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• Hayes sees plenty of Man Utd great Ferguson in herself

  Emma Hayes said she "sees so much of herself" in legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

  Hayes, who left her role at Chelsea at the end of last season, took charge of the United States women's national team in May, with her first test being the Paris Olympics. 

  She guided the USWNT to their fifth gold medal in the French capital, defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final thanks to Mallory Swanson's 57th minute goal. 

  After the triumph, Hayes revealed that Ferguson was the first person to congratulate her on the win, going on to say she sees similarities between herself and the Scot.

  “I see so much of myself in him. His was the first text I received when we won gold," Hayes said in an interview with The Telegraph.

  Hayes spent the early part of her coaching career in the United States, managing the Long Island Lady Riders, Iona Gaels and Chicago Red Stars before her move back to England in 2012.

  But her success with the USWNT in Paris is something she had dreamed about growing up in London, a triumph that still strikes an emotional chord a month later.

  “I still get a lump in my throat thinking about it,” Hayes says of winning at the Olympics.

  “I fill up every time. I have dreamt about it. I have played that out on the pitches by the flats in Camden."

  During her time with Chelsea, Hayes won 16 major honours, including the Women's Super League title for the last five consecutive seasons. 

  The 47-year-old oversaw 367 matches for the Blues, winning 261 (D42 L64), ending her 12-year stint at the club with a win percentage of 71.12%. 

  She also came close to winning the Women's Champions League in the 2020-21 season, with Chelsea well beaten in the showpiece match by Barcelona. 

  Despite her success in SW3, Hayes welcomed the change in scenery but understood her success with the Blues put her in a pressurised position.

  “I was happy for my time at Chelsea to come to an end,” Hayes said.

  “Pressure comes with the position I am in and certainly comes with the winning history I have. I accept that. 

  “But I have enjoyed feeling joyful again.

  "I didn’t realise how debilitating grief is and how much both grief and my own personal struggles of the last few years have really sapped me of everything.

  "I am so happy to turn a page. Proud of everything I have done at Chelsea but happy to be in this new space.”

• Kane at the peak of his powers as he takes inspiration from Ronaldo's 900th goal

  Harry Kane feels at his peak ahead of his landmark England appearance on Tuesday, taking inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo's latest goal-scoring achievement.

  Kane is set to make his 100th England appearance at Wembley in their Nations League fixture with Finland, becoming only the 10th player to reach that milestone. 

  His landmark appearance will see him awarded with a golden cap ahead of kick-off, the first player to receive one since Wayne Rooney did so in November 2014.

  The Bayern Munich striker has made 86 starts for the Three Lions and has 83 goal involvements (66 goals - an England record - and 17 assists) to his name.

  He averages a goal every 117 minutes, having 3.5 shots and 1.6 shots on target per 90, creating an average of 1.1 chances per 90.

  Since his international debut in 2015, Kane has won 61 of his matches for England, giving him a 61.6% win ratio while also captaining the side to two major tournament finals.

  At 31-years-old, many believe his time on the international stage may come to an end soon, but Kane has taken inspiration from Ronaldo, who, at 39-years-old, netted his 900th career goal against Croatia last week.

  "I feel in really good shape, both physically and mentally, at a peak in my career," Kane said.

  "Watching other players, [Cristiano] Ronaldo scoring his 901st goal, seeing him compete at 39 years old inspires me to play for as long as possible.

  "I love this game, I love representing England - more than anything and I don’t want it to end any time soon.

  "For me, personally, now it’s about continuing to improve and being consistent both in an England shirt and at club level.

  "I’m hungry for more. I’m determined to keep pushing the boundaries."

  81 of Kane's 99 caps came under former England head coach Gareth Southgate, with the others coming under Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce, and most recently, Lee Carsley. 

  Carsley got his reign as the Three Lions' interim boss with an impressive 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, with goals coming from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish. 

  Kane managed the most shots (four) and touches in the opposition box (nine) at the Aviva Stadium and is enjoying life under the 50-year-old.

  "It has been really good. A new energy into the place especially after the disappointing end to the summer," Kane said.

  "It has been great to work with the boss so far. He's brought his ideas, how he wants us to play. I think the lads have enjoyed it.

  "We've got a good mixture of youth and experience in the team. You're seeing the excited faces of some of the new players."

• Clarke believes Scotland 'deserved something' following defeat to Portugal

  Scotland boss Steve Clarke has declared that his side "deserved something" from their Nations League clash with Portugal after losing 2-1 thanks to a late Cristiano Ronaldo goal.

  Scott McTominay gave Scotland an early lead after seven minutes, but Portugal fought back through goals from Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo to take all three points in Group A1.

  Ronaldo's goal came in the 88th minute and was his 901st career goal.

  It leaves Scotland on their longest-ever winless run as they remain without a win in their last eight competitive games in all competitions, but Clarke feels they should not have left Lisbon empty-handed.

  "I'm disappointed to lose a game where it looked, for a large period, we would get something from it," he told the BBC.

  "I'm really disappointed for my players because I think they deserved to get something from the game.

  "If you ignore the results, [there are a lot of positives], but we're professional, so it's disappointing.

  "We played well in these two games, but we don't have anything to show for it. I've told the players not to be too hard on themselves. They have to understand the work that we're doing."

  Scotland did well to prevent Portugal from getting any further sight at goal, defending a total of 26 shots during the match with seven ending up on target.

  The 16 shots the Scots had to defend in the opening 45 minutes were the most they have faced in a first-half since October 2012 when Belgium also let loose 16 efforts.

  "With the amount of balls that go into the box, you know one of them can go in the back of the net and that's what happened to us," added Clarke.

  "When you bring quality players from the bench like Roberto [Martinez] can do, you always know there's a risk, but I felt we handled it well.

  "We'll go away and analyse these games, and hopefully, we can give the lads a few pointers for the games next month, which don't get any easier."

  Gamechanger Ronaldo was brought on at half-time by Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, a move that was well thought through and had the desired effect.

  "Ronaldo did 17 sprints against Croatia. He is the player who made the most sprints. So we need to protect the players. One more game in 72 hours is impossible to have a physical performance [equal]," Martinez explained.

  "The question was whether Ronaldo played the first half and left or came in and finished the game. That was the decision.

  "He is an asset to the national team. When he comes in, if the [team] needs goals, Cris gives energy and a feeling to the fans. The stadium is different.

  "If Cris leaves, it's the opposite and facilitates what the opponent would like to do when playing away from home in Portugal."