Celtic got more business done ahead of transfer deadline day, but the Scottish champions could still be busy in the market ahead of midnight.

Defender Nat Phillips joined Brendan Rodgers’ squad on loan from Liverpool on Thursday after Honduran winger Luis Palma signed 24 hours earlier.

The Hoops are reported to be closing in on a loan move for Benfica midfielder Paulo Bernardo.

Rodgers had stressed after last weekend’s cinch Premiership draw with St Johnstone that the club needed to improve the team after strengthening the squad earlier in the window.

Sead Haksabanovic has been linked with potential moves to PAOK and Stoke after appearing to express frustration over a lack of game time on social media.

Another player keen for more game time, 18-year-old midfielder Rocco Vata, is understood to be wanted by Verona and Club Brugge.

Rangers got most of their business done ahead of the season, but the departure of Glen Kamara to Leeds on Thursday could prompt more activity.

The Ibrox men have been linked with a loan move for Leicester centre-back Harry Souttar.

Motherwell added much-needed reinforcements up front on Thursday by signing Oli Shaw on loan from Barnsley following injuries to three strikers.

Aberdeen remain active while Hibernian caretaker manager David Gray would not rule out any late moves from his club and Hearts could also strengthen.

Ross County could be in line for a seven-figure sell-on windfall amid reports Sunderland have accepted a bid worth up to £10million from Southampton for former Staggies striker Ross Stewart.

Kilmarnock and St Mirren remain in the hunt for forwards while St Johnstone could potentially add again and Dundee manager Tony Docherty has not ruled out another signing despite being happy with his squad.

Livingston are not anticipating any late business ahead of the midnight deadline.

Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Jack Draper kept the British flag flying heading into round three at the US Open.

Andy Murray may have been sent packing, but there were sparkling wins for the other three British men at Flushing Meadows.

British number one Cameron Norrie fired 15 aces on his way to a 7-5 6-4 6-4 victory over qualifier Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei.

“Honestly, he should have won the first set but I was able to take the momentum into the second set,” said the 28-year-old.

“I was really happy with how I played the big points and I’m happy to be through.”

Norrie will face world number 61 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in round three.

Evans, the British number two, came from a set down to beat Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 1-6 6-1 6-3 6-3.

It is the sixth time the 33-year-old has reached the third round at Flushing Meadows, although he will have his work cut out to go any further, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz his next opponent.

Probably most impressive was Draper, who last year was ranked as high as 38 in the world but has endured a torrid 12 months with injuries and had to miss Wimbledon with a shoulder tear.

Now outside the top 100, Draper felt the shoulder again in a warm-up event in the US and feared the worst.

But the issue has cleared up and Draper is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows after beating 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-2 6-4 7-5 in the second round.

“I felt something in my arm again that I hadn’t had in a while, and, you know, came here with the intention of ‘we’ll take it day by day’,” he said.

“I had a scan and I had a very small bit of edema in my arm, which is basically a tear.

“I was looking with my coach and physio thinking, you know, just another bit of time off. We were almost in tears. What more can we do?”

He continued: “There was a strong chance I couldn’t play this week. But we got the scans done and sent it back home and they said it’s not the same injury, so it’s not that serious.

“I’m kind of looking after it each day. It was a bit sore after my last match but when the adrenaline kicks in and obviously playing the US Open, I just put it out of my mind and go out and try my best to play the tennis I want to.”

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz breezed into the third round at the US Open with another straight-sets win.

This time the victim was Lloyd Harris, who used to train with Alcaraz when the world number one was 15 at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy.

The South African gave Alcaraz a test in the third set but the seemingly unstoppable force still registered a 6-3 6-1 7-6 (4) win.

“I think I played a great match from the beginning until the last ball, but if I have to take something from the match I want to keep the level of the second set,” said Alcaraz, 20.

“I had to stay focused, stay strong mentally. It was pretty good for me and to win in straight sets is really important in the first rounds.”

There was a routine win for sixth seed Jannik Sinner, who beat fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 6-2 6-4.

American ninth seed Taylor Fritz also won in straight sets, coasting past Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru 6-1 6-2 6-2.

Alexander Zverev, seeded 12, won the all-German clash against Daniel Altmaier in four sets and will meet Grigor Dimitrov, the 19th seed who knocked out former champion Andy Murray.

Big-serving American John Isner called time on his career, fittingly enough, in a fifth-set tie-break as he lost his final match to compatriot Michael Mmoh.

Katie Boulter was relieved to avoid being defaulted after inadvertently hitting a ball towards spectators during her US Open second-round win over Wang Yafan.

The British number one had just lost a 20-shot rally in the first set when a ball kid threw her the ball and she swatted it away, accidentally sending it spinning into a gangway in front of the crowd.

Had the ball hit a spectator Boulter would have been disqualified, but the chair umpire merely issued a code violation for ball abuse.

A post shared by Katie Boulter (@katiecboulter)

“But for a second I was feeling pretty bad, if I’m honest.

“Of course there’s a lot of ifs. At the end of the day I’ve got to play with the facts. It didn’t (hit someone). It would be my worst nightmare, it really would. Completely unintentional, as well.

“Yeah, it was an unfortunate situation, but we moved through, and we managed to get a win.”

The 27-year-old went on to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows for the first time after a gutsy 5-7 6-1 6-4 victory over China’s Wang.

As well as the ball incident, in a tight first set Boulter retrieved an early break, and had three set points on the Wang serve.

But she was unable to convert any of them and Wang promptly broke to wrap up the set.

However Boulter, from Leicester, cleared her head impressively and dominated the second set to level the match.

Having broken again for 5-4 in the decider she suffered a horrible wobble, throwing in two double faults in the first three points.

But once again Boulter recovered her composure and wrapped up a fine win when Wang hit the net.

“I thought it was an absolute battle,” she added. “I worked really, really hard. I had a lot of chances in the first set. I didn’t quite get over the line.

“I think there were a few nerves, I’m not entirely sure why, but there were a few nerves in the first.

“After we finished that set I relaxed a bit and started to be a little bit more aggressive and it really paid off.”

There was disappointment, although not a major surprise, for Britain’s other remaining woman, Jodie Burrage.

The 24-year-old equipped herself well against second seed and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka but bowed out 6-3 6-2 inside the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“Obviously not the result I was looking for, but I had a pretty tough opponent,” said Burrage. “I thought she played really well today. She served really well, especially in the big moments.

“But I’m happy with how I played in a way and happy with how I was on the court.

“It’s a big occasion and you’re playing a big player like that. And I’m happy with the way I went about it. I didn’t feel out of place out there at all.”

Andy Murray admits he may have to accept his days of competing in the latter stages of grand slams could well be over.

The 36-year-old former world number one bowed out of the US Open after a dispiriting second-round defeat to his old rival Grigor Dimitrov.

In the 12th meeting between two veterans of the sport, and seven years after their last one, 19th seed Dimitrov registered only his fourth win over the Scot.

Murray wilted inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the court upon which he won his first grand slam title in 2012, as he slipped to a 6-3 6-4 6-1 defeat.

“I mean, it’s obviously disappointing to not play how you would like, you know?” said Murray, who has not made it past the third round of a major event since 2017.

“But maybe I need to accept that, these events, I had the deep runs and everything that I felt like I’m capable of, they might not be there, as well.

“So, you know, I’m aware what I’m doing, it’s unbelievably challenging to play at the highest level as I am now. And some days it’s harder than others.

“But yeah, today is obviously a really disappointing defeat and probably the manner of it as well. I mean, I fought hard enough, but just didn’t play well enough.

“You know, ultimately these are the events that you want to play your best tennis in and create more great moments, and I didn’t do that this year.”

A ding-dong of a first set, including two brutal 15-minute games, was poised at 3-3 with almost an hour played and the match was shaping up to be another Murray marathon.

Murray had lost eight points in a row to slip behind but hit back after an astonishing get from a man with a metal hip, retrieving a net cord by deftly angling the ball away from Dimitrov.

He continued his run past the net post and into Dimitrov’s side of the court, where the Bulgarian clapped his opponent before both tapped rackets.

That was where the niceties ended, though, and Murray’s hopes quickly went south.

He came up with an absolute stinker of a service game, two double-faults and two unforced errors gifting Dimitrov the set and the momentum.

Murray was broken again at the start of the second and his shoulders slumped even further when his solitary chance to break back drifted wide.

The constant chuntering to his team was getting less and less cordial and, at 4-1 down in the third, he gestured to them that the match was over as a contest.

The two-time Wimbledon champion was proved to be right two games later as another attempt to challenge at a grand slam fell well short.

Racing League regulars were again to the fore at Newcastle, as defending champions Wales & The West maintained their lead in this year’s competition – despite Ireland fighting back with an important double on the night.

Jamie Osborne and his daughter Saffie have dominated the multi-team event so far and returning to the scene of last year’s phenomenal final-night treble they joined up with another Racing League veteran as Rod Millman’s Billy Mill obliged for the second year in the row.

The five-year-old was sent off at 28-1 when scoring over course and distance last season, but was much shorter at 15-2 this time as he continued his Gosforth Park love affair in the William Hill-sponsored seven-furlong handicap.

“We didn’t have any rated in the 80s last year so he’s in a slightly lower grade of race than he won last year so was a very obvious pick and his last run was great,” Osborne – whose squad sit on the 568-pont mark – told Sky Sports Racing.

“Rod and James Millman have been absolute stars for my team and the competition. Everything they have put up for me has run well. They’ve obviously had the nursery winners and now they’ve had this winner. The competition has been great for their yard and also great for our Wales & The West team.”

Ireland have fared much better in the Racing League this season and they moved up to second in the table on 496 points thanks to a fine evening at Gosforth Park.

Kevin Blake’s team successfully played their joker in the six-furlong sprint as Johnny Levins’ Nordic Passage (8-1) earned deserved compensation having been narrowly denied at Chepstow earlier in the competition.

They then claimed the night’s most valuable contest when David O’Meara’s Alligator Alley (9-2) built on some consistent form in the hands of rising star Dylan Browne McMonagle, who also notched a double in the north east.

“It didn’t really go the way it was supposed to go as normally he is an extreme hold up horse,” said Blake.

“He obviously jumped off really well there and sat very handy and Dylan ended up further forward than he probably imagined he would be.

“He had so much confidence to wait, and wait and wait a little bit more.

“The horse is really well and ran huge last week. He’s a class horse and I know the horse well as Joseph O’Brien used to train him. He has loads of ability just not the easiest.

“David has done a fantastic job with him and I’m delighted he’s had a winner. I upset him earlier in the week for not running one he was keen to run so I’m delighted he has come here and won a big one.

“I was really hopeful that tonight would go well and look I’m greedy and it could always go better, but we’ll take how it went.”

Sir Mark Prescott’s Glenister (10-1) got the East region’s evening off to a brilliant start when taking the mile-and-a-half opener, while Simon Pearce’s Storm Catcher (9-2 joint-favourite) may have teed up a tilt at the Cambridgeshire when scoring over 10 furlongs and providing Frankie Dettori’s team with a second victory of night four.

London & The South saddled just the one runner in the one-mile handicap, but Daniel and Claire Kubler’s Helm Rock (5-1) delivered a decisive blow to earn a vital 25 points, while Yorkshire also secured maximum points when Buttercross Flyer registered a 14-1 shock in the night’s sole two-year-old event.

It was a first Racing League runner for Craig Lidster and he was thrilled to provide his home region with a vital victory in their battle with Scotland for the wooden spoon.

He said: “She’s a lovely big filly with a massive stride on her. Last time we ran her at Newmarket and the ground was far too quick for her. We know she wants a galloping track and will probably get a mile.

“Jimmy (Sullivan, jockey) has given her a brilliant ride so credit to the horse and credit to Jimmy. He used that big stride and that’s her big advantage – you might see her back here over hurdles next year!”

Jack Draper was almost in tears after learning he may have to miss the US Open, but now the 21-year-old British hope is in the third round.

Draper, who last year was ranked as high as 38 in the world, has endured a torrid 12 months with injuries and had to miss Wimbledon with a shoulder tear.

Now outside the top 100, Draper felt the shoulder again in a warm-up event and feared the worst.

But the issue has cleared up and Draper is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows after beating 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-2 6-4 7-5 in the second round.

“I felt something in my arm again that I hadn’t had in a while, and, you know, came here with the intention of ‘we’ll take it day by day’,” he said.

“I had a scan and I had a very small bit of edema in my arm, which is basically a tear.

“I was looking with my coach and physio thinking, you know, just another bit of time off. We were almost in tears. What more can we do?

“There was a strong chance I couldn’t play this week. But we got the scans done and sent it back home and they said it’s not the same injury, so it’s not that serious.

“I’m kind of looking after it each day. It was a bit sore after my last match but when the adrenaline kicks in and obviously playing the US Open, I just put it out of my mind and go out and try my best to play the tennis I want to.”

Draper will face American Michael Mmoh as he bids to reach the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time.

“It’s weird how sort of this sport works,” he added. “Sometimes you can be at your lowest point and then all of a sudden you get on a bit of form and you’re playing great and your body feels good.

“Hopefully, touch wood, this is going to be the start of something.”

Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey and Natoya Goule-Toppin finished third and ninth respectively in the women’s 800 metres at the Wanda Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.

With none of the medallists from the World Athletic Championships in Budapest present, the event was left for the pickings, and it was Great Britain’s Laura Muir that proved best of the lot on the day, as the Jamaicans produced contrasting performances in their bid.

Muir, who assumed the lead at the 200m mark, left the field in her wake, as she went on to win in 1:57.71, ahead of Australia’s Catriona Bisset (1:58.77) and the fast-finishing Tracey (1:59.05), who left it late.

The front-running Goule-Toppin, who took the lead at the bell, faded into ninth in 2:00.10.