Erik ten Hag wants more transfer activity ahead of his third season in charge of Manchester United, saying the Red Devils must work to replicate their rivals' strength in depth.

Ten Hag signed a new contract after overseeing United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, having previously been expected to depart.

Ahead of their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, United have spent an estimated £88million to acquire forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille.

But after United suffered more injuries causing a player to miss at least one match (45) than any other Premier League team last term, Ten Hag believes more is required.

"I want the squad as strong as possible," Ten Hag told reporters at a press conference ahead of Saturday's friendly versus Arsenal.

"We already made two very good buys, so when everyone is fit we have a team that can beat everyone.

"But also in squad depth, we have to catch up. We know that because when we had injuries, we were vulnerable, and we have to avoid this. 

"First, by picking up fewer injuries. And second, our squad has to be that good in depth.

"Of course, we have the quality, but in the depth we have to catch up even more, because this will be a season that is survival of the fittest.

"We proved we can beat the best team. Not just once, we did it twice. Our challenge is to do it consistently, that's what we have to work for."

Arne Slot says Liverpool are waiting to discover the extent of Curtis Jones' injury, after the midfielder was forced off during the Reds' 1-0 victory over Real Betis.

The Dutchman oversaw his first win since replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring the only goal in Pittsburgh.

It was the first match of the Reds' pre-season tour of the United States, though it remains to be seen how much of a part Jones will play after he limped off on the half-hour mark.

However, Slot said the decision to withdraw the midfielder was precautionary.

"I think it's too early to tell [how bad it is]," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "Maybe he could have played on, but I think maybe you could see he was not at 100%.

"In a friendly game, with so many days coming up in our tour, it was best to take him off. We hope he recovers really fast, so we can see him in the next few games.

"It's always a pity if he has to go off after 25 minutes, half an hour. And before that, you could see that he was not completely free.

"It was unfortunate because he had two really good weeks during the training sessions, so I looked forward to seeing him in the game, but unfortunately he had to go off.

Trey Nyoni replaced Jones for the remainder of the game, and Slot was pleased by the 17-year-old's impact.

"The good thing about that was that we brought someone [on] that impressed me in the 45 minutes to an hour he played afterwards.

"I think [Trey] did really well today, but it was only an hour. He was one of the reasons why we scored the goal, because he turned really quickly and [played] a spot-on pass in between the lines. And he was also involved in the biggest chance in the second half.

"We are really careful with him. So he doesn't join every session, and sometimes he goes off a bit earlier. You can see his quality, but you can also see his body still needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level. But he showed some interesting things today.

I think there were a few positive things and, of course, a few things we have to improve. But the positive thing is that we kept a clean sheet. I think we only conceded one big chance and that was somewhere around the last 10 minutes of the game.

"So, we controlled the game really well and, in between, we had a few good attacks where we created a few good chances and scored a good goal."

Jamaica’s young Reggae Boyz ended their failed Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship campaign without a goal or a point after a 0-3 loss to Cuba in their final Group A fixture at the Estadio Leon in Mexico on Friday.

With the victory, Cuba finished third in the group on four points and booked their spot in the quarterfinal round as one of the two best third-place teams. They join group winners United States, who finished with maximum nine points following their 1-0 win over runners-up Costa Rica (four points).

The Jamaicans were again undone by poor defending and a lack of offensive intent, which basically summed up their presence in the tournament, as they showed very little quality from the start.

In fact, they had a slim opportunity to bring their campaign to life but needed to beat Cuba to make it possible. Instead, it was the Spanish-speaking Caribbean team that marched on, as Michael Camejo dazzled Jamaica’s defence with nippy footwork before firing home in the 35th minute.

Cuba doubled their lead in the 42nd courtesy of David Perez, who capitalised on a defensive error.

Romain Blake got Jamaica’s lone attempt on target in the 47th, but was denied by Yurdy Hodelin.

Karel Pérez then wrapped up victory for Cuba when he converted from the penalty spot in the 86th.

Cuba will face the Group B winner, Honduras, in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, United States, through an all-important strike from Nikolas Tsakiris, his second of the tournament, saw off 10-man Costa Rica.

After Aiden Harangi’s early effort was denied by the crossbar, Tsakiris then found the game’s solitary goal in the 37th to ensure three-time champions United States remained unbeaten heading into the knockout stage.

Costa Rica lost Alberth Barahona to a straight red card in the 50th minute.

United States, the reigning champions, will square off against the best third-place team from either Group B or C in the quarterfinal.

Elsewhere, Canada and Honduras also booked their spots in the quarterfinal after contrasting 2-1 and 5-2 victories over El Salvador and Dominican Republic in their final Group B encounters at the Sergio Leon Chavez Stadium.

Both Canada and Honduras ended on seven points each, but the latter secured top spot by virtue of a superior goal difference.

Canada await the runner-up of Group C.

Erik ten Hag has "100% belief" that Marcus Rashford will return to form for Manchester United after the forward endured a disappointing 2023-24 campaign.

Rashford scored seven goals in 33 games last season as United finished eighth in the Premier League, having netted 17 times in 2022-23 when the Red Devils finished third.

The forward was subsequently left out of England's squad for Euro 2024, also being disciplined by his club for missing training to go to a nightclub in Belfast in January.

With former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy returning to Old Trafford in a coaching role, Ten Hag feels his presence can help Rashford get back to his best.

"The reason Ruud is here is clear, he can help the strikers, but he is much more than this. With Rashford, he can only prove himself," Ten Hag said.

"He is capable, he scored so many goals already at a relatively young age, he is capable of it. So I am confident, 100% belief, he can do the same as a few years ago."

Rashford was not the only England international to struggle for United last term, with Mason Mount enduring a disjointed first season at Old Trafford after arriving from Chelsea.

He made just 14 appearances in the Premier League, five of them starts, only scoring one goal and failing to provide an assist.

Ten Hag, however, feels it is unfair to judge him on last campaign and is certain he will fare better in 2024-25.

"You can't judge his season, because he was injured. Don't judge him. But when he is fit he will be a very good player for us and we can use him, he is versatile," Ten Hag said.

"You need certain types in the squad, team players, multifunctional players, he is one of the players who can play in several positions, he will help the team."

United continue their pre-season tour of the United States on Saturday as they face Arsenal, with matches against Real Betis and Liverpool also in the diary before they take on Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 10.

Pep Guardiola "would love to stay" at Manchester City beyond the expiration of his contract next year amid reports linking him with the England job.

Guardiola's contract with the Premier League champions expires in 2025, and some have tipped him to take the England job following Gareth Southgate's resignation.

In eight seasons with City to date, Guardiola has won 15 major trophies including six Premier League titles and the club's first Champions League in 2022-23. 

Since Guardiola arrived ahead of the 2016-17 season, City have won more games (225), scored more goals (755) and earned more points (716) than any other side in the Premier League.

On Friday, he hinted his stay at the Etihad Stadium could extend beyond nine years, telling reporters: "When I'm leaving, I will say I'm leaving, but I didn't say that.

"We will see what happens. But I will not rule it out absolutely to extend my contract. I would love to stay.

"Nine years today at the same club is an eternity. So I want to be sure it's the right decision. Not just for me, for the club, for the players.

"Still they run like they ran for eight years, it doesn't matter the competition, it doesn't matter the tournament and this is what I have to see.

"I am sure eight more years I won't stay! It's good to refresh, for players and managers.

"At the same time we have had success and are still winning Premier Leagues, arriving in the last stages and playing competitions like the Champions League. This is my feeling right now."

Guardiola was speaking ahead of City facing Milan in the second match of their pre-season tour of the United States, to take place at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

City are one of two English teams – alongside Chelsea – to have qualified for next year's 32-team Club World Cup, to be held in the USA.

Asked whether he would like to return stateside with City for that tournament, Guardiola said: "I would love to. Yeah, I would love to."

Dominik Szoboszlai's goal was the difference as Arne Slot's first game in charge of Liverpool with spectators present ended in a 1-0 win over Real Betis in Pittsburgh.

Liverpool lost 1-0 in a behind-closed-doors meeting with Preston North End last week, but they were victors in sweltering conditions when their pre-season tour of the United States got under way on Friday.

Szoboszlai scored the only goal after 34 minutes, stroking his finish past Adrian after Mohamed Salah slipped a pass through to the Hungary international.

That goal came four minutes after Curtis Jones was forced off through injury, being replaced by 17-year-old Trey Nyoni.

Former Reds goalkeeper Adrian denied Conor Bradley as a strong Liverpool side chased a second, while Harvey Elliott nodded wide from a Kostas Tsimikas cross.

After Slot rang the changes with 63 minutes gone, Kaide Gordon missed Liverpool's best chance to make it 2-0 by dragging his effort wide, but it did not matter as a controlled performance saw the Reds home.

Data Debrief: Reds in cruise control

Slot had been expected to bring a slightly more measured approach than the "heavy metal football" preached by his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, and that was on full display on Friday as Betis were held at arm's length.

Liverpool enjoyed 62.7% of the possession throughout the match, though Slot will be looking for more penetration when they face Arsenal in the next game of their tour on Wednesday, having only recorded 12 touches in the penalty area to Betis' 10. 

Ryan Sessegnon has resigned for Fulham on a free transfer, five years after leaving the club.

The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cottagers with the option to extend for a further year following his departure from Tottenham last month.

In his first spell at the club, Sessegnon worked his way through the academy over 11 years, scoring 25 goals in 120 first-team appearances.

He then moved to Spurs in a £25million deal in 2019, though struggled to nail down a place in North London, making just 57 appearances in all competitions, and scoring three goals.

"It's amazing to be back. Emotional, as well," he told FFCtv. "It's where it started for me, where everything began, and it's amazing to be back.

"It will always be home for me. I think it had the feeling that it was meant to be, coming back here, so I'm delighted to get it done."

Sessegnon is Fulham's first signing of the transfer window, though they have seen plenty of first-team departures already, with Joao Palhinha, Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all leaving the club.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will "surprise a lot of people" when they watch the Blues this season.

The Italian led Leicester City straight back to the Premier League as Championship winners in his only season in charge and succeeds Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

The Foxes topped the second division table with 98 points, with Dewsbury-Hall a key figure in his squad as he netted 12 goals and provided 14 assists last season – his best tally in a single campaign.

Dewsbury-Hall was also named Leicester's Player and Players' Player of the Year.

The midfielder made the switch to West London earlier this month for £30million and is confident that Maresca will have Chelsea challenging for trophies in no time.

"The manager was a big catalyst in wanting me to come," Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Sport.

"I knew from Leicester, a club that went down and had a lot of problems, how he managed to galvanise that if everyone manages to buy into the system.

"I genuinely think in a short space of time we can be pushing for minimum top four - but more than that.

"He may be unknown for a lot of people, but he is top, top level. He will surprise a lot of people."

Chelsea's pre-season got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a 2-2 draw by League One side Wrexham in Maresca's first game in charge on Wednesday.

Dewsbury-Hall did not play in that match but is training with the squad in the United States and could feature in their next outing against Celtic on Saturday.

The 25-year-old is confident the manager's tactics will come across soon, with the players buying into his style.

"We've only been doing it for two or three weeks, but the combination plays are really quick and tidy," he added.

"That's after two weeks. I remember he said to us at Leicester after six months or a year, there might be teething problems at the start, but it will improve.

"Within the first week at Leicester, I was convinced this was top, top level. I felt a bit stupid; I thought I knew a lot about football, but he was teaching me things on a daily basis that I didn't really know before. He has an aura, he can be strict, or gentle and soft - he has both sides.

"I am getting the same feedback here with the lads. They've bought into it here from minute one which is exciting. With a system and philosophy, you need everyone to buy in because, if they do, you can really achieve something."

Ederson has hit out at reports of a rift between himself and fellow Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.

The Brazilian was substituted after suffering a fractured eye socket in City's penultimate game of the Premier League season, a vital 1-0 win over Tottenham. 

Ortega replaced him and made a brilliant save to deny Son Heung-min as City maintained their slender lead over Arsenal at the top of the table, sealing an unprecedented fourth straight title by beating West Ham five days later. 

Ortega was widely lauded for his role in that triumph, and an article published by The Athletic this week suggested Ederson took issue with that praise.

However, the goalkeeper – who missed the Copa America as a result of his injury – has now moved to shut down those suggestions with a post to his Instagram story.

"I would like to clarify that the note published by The Athletic yesterday, referring to my alleged dissatisfaction with a co-worker, is completely false," he wrote. 

"The alleged day reported was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult days of my career, when I suffered a fracture that prevented me from playing in the final stretch of the season and, consequently, from representing my country in the Copa America.

"At the time of the injury, my only thought was to continue in the match, defending City in the fight for the title. 

"But the emotion of the match would be greater than the reality and, inevitably, I would not be able to continue as I would have liked due to the damage it caused, completely blocking my field of vision. I remain focused on preparing for the season."

Ederson has been linked with a transfer in recent days, reportedly attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs.

Gary McAllister says Arne Slot must be prepared to aim high by targeting trophies if he is to be successful with Liverpool.

The Dutchman is set to begin his first season in charge of the Reds after being appointed as Jurgen Klopp's successor in May.

Liverpool enjoyed a trophy-laden spell under the German, winning their first-ever Premier League title, as well as a Champions League, a Club World Cup, a Super Cup, an FA Cup and two EFL Cups.

However, Slot was no stranger to success while at Feyenoord, leading the team to the Eredivisie title in 2022-23 before lifting the KNVB Cup in April during his final season with the club.

McAllister, who won five trophies in the two years he spent at Liverpool, says Slot's success will be determined by the silverware he collects.

"Liverpool is a club that's synonymous with winning, and when you don't win you fail," McAllister told Stats Perform.

"When there's a new management team, you're given a little bit more time, but the facts are Liverpool's target, I felt, and as a player that played against them for most of his career, the targets that Liverpool set, you go into every tournament looking to win it.

"You try to win every game and that's the expectation of the club and that's what makes it a very special club."

Klopp spent nine years at Liverpool, breaking club records as his team pushed for trophies on a regular basis.

The Reds enjoyed a club-record 68-match unbeaten run at Anfield over nearly four years in the Premier League between April 2017 and January 2021.

Klopp also oversaw three of the four most prolific seasons in Liverpool's history, including the club-record total of 147 goals scored in 2021-22.

Slot has admitted he has "big shoes to fill", but McAllister believes the 45-year-old will be able to live up to the high expectations left behind by Klopp.

"Arne arriving at the club, following Klopp, realising that it's such a difficult job anyway, but to follow somebody who's done particularly well at the club over an eight, nine-year period is going to be tough, and I don't think the new manager is under any illusions," he added.

"What I would say is he's a man that seems to be a very strong character, good personality, and he's just got to come in and be his own man and trust what he does.

"He's done very well in his previous managerial career and coming to Liverpool I feel is a natural progression in the levels of the game that he's worked at.

"So, everybody at the club will be deeply backing him and be right behind him, he'll have amazing support."

Liverpool's first pre-season game under Slot ended in a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End last week before the players flew out to the United States for a three-game tour.

They are also only one of two Premier League clubs yet to conduct any business in the transfer window so far, but McAllister urged fans to be patient with Slot while he gets settled in his new role.

"Whenever there's a change at a club, I think the fans have got to realise that it does take time for a new manager, a new coaching group to come in and get their ideas over to the players," he said.

"There's got to be a modicum of patience, but at Liverpool, expectation levels are very, very high and sometimes, in professional soccer, in elite soccer, patience is something that most managers don't get.

"As much as the fans have got to be aware that everything is new and there are new ideas, Arne and the players will want to get off to a quick start.

"I feel that this pre-season tour is going to help them start the season against Ipswich Town very strongly. I feel the games that they've got here in the US, here in Pittsburgh against Betis, and then we go to play Arsenal and Manchester United, the build-up is pretty good."

Thiago Motta's first game in charge of Juventus ended in defeat as an unfamiliar Bianconeri side was thrashed 3-0 by 2. Bundesliga outfit Nurnberg on Friday.

The likes of Timothy Weah, Nicolo Fagioli and Dusan Vlahovic were limited to substitute roles as Motta selected a young side at Max-Morlock-Stadion, with the latter hitting the post with a second-half penalty at 1-0.

Caspar Jander had earlier given Nurnberg a 19th-minute lead, and they put some gloss on the scoreline with two late strikes after Vlahovic's missed spot-kick.

Substitutes Dustin Forkel and Tim Janisch both converted from inside the penalty area in the final four minutes as Motta's reign began in disappointing fashion.

The Bianconeri are next in action versus Brest on Saturday, with a further friendly against Atletico Madrid in the diary before they begin their Serie A campaign at Como on August 19.

Data Debrief: Juve's second string miss their chance

It's fair to say few of the youngsters selected by Motta made a big impression, with the Bianconeri only managing two shots to Nurnberg's seven before they rang the changes at half-time.

No Juventus starter created a chance in Bavaria, and things did not get much better when Motta made his changes, with Vlahovic in particular enduring a disappointing outing. 

He only had 18 touches, one of them coming when he struck the woodwork from 12 yards.  

Curtis Jones says he is "probably the happiest he's been" since Arne Slot's arrival at Liverpool.

Jones was first promoted to the first team by Jurgen Klopp in September 2019, but despite going on to make 133 appearances for his boyhood club, he failed to nail down a place in the German's starting line-up after that.

Last season, the 23-year-old made 36 appearances in all competitions, more than in any other season, netting five goals as Liverpool won the EFL Cup and finished third in the Premier League.

Now, with a new manager at the helm, Jones believes Slot's more patient approach will suit him better, allowing him to secure a regular starting spot.

"[Slot's] amazing. It's probably the happiest I've been," Jones told reporters during their pre-season camp.

"As a style of play, it suits me. It is a clear plan. Arne is fully involved in the training, he coaches us a lot, he's big on the finer details.

"He knows it's going to take a bit of time because it's a big change. I came around the team as a young lad. I always had a way of playing, but I had to adapt and change.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't do. But this now is more me. I can get on the ball more. I can 'do me' more.

"My way of playing has always been to get on the ball and play, help the team, and be comfortable on the ball.

"I then came around a team who had world-class lads on the wing and up front. The centre-mids were always more like runners, more disciplined.

"Now the midfielders are going to be the heart of the team. In terms of our build-up, we have to be more calm and play more as a team.

"We're not in a rush to attack. We want to have the ball and just break teams down. In the past, it was kind of a rush. It was a bit too direct; it was up and down. Now Arne wants us to have all the ball and completely kill teams."

Liverpool are in the United States for their three-game pre-season tour, starting with Real Betis on Friday.

Ange Postecoglou has urged Tottenham fans to have patience when it comes to bringing new players in during the transfer window.

Spurs have signed just two new faces so far, with Archie Gray joining from Leeds United in a deal reportedly worth up to £40million, and Lucas Bergvall signing from Djurgardens.

Alongside the two 18-year-olds, Timo Werner has also been resigned on loan for the upcoming season. He enjoyed an impressive start after initially joining in January, as he contributed two goals and three assists, but his season was ended prematurely by injury. 

While the Spurs faithful are keen for their club to bring more reinforcements, Postecoglou asked for their trust as the club works towards adding to the squad.

"At this time of year, it's pretty hard for supporters because they don't have all the information, and it's fair to say there's plenty of misinformation out there," he said in a press conference.

"We're working hard to bring players in, and it's a process that you sometimes have to be patient with. But in terms of what we set out to do, that's still the plan, and you have to stay disciplined with that.

"Sometimes the timings don’t work out, and it doesn’t happen as quickly as you want, and you don't get them [players] in at the right time, but I think it's really important you stay disciplined and not run off and chase other things.

"So, what we started with at the start of summer is still there, and I wouldn't want to put timelines on it. A lot of that is out of our control, and we just need to be patient.

"From where I sit, at the moment, we're still in that phase where what we identified is still what we're after."

Spurs will face Japanese side Vissel Kobe in their next pre-season match on Saturday.

Bologna chief executive Claudio Fenucci has revealed the club have offered Mats Hummels a contract as they seek to replace Arsenal-bound centre-back Riccardo Calafiori.

Bologna finished fifth in Serie A last season, qualifying for the Champions League as a result of Italian clubs' impressive performances across UEFA's competitions.

There has been plenty of upheaval for the Rossoblu since then, however, with coach Thiago Motta leaving for Juventus and former Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano taking his place.

Calafiori, meanwhile, is set for a medical with Arsenal after helping Bologna keep 17 clean sheets in Serie A last term, a tally only bettered by Inter (21) and Torino (18).

With the Italy international on his way out, Bologna have turned to a player with vast Champions League experience in their bid to replace him.

Speaking at the unveiling of recently-signed forward Thjis Dallinga on Friday, Fenucci revealed Bologna are working on a deal to sign Hummels, who left Borussia Dortmund on a free after their Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid last month.

"The departure of Calafiori forces us to look for a new central defender," he explained.

"Why does Hummels take some time? It's very normal, we spoke to him recently. It is right that he thinks about it, to arrive with the right motivations.

"We don't have to talk here about our conversations with Hummels, but we explained the project and the city to him. 

"Many players have finished their careers here, the city has this attraction, it seems.

"There is no deadline, but if there are no conditions we have to look at other players as well."

Hummels excelled as Dortmund reached their third Champions League final last term, leading all players in the competition for tackles won (29), interceptions (25) and total recoveries (81).

Only eight players in the tournament, meanwhile, played more passes than his 676 throughout BVB's run to the Wembley Stadium showpiece.

Christian Eriksen says he is in "no rush" to decide his future despite going into the final year of his contract at Manchester United.

Eriksen joined the Red Devils in 2022, making 28 appearances in the Premier League in his first season, though an injury in January 2023 put a halt to his impressive start to life at Old Trafford.

Following Kobbie Mainoo's breakout season last year, Eriksen dropped down the pecking order at United as he made just 12 starts in his 22 league appearances, scoring just once and assisting two goals.

Some reports suggest Eriksen could be heading out on loan to former club Ajax for the final year of his contract, but he insisted he is satisfied in Manchester.

"I am really happy at United," he said. "I have had two very good years and am going into my third.

"It is a special club and a special place. Also, my family is settled in Manchester, so I am in no rush.

"Obviously, I want to play as much as possible and do everything I can. But that is nothing to do with the club - it is up to you and the manager.

"But in terms of how I feel, I feel very good at United."