Oleksandr Zincheko has labelled Mikel Arteta as "the most important role" in his decision to join Arsenal from Manchester City.
The versatile left-back, who regularly plays in midfield when captaining Ukraine, travelled to meet up with the Gunners on their pre-season tour of the United States earlier in the week.
Zinchenko was present as Arsenal defeated Orlando City 3-1 on Wednesday, before his move to the Gunners became official on Friday.
The 25-year-old is thought to have signed a contract at the Emirates Stadium until the end of the 2025-26 season, with Arsenal reportedly paying an initial £30million, and £2m in potential add-ons.
Zinchenko worked with Arteta during the Spaniard's time at City as an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola, and says the former Arsenal and Everton midfielder was a big draw to moving to north London.
"I would say it's the most important role in my decision because I've known [Mikel] for a while, I used to work with him at Manchester City," Zinchenko told Arsenal's official website.
"The way we were working together, I was so impressed because I remember how many times we were working hard in the training sessions and then straight after with individual stuff and I took a lot from the manager and I hope I can take even more.
"Since the first day at City I knew that he's going to be a very good manager. The way he can see football, especially I was watching the last season of Arsenal's games and I was really enjoying it.
"You can see in the style, the picture of the game, so I would love to see it [while] playing and being involved."
Zinchenko leaves City as a four-time Premier League champion, insisting he is eager for another test.
"I'm ready for another challenge. I'm not here just to waste my time and the time of Arsenal because the club is always in front of everyone," he added.
"I am here to achieve big things and I hope we can win some titles, and I hope we are going to fight for every title in which we are going to be involved.
"Even from the last season, I was watching Arsenal's games and I could smell it's coming, you know? The team is growing up so quickly and I think it's time. It's time to do our best and to achieve something big."
It remains to be seen whether Zinchenko will be utilised in defence or further forward, though the Ukraine international will hope to emulate one of his childhood heroes Cesc Fabregas by playing in midfield.
"This is a boyhood dream come true, because I was a massive fan when I was a kid," he continued.
"Since Thierry Henry and young Cesc Fabregas was playing here, I was just enjoying watching those games, that Arsenal. And obviously I started to love this club, so I am so excited and I cannot wait to play for this amazing club."
Brooke Henderson produced a second successive 64 to surge into the lead at the Evian Championship.
The Canadian world number 10 had been one shot behind overnight leader Ayaka Furue going into the second round.
But Henderson, who won her first major at the Women's PGA Championship aged 18 in 2016, maintained her momentum with another seven-under-par effort.
She made the turn in 33 before going five under for the back nine, carding three consecutive birdies to close an outstanding round.
At 14 under par, Henderson went three strokes clear of world number three Nelly Korda, the American carding a 67 to improve to 11 under through 36 holes.
South Koreans Kim Sei-young and Ryu So-yeon sat tied fourth on nine under, while a group of six players were eight under par at the halfway stage.
Furue, meanwhile, slipped seven shots back after failing to build on her superb eight-under first round, the Japanese posting a one-over 72.
Defending champion Minjee Lee made it through to the weekend after a two-under 69 put her three shots inside the cut line.
After leading the NFL in touches during a strong rookie season, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is ready for another heavy workload – even a historic one - if it leads to another trip to the playoffs.
"I can get 500," Harris said in an interview on The Rich Eisen Show. "If I get 500 carries, as long as we're winning, it doesn't really matter."
Harris accumulated 381 touches during the 2021 regular season, the most by a rookie since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson's 398 in 2001. The Pro Bowler said he's prepared to increase that total if again called upon to be the focal point of an offense that will be breaking in a new starting quarterback following the offseason retirement of franchise icon Ben Roethlisberger.
"The more carries you get, the better you are," Harris said. "You get more of a feel for the game, you get an understanding of how the defense is playing. Obviously, you wear them down."
Harris' quick transition to the NFL game indeed played a big part in the Steelers reaching the postseason for the sixth time in eight years. Pittsburgh went 6-0-1 when the former Alabama star had 20 or more rushing attempts in a game and was 3-7 when he was under that mark.
The 2021 first-round pick accounted for 29.8 per cent of the Steelers' yards from scrimmage. Only Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (35.4 per cent) and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (29.9 per cent) had a higher share of their team's scrimmage yards last season.
Harris takes great pride in being able to contribute on all three downs in an era where skill players are becoming more specialised, and disputed any notion his heavy usage made him less effective.
"I didn't have an issue with it, it was the media that had an issue with it," he told Eisen. "I told them every game, I was like, 'Man, if this is the way to winning, I can carry the load'. I train to carry loads. It's not something I hadn't done before. I did it in college, high school."
A further increase in responsibility would put Harris in some very select company, as only five players in NFL history have recorded 450 or more touches in a season. Tampa Bay's James Wilder holds the league record of 492, set for the Buccaneers in 1984, while the last to eclipse that threshold was Larry Johnson for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006.
"This is our identity right here," Harris said of the Steelers' run-based approach. "So, let's keep this going on."
David de Gea has taken pride in winning individual trophies at Manchester United but hopes he never collects another personal accolade because it will mean the Red Devils have failed again.
Jose Mourinho became increasingly frustrated during his time at Old Trafford as goalkeeper De Gea won the Player of the Year award for United, amounting to failure from his outfield stars in the Portuguese's eyes.
The Spain international may have felt hard done by to not win another of those awards last season, with Cristiano Ronaldo pipping him to the honour after scoring 24 goals across all competitions.
De Gea made 128 saves in the 2021-22 Premier League, the third most in the English top flight, as United limped to a sixth-place finish and their lowest points tally in the competition's history.
New manager Erik ten Hag has made a promising start to his tenure with United, though, with the Red Devils winning three pre-season friendlies, including a 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool in Bangkok. They face Aston Villa on Saturday as the season build-up continues.
De Gea has been a vocal critic during United's downfall in recent years, and has insisted he no longer wants to win individual awards as that would represent more failure.
"It's good for me individually, of course, I love to win trophies, but I totally agree with what [Mourinho] said," said De Gea, who has won the Player of the Year award at United on four occasions.
"It must be a striker, a midfielder [who wins that award], that's what needs to happen, but this season it's going to be another player or striker, for sure."
Ten Hag has begun his sizeable rebuilding task with the Premier League side by bringing in Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen, while striking a deal for Lisandro Martinez.
Jadon Sancho, Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes have spoken approvingly of Ten Hag, and De Gea hopes the Dutchman will help United respond to an abject campaign last season.
"For me, for everyone, it was a very tough season, embarrassing sometimes," De Gea said, quoted in several British newspapers. "Some games were a mess, a disaster.
"So we should learn from last season that cannot happen again because it was tough, it was painful to be there – not capable to win games, losing games 4-0 or 5-0. It was unacceptable.
"Sometimes you have to feel pain to go up and keep going."
A notable feature of United's early pre-season games has been Ten Hag's insistence for his side to build from the back and play possession-based football.
For this to be successful, as seen with Ederson at Manchester City, De Gea as a goalkeeper must be confident with the ball at his feet, and the 31-year-old backs his own abilities.
"I think I showed it already," he said. "If you watch my games with the national team or when we played with Sir Alex Ferguson at the beginning, you could see it.
"I don't need to show anyone. I've been playing for many years. I will try my best. I'm going to stay quiet, calm and try to show that to the team and play out from the back.
"Obviously with different managers you have to adapt to the way they want you to play, but I used to play like this in the national team for many years so I'm comfortable with it."
Shanieka Ricketts could not contain her joy when the reality set in that she was a World Championships triple jump silver medalist once again.
“I was overjoyed when I realized that I won the silver medal. It felt like redemption from missing the podium in Tokyo by a mere three centimetres,” she recalled while speaking with Sportsmax.TV earlier this week.
“When I remember the journey to the podium, the days that we could not train when the distances were not forthcoming, and all the times when we wondered if we would be ready, it really felt like a dream come true, and it would not be possible without the help of God, my coach Kerrylee Ricketts and my agent Norman Peart.”
After winning silver in Doha in 2019 behind the virtually invincible Venezuelan, Yulimar Rojas, Ricketts, as she pointed out, was unable to replicate the performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where her best effort of 14.84m was only good enough for fourth.
Fast forward to 2022 when armed with the lessons learnt from Tokyo, Ricketts encountered an unexpected new challenge early in the season.
“I started experiencing some tension in my knee in January. We had to take a break from doing technical sessions and it also restricted me from doing explosive lifts and sprints for some time,” she recounted.
Those early struggles manifested in the form of a few relatively off-colour performances -13.94m at the John Wolmer Speed Fest at the National Stadium in Kingston in March; 14.27m at the Velocity Fest 10 also in Kingston on April 2 and 14.15m seven days later at the USATF Bermuda Games.
She capped off the string of underwhelming performances with a 13.95m performance at Velocity Fest 11 at the National Stadium on April 23.
Notwithstanding, the underwhelming outings, Ricketts ended up a winner in each competition but she knew she had to be much better if she was to contend for a medal in Oregon.
In fact, she admits that her confidence began to wane as the marks were nowhere close to what she needed to be able to take on the world’s best come July.
“It did to some extent, especially when things were not going as planned,” she conceded, “but, I know that every season is different and sometimes challenges occur that you have to overcome in order to reach the goals that you have. So I did my best to focus on the things that I could control, trust my coach, trust the program and trust the process and hoped for the best.”
Sure enough, things began to change.
“Things began to improve in May and there were times when I wondered if I would be able to perform at my best at the world championships because I knew that in order to be on the podium I have to jump at least 14.70 and I have not seen that result all year,” she explained.
On May 13, she produced a season-best 14.82 for yet another victory in Doha and then reeled off marks of 14.35 and 14.52 before winning at Jamaica’s National Championships with a less than stellar 14.27m.
She isn’t clear on when things finally came together but what is certain is that they did and at just the right time.
“I know that a lot of persons were ahead of me on the performance list for this season, so I had to bring my ‘A’ game in order to medal,” said Ricketts who qualified for the finals in Oregon with 14.45m but with the intention of jumping much farther once the final began on Monday night.
“The goal for the final was to produce a big jump in the first round to take the pressure off me and put the pressure on the field. Then do my best to keep improving as the rounds progressed.”
She did exactly that. 14.89m on her first jump, a mark only surpassed by Rojas, who would subsequently win her third world title in as many championships.
For Ricketts, it all came down to what happened in Tokyo last year. That was where the rebound started and ended nicely for the four-time national champion.
“Not winning a medal in Tokyo really motivated me to work harder, and to never underestimate any of my opponents. The experience also helped me become fearless because I know how to navigate both winning and losing,” she said.
“Winning feels much better and yields the best outcomes so I always strive to win but I am not afraid to lose.”
At the conclusion of the world championships, Ricketts returns home for a few days before flying off to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England where she hopes of a golden conclusion to a season that did not begin with much promise.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has completed his transfer from Manchester City to Arsenal, with the Ukraine international signing a long-term deal at Emirates Stadium.
The versatile 25-year-old follows former City team-mate Gabriel Jesus in making the move from Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions to join former City assistant boss Mikel Arteta in north London.
Zinchenko's arrival is the latest major piece of business for Arsenal, as the club look to find the missing pieces of the puzzle following a resurgent 2021-22 campaign. He is thought to have signed up until the end of the 2025-26 season, with Arsenal reportedly paying an initial £30million, and £2million in potential add-ons.
The Gunners fell painfully short of a top-four finish and Champions League football last season, as Tottenham pipped them at the post, and they are making efforts to bolster prospects of an improved new campaign.
In Zinchenko, they have acquired a player who will provide strong options at left-back – his regular position for City – or in the midfield for manager Arteta.
Arteta said: "We're so happy Alex has joined us. He's a player that I personally know really well and continued to follow him after my time at Manchester City.
"Alex is a high-quality player who will give us options and versatility. It's not only about the positions he can play but as well, the versatility he will give us in attack and defence.
"Alex is a person with great human qualities and character, and I'm delighted that everyone has made this huge effort to bring Alex to the club."
Zinchenko closes his time in Manchester as a four-time Premier League champion.
City are hoping Zinchenko's replacement will be Brighton and Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella, with the Spain international having emerged as a key target for Guardiola.
Two major close-season targets – former Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and ex-Leeds United defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips – joined City earlier in the window.
Christophe Laporte became the first Frenchman to win on this year's Tour de France after sprinting to victory on stage 19, while Jonas Vingegaard edged closer to general classification glory.
Laporte had largely played a supporting role for his excellent Jumbo-Visma team-mate Vingegaard, the yellow jersey holder and King of the Mountains victor.
But Laporte came to the fore on the 188.3-kilometre route from Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors, overtaking Fred Wright to sprint to victory and secure Jumbo-Visma's fifth stage win of the Tour.
Wright headed the leading group, alongside Jasper Stuyven and Alexis Gougeard, with just under 30km to go, but Laporte produced a perfectly timed attack to leave the trio in his wake in Cahors.
Laporte was indebted to the work of his team-mates to support his late charge and revealed Wout van Aert's message of encouragement before the race had spurred him to glory.
"I am super happy. I find it hard to realise. Wout said to me, 'Today is for you'. The last time he said that to me was at Paris-Nice, so here it brings me luck," Laporte told broadcaster RMC after his victory.
"One and a half kilometres from the finish, I made the jump to catch up with those who were in front. I threw it from afar so that they wouldn't come back, and it worked.
"It's incredible. It's more than just a reward, it's huge!"
Vingegaard finished safely behind the leading riders in 13th, with his lead over defending champion Tadej Pogacar staying at three minutes and 26 seconds.
LAPORTE SPARES FRENCH BLUSHES
Laporte made the bold call to move away through the streets of Cohors and, helped by his Jumbo-Visma team-mates, was duly rewarded.
The 29-year-old ensured France will not end Le Tour without a stage winner, as they did in 1926 and 1999, while he secured his first stage win in his eighth appearance.
STAGE RESULTS
1. Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) 3:52:04
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +0:01
3. Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) +0:01
4. Florian Senechal (Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl Team) +0:01
5. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +0:01
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 75:45:39
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +3:26
3. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) +8:00
Points Classification
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 460
2. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 236
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 235
King of the Mountains
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 72
2. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 64
3. Giulio Ciccone (Trek–Segafredo) 61
Former Liverpool owner and chairman David Moores has died at the age of 76.
Liverpool released a statement on Friday saying the Premier League club is "deeply saddened" over the passing of Moores on Friday, just a few weeks after the death of his wife, Marge.
Moores served as chairman of the Merseyside club for 16 years from 1991, which is when he completed a takeover at Anfield.
He became honorary life president after selling his majority stake in the Reds in 2007.
The Moores family held a majority stake in Liverpool for over a half a century.
Liverpool won 10 major trophies during his tenure, the highlight being an incredible Champions League triumph in 2005.
The club said in a statement: "The thoughts of everyone at Liverpool FC are with David's family and friends at this difficult time."
Usman Khawaja believes one-day international cricket is "dying a slow death" and claims it is "very tough" to play in all three formats.
England Test captain Ben Stokes retired from ODIs this week, stating it was "unsustainable" for him to play for his country in the longest format, plus Twenty20s and the 50-over game.
Stokes warned that players cannot be treated like "cars" and keep clocking up mileage with such a hectic schedule.
Australia batter Khawaja is not convinced there is a long-term future for ODI cricket.
He said: "My own personal opinion – I know a few of the guys are very similar – you've got Test cricket, which is the pinnacle, you've got T20 cricket, which obviously has leagues around the world, great entertainment, everyone loves it, and then there's one-day cricket.
"I feel like that's probably the third-ranked out of all of them. I think personally one-day cricket is dying a slow death... there's still the World Cup, which I think is really fun and it's enjoyable to watch, but other than that, even myself personally, I'm probably not into one-day cricket as much either."
Khawaja believes it is a big ask for players to play in all formats.
"Not impossible, very tough," Khawaja said, quoted by the Australian Associated Press. "So much travelling. If you're playing all three forms of the game, you're not at home at all really.
"And then the demands on your body, mentally, physically and a lot of the guys might be playing also the IPL.
"There's a lot of cricket going on. Yes, you get to pick and choose, I guess, in certain respects what you want to play, but it can be very tough at the moment."
While Khawaja does not see a bright ODI future, he is not concerned about Test cricket.
"The majority of people I talk to still love Test cricket," he said. "It's my favourite format. [I] think Test cricket still has a very strong presence so don't really see that going anywhere."
Charles De Ketelaere appears to be on the brink of a move to Milan, and Club Brugge team-mate Hans Vanaken revealed the Belgian champions' squad are resigned to his departure.
Milan are in the market for attacking reinforcements after winning their first Serie A title since 2010-11 last season, and Brugge star De Ketelaere has emerged as a target after scoring 18 goals in all competitions last term.
The Rossoneri's sporting director Paolo Maldini revealed he was confident of striking a deal for the 21-year-old after travelling to Belgium for talks this week, despite Brugge coach Carl Hoefkens insisting De Ketelaere would only be permitted to leave "at the right time".
De Ketelaere's team-mate Vanaken has revealed the Brugge players are resigned to losing the Belgium international, who he believes has the quality to star in Serie A.
"Against Milan in the Champions League could be a nice reunion," Vanaken told Belgian newspaper HLN.
"I haven't seen Paolo Maldini here this week, no. But we all read it too. There are no secrets.
"We all know that Milan will go to any lengths to get Charles. We're not swinging all those La Gazzetta dello Sport covers here, but we do speak some Italian to him sometimes.
"Charles is a super talent who has grown enormously here in three years. He has shown that he is ready to take the step."
However, De Ketelaere may not have made his final Brugge appearance after Hoefkens confirmed he is available for their season opener against Genk on Sunday.
"For me, he is still part of club. He is also available for Sunday," Hoefkens said of the attacking midfielder. "This is not easy for him, he has never experienced anything like it.
"It's something special, we're trying to understand it as best we can."
Milan will hope to have De Ketelaere on board when they begin their Serie A title defence against Udinese on August 13.
Jadon Sancho hailed the early work of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, saying the Dutchman has made the same players feel like a "whole different team".
Ten Hag has a sizeable rebuilding task at Old Trafford following the unsuccessful interim spell of Ralf Rangnick, whose mid-season appointment to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer failed last campaign.
United finished sixth in the 2021-22 Premier League campaign after recording their lowest points tally, while failing to end a league campaign with a positive goal difference for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
The former Ajax coach has brought in Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen, while striking an agreement for Lisandro Martinez and reportedly holding negotiations with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong.
United have also impressed in their pre-season friendlies, defeating Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace, and Sancho was quick to credit Ten Hag's early influence.
"He's told all the boys that every friendly is a must-win game," the winger said to United's official website.
"I can already tell from his mindset that he wants us to do well and, when the players hear that from a manager, you all take that in and we all want to give our best, especially out on the pitch.
"That's been a real confidence boost. We've been having lots of meetings with the manager and understanding how he wants us to play and there's definitely been a big sign of everyone taking that on board and us producing what he wants to happen.
"This pre-season, we have the same players but it just looks like a whole different team and I do think that's something we're working on and I feel like we're getting better.
"The manager is big on team-bonding and having fun together and doing things like team dinners and things like that. So, yeah, it's helping.
"You can see in the games, as I said before, with how we're playing and there being a lot more structure and opportunities to score, and we're keeping the ball more too and being effective [with it]."
Sancho arrived from Borussia Dortmund last season as the only player from Europe's top five leagues to have scored 10 goals or more and at least 15 assists across all competitions in each of the previous three seasons.
But the England international struggled in his debut season in Manchester, scoring just three times in 29 Premier League appearances and he is keen to make amends in the upcoming term.
"Last year wasn't great and I feel like everyone has something to prove for this upcoming season," he added.
"It's my second year now, settling into the team, knowing how players play and I'm excited for the upcoming season, with a new manager and how he wants us to play, and I think it will be good for myself.
"We don't want to put performances in like we did last year and upset the fans. Some fans travelled for a long time to get to the stadium and watch us not perform.
"I'm sure, this year, everyone is going to make up for that and make sure every game we play we put 100 per cent in and make sure the fans are smiling at the end of the game."
A defiant Ian Foster has vowed to prove he is the right man to coach New Zealand after naming his squad for the Rugby Championship.
Foster knows he is under pressure after the All Blacks suffered a first home series defeat to Ireland last weekend.
The under-fire head coach was due to face the media last Sunday, but the press conference was cancelled at late notice and there had been no word from the New Zealand camp until Foster fronted up in Auckland on Friday.
The 57-year-old has retained Sam Cane as captain following reports he would be replaced, while prop Ethan de Groot and loose forward Shannon Frizell replace Karl Tu'inukuafe and Pita Gus Sowakula in a 36-man squad.
Foster says he will fight on as New Zealand prepare to start the Rugby Championship with a clash against world champions South Africa at Mbombela Stadium on August 6.
He said: "As a head coach, there have been a lot of questions the past couple of weeks. Let me tell you who I am, I'm strong, I'm resilient, I think I've proven that.
"I believe I've got a great feel and relationship with my players. I'm strategic and I'm also accountable and I take that on board.
"I promise you, I understand that and I'm really excited about the chance to show you what this team is made of, working alongside the players we've selected in this squad."
Foster revealed Joe Schmidt will not travel to South Africa but is helping him with "strategic areas" of the game and says he will make changes to his staff.
There have been calls for Scott Robertson to take over as All Blacks head coach, but Foster is confident he can turn things around ahead of the World Cup next year.
"There's no doubt about that I’m under pressure," he added. "But can I just say, I'm always under pressure?
"I've always felt that pressure and external people will try to intensify that pressure but it doesn't change the fact that as an All Blacks coach you live in that world all the time.
"Does it hurt? Yes it does. The key thing for me is making sure everything I do is about ensuring we have robust processes and make sure we have got the right people sitting in the right seats."
Foster says he can see why the decision to cancel a media conference the day after losing to Ireland did not go down well.
"I understand the frustration [about the cancelled news conference]," he said.
"All I want to say on that regard is that I as a head coach would never ever not communicate with my fanbase when it’s expected I communicate with them.
"I know my responsibility is to talk to the fanbase and if I knew I was supposed to do that, I would do that all the time.
"I love the passion of our fans and I love the opinions. That is what it is, but I guess all I can assure people is the person that I am and my role in this team.
"I'm not here for any other reason than to do the best I can for this team. Right now, I can understand frustrations that we've lost a series, but my job is to put perspective around that, to make sure we take the lessons and this All Blacks team comes out stronger, I want to be part of the solution.
"Will there be some changes? Yes there will, but like I said, I'll let you know shortly."
New Zealand Rugby Championship squad:
Forwards: Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukeiaho, Codie Taylor. Aidan Ross, George Bower, Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Ethan de Groot, Angus Ta'avao, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa'i, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane (captain), Shannon Frizell, Akira Ioane, Dalton Papalii, Ardie Savea, Hoskins Sotutu.
Backs: Finlay Christie, Folau Fakatava, Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo'unga, Stephen Perofeta, Jack Goodhue, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece.
Replacement players travelling to South Africa: Josh Dickson, Braydon Ennor, Tyrel Lomax.
Jesse Marsch is hopeful Luis Sinisterra will not be out for too long after sustaining a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace.
Leeds United completed a deal reportedly worth £21.3million (€25m) for former Feyenoord star Sinisterra earlier this month, in preparation for fellow winger Raphinha joining LaLiga giants Barcelona.
Having also lost key midfielder Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City, Leeds have been busy in the transfer market ahead of Marsch's first full season at Elland Road, making six additions to their first-team squad.
Marsch would have feared the worst when Sinisterra pulled up off the ball after just 11 minutes of Friday's match, in which Leeds drew 1-1 with Palace in Perth, but is now confident the winger's injury is not serious.
"Luis had a little hamstring injury," the American said. "We're hopeful it's not too long, too severe.
"Any time we have a hamstring injury I'm totally dissatisfied because I think it's reflective of everything we do physically. Adam [Forshaw] tweaked his knee. We're hopeful as well that one's not so bad."
Leeds start their 2022-23 Premier League campaign at home to Wolves on August 6.
New Zealand coach Ian Foster labelled the confrontation between Akira Ioane and former All Black Justin Marshall as disappointing, but assured the issue has been cleared up.
The All Blacks suffered their first home series defeat in 28 years after Ireland triumphed 32-22 in Saturday's winner-takes-all-decider.
While Irish players took to the streets of Wellington to celebrate, flanker Ioane and Sky Sports commentator Marshall were caught on video footage confronting one another.
Marshall, who played 81 games for New Zealand, was ushered away by Caleb Clarke and George Bower as Ioane, surrounded by team-mates, attempted to move towards the 48-year-old.
The footage was drowned out by the celebrations around them and Foster expressed his disappointment with all those involved after the video circulated on social media.
"Look, the reality is it's disappointing. But two people were mouthing off a little bit at each other. I wish that hadn't happened," said Foster, whose job safety was confirmed on Friday despite defeat to Ireland.
"Yes, I've talked to both people involved, and I know they've had a conversation with each other, and there are no issues going forward."
New Zealand Rugby issued a statement after the incident, saying "behaving responsibly is one of the core values in our team environment" as Sky confirmed Marshall would remain part of their coverage for the All Blacks' upcoming tour of South Africa in August.
Though Foster questioned the actions of both Marshall and Ioane, the 57-year-old was not best pleased with the person taking the footage and then uploading it onto social media.
"I'm also not overly impressed that people think that they should film that stuff and spread it," he added.
"Because two people arguing in a pub, I don't think is as big of an issue as people make it out to be."
Ioane was still included in the 36-man All Blacks squad on Friday for the upcoming Rugby Championship.
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