Brain injury charity Headway have questioned the decision to allow Harry Maguire to continue playing for Manchester United after sustaining a head collision and warned about the management of in-game impacts in football.
Maguire fell to the floor with less than a minute played at Fulham on Saturday after clashing heads with Rodrigo Muniz and appeared to have sustained a cut just above his eye.
The England defender continued after treatment but referee John Brooks questioned Maguire’s condition after 58 minutes and United physios again analysed the defender.
Maguire finished the game United as won 1-0, and he later told MUTV he had passed concussion protocols, saying: “The doctor did all the tests, I knew where I was and I was answering all the questions and I completed them (protocols) thankfully.”
But Headway say the sight of Brooks’ intervention when Maguire appeared to be in difficulty was “deeply concerning”, and the organisation has warned that progress made over the past decade to improve the health of players is at risk due to football’s failure to manage in-game head injuries.
“The incident with Harry Maguire is concerning for a number of reasons,” said Luke Griggs, chief executive of Headway.
“An opponent’s shoulder strikes the side of his head; minutes later he goes down on his haunches, showing clear signs of discomfort.
“After a brief on-pitch assessment – again highlighting the nonsensical lack of temporary concussion substitutes in football – he was allowed to continue.
“The sight of the referee then having to intervene in the second half when the player continued to look in difficulty was deeply concerning. But again, after another brief assessment with medics, he was again allowed to play on.
“We are not privy to the discussions with his medical team, nor should their professionalism be questioned. This is an issue with the very culture of football and its stubborn refusal to put players’ health above all else – including the result of a game.
“Every time the ‘if in doubt, sit it out’ principle is seen to be ignored in elite level football, our chances of educating younger players and better protecting future generations from short and long-term brain injury is diminished.
“Temporary concussion substitutions would immediately help return some credibility to the process, but an evolution of attitude is urgently needed.”
Griggs said attitudes to concussion have changed over the past decade.
He said: “We have come such a long way since Hugo Lloris was labelled a ‘hero’ for over-ruling club medics to return to the pitch after a clear concussion while playing for Spurs against Everton in 2013.
“That shocking incident was a wake-up call for football. We called it ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ at the time, demanding it be used as a catalyst for change.
“That change has been a slow process, but attitudes have changed. Promises were made, such as the concept of players being immediately removed from play if there is any suspicion of concussion.
“An ‘if in doubt, sit it out’ approach was enshrined in a series of concussion protocols, eventually adopted by various footballing bodies.
“But this progress is eroded with every high-profile incident in which the safety first principle is set aside and players being allowed to continue despite showing signs that a concussion could have occurred.”
Tullis-Joyce ready to take Man Utd mantle after Earps departure
Phallon Tullis-Joyce believes learning from Mary Earps during her time at Manchester United has her well-placed to step up as the Red Devils' new number one.
Earps, who spent five seasons with United, joined Paris Saint-Germain in July upon the expiry of her contract at the Women's Super League side.
During her time with the Red Devils, she made 102 appearances in all competitions, keeping 46 clean sheets in the WSL in that time.
The 31-year-old scooped the Golden Glove in the 2022-23 campaign, while also helping United lift the Women's FA Cup in her final season with the club.
Tullis-Joyce spent just one year alongside Earps after arriving from the Seattle Reign last year, with all four of her appearances coming in the League Cup.
But speaking at the Barclays WSL's 2024-25 season launch media day, the American told Stats Perform her time with Earps has her well-prepared for this season.
"I was fortunate enough to train with Mary for an entire season, learn from her, learn from the staff as well," Tullis-Joyce said.
"Four of us together just being able to hold a high standard has already helped me in that preparation for this season."
Head coach Marc Skinner is backing Tullis-Joyce to fill the seismic gap left by Earps, a statement that filled the American with confidence.
"Yeah, definitely very, very grateful to our staff," Tullis-Joyce started.
"I mean, right from the start, when I got there, they were very clear about their intentions and where I was at and where they wanted to see me progress to.
"I'm just super happy to be with the squad."
United are looking to improve on an underwhelming campaign last year, finishing fifth and 15 points adrift of the Champions League qualification places.
Only Manchester City (15), Chelsea (18), Arsenal (20) and Liverpool (28) conceded less than United's 32 goals in the league, but their inconsistent results proved costly.
Tullis-Joyce acknowledged their showing last term fell below the mark, but highlighted the Red Devils' FA Cup success as a solid foundation to build on this season.
"We're taking this step by step," Tullis-Joyce said.
"These players have been grinding it out during this pre-season.
"We're pushing our limits, and we obviously have our sights set on the absolute best that we can perform as a squad and that's where we're at for the season."
Howe says Newcastle yet to hit 'top gear' ahead of Wolves trip
Eddie Howe believes Newcastle are yet to hit "top gear" this season despite taking seven points from their first three Premier League games, as they look to continue that strong start against Wolves at Molineux.
Newcastle made light of Fabian Schar's red card to beat Southampton on the opening matchday, then downed Tottenham 2-1 after earning a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
Those results have the Magpies fifth in the early-season standings, yet Howe still sees room for improvement as far as their performance levels are concerned.
Newcastle have faced a Premier League-high 54 shots in 2024-25, with their average of 18 shots conceded per game their highest on record in a single campaign (since 2003-04).
At Friday's pre-match press conference, Howe said: "We've had some very good results, we're really pleased with the start we have made in what is a difficult league.
"Performance-wise, we haven't hit top gear. We are going into a spell where we have difficult games away from home.
"It's been a very tough start for Wolves. They played very well in their last game against Nottingham Forest.
"They're always tough opponents, I've got lot of respect for Gary O'Neil and the job he has done there. He is very tactically astute so we will be prepared for a tough game."
Wolves, meanwhile, needed three games to pick up their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw with Forest, having opened with defeats to Arsenal (2-0) and Chelsea (6-2).
Boss O'Neil expects a difficult test against a team with plenty of attacking talent, hailing Magpies forward Alexander Isak as one of the best in the league.
"They have an abundance of quality attacking players. Isak is one of the best number nines in the league for me, so they are a team that are going to test us, definitely," O'Neil said.
"I'm looking forward to getting back to Molineux, getting back to the group that we know we're going to work with from now until January, at least, and seeing if we can start to upset a few people like we like we managed to last season."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Wolves – Andre
Wolves harbour a doubt over captain Mario Lemina ahead of Sunday's game, which could mean Andre is called upon for his full debut after joining from Fluminense.
Between his Serie A debut in September 2020 and his departure, Andre ranked first for possession won (756) and successful passes (6,574) in the Brazilian top flight, as well as second for touches (8,440) and fourth for dribbles completed (164).
Newcastle – Alexander Isak
Isak has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 20 Premier League appearances (15 goals, three assists).
Since the first game in that run (on Boxing Day last year), only Erling Haaland (20) and Cole Palmer (17) have scored more than the Swede (15) in the competition.
MATCH PREDICTION – NEWCASTLE WIN
Entertainment should be a given at Molineux, where both teams have scored in all nine previous Premier League meetings between Wolves and Newcastle.
It is the most-played specific fixture in the competition's history to never feature a clean sheet, while Newcastle have only failed to score once in their last 23 Premier League matches – in a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in April.
No Premier League team is on a longer current run without a shutout than Wolves, meanwhile, with O'Neil's men conceding in each of their last 15 matches.
Wolves have only won one of their last 13 league games, drawing three and losing nine, and are winless in their last six (one draw, five losses). At home, they have lost five of their last six (one win), having only lost four of their previous 19 (11 wins, four draws).
Newcastle have won three of their last five Premier League games against Wolves, drawing the other two, and they enter Sunday's match as favourites.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Wolves – 30.3%
Newcastle – 44.5%
Draw – 25.1%
Hard work Conte's only requirement at Napoli
After an eventful first 100 days in charge of Napoli, Antonio Conte says hard work is his first requirement ahead of the Partenopei's trip to Cagliari on Sunday.
Conte endured a difficult start to his Napoli career, overseeing a heavy 3-0 defeat to Verona on the opening matchday of the Serie A season.
However, victories over Bologna (3-0) and Parma (2-1) have Napoli looking up, and they could now win three straight league games under a single head coach for the first time since February 2023 – when they went on to win the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti (eight in a row).
At the end of a tumultuous period that also saw Victor Osimhen leave for Galatasaray on loan and Romelu Lukaku join as his replacement, Conte feels the foundations have been laid for future success.
Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, Conte said: "We worked not only on the pitch, but also a lot off it. We had to work and we worked hard.
"I am satisfied, these 100 days have given us a direction. I know what awaits me, the expectations on me, but my only weapon is work."
Having won league titles at Juventus, Inter and Chelsea, Conte knows expectations around the Partenopei have been heightened by his arrival.
"I carry a lot of pressure with me. Having won in the past, people add one and one and get two, and expect this regardless," Conte said.
"It's a responsibility, I don't shirk from it, but I live it in a serene way. I expect continuity of performance and results, and continuity from the squad."
Conte also hailed the impact of Lukaku, who came off the bench to score a late goal in their victory over Parma ahead of the international break, just two days after his arrival.
"He used the international break to try to get in full swing on a physical and tactical level. There was great commitment, he also came in during his free time," he said of the striker.
"He is improving in everything and we will see, there are still two training sessions and then I will decide if he will start."
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