Related items

• Gravenberch 'more confident' at Liverpool under Slot

  Ryan Gravenberch has credited Arne Slot for his brilliant start to the new season, saying the manager gives him clarity and confidence.

  Gravenberch joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich last September and made 26 Premier League appearances under Jurgen Klopp, but started just 12 of those games.

  Since Slot's arrival, the midfielder has been shifted into a deeper-lying midfield role, earning plaudits for his performances, having started all three of their matches as the Reds made a perfect start to the campaign.

  So far, among Liverpool players, he has won the joint-most duels (17), made the most interceptions (seven), and won the joint-most tackles (six).

  Gravenberch believes his performances come from the faith shown in him by Slot.

  "I just feel good in my skin, to be honest," Gravenberch told ESPN Netherlands. "But does that have a reason? Yeah, things are going well at the club. I'm just doing my thing, and it's working out well now."

  "He gives me confidence now. He just lets me start in the lineup. It's going pretty well.

  "As a player, you obviously want to get minutes. For me, that confidence is part of it. With that confidence, I feel more comfortable, and with the minutes, it keeps getting better.

  "He's a good coach. He knows what he wants. He has a clear plan. Yeah, so far, we're executing it really well. Clarity from the start is always nice for me."

  Gravenberch is now hoping to translate that form to the national side, and he is part of the squad for their Nations League matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany.

  The 22-year-old was also part of their Euro 2024 party but did not play a single minute in the tournament as the Oranje reached the semi-final before being knocked out by England.

  While he admits that it bothered him not to feature for his country at the Euros, he is now looking to put that frustration behind him as he looks towards future tournaments.

  "It did gnaw at me a little," he said. "Because, when you go to the Euros, of course, you want to play. But in the end, we have to move on. The Euros are in the past. And now we're here."

  "Life goes on," he added. "The Euros are over, and now we have to focus on the Nations League. And in two years, there's the World Cup again."

• Hayes: Men's game still not ready for female coach

  Emma Hayes believes men's football is still not ready for the prospect of female coaches, saying there is much work to be done to bring about true equality in the game.

  Hayes won seven Women's Super League titles during a glittering 12-year spell in charge of Chelsea before leaving to take charge of the United States in May.

  Like England coach Sarina Wiegman, Hayes has sometimes been suggested as somebody who could make the transition from the women's game to men's football, but no female coach has ever taken charge of a team in England's top four tiers on a permanent basis.

  Forest Green Rovers made Hannah Dingley caretaker manager last year while in the fourth tier, only to overlook her and go through three permanent bosses – including former Watford striker Troy Deeney – as they dropped out of the Football League.

  Speaking during an appearance on the Today programme on BBC, Hayes said barriers remain in place to prevent women succeeding in the men's game.

  "I think you need to get more owners in to ask them that question, because they're the people you have to ask that question to. I'm not the one in charge of that," Hayes said.

  Asked whether club owners are ready to appoint a female coach, Hayes said: "Of course they're not, otherwise it would have happened by now.

  "I've said this a million times over – you can find a female pilot, a female doctor, a female lawyer, a female banker, but you can't find a female coach working in the men's game, leading men. 

  "It just shows you how much work there is to be done."

  Hayes has been nominated for the Women's Coach of the Year prize at the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony, which will take place on October 28.

  Wiegman, Filipa Patao, Arthur Elias, Jonatan Giraldez and Hayes' Chelsea successor Sonia Bompastor are also in the running. 

• USWNT icon Morgan announces retirement and pregnancy

  United States legend Alex Morgan has announced her retirement from professional football, also confirming she is pregnant with her second child.

  Morgan is one of the most recognisable and decorated players in the history of the USWNT, helping them win back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019 as well as capturing an Olympic gold medal at London 2012.

  Her tally of 224 caps puts her ninth in the team's all-time appearance charts, while only Abby Wambach (184), Mia Hamm (158), Carli Lloyd (134) and Kristine Lilly (130) have bettered her total of 123 goals for the team.

  Since she made her international debut in March 2010, no player has been involved in more goals for the USWNT than Morgan (175, 123 goals, 52 assists).

  Her 88 goal involvements (60 goals, 28 assists) in regular-season NWSL play, meanwhile, put her third in the all-time charts, behind Sam Kerr and Lynn Williams (both 102).

  Despite featuring regularly for the USWNT earlier this year, she was left out of Emma Hayes' squad for the Paris Olympics, where they beat Brazil to win a record-extending fifth gold medal.

  Morgan, who returned to the NWSL with the San Diego Wave in 2022 following a brief spell in the Women's Super League with Tottenham, confirmed on Thursday that her second pregnancy had influenced a decision that was already on her mind.

  "I want to get to the point quickly – I'm retiring. I have so much clarity about this decision, and I am so happy to be able to tell you," Morgan said in a video posted to X. 

  "It has been a long time coming, and this decision wasn't easy, but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer."

  Morgan will play one final match for San Diego before hanging up her boots, versus the Carolina Courage in the NWSL on Sunday.

  In a statement released by U.S. Soccer, the 35-year-old said: "I grew up on this team, it was so much more than soccer. 

  "It was the friendships and the unwavering respect and support among each other, the relentless push for global investment in women's sports, and the pivotal moments of success both on and off the field.

  "I am so incredibly honoured to have borrowed the crest for more than 15 years. I learned so much about myself in that time and so much of that is a credit to my team-mates and our fans. 

  "I feel immense pride in where this team is headed, and I will forever be a fan of the USWNT."