Lionel Messi has been introduced to Inter Miami’s fans during a special event hosted at the MLS club’s DRV Pink Stadium.

During the ceremony, which was dubbed The Unveil and broadcast live, the 36-year-old Argentina superstar greeted Inter Miami owner David Beckham with a hug before receiving his pink No 10 jersey.

Messi told the crowd: “I want to thank all the people of Miami for their welcome and love since I arrived in this city.

“The truth is that I’m very excited and very happy to be here in Miami and to be with you.

“I can’t wait to start training and competing. I’m here with the desire I’ve always had to compete, to want to win, and to help the club continue to grow.”

The stadium was practically full, despite the event being delayed by poor weather.

Beckham said during the broadcast that it made for a “typical Miami welcome for one of the greatest players to ever have played the game”.

He added: “The fact that we have our fans in here, celebrating this moment… this is what we have created and we’re very proud of that.”

Joining Messi onstage was former Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, whose arrival at Inter Miami was officially announced earlier on Sunday.

Busquets, 35, who had spent his entire playing career at the Nou Camp, left Barca at the end of the season and will be reunited with former team-mate Messi, whose own move to Miami was confirmed 24 hours earlier.

Speaking during The Unveil event, Inter Miami’s primary owner Jorge Mas called Messi “the best player to ever don boots”.

He said: “When David and I first met and we dreamt of what Inter Miami represents, it started off with the freedom to dream.

“And we dreamed of not only bringing elite players and the best players but the best player to ever don boots — and his name is Lionel Andres Messi.”

Messi revealed last month he had decided to join the Florida side as his contract with Paris St Germain came to an end.

With the deal now officially done, Messi is in line to make his debut for his new employers on Friday against Mexico’s Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi arrives after a season in which he helped his country to World Cup glory in Qatar, as well as PSG to the Ligue 1 title, as in his first campaign with them in 2021-22.

That adds to an already huge trophy haul on his CV that features four Champions League successes from his years with Barcelona, for whom he scored a staggering total of 672 goals.

Joining Miami sees Messi – who has also netted more than 100 international goals – reunite with boss Gerardo Martino, who he previously worked under with Barca and Argentina.

Martino was appointed in June after the club sacked Beckham’s ex-Manchester United team-mate Phil Neville.

Football clubs are too important to the communities they serve not to be respected and protected by their owners, Lincoln chief executive Liam Scully has said.

The Imps have come fifth in the latest Fair Game Index measuring how sustainably the 92 clubs in the top four divisions last season were run, and got the highest score of all clubs for their equality standards.

City are members of Fair Game, which had been calling for an independent regulator for English football long before the Government white paper on football governance set out details of its remit earlier this year.

Scully said it was not his or Lincoln’s place to tell other clubs how they should run themselves, but insisted it was vital an “overall framework” for good governance was in place to make sure clubs were not lost.

“Owners of football clubs are only ever temporary custodians of these great anchor institutions within their cities and their towns,” he told the PA news agency.

“For us, it’s respecting the history and heritage of Lincoln City, running it in a way that we believe is appropriate.

“We’re still trying to be ambitious on the field, but it’s about making sure that at no point we’re putting the overall long-term financial health of the club at risk.”

Scully said clubs were “the glue” that held communities together, particularly in difficult times.

“In lockdown our ticket office staff spent the majority of their time almost being matchmakers,” he said.

“We had people phoning up saying: ‘I’ve sat next to Dave for 15 years. I don’t actually know his surname. I just know him as Dave, and he’s known me since I was a kid. I just want to know he’s all right. Would you mind just passing my number on to him and we can have a chat?’

“You then play that forward and you realise Dave is a widow, he’s in lockdown, he’s been really lonely.

“That phone call from that person he sat next to was actually the highlight of his week and then that got him involved, and then they came down to the stadium because we opened our doors in lockdown, we did a picnic every Friday where people could come in at a safe distance from each other but still be engaged.

“That’s why these clubs are assets that have to be protected. That’s why we’re anchor institutions because, you know, when Bury (had their EFL membership withdrawn) or if Derby had been lost, it’s not really the green rectangle that people would miss.

“It’s a vehicle for however many people that sit together to be together, and have that commonality.”

Scully said a new community and skills hub was being built at the LNER Stadium and that its foundation offered services from cancer care to delivering English lessons and offers around citizenship and education to the diverse community in the area immediately around the ground.

Asked why independent regulation was so vital, Scully said: “(Clubs) manage conflicts reasonably well – we compete at least twice a year and we’d almost do anything for a win, but the rest of the time we’re reasonably collaborative.

“When it comes down to those big decisions or those big moments, those fundamental principles, I think the levels of conflict are incredibly difficult to overcome.

“If you’re a director at Redtown FC and you’re also a member of the EFL or the Premier League board, you have your duties and responsibilities as a director of that company, Redtown FC, as well as the wider game, and I think that’s incredibly difficult to get the balance right.

“Self-interest is a really simple way to put it, and it’s a bit of a combative term, because you’ve got a fiduciary responsibilities as a director to both entities and I think that’s where conflicts become very difficult to manage.

“It’s a sensitive and delicate matter, it’s how we unpick that and how do we find fair and fundamental change in our game overall. I think we just need some outside assistance with that.”

Inter Miami have signed midfielder Sergio Busquets following his departure from Barcelona.

Busquets, 35, who had spent his entire playing career at the Nou Camp, left Barca at the end of the season and will be reunited with former team-mate Lionel Messi, whose move to Miami was confirmed 24 hours earlier.

Miami said in a statement: “Inter Miami CF announced (on Sunday) that it has signed legendary Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets to a contract running through the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.

“The one-time World Cup champion, nine-time LaLiga winner and former FC Barcelona captain, considered to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time, will occupy a Designated Player slot and is expected to join the team in the coming days.”

Busquets was a member of Spain’s team which won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championships in 2012 and over 15 seasons with Barca made 721 appearances in all competitions, placing him third on the club’s all-time list.

He said: “This is a special and exciting opportunity that I’m very excited to take. I’m looking forward to this next step in my career with Inter Miami.

“I was impressed by the club when I came with Barcelona last year and now I’m happy and ready to represent the club myself. I can’t wait to help bring the success that this ambitious club strives for.”

Simon Thomas has announced he will succeed Jeff Stelling as host of Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday programme.

Former Blue Peter presenter Thomas, 50, had long been reported to be among the contenders for the role, which also included Sky presenters Caroline Barker and Julian Warren.

Stelling, 68, announced in April he would be stepping down as anchor of the results show after almost 30 years and bade farewell on the final day of the Premier League season.

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Thomas said on social media: “Ever since I stepped away from Sky in 2018 to look after Ethan after we lost his mum, rebuilding my career has not always been easy. Sky always said the door would be open for me to come back, but this was never the door I expected to open.

“Lots of people have said I have some very big shoes to fill – but I don’t. Jeff Stelling is a one off. An absolute master of his craft. Incomparable. All I can be is myself, and be the best I possibly can.”

Thomas’s first wife Gemma died in November 2017 three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

His second wife Derrina Jebb gave birth to their daughter Talitha in October after an emergency caesarean section having developed pre-eclampsia and Thomas later spoke candidly about his experience on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine Show.

Thomas added: “This is a huge moment for me and my family and a massive honour to be trusted with such a well-loved and respected program. It also feels incredibly special to be fully coming back to the Sky Sports family, who all those years ago believed in me after leaving Blue Peter.

“I also just want to say thank you to my wonderful wife Derrina for always believing in me and my family and friends for always having my back. See you on August 5!”

Harry Maguire has confirmed he is no longer Manchester United captain following talks with manager Erik ten Hag.

It was reported earlier this month that Ten Hag was ready to remove Maguire from the role after the England defender’s limited appearances under the Dutchman last season.

The central defender made just eight Premier League starts, leading to ongoing speculation over his future at Old Trafford.

Maguire wrote on Twitter: “After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain.

“He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt.

“So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the Manchester United fans for all their brilliant support whilst I’ve been wearing the armband.

“Since the day I took on the role, three and half years ago, it’s been a huge privilege to lead Manchester United and one of the proudest moments of my career to date.

“It’s one of the greatest honours in club football. I’ve done everything I possibly could to help United be successful – on and off the field.

“I will always be grateful to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for first giving me the responsibility and I wish whoever now takes it on every success and they will have my full support. Harry.”

In Maguire’s absence from the side last season, Bruno Fernandes was most frequently appointed captain and the Portugal midfielder is expected to be given the permanent role.

Maguire has made over 170 appearances for United since being signed from Leicester for £80million in 2019.

The England regular has been linked with a move to West Ham in recent days.

Jamaica's Reggae Girlz defeated Morocco 1-0 in a friendly match at Galvin Park in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, but the victory came at a cost as star forward Jody Brown suffered an injury that could keep her out for a few days ahead of their opening match against France in the FIFA Women's World Cup.

The Jamaicans were dominant for most of the match and should have gone ahead early after Khadija Shaw was fouled inside the box and was awarded a penalty. However, the Reggae Girlz leading striker fluffed her lines.

Jamaica made amends shortly after when Atlanta Primus scored in the 18th minute to give her team a 1-0 lead. The Jamaicans continued to create chances, but they were unable to add to their lead.

In the second half, Morocco came out with more urgency and put the Jamaican defense under pressure. However, the Reggae Girlz held firm and were able to see out the victory. After the match, Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson was pleased with the team's performance, but he expressed concern about Brown's injury.

"Jody picked up a good knock," Donaldson said. "I thought she was done for the game, but she wanted to go on. I'm sure she's going to be out for a few days because it looked like it's a deep contusion. So we don't know yet. I'm not a doctor, but she might be hobbling around for the next couple days."

Despite the injury, Donaldson was encouraged by the team's performance overall.

"We did some good stuff," Donaldson said. "We moved the ball around well and we connected a lot more passes than I really expected. I thought we defended very well in the last 15 minutes, and that's something we've been working on. Overall, it was a good warm-up game."

The Reggae Girlz will now turn their attention to their opening match against France, which will be played on July 20. Donaldson is confident that his team will be ready for the challenge.

The victory over Morocco is a good confidence boost for the Reggae Girlz as they prepare for the World Cup but they will need to be at their best if they want to upset France on Sunday.

Harry Kane has “clearly signalled” his decision to leave Tottenham and join Bayern Munich, according to the German club’s honorary president Uli Hoeness.

Kane has attracted interest from Bayern amid reports the Bundesliga champions have lodged a formal bid, with Hoeness insisting Spurs will “buckle” over selling the England captain should he “keep to his word” about leaving.

“Harry Kane has clearly signalled in all conversations that his decision stands – and if he keeps to his word then we’ll get him, because then Tottenham will have to buckle,” Hoeness told German TV channel Sport1.

“Kane wants to play internationally and luckily for us Tottenham will not be active internationally next year.

“He now has another opportunity to come to a top club in Europe.

“Up to now, the father and the brother have always stood by what they promised. If it stays that way, that’s OK.”

Record Tottenham scorer Kane, who turns 30 later this month, is currently in Australia on the club’s pre-season Asia-Pacific tour.

On Kane’s future, new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglu said at his first press conference this week: “I haven’t had any assurances and I wouldn’t expect any assurances.

“What I know right now is that Harry is part of this squad. He’s a very important part. He’s one of the premier strikers in the world and I want him involved.”

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen reportedly met in London on Thursday, with Kane now in the final year of his Tottenham contract.

Hoeness said: “Levy is clever, he doesn’t name a number. First we have to get him to name a number.

“Of course he plays for time. I think he’s a savvy, super professional, I appreciate him a lot – but I don’t think there are people on the other side who have been doing it since yesterday.”

England have no concerns about their attacking ability despite failing to score in each of their last two matches, midfielder Ella Toone insists.

The Lionesses, fourth in the FIFA world rankings, kick off their World Cup quest on Saturday against Haiti in Brisbane, just over a week after playing out a goalless draw in a behind-closed-doors training fixture with Canada on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

It was the same result as their pre-tournament home send-off against Portugal in Milton Keynes on July 1, but Toone has barely heard the subject raised during team training sessions in Australia.

She said: “I don’t think it’s been spoken about as much as other people have. We’ve had a lot of games under Sarina (Wiegman), we’ve had a lot of different goalscorers who have scored so many goals, so I don’t think it’s anything that we’re worried about.

“Like I say, we’ve had time off, we’ve come back together, we’re learning how to play with each other again, we’re finding those connections on the pitch and we’re having those chances.

“I think I’d be more worried if the chances weren’t coming. It’s now about us putting them away, but I don’t think that’s had a massive effect on us. I don’t think that we’re dwelling on that.

“We’re very confident and we know we’ve got a lot of goalscorers in the group as well, so we’re definitely creating those chances. It’s now about making sure we put them in the back of the net.”

Friday’s match-up against seventh-ranked Canada was not for official records and not a formal fixture.

Almost all of Wiegman’s 23-woman squad saw some action, save goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck and forward Bethany England.

The decision not to play England, who was in Wiegman’s European Championship-winning squad but did not see any game time – started the social media rumour mill swirling, but the Tottenham striker appeared to be in good health as she fully trained with the squad on Saturday.

A total of 19 Lionesses were out on the pitch at the Sunshine Coast Stadium session, while Millie Bright, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Lauren James, Rachel Daly, Esme Morgan and Keira Walsh had a recovery day.

On Monday the team will swap seaside for city when they move into their Brisbane hotel ahead of their meeting with Haiti, who sit 53rd in the world rankings.

It seems Toone, who scored the first of England’s two goals in the 2-1 Euro 2022 final, will be especially sorry to say goodbye to the Sunshine Coast after a personally transformative time here.

She added: “I’ve been doing amazing things in Australia. I’ve really found myself here. I never normally wake up early, I’m a proper sleeper.

“But I woke up early the other day – six o’clock – I went and saw the sunrise. I absolutely love walking along the beach. And the other day I went into the sea as well. Luckily the girls got me some goggles as I can’t go in with my eyelashes (on).

“I was under the waves every single day and I thought, ‘Wow, this is me’. Going in the sea has definitely, really made me a changed woman. It’s got me trying different things.

“I always say (I’d do) it, but I’ve actually started reading so that’s nice. I’m reading Jamie Vardy’s autobiography at the minute. I don’t actually read novels, just autobiographies and they’ve got a few pictures in, so that helps!”

Republic of Ireland defender Louise Quinn is confident the Girls in Green have a plan in place to shut down prolific Australia striker Sam Kerr when they face the hosts in their World Cup opener.

Quinn’s side, after all, have done it before, spoiling the Chelsea forward’s 100th appearance for the Matildas with a 3-2 victory when they met for the first time in history at Tallaght Stadium in September 2021.

Dublin native Quinn powered in a second-half header to break the deadlock and memorably hand the Republic their biggest win over a higher-ranked opponent in over two decades.

“It’s rare but I felt like I got one up on her with the Irish team in Tallaght and that is something that I will carry forward with me,” said Quinn, speaking during a team training session at Brisbane’s Meakin Park.

“But she’s very impressive, she’s very strong, easily one of the best strikers in the world now. For me, you concentrate on the whole thing but I definitely have an individual battle on my hands that is essentially what I want.

“What I want to so is to not let her score essentially. Keep her out of the game. She really creates moments out of nothing but it has to be 100 per cent for the 90 minutes.

“Yeah, she runs off the back shoulders a lot. She is so nippy that she can come around the front and come off your blindside and make runs in behind. I can’t wait for the challenge to be honest, this is what you play for, to play against the very best in the world. And she is one of the best.

“We’ve proved before against Australia that we can put something up against her and she was on the pitch that day and had her chances.”

Matildas captain Kerr, Australia’s top goal-scorer of either gender with 63 from 121 caps, was named the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Women’s Footballer of the Year for a second straight season after a 2022/23 campaign that saw her score 17 goals and pick up six assists across the Women’s Super League and Champions League.

She was largely shut down at Tallaght, where Mary Fowler netted two to keep Australia in a game Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson would later tell media he felt was “some kind of record” for the number of technical mistakes he observed in his side.

They will have to do better to impress the 80,000-plus crowd who have sold out Sydney’s Stadium Australia on Thursday night, the second contest on a two-match opening day beginning with co-hosts New Zealand’s meeting with Norway in Auckland.

Sunday was a recovery day for the Republic, who are hoping midfielder Denise O’Sullivan will be fit in time for the biggest day in team history after she was injured in their aborted friendly with Colombia.

An initial X-ray and CT scan encouragingly showed no fracture to O’Sullivan’s shin, and she will be assessed again on Monday afternoon.

Quinn’s name will forever go down in history as one of 23 selected to represent her country in their first World Cup. It is an astonishing accomplishment that has struck her sharply and sporadically, often when she has least expected it.

She said:  “I had a really random one after the Zambia game and we had a weekend off.

“I was just chatting to my girlfriend about something, and I was saying ‘I’ll do that after I get back from the World Cup.’ And I actually stopped for a second and realised that yes, I am going to a World Cup.

“And I had to stop for a moment. I got emotional. Because we’ve been talking about this all along but now it’s really confirmed. It hit me. We were just getting the dinner ready and chatting, ‘We’ll do this after the World Cup. It was really bizarre, a really emotional moment and I didn’t think that was going to happen.”

France midfielder N’Golo Kante joined Chelsea from Premier League champions Leicester for a reported £32million, on this day in 2016.

Kante’s only season with the Foxes, following his arrival from Caen the previous summer, saw him play a pivotal role in their title-winning campaign.

He was offered a bumper new contract at the King Power Stadium but opted to leave for Chelsea.

“Despite the offer of a substantially-improved, long-term contract, it became apparent that N’Golo’s wish was to join Chelsea,” said a Leicester statement.

Kante cited the opportunity to work under then-Blues boss Antonio Conte as a major reason for moving to Stamford Bridge.

“I am so happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It’s adream come true for me,” he said.

“The opportunity to work with a brilliant coach and some of the best players in the world was simply too good to turn down.”

Chelsea won the Premier League during Kante’s first season in London as the now 32-year-old became the first player since Eric Cantona in 1993 to win back-to-back top-flight titles in England with two clubs.

Kante also won the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League before leaving Stamford Bridge this summer for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey has completed a return to his boyhood club Cardiff on a two-year contract.

Ramsey made 22 appearances for the Bluebirds as a teenager and six more on loan from Arsenal in 2011 and remains their youngest ever player.

Having played for them in the 2008 FA Cup final, he went on to win the competition three times with the Gunners and added a Serie A title and a Coppa Italia with Juventus and a Scottish Cup on loan at Rangers before joining Nice.

He has played in Europa League finals with Arsenal, for whom he made over 350 appearances, and Rangers and for Wales at two European Championships and a World Cup.

Ramsey told Cardiff’s website: “It feels unbelievable to finally be back here. I always thought one day I’d come back, and now it’s the perfect time to do that.

“To be back with my family and around familiar faces is just brilliant, so I’m delighted to be back here now. I’ve missed that a lot in the last year or so, so it was important for me to be back around them.

“Obviously I’m a Cardiff City fan and watching them over the years since I’ve been away, we’ve had some low points but some big highs as well, being in the Premier League and representing Cardiff on the big stage. That’s a target of mine – to try and help my team-mates and this club to get back to the top.

“I owe so much to Cardiff, to the fans, to everybody who has been at the club when I was here as a young boy coming through. For me now to come full circle, to be part of this team now, and hopefully achieve the goals we want, there’s no better feeling than that.”

Ramsey’s seven-year-old son Sonny has also joined Cardiff’s academy, signing his contract alongside his father.

Lionel Messi has completed his move to Inter Miami on a deal running to 2025, the Major League Soccer outfit have announced.

The 36-year-old Argentina superstar revealed last month he had decided to join the Florida side as his contract with Paris St Germain came to an end.

With the deal now officially done, Messi is in line to make his debut for his new employers on Friday against Mexico’s Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

The World Cup winner said in a statement from the club: “I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States.

“This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I’m very eager to start helping here in my new home.”

Inter Miami are co-owned by former England captain David Beckham, who said: “Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city.

“Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in the USA and to build a legacy for the next generation in this sport that we love so much.

“Today that dream came true. I couldn’t be prouder that a player of Leo’s calibre is joining our club, but I am also delighted to welcome a good friend, an amazing person and his beautiful family to join our Inter Miami community.

“The next phase of our adventure starts here, and I can’t wait to see Leo take to the pitch.”

MLS commissioner Don Garber said: “We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and his decision is a testament to the momentum and energy behind our League and our sport in North America.

“We have no doubt that Lionel will show the world that MLS can be a league of choice for the best players in the game. We look forward to seeing his debut for Inter Miami in our Leagues Cup tournament later this month.”

Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi arrives after a season in which he helped his country to World Cup glory in Qatar, as well as PSG to the Ligue 1 title, as in his first campaign with them in 2021-22.

That adds to an already huge trophy haul on his CV that features four Champions League successes from his years with Barcelona, for whom he scored a staggering total of 672 goals.

Joining Miami sees Messi – who has also netted more than 100 international goals – reunite with boss Gerardo Martino, who he previously worked under with Barca and Argentina.

Martino was appointed in June after the club sacked Beckham’s ex-Manchester United team-mate Phil Neville.

Lionel Messi’s contract with Inter Miami CF became official on Saturday, and his highly anticipated MLS debut will likely occur Friday against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

Messi, who turned 36 years old on June 24, announced on June 7 that he would be joining Miami after his exit from Paris Saint-Germain.

His contract with Miami will run through the end of the 2025 season and be worth $50-60 million per year.

"I'm very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States," Messi said.

"This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project.

“The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I'm very eager to start helping here in my new home."

Messi led Argentina to their first World Cup success since 1986 in Qatar last year, and the Barcelona great has won the Ballon d'Or trophy a record seven times.

“We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and his decision is a testament to the momentum and energy behind our League and our sport in North America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said.

“We have no doubt that Lionel will show the world that MLS can be a League of Choice for the best players in the game.

“We look forward to seeing his debut for Inter Miami in our Leagues Cup tournament later this month.”

Brendan Rodgers is “really looking forward” to stepping up Celtic’s pre-season preparations in Japan after ending “a fantastic week” in Portugal with a 4-1 friendly win over Portimonense on Saturday.

The recently-appointed Hoops boss has enjoyed running the rule over his team at their warm-weather training camp in the Algarve over the past week.

And Rodgers, whose side kick off their cinch Premiership title defence at home to Ross County on August 5, is excited about seeing Celtic continue the build-up to the new campaign on their Japanese tour, with matches against J-League sides Yokohama F.Marinos on Wednesday and Gamba Osaka next Saturday.

“It is a tough schedule over the two weeks, here in the heat (in Portugal) and it will be similar heat in Japan, with the humidity,” Rodgers told Celtic’s website on Saturday.

“Obviously the teams we’re playing out there are already halfway through their season, so it will be a step-up again in challenge for us, but that’s what we want.

“We need that challenge at this time of the season to improve our fitness level. We’ll get back today (Saturday), recover tonight and then we’re away tomorrow, and I’m really looking forward to Japan.”

Rodgers was pleased with the way Celtic performed as Reo Hatate, Liel Abada, Ben Summers and Oh Hyeon-gyu scored in a behind-closed doors win over Portuguese top-flight side Portimonense.

“We’ve had a fantastic week, so to finish off with a decent performance and a good result for the guys, even though that is not the most important thing at this stage, I was really pleased,”

“Obviously the heat’s been sweltering here but in terms of the intensity and some of the football was very good. There’s still a long way to go but I’m really pleased.

“You can see with some of the goals we scored, our pressing high up the pitch and looking to win it, and then we took our chances. It was a really good run-out.

“For some of the guys, the international guys, it was their first bit of game-time but overall it’s been a really good week.

“It’s been a tough week for the players and the staff, because there’s been no real time in the schedule for much, but they’ve worked really well in this first part of the tour which was really pleasing.”

Left-back Greg Taylor, who played 45 minutes against Portimonense, knows the value of an intensive pre-season for a Celtic side who will be competing in the Champions League while also trying to defend all three domestic trophies in the campaign ahead.

“We’re a team that wants to score goals, that hasn’t changed, and we’re also a team that wants to try and keep clean sheets, so we’ll be building that in pre-season, but right now it’s all about getting the work in more than results,” he said.

“Getting a full pre-season under your belt, there’s nothing more important for a footballer.

“We’ll have a long, hard season with lots of games, and games – you saw it last season – pushing right to the last minute and getting important goals.

“All that work’s done in pre-season because you’re building your fitness for the long hard slog ahead.

“Every single player has tried to impress and have given their all, and I hope we continue that into Japan because there’s more hard work there to come.”

Declan Rice has completed his transfer from West Ham to Arsenal in a British record £105million deal.

The England midfielder’s departure from the club he joined a decade ago was confirmed by the Hammers on Saturday morning, with Arsenal announcing the switch had been completed in the afternoon.

Rice’s move to the Emirates Stadium on a long-term contract sees him become the most expensive English player in history and follows on from the former Irons captain having guided his old club to victory in the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina.

Earlier on Saturday, Rice had penned an open letter to West Ham fans, revealing the desire of playing in the Champions League – which Arsenal will next season – was one of the reasons behind his “tough” decision to leave.

Speaking to the Arsenal website following the confirmation of his move, Rice said he was determined to take his game to another level with the Gunners.

“In football, amazing opportunities arise. Big clubs, like Arsenal, have come for me and it’s really hard to turn down,” Rice said.

“You only ever get one career and I really believe in what (manager) Mikel (Arteta) is building here and the squad he’s building. I’m really looking forward to the future with Arsenal.”

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“With Mikel and how he works, the squad, how young everyone is, the energy around the club and also the challenge of getting Arsenal back to where they belong, that means a lot to me.

“I know the fans really want that. For me as a player, I’ve come here really hungry to have more success and to spend my best years at this great club.

“I know he (Arteta) is going to get the best out of me. I know I’ve got more levels to go up in my game and I feel like he’s the manager to take me to those next levels. I am really excited to be working with him.”

West Ham’s joint-chairman David Sullivan confirmed last month the east London club had a gentleman’s agreement with Rice to allow him to leave this summer after the player turned down the offer of a highly-lucrative new contract.

Midfielder Rice made 245 appearances for the Irons, with his last helping secure a first trophy since 1980.

Rice is the latest addition to an Arsenal squad which has already been strengthened over the summer, with the arrival of Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber having been confirmed on Friday.

German international Kai Havertz has moved from Chelsea, while the Gunners have also seen France defender William Saliba and Reiss Nelson commit their futures to the club on new long-term contracts.

With Granit Xhaka having left to join Bayer Leverkusen, the arrival of Rice will further bolster Mikel Areta’s midfield options as Arsenal look to close the gap on Manchester City after finishing runners-up in the Premier League last season.

“We’re really happy that Declan is joining us. He is a player with tremendous ability, who has been performing at a high level in the Premier League and for England for a number of seasons now,” Arteta said.

“Declan is bringing undoubted quality to the club and he is an exceptional talent who has the potential to be very successful here.

“Declan has great experience in the Premier League at only 24 years old. He has captained a very good West Ham team and as we all saw, he recently lifted a European trophy.

“The responsibility and role he has taken on has been very impressive and we are really excited that he is joining us.”