeing the logic of the vote, I had no chance of finishing very high, nor of winning it of course.

"I'm not saying I had to win it! But you win La Liga, the Champions League, your team wins thanks to your saves... and you only finish seventh. You're not even on the podium.

"In the top 10, there wasn't even a defender. At least this year they invented the trophy for the best goalkeeper."

Meanwhile, on Twitter, Courtois shared a post from former Madrid keeper Casillas, which read: "I'm happy for Thibaut Courtois! By far he is the best goalkeeper in the world.

"What I'm not happy about is not having put him on the final podium for the Ballon d'Or. I still don't understand what those who choose this award are based on."

Carlo Ancelotti was not put out by Manchester City being named the team of the year in Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, saying last season's Champions League glory is proof of Real Madrid's standing.

Madrid finished third in the votes for the team award, despite winning LaLiga and the Champions League last season.

Liverpool finished as runners-up behind City, as they did in the Premier League. The Reds also lost to Madrid in the Champions League final, but won the EFL Cup and FA Cup last term. Indeed, Los Blancos also beat Pep Guardiola's side en route to winning their 14th European crown.

Ancelotti, though, insists Madrid – who won the Super Cup in August and are top of LaLiga after defeating Barcelona in Sunday's Clasico – are still the best.

He said in a press conference: "I don't know the criteria well, because they don't talk about the team. Madrid is the best team and that is why they have won the Champions League.

"I have all the respect for that award. We received the most important award in May."

Madrid did enjoy success on Monday, though, with Karim Benzema taking home the main individual prize after his stunning season in 2021-22, becoming the first French player to do so since Zinedine Zidane in 1998.

Benzema, 34, led Madrid to their success, which came somewhat against the odds – at least in the Champions League.

However, when asked if had been surprised by his achievements since re-joining Madrid from Everton last year, Ancelotti replied: "No, I don't think so. What we have achieved so far has been very good.

"For me it is not so surprising, here you have everything to be successful: history, tradition, competition, quality of the players, atmosphere... At the beginning of last season I had many more doubts than now."

Benzema scored 44 times last season, a tally bettered only by Robert Lewandowski (50) of players in Europe's top-five leagues.

Next on the list after Benzema was Kylian Mbappe, who scored 39 goals for Paris Saint-Germain and appeared all set to join his France team-mate at Madrid until a late change of heart.

Reports last week claimed Mbappe now wanted to leave PSG, though he denied those rumours on Monday. 

Asked if Mbappe would deserve another chance to sign for the club, Ancelotti instead chose to hail the next generation already coming through at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"What is the future? I do not know. On a personal level, I don't know what can happen," he said.

"The future of this club and this team is already written with young players like Vinicius [Junior], Rodrygo, [Aurelien] Tchouameni, [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Federico[ Valverde, [Eder] Militao... who have already written the future of this team.

"The players change, but these players have shown what the future of Real Madrid will be."

Frank Lampard's focus is on getting Dominic Calvert-Lewin fit and firing for Everton as he looks to make a late push for England's World Cup squad.

Calvert-Lewin enjoyed a brilliant 2020-21 campaign, scoring 21 times. That tally included a hot streak of eight goals in seven games to start the season, with his form seeing him make his England debut, scoring four goals in as many starts for the Three Lions, the most by a player since Kerry Dixon in 1985-86.

He was part of England's Euro 2020 squad but the 25-year-old missed much of last term through injury, returning to score the vital goal to keep Everton up in a 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace in May, only to suffer a knee injury on the eve of the new season.

With Calvert-Lewin limited to two substitute appearances in Everton's last two matches – defeats to Manchester United and Tottenham respectively – his hopes of making Gareth Southgate's squad for Qatar appear slim, especially with Brentford's Ivan Toney in rich form.

Lampard acknowledges time may be against his striker but is not giving up hope.

"We've got to be careful with Dominic coming back, making sure we gradually bring him in but as quickly as possible," he told reporters ahead of Everton's trip to Newcastle United. 

"We're definitely getting to the stage now where we can hopefully get more minutes out of him.

"It's human nature and a natural mentality of top-level players, they want to play for their countries. The first thing is you play well for your club to get there.

"Because of Dominic's injuries it's put him in this position. My feeling is if he'd been fit and playing regularly he'd be making that case.

"It's step by step for us, Dominic is an England player, he's been in that squad – can we get him fit for us first, see what he can deliver for us, then of course he gets himself into that question."

One Everton player certain to be going to the World Cup if fit is Jordan Pickford. 

The goalkeeper enjoyed a strong start to the season, but made a blunder in Saturday's defeat to Spurs, spilling Matt Doherty's shot and bringing down England team-mate Harry Kane to compound his error.

When asked if he had spoken to Pickford about the mistake, Lampard replied: "No need. He's saved us many times. 

"He's a high, high level of goalkeeper, top bracket in the world for me."

Reece Topley is an injury doubt for England's first game of the T20 World Cup against Afghanistan on Saturday.

The left-arm paceman rolled his ankle during a fielding drill ahead of Monday's warm-up win over Pakistan at the Gabba.

Topley will be assessed before Jos Buttler's side take on Afghanistan in their Group 1 opener at Perth Stadium.

England will face a qualifier in their second World Cup match next Wednesday, then face hosts Australia two days later.

The quick has made an impressive return to the international stage after fears his career could be over due to back injuries.

Topley played in all three of England's matches in the recent T20I series win over Australia, having featured in four of the seven games in the 4-3 victory in Pakistan.

Dustin Hopkins lined up the field goal that would settle the Los Angeles Chargers' clash with the Denver Broncos and thought to himself: what's the worst that could happen?

Already carrying a hamstring injury, Hopkins figured he may as well take a full-blooded kick for glory and hold nothing back.

"In my mind, it was already at a point where it was a, 'Well, screw it' moment," said Hopkins. "Pretty much, if it's already feeling this bad at this point, let's just give it a ride."

The overtime heroics from Hopkins, who kicked four field goals in all, secured a 19-16 win for the Chargers, with quarterback Justin Herbert saluting the kicker.

"We have so much respect for him. We know that he is hurting," said Herbert. "He's tough. That's all you can say about him. For him to go out there and play and put up with some pain like that, it's great to see from him."

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley saw his team nullify the threat of Russell Wilson after the first quarter, in which the Broncos quarterback completed all 10 of his passes, including a 39-yard touchdown to rookie tight end Greg Dulcich.

The Chargers rallied from 10-0 adrift but could only manage one touchdown that came at the start of the second quarter, with a 15-play drive capped off by a six-yard Austin Ekeler touchdown dash.

They had to grind it out, and Staley said: "This is a complete team win. It was a tough, rugged game. They have an outstanding defense over there. It was tough sledding in every way for all four quarters and overtime. It was just a tough and rugged game. It took everybody in Powder Blue to win it."

He added: "The fact that we're able to show our resilience in all three phases, and then be able to finish that game on our home field in front of our fans, I'm really proud of our group today."

Losses to the Chiefs and the Jaguars came as early season setbacks for the Chargers, but Herbert has been encouraged by the wins that have followed against the Texans, Browns and now the Broncos.

"I thought 4-2 has been a big step up for us," he said, "especially where we were at with 1-2.

"For us to answer back and to win three games in a row like that, I think it says a lot about our team, our defense, our special teams, because they have stepped up big time. It's been awesome to see from them."

Herbert completed 37 of his 57 passes for 238 yards and one interception. This made him the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw as many as 57 passes in a game with no TDs but still win, Opta said.

Australia have made Pat Cummins their 27th one-day international captain.

Cummins already captains the nation's Test side and will now double up on leadership duties after replacing Aaron Finch as ODI skipper.

Finch retired from the format last month and fast bowler Cummins acknowledged he would be a tough act to follow.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed playing under Finchy and have learnt an enormous amount from his leadership," Cummins said.

"They are significant shoes to fill, although we are extremely fortunate to have a one-day squad with a huge amount of experience."

There had been reports that David Warner could see his lifetime leadership ban ended and he would assume the role, but this announcement puts an end to that speculation.

A proposed amendment to Cricket Australia's integrity code would have paved the way for Warner to take on the job, four years on from his involvement in a ball-tampering scandal.

However, it will be Cummins who leads the side when Australia take on England in a three-match series in November.

Anthony Davis declared the Los Angeles Lakers can banish sorry memories of the previous two seasons by roaring back to past glories in the new campaign.

The Lakers, NBA champions in 2020, lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs before trailing in 11th in the Western Conference last term with a 33-49 record, missing out on the postseason.

Considering their star-studded squad, those were underwhelming performances, but this year Davis says the story can change. He is talking about championships again.

"We're motivated to get back to where we belong," Davis said.

"The last two seasons were not what we envisioned. It was not Lakers basketball and we know that, not what our organisation's standard is."

Coach Frank Vogel was sacked in April and Darvin Ham has come in, charged with getting the best out of a roster that, along with Davis, features the likes of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.

The star trio are listed as probable for Tuesday's season-opening game against last season's champions, the Golden State Warriors, at Chase Center.

Westbrook has been waylaid by a hamstring injury, and it remains to be seen how Ham uses him, if fit. He appears set for a reserve role, initially.

If the Lakers needed any reminder about their 2021-22 failings, it will come when the Warriors collect their championship rings, with the Los Angeles players knowing they simply were not a factor last time out.

After losing five of six warm-up games, the Lakers will know they cannot let that form drip into the new campaign.

Davis said: "Our standard is to compete for championships, and in the last two seasons we have not. So, it's motivation and hunger from every guy on the floor, everybody in the locker room, all the coaches, the front office, to make sure that we get back to that level of basketball that we know we can play at."

Provisional World Cup squads are expected this week, and Gareth Southgate – despite a few late injury headaches – is likely to have already nailed down the majority of his England group.

There do remain some question marks, however, and perhaps none are more prominent than in attack, where Harry Kane is the established starter but the role of back-up has been shared among an ever-changing cast.

Since Russia 2018, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ollie Watkins, Callum Wilson and Danny Ings have all played and scored for England. But either form or fitness has deserted each of them.

That would appear to leave three contenders in Tammy Abraham, whose Roma place is no longer assured, Ivan Toney, the recent call-up yet to make his international debut, and Marcus Rashford.

Abraham and Toney were each included in Southgate's latest England squad, although neither featured in games against Italy and Germany where the Three Lions needed goals. Meanwhile, injury robbed Rashford of the opportunity to re-establish himself in the group.

At one stage, Rashford was assured of his place in every international squad, if not necessarily every team.

The Manchester United man has earned 46 caps for England, and all but three of those have come since Southgate's September 2016 appointment.

However, for all those accusations of Southgate defying club form to pick his 'favourites', Rashford has been punished for below-par displays for United, having scored a measly five goals in 32 games last season.

Rashford's last action for England was his missed penalty in the Euro 2020 final against Italy after appearing as a substitute for the final minute of extra time at Wembley. He has not started for his country since before that tournament.

But the 24-year-old has rediscovered something approaching his best form this season, netting five goals and assisting three in 11 matches for United. Rashford is far outperforming Abraham (two goals and one assist in 13 matches) in that regard, although he still trails flavour-of-the-month Toney (eight goals and three assists in 11 matches).

Toney's case is clear then – except Southgate is not looking for a forward to come in and lead the line against Iran on November 21.

Only Jordan Pickford (14 starts, 1,380 minutes) and John Stones (14 starts, 1,324 minutes) have started more matches or played more minutes for Southgate at major tournaments than Kane (13 starts, 1,222 minutes).

Assuming no injury to Kane that would alter the entire conversation, Rashford is auditioning for the position of primary attacking reinforcement – one he has filled twice for Southgate in the past.

Across the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, no England player made more appearances (10) or played more minutes (205) as a substitute than Rashford.

In 63 minutes from the bench for United this season, Rashford has scored two goals and assisted another. Abraham has yet to contribute to a goal in 91 such minutes for Roma, while Toney has a sole assist in 18 minutes.

As illness reduced Rashford to a substitute role against Newcastle United on Sunday, he showed how dangerous his hard running can prove late in matches.

Both he and Fred passed up huge chances, but only Casemiro (0.45 – 0.01 xG, 0.44 xA) produced more combined expected goals and expected assists in the whole match than Rashford (0.43 – 0.31 xG, 0.12 xA) did in an 18-minute cameo against the Premier League's meanest defence.

On that occasion, Rashford was appearing, as he would in place of Kane, as a centre-forward after being brought on for Cristiano Ronaldo. But his versatility is a key attribute Toney does not possess.

For United this season, five of Rashford's nine starts have come as a lone striker, with the other four as a left-sided winger.

Longer term, his starts through the middle have been far less regular. Rashford's 21 England starts have included 10 from the left, three from the right and eight as a central striker. Of those eight, seven have been as part of a forward pair.

His sole appearance in a Three Lions line-up in the sort of role Kane is used to was in a 3-1 Nations League Finals defeat to the Netherlands, in which Rashford was replaced by Kane at half-time after opening the scoring.

If England are in need of a spark in Qatar – whether from the start or as a substitute – Southgate is likely to turn to a player who can complement Kane rather than replace him, perhaps explaining the watching briefs for Abraham and Toney in September.

Importantly, Rashford has previously supported Kane to good effect, most notably in a 3-2 win against Spain in October 2018, when Kane teed up Rashford for the second goal and the pair each provided a further assist for Raheem Sterling, who is also set to start again at the World Cup.

As Kane and Tottenham visit Old Trafford on Wednesday for the pick of the midweek Premier League action, Rashford will no doubt hope to be restored to the United XI ahead of Ronaldo.

But were he to instead play from the left or come on for the veteran forward later in the match, the England hopeful might provide Southgate a more accurate representation of what he could expect if selected next month.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson confirmed he injured his hamstring in his side's 19-16 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.

Wilson began the game brightly, finishing the first quarter with a perfect 10 completions from 10 attempts including a touchdown to rookie tight end Greg Dulcich to build a 10-0 lead at quarter-time.

Things broke down for the Broncos' offense after that, with Wilson going on to complete just five-of-18 passes the rest of the way as their only points in the last three quarters came from a pair of Brandon McManus field goals.

After the game, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett opened up his press conference by listing Wilson among the injuries for the game, saying he hurt his hamstring and not expanding any further.

When questioned about it in his own interview, Wilson confirmed he did indeed have to nurse the injury through the latter stages of the contest after feeling it pull in the fourth quarter..

"Yeah, I got my hammy," he said. "I was kind of scrambling and moving around on one, and had to throw it away. It got me pretty good in the fourth quarter, but I just tried to play through it and all that.

"I felt good moving around, running around, throwing it and everything else – especially early on – and then that happened. 

"So that was kind of a little unfortunate, but, you know, [we were still] trying to find a way to win the game."

Wilson entered the game with a nagging shoulder injury, and he said his "shoulder did good", but that "the only thing that matters is us winning".

If Wilson did indeed strain his hamstring, even a minor injury will likely mean at least one game on the sideline, while a medium-severity strain would force him to miss two or three games at a minimum.

The loss relegates the Broncos to a 2-4 record through Week 6, with a home fixture against the New York Jets scheduled for this Sunday.