Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag believes there is a "new energy" around the club as they prepare for the first full campaign under the Jim Ratcliffe regime.

Ten Hag oversaw a miserable eighth-placed Premier League finish in 2023-24 and was believed to be on the brink of being sacked, only for United to stun neighbours Manchester City in May's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Having led the Red Devils to a second major trophy in as many years at the helm, Ten Hag was then handed a contract extension to run through the 2025-26 season.

That new deal for the Dutchman represents a real show of faith from INEOS chief Ratcliffe, who assumed full control of football operations when he bought a 25% stake in the club last December.

Speaking to the club's media channels in his first interview since penning his deal, Ten Hag said there is a renewed atmosphere around the club.

"We won an FA Cup, we won a Carabao Cup, but also we have high expectations from ourselves," he said.

"We know it doesn't come overnight, we have to work for it. We are highly ambitious, so we have to raise our standards day by day, and improve every day.

"Every time, we have to live with the line in our head: good is not good enough. We have to do better."

The Ratcliffe regime has wasted little time in making changes to the football structure at Old Trafford, bringing in Dan Ashworth from Newcastle United as sporting director and appointing Jason Wilcox, formerly of Southampton, as technical director.

While United's 2023-24 campaign was underwhelming, Ten Hag feels the right pieces are in place for a brighter future. 

"United didn't win a trophy for six years. Now we've won two, but we are up for more, like the English title and even more, like going into Europe," he added.

"That's a process that takes time, and we'll work on it, but I know with the set-up at the club, with the changes to the structure, and the changes to infrastructure here around Carrington, we will be ready for the future. 

"We will improve. You feel it here, it gives us a new energy, it gives a new dynamic and that will help us to achieve our targets. 

"In the short-term, it stays the same: we want to win every game, and we have seen we are capable of beating everyone."

Daniil Medvedev prevailed 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 over world number one Jannik Sinner to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

In a four-hour epic, the Russian outlasted top seed Sinner to reach the last four at the All England Club for a second straight year.

Since 2000, Medvedev is only the fourth player to defeat the men's number one on three or more occasions at grand slams, along with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka.

Sinner, who was forced to take a medical timeout due to illness midway through the third set, rallied brilliantly from that issue in the fourth to force a decider.

However, the Italian ran out of steam in the fifth set, with Medvedev going on to clinch victory with three match points to spare, briskly sending Sinner around the court before drilling a winner down the line.

"I knew if I wanted to beat Jannik it was going to be a tough match, he's not a guy you can beat easily, even if he wasn't feeling that good," said Medvedev.

"I managed to stay at a high level, a great match and I'm really happy with my game looking forward."

Asked what it was like to face Sinner after the medical timeout, Medvedev added: "It's actually very tough. One moment, I could see he wasn't moving well.

"It's tricky because you want to play more points to make him suffer more, but then at the same time, you know he will come back and go full power. In a way, I would prefer not to have this situation."

Medvedev will face either Tommy Paul or reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.

Data Debrief: Dragging on...

There have now been 36 five-set matches in the men's singles at Wimbledon this year, surpassing the 1983 US Open and 2024 Australian Open (35 each) for the most at a single grand slam event in the Open Era.

Medvedev, meanwhile, has now reached nine semi-finals at majors, though the 28-year-old has only progressed from two of those previous eight ties.

Lord's will play host to the end of an era this week as James Anderson plays his final Test for England. 

The 41-year-old has not precisely gone out on his own terms, with the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum setup opting to move on from an all-time bowling great.

Speaking ahead of his farewell appearance against West Indies on Monday, Anderson reiterated that he was bowling as well as he ever has, but said he had "made peace" with England's decision to revamp their attack.

Now, his focus will be going out on a high as he plays his 188th and final Test on the same ground where he made his debut 21 years ago. 

Ahead of an emotional few days at an iconic venue, we run through the Opta data surrounding Anderson's remarkable career.

The records

Anderson will, without a doubt, be remembered as the finest paceman England have ever produced. In fact, he is the all-time leading Test wicket-taker among fast bowlers from any country, managing 700 dismissals in his 187 matches.

Stuart Broad, his close friend and team-mate for 138 of those contests, is a distant second with 604 in 167 outings, with Australia's Glenn McGrath (563), Windies' Courtney Walsh (519) and South Africa's Dale Steyn (439) rounding out the top five. 

Among all bowlers in Test history, Anderson ranks third for wickets taken, behind Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Australia icon Shane Wayne (708), some way clear of Anil Kumble (619) in fourth.

Anderson also edges out Broad in England's all-time appearance charts, though he will fall short of the global Test record held by Sachin Tendulkar, who represented India 200 times between 1989 and 2013.

 

While Anderson's legacy in the bowling stakes is set in stone, his contributions to the tail end of the batting order should also not be forgotten.

Anderson has 1,353 Test runs in total, with 687 coming at #11. No other batter in history can match that return at the position, with his highest score – a remarkable 81 versus India at Trent Bridge in 2014 – coming when he batted last.

The highs

That haul was certainly Anderson's best moment with the bat, but what about with the ball, doing what he does best? 

Anderson started as he meant to go on when making his Test bow against Zimbabwe in 2003, going 5-73 in the second innings for the first of 32 career five-wicket hauls.

His best Test figures came in September 2017, as he finished 7-42 in the third innings of a win over West Indies at Lords. His only other seven-wicket haul came in 2008 at Trent Bridge as New Zealand were vanquished.

In fact, 2017 was the most efficient year of his Test career, as he conceded just 17.6 runs per wicket taken. In no year where he played at last 10 matches did Anderson record an average worse than 33.9 (2011).

 

But fans will likely remember a couple of special Ashes performances most fondly. 

Having played a supporting role as England won a legendary home series in 2005, Anderson had to wait a while to experience a big moment against Australia, his first real taste of the rivalry coming as England were whitewashed 5-0 down under in 2006-07.

Twelve wickets in support of Broad (18) and Graeme Swann (14) helped England reclaim the urn on home soil in 2009, but it was in 2010-11 when he really made his mark.

England had not won an Ashes series in Australia for 24 years, while some had expressed doubts over Anderson's ability to take wickets on foreign soil, but he finished with a magnificent 24 dismissals as the tourists claimed a famous 3-1 series victory.

The urn was retained on home soil in 2013, the tone being set by a nail-biting 14-run victory in the opener, with Anderson claiming a five-for in each innings. 

The opponents

Anderson took 117 wickets in his 39 matches against Australia, but India were his favourite opponents, with 149 in 39 appearances against the Men in Blue.

His historic 700th wicket came against India earlier this year, with Kuldeep Yadav his victim as he became the first paceman in history to reach that landmark.

He took 103 versus South Africa, including his 100th, which came versus Jacques Kallis back in 2008.

This week's match, meanwhile, will give him the chance to add to his 87 wickets in matches versus West Indies. He previously reached the 500 mark against them in 2017, bowling Kraigg Braithwaite to kick-start that remarkable spell of 7-42.  

In terms of opposition players, India's Cheteshwar Pujara is the man to have fallen victim to Anderson most often, being dismissed by him on 12 occasions between 2014 and 2022.

Lord's: A fitting farewell

Anderson may be a Lancashire lad, but one might suggest Lord's has been his spiritual home since he made his red-ball bow on the ground 21 years ago.

He has taken 199 of his Test wickets on the ground in 28 matches there. Only Sri Lanka great Muralitharan has ever taken more at a particular venue, finishing his career with 166 in 24 matches at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

If Anderson adds to that haul on his farewell appearance this week, there won't be a dry eye in the house. 

 

England's decision to move on from James Anderson was made with the aim of preparing a new generation of bowlers for the next Ashes series, says Ben Stokes. 

Anderson – England's all-time leading wicket-taker with 700 in 187 red-ball matches – will play his final Test against West Indies at Lord's this week.

The 41-year-old is not going out on his own terms, insisting on Monday that he is bowling as well as he ever has but saying he has been forced to "make peace" with the decision.

Gus Atkinson will make his Test debut against the Windies, while Dillon Pennington and Matthew Potts are competing to replace Anderson when the three-match series moves to Nottingham.

England's revamp of their bowling attack comes after they failed to reclaim the Ashes on home soil last year, drawing a rain-affected series 2-2. 

They head down under for the next edition in 2025-26, and Stokes says they will use the intervening time to blood a new generation of talent.

"You look at how long it's been since we've played a Test match, I think it's been five months," England's red-ball captain told reporters on Tuesday. 

"When you have a lot of time off, you've got a lot of time to think about how you can take the team forward.

"I've been captain for two years, so it's about progressing this team. Especially for the first two years, we've been very focused on the here and now of what we need to do.

"But for me, I want to be able to implement stuff to push this team as far as they can go, not only as a collective but also as individuals.

"If you look at where we've got to go in 18 months' time, to Australia… we want to win that urn back.

"We've got an incredibly talented and exciting group of bowlers coming through at the moment, so giving them the experience of playing international cricket, getting Test matches under their belt, will put us in a much stronger position to win the Ashes."

Anderson's farewell comes at a venue where he has taken 119 Test wickets, the second-most of any player at a particular venue after Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo (166).

 

"He's an amazing bowler. There's no doubt that he could still go out there and play Test cricket, because he is good enough," Stokes said of Anderson. 

"But when we spoke with Jimmy, we laid it out with him and gave him our reasons, and he totally understood it.

"This week will all be about Jimmy, and rightly so, but I can tell you his main focus is about going out there, taking wickets and trying to win this game for England."

Keegan Bradley's appointment as the USA captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup was "surprising", says Xander Schauffele, but he is confident he is up to the task.

The PGA of America confirmed the decision on Monday after Tiger Woods decided against leading the team in New York.

Bradley was left out of the team for last year's 16.5-11.5 defeat to Team Europe in Italy, and emerged as a late contender before the announcement.

The move took many by surprise, with two-time Ryder Cup player Xander Schauffele admitting he was also expecting Woods to be named Zach Johnson's successor.

"Yeah, it's surprising," he said during a press conference ahead of The Open Championship.

"You typically expect someone that's a little bit older to get selected as a captain. I think a lot of people were banking on Tiger to do it.

"He obviously has a lot on his plate. Keegan expressed his love for the Ryder Cup publicly, which we all saw.

"I haven't talked to him or seen him yet, but I'm sure he's over the moon and is going to do a great job.

"He's a very passionate individual. On the course, he's intense, that's just how he competes and how he is.

"As a captain, he's going to have a mixed bag, and he's not going to be afraid to hold a speech with the guys and get everyone going."

Mikyle Louis will open alongside Captain Kraigg Brathwaite for the West Indies in the first Test against England set to start on Wednesday at Lord’s.

Louis, the 23-year-old, comes into the team on the back of a brilliant season for the Leeward Islands in the 2024 West Indies Championship where he scored 682 runs in 14 innings at an average of 49.

He is coming off a first innings half-century in their warm-up game against the County Select XI last week.

Retaining their places in the order are Kirk McKenzie at three, Alick Athanaze at four and Kavem Hodge at five.

McKenzie and Athanaze scored three half-centuries between them in the warm-up fixture last week while Hodge scored a brilliant hundred so all three are coming into the first Test in some good form.

Also making their return to the West Indies test team after missing the Australia series in December are former Captain Jason Holder and young pacer Jayden Seales.

Both Holder and Seales recently enjoyed successful County Championship stints for Worcestershire and Sussex, respectively.

Gudakesh Motie will be the lone spinner in the XI while Holder and Seales will be joined in the pace attack by Alzarri and Shamar Joseph.

Josh a Da Silva also retains his place behind the stumps.

The full XI is as follows: Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph

The Girls team representing Jamaica at the 30th edition of the Junior Caribbean Squash Championship held in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, experienced great success with the team bringing home 6 medals: 2 gold; 3 silver and 1 bronze.

Mehar Trehan was the sole gold medallist in the individual competition defending her title in the U17 Girls category defeating her compatriot, Elle Wilson 3-0.  Trehan was strong from the outset and dominated her category and defeated all her opponents 3-0; without dropping a set. Wilson had a more difficult route to the final and had to overcome Sarrayah Yearwood of Trinidad & Tobago in 5 games.

Mehar Trehan

The doubles partnership of Sanjana Nallapati (Captain) and Katherine Risden captured the gold defeating their Barbadian counterparts and number 1 seed of Eboni Atherley and Joanna Atkins 2-1.  The Jamaican duo had to overcome a 1-set deficit to defeat the Bajans in a closely contested final; 9/11; 11/6, 11/9. 

In the Girls U19 catergory, Jamaica had two competitors, Katherine Risden, the #1 seed, and Sanjana Nallapati (Captain and #3 seed) vying for the top spot but they were denied gold both at the racquet of the eventual champion, Eboni Atherley of Barbados. Atherley dispatched Nallapati in the semis and Risden in the finals both with 3-0 victories. Risden and Nallapati captured silver and bronze respectively in the U19 girls individual competition. 

In her first Junior CASA tourney, Varenya Singh reached the semifinal of the U11 competition. Singh played with composure and grit for someone so young. She secured a 4th place finish in the U11 girls individual competition. 

The Jamaican Girls continued their winning ways in the Team event by earning the silver medal losing out to Barbados after the matches were knotted at 3 games a-piece.

Jamaica started strong in the final with Risden overturning her individual loss to Atherley by winning 3-0. Captain Nallapati and U17 Girls Champion Mehar Trehan secured 3-0 victories. However, Barbados needed the final tie at U13 to equalize and force a count back in games.

Marley Price fought valiantly but lost to the #2 seed forcing a tiebreak. The tiebreak was broken on a countback of games won between the two teams. Throughout the team event, various team members played key roles to ensure Jamaica reached the final. In particular, Marley Price secured one game in the semifinal match which ensured Jamaica reached the final on game countback. 

Coach Tahjia Lumley stated, “the team is one of the best in terms of their fighting spirit and camaraderie. From the youngest to the oldest we are not far off! Gold in doubles and the girls going all the way in the team event! This was an extremely young boys team with many playing up in age-group. This has been an amazing experience for them and they are looking forward to continue to improve for next year’s event.”   

Jamaica finished 4th in the overall standings with the girls in 2nd place and boys team finishing in 8th place. 

Jamaica’s medal haul was 2 gold; 3 silver; and 1 bronze. 

The team was coached by Tahjia Lumley and managed by Nathlee Boreland.

Donna Vekic is through to the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time in her career after coming from behind to beat Lulu Sun.

After losing her previous two grand slam quarter-finals in straight sets, Vekic rallied to beat the qualifier 5-7 6-4 6-1 on Court No.1 on Tuesday.

After a slightly shaky start, Sun held her nerve brilliantly in the fourth game of the opener, holding out through 10 deuces and successfully defending break point three times.

Sun took full advantage of that let-off, getting the all-important break in the 11th game before holding strong to take the first set.

It was a different story in the second, Vekic continuing to show aggression in her serve before finally gaining an edge with her first break and holding out to force a decider.

The Croatian picked up where she left off in the third set, scoring 10 points in a row as she raced to a 3-0 lead, before clinching a second straight break.

Sun, who has spent the most time on court so far in the women's draw, avoided a bagel with her final service game of the match before Vekic finished it off.

She will face Jasmine Paolini or Emma Navarro in the semi-finals.

Data Debrief: Vekic too strong

Vekic is into her first grand slam semi-final on her 43rd major main-draw appearance. In the Open Era, only four players have made their first semi-final after more major appearances.

It is the fourth time at this edition of Wimbledon that Vekic's matches have gone the distance, and the second time she has had to bounce back from losing the first set.

Sun was bidding to become the first qualifier to reach the semi-finals at the All England Club since Alexandra Stevenson in 1999, but she fell just short.

Harry Kane's England team-mates have backed their captain to regain his top form in their semi-final against the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Kane has scored twice at the tournament so far, with one of those a vital winner in the first minute of extra time against Slovakia, but has otherwise failed to show a clinical edge.

He managed just two shots against Switzerland in the quarter-finals before being forced off in extra time, managing an expected goals of just 0.12.

Kane's performances have drawn criticism, with some calling for him to be dropped for their game against the Netherlands.

However, Trent Alexander-Arnold brushed off the idea, claiming that would play into their opponents' hands.

"Anyone who is facing England would like to see Harry Kane not playing," the defender told reporters.

"You just know he is a threat. Anything in and around the box, you need to be on red alert.

"He can finish it from every angle. I always say he is the best finisher I've seen or played with. He can drop down and build play up and his hold-up play is incredible too."

England are playing in their third major tournament semi-final under Gareth Southgate, with Kane scoring the winning goal to take them to the final of the Euros three years ago.

The striker has also scored the joint-most knockout stage goals in the competition's history, five, along with Antoine Griezmann.

And after finishing as the top-scorer in the Bundesliga last season, Phil Foden has full confidence Kane will regain his goalscoring touch.

"You can't really doubt him," he told Standard Sport. "He's been unbelievable for us in so many tournaments, and he's already scored a crucial goal in this tournament.

"Hopefully, he can prove a lot of people wrong and do what he does best: put the ball into the back of the net. We're all behind him, we all believe in him.

"The way teams have been playing, there's been a low block and the spaces are tight, so it's difficult for him to find space.

"I've seen that with Erling [Haaland] at club level. Sometimes it's nearly impossible for him to score because they've got two players man-marking him.

"Kane's a leader, he does a lot of work off the ball that people don't see. He's a valuable player and if we're going to win it, we're definitely going to need him."

All-rounder Jason Holder and seamer Jayden Seales are both optimistic that West Indies can deliver an efficient performance to not only better England in their three-match Test series, but more importantly, to offer some semblance of upliftment to the Caribbean, which was recently brushed by Hurricane Beryl.

Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica are just a few of the islands that faced the wrath of Beryl, and West Indies players are using the setback as motivation to demonstrate the resilience and determination of Caribbean people.

Holder, who reflected on West Indies’ previous tour of England during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, believes the first step to doing their part in assisting to overcome these tough times, is to put their best foot forward in the series, which bowls off at Lord’s on Wednesday.

“The buzz around the T20 World Cup and the success of the recent past has definitely revived the cricketing lives of the people in the Caribbean. I think any bit of spark and encouragement we can give them will be through our performances and that is what we pledged as a group to try and make them as proud as possible in these tough times,” Holder said.

“So coming back here in England four years later, we’re just looking to take it one step further. We won one Test match last time out of three. Yeah, two will be a lot better on this trip,” the Barbadian noted.

“I think it’s time someone breaks the shackles and there is no better time than now for us to come here and beat England, I think that will be an absolute great feat...I believe in every individual in this group,” he added.

Seales concurred.

“We are not doing it for ourselves. We are doing it for the people back home who support us. They have been hit by the hurricane so drastically. We will try our best to make them feel a sense of pride,” the Trinidadian seamer declared.

Though West Indies will enter the series determined to retain the Richards-Botham Trophy, which they secured via a hard-fought 1-0 victory over England in the Caribbean two years ago, the odds are firmly stocked against them, as the Caribbean side has not won a Test series in England since 1988.

But, Holder, who is returning to the Test team after almost a year, pointed to their recent performances in the longest format, particularly, their historic win against Australia earlier this year, as reason to believe.

That series which ended 1-1, gave rise to fast bowling sensation Shamar Joseph, who took seven wickets to secure an eight-run win for West Indies –their haul first Test win in Australia since 1997.

“I think the guys took a lot from that Test victory in Australia and for the group, we’ve been doing some positive things over the last couple of months and as a young side, the main thing is to keep learning,” Holder said.

“We’ll be faced with different challenges here in England and it is a matter of learning from them and being better the next day. What we have in the dressing room is some special talent and it is just a matter of playing some solid cricket and just believing,” he reasoned.

Having opted out of that Australia series to focus on T20 opportunities, Holder expressed his delight at being back in the fold.

“For me it gave me a renewed energy to come back to the group and try to be a part of something special again. I’m just happy that I’ve been able to still get the body up and going and being up for the challenge here. I missed Test cricket. This is my first Test match in a long time, so I’m looking forward to it,” Holder shared.

“We’re just here to play a good competitive series and we’re coming out to win this series. For me it’s not about Jimmy [Anderson] with all due respect. For me it’s about my contribution to the team and making sure each and every one is on point at the start of the first Test match and let’s play some solid cricket. Everything else around it is secondary in my mind,” he ended.

Fiorentina have announced the signing of Moise Kean from Juventus.

The Viola have paid a reported €13million for the forward, though that could rise to €18million with potential add-ons.

The forward scored 22 goals across two spells at Juve, though failed to find the net in 20 appearances last season.

He won the Scudetto three times and also lifted the Supercoppa Italiana and the Coppa Italia twice.

Kean came through Juventus' academy before making his senior debut in November 2016.

After disappointing spells at Everton and Paris Saint-Germain, he then resigned for the club on loan in 2021 before making the move permanent in 2023.

Nestor Lorenzo says Colombia will not be satisfied unless they win the Copa America, with Uruguay next up for them in the semi-final.

Los Cafeteros are the in-form team at the tournament, and are on a 27-match unbeaten run in after their dominant 5-0 victory over Panama in the last round.

They have won all but one of their games at the Copa America so far, drawing 1-1 with Brazil in the other to secure top spot in Group D.

Colombia have only won the Copa America once before, back in 2001, and despite their fine run of form, Lorenzo says their tournament run will only be a success if they end their 23-year wait for a second title.

"To have a good Copa America is to win it," Lorenzo said. "It is not an abstract concept. The objective is to win every game we play, and the boys know that.

"[We take it] game by game. The goal is to win the next game. The most important game is the next one.

"We are confirming the importance of coming to the national team and wearing the shirt. They [the players] feel a great pride in being there and that is typical of players.

"In this team, they kill themselves for their teammates. We worked hard on that from the beginning. It's the way I feel about football from the technical direction."

Uruguay played out a goalless draw with Brazil before prevailing on penalties to book their place in the semi-finals.

Despite showing off their free-flowing play early in the group stage, their defensive solidity has pushed them forward in the competition as they have not conceded in any of their last three matches.

They now face off against the highest scorers in this year's Copa America, with head coach Marcelo Bielsa knowing they face a stern test against Colombia's attackers.

"Colombia has many forwards, which is not common today," Bielsa said. "There is more than one option for each level without much difference.

"The Colombian footballer has undergone a transformation. 'He' has always been creative, dominant, naturally competitive and has added the essentials to survive in today's football."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Uruguay – Jose Maria Gimenez

If Jose Maria Gimenez plays against Colombia, he will become the sixth Uruguayan player to reach 20 appearances in the Copa America, joining the ranks of Diego Perez, Roberto Porta (both 20), Schubert Gambetta (21), Fernando Muslera (22), and Angel Romano (23).

Colombia – James Rodriguez

James Rodriguez has provided five assists in this year's Copa America. One more assist will make him the first player to surpass this figure in a single edition since these records began in 2011, breaking the current record he shares with Lionel Messi (five assists in 2021).

He has also created the most chances so far (14) and got his first goal last time out in their win over Panama.

MATCH PREDICTION: URUGUAY WIN

Uruguay and Colombia are meeting for the third time in a Copa America semi-final. The first encounter was in 1975, with Los Cafeteros advancing to the final, while in 1995, La Celeste triumphed 2-0 and later claimed the title against Brazil.

Colombia are competing in the semi-finals for the seventh time since 1993, but have only reached the final once in that time, when they beat Mexico 1-0 to lift the title in 2001.

They have already equalled their most prolific scoring runs at the tournament, having netted 11 goals so far (also achieved in 1975 and 2001).

While Colombia's goalscoring has caught the eye, they now face the stingiest defence at the Copa America.

Uruguay have conceded just one goal (against Panama). It is the fewest goals allowed by La Celeste in their first four matches of a Copa America edition since 1959 – they won the title in Ecuador, conceding just one goal, and Bielsa's team are backed to win by Opta's supercomputer.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Uruguay – 46.2%

Draw – 25.1%

Colombia – 28.7%

Craig Bellamy has been named as the new Wales manager, following Rob Page's departure last month.

It is Bellamy's first senior managerial role, with the former Wales captain signing a four-year contract.

As a player, he made 78 appearances for the national team between 1998 and 2014, scoring 19 goals.

"It's an incredible honour for me to be given the opportunity to lead my country, and it's the proudest moment of my career," Bellamy told the FAW website. "It was always my ultimate dream to become the Cymru head coach, and I am ready for the challenge."

Bellamy had been named as Burnley's acting head coach following Vincent Kompany's move to Bayern Munich in May, but turned down the opportunity to stay as a coach following Scott Parker's appointment.

His first match in charge will be at home against Turkiye in the Nations League on September 6.

Thiago Motta believes that "togetherness" is the key to enjoying a successful first season in charge of Juventus.

The former Bologna manager arrived in Turin for his first day of pre-season on Monday.

Juventus finished third in Serie A last season but were 23 points behind Scudetto winners, Inter.

However, they did secure a return to the Champions League after serving a one-season suspension from UEFA after breaking financial fair play regulations.

Now, Motta is setting his sights on getting Juve back to the top.

"I've found myself in a really wonderful place to work," Motta told Juventus' official channels in his first interview. "It goes without saying at such a historic club that, together, we can do a great job.

"It will certainly be a demanding season, but at the same time, it's wonderful to be able to play so many matches, and we hope to play in the maximum number of games, because that means we will be doing well, and that is our objective.

"I send [the Juventus fans] fond greetings, and I hope to be able to meet you soon, in our stadium and in other grounds.

"I know that we will have your support, and we will certainly give everything on the pitch so that together we can all be proud of this team."

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