Ben Stokes reversing his ODI retirement has had the knock-on effect of Harry Brook being nudged out of England’s preliminary squad for the defence of their World Cup crown.

England have named a 15-man squad for four tune-ups against New Zealand next month and, barring injury, that is the group which will bid to retain their 50-over world title in India in October and November.

Jofra Archer’s elbow troubles will be preclude his involvement until at least the latter stages of the tournament so England have bolstered their pace attack by calling up uncapped quick Gus Atkinson.

Archer and Brook may be selected as two of three travelling reserves, with England having until September 5 to submit a provisional squad and then September 28 by which to make any alterations.

The return of Stokes was widely-anticipated but less expected was Brook’s omission, as the Yorkshireman has excelled in the past 12 months even if schedule conflicts have limited him to three ODI matches.

“It’s as hard a decision as you’re ever going to get,” said England men’s national selector Luke Wright. “No doubting he’s someone we couldn’t think any more highly of.

“Everything’s going brilliantly with Brooky. There’s no denying what a superstar he is and what a huge future he’s got with us going forward in all forms.

“I’m sure he’s disappointed. But unfortunately in a 15-man squad, someone’s going to have to miss out. With Stokesy coming back, it made it incredibly tough.”

Stokes branded his three-format schedule as “unsustainable” when bowing out of ODIs last summer while he had initially planned to use a six-month gap between Tests to address a chronic left knee injury.

The issue meant he did not bowl in the last three Ashes Tests but he is set for a specialist batting role as England have selected an influx of all-rounders in Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran.

England’s Test captain was the inspiration behind their historic triumph in the 2019 World Cup final – he is one of nine survivors to make this autumn’s edition – and in last year’s T20 equivalent.

“It wasn’t really a case of changing his mind,” said Wright. “Once his body was in a good place and he’d had a rest, he was really keen to play. He still has time to do his rest and rehab, which he’s doing, and he says his knee does feel like it’s improving.

“The one thing we won’t be doing is pushing him to bowl unless he’s absolutely fit and raring to go.

“Ultimately the decision came down to ‘it’s a World Cup we want to win and we feel like we are better, and have more chance, with Stokesy than we haven’t’. If ever there’s someone for the big moments it’s Ben Stokes.”

Atkinson has featured in just two List A matches in his career but has impressed when called upon in recent months for Surrey and Oval Invincibles, where he was clocked at 95mph in The Hundred.

The 25-year-old gives England an additional express pace option other than Mark Wood, joining a fast bowling attack comprising Chris Woakes plus three left-armers in Curran, David Willey and Reece Topley.

“First and foremost, Gus deserves to be in there,” said Wright. “He’s been someone that I’ve been quite a big fan of for quite a while, he roughed me up on a few occasions when I was still playing.

“He’s a real asset for us and we’re delighted to give him an opportunity.”

Archer was England’s super over hero four years ago but is at the start of the comeback trail from another stress fracture in his bowling elbow and England do not want to rush his recovery.

“There has got to be a duty of care with Jof, we know how desperate we all are to have him, there’s no doubt about that, but we’ve also got to get it right for him,” added Wright.

“The best case scenario for Jof at the moment would probably be to be available for the back end of the tournament. But obviously, a lot of things have still got to go right with this rehab before then.”

Before four ODIs against New Zealand from September 8-15 – they play the same opponents in the World Cup opener in Ahmedabad on October 5 – England begin their white-ball summer programme with four T20s against the Kiwis from August 30-September 5.

Hampshire seamer John Turner has earned his first senior call-up, while Josh Tongue, who has caught the eye in the Test side this summer, is set for his maiden experience of England’s limited-overs set-up.

England ODI squadEngland T20 squad: J Buttler (captain), R Ahmed, M Ali, G Atkinson, J Bairstow, H Brook, S Curran, B Duckett, W Jacks, L Livingstone, D Malan, A Rashid, J Tongue, J Turner, L Wood.

England will meet Spain in the 2023 World Cup final after defeating co-hosts Australia in a pulsating semi-final in Sydney.

The Lionesses held off a Sam Kerr-inspired fightback to triumph 3-1 and book their place in Sunday’s showpiece at the same venue.

Here, the PA news agency picks out some key stats ahead of the all-European encounter.

History makers

Both teams are playing in their first final, with England having lost back-to-back semis in 2015 and 2019 and Spain having only won one World Cup match before this year.

The Lionesses are unbeaten in the tournament having topped Group D, while Spain were runners-up in Group C following a 4-0 loss to Japan.

Spain are only the second team in World Cup history to reach the final having lost a game by four or more goals, after Norway bounced back from an opening 4-0 defeat against China to finish as runners-up in 1991.

Regardless of the result, Europe is guaranteed to end its 16-year World Cup drought, with Germany most recently winning in 2007, while it is 20 years since the last final to feature two European nations (Germany v Sweden in 2003).

As reigning continental champions, England are seeking to emulate the aforementioned German side by completing a historic double, having already matched Sarina Wiegman’s 2019 Netherlands team by reaching the final as Euros winners.

Wiegman keeps the faith

Netherlands’ defeat against the United States in the 2019 final remains Wiegman’s solitary loss across 25 matches at major international tournaments.

That remarkable record has been built on consistency in selection.

Having started with the same 11 in every match of Euro 2022, England have used just 17 players at the World Cup so far, the joint-fewest of any team to reach the knockout stages.

Spain – in contrast – have called on all but one of their 23-strong squad, with only third-choice goalkeeper Enith Salon yet to feature.

Wiegman has also barely used her bench compared to Jorge Vilda – her Spanish counterpart – with England having made 17 substitutions to Spain’s 29.

Spain on song, England dogged

Statistically, Spain have outperformed England in most departments at this year’s World Cup.

They have scored 17 goals to the Lionesses’ 13, having attempted considerably more shots (143 to 81), passes (4,137 to 3,605), crosses (214 to 129) and ball progressions (181 to 99) than their final opponents.

Wiegman’s side have only occasionally found the form that carried them to the Euro 2022 title – when they scored 22 goals in six matches – and have instead relied on their defensive resilience to progress.

England have conceded only three times from 64 efforts on Mary Earps’ goal, while Spain have proved more susceptible having shipped seven goals from just 36 shots faced.

Renewed rivalry

Both teams will be braced for a tight battle following their most recent meeting in the Euro 2022 quarter-finals.

The Lionesses emerged as 2-1 victors on that occasion, but only after a late fightback.

Esther Gonzalez fired Spain into a deserved lead before Ella Toone equalised in the 84th minute and Georgia Stanway scored an extra-time winner.

Spain dominated for large periods, ending with 56 per cent of possession and firing 17 shots to the Lionesses’ nine.

It remains the only tournament match under Wiegman in which England saw their opponents enjoy the majority of the ball.

Harry Kane's transfer to Bayern Munich came as a surprise to former Tottenham player and assistant boss Gus Poyet.

Kane completed a switch to the Bundesliga champions last week, signing a four-year deal in Munich.

That came after Bayern had finally struck an £86.4million (€100m) deal with Tottenham for the 30-year-old, who scored 30 Premier League goals last season.

The England captain made his debut in Bayern's 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup after saying he moved to Germany to win trophies.

For Poyet, the move was a shock, however, especially after Kane failed to seal a transfer to Manchester City in 2021.

"I was surprised at Kane leaving because I said it, and I'm not going to change my mind, two years ago I thought it was the time for him to go," Poyet said in an interview with Stats Perform.

"I thought he's experienced, still young, so at that age he was still at the top of his career, looking for titles or silverware.

"He didn't [go], and it was a big shock for me, so I wasn't expecting him to leave. I was not.

"Going now and going abroad surprised me quite a lot."

Poyet is happy that Kane is going to test himself in another competition.

He added: "I'm pleased for him because it's going to be totally different for him, a new challenge completely different to England and I hope he does well because he deserves that feeling of winning a title."

Spurs began the post Kane era with a 2-2 draw at Brentford in Ange Postecoglou's first Premier League game in charge, and Poyet knows Tottenham will have a hard time replacing their former talisman.

"I'm really sad for the coach, because you go to Tottenham, and it's your first job in the Premier League and your main man – the one who is going to score 20+ goals – is gone, so you need to replace him and it's not easy," said Poyet, who is nevertheless excited to see Spurs in action this season.

"I'm not saying they cannot score goals [with] their front three, I'm saying that it's just different, and they're going to have to adapt.

"I think we saw already in pre-season and the first game that Tottenham is going to be very, very entertaining. 

"I would be surprised if a Tottenham game [involves] less than three goals – for or against – because this is the style of football.

"They're going to be very offensive, they're going to be creating a lot and obviously when you go too far that way [forward] you leave space the other way and everybody plays. It's completely opposite to the way Spurs were playing in the last few years."

Manchester United say they are working “through the final stages” of their internal investigation into Mason Greenwood having completed the “fact-finding phase”.

The 21-year-old has been suspended by the club since January 30, 2022, over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.

Greenwood was facing charges including attempted rape and assault until the Crown Prosecution Service announced six months ago that the case had been discontinued.

The forward has remained suspended by United throughout this period and the club are now close to announcing their decision on his future, having shelved plans to do it before their Premier League opener.

A club statement read: “Following the dropping of all charges against Mason Greenwood in February 2023, Manchester United has conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations made against him.

“This has drawn on extensive evidence and context not in the public domain, and we have heard from numerous people with direct involvement or knowledge of the case.

“Throughout this process, the welfare and perspective of the alleged victim has been central to the club’s inquiries, and we respect her right to lifelong anonymity.

“We also have responsibilities to Mason as an employee, as a young person who has been with the club since the age of seven, and as a new father with a partner.

“The fact-finding phase of our investigation is now complete, and we are in the final stages of making a decision on Mason’s future.

“Contrary to media speculation, that decision has not yet been made and is currently the subject of intensive internal deliberation. Responsibility ultimately rests with the Chief Executive Officer.

“Once made, the decision will be communicated and explained to the club’s internal and external stakeholders.

“This has been a difficult case for everyone associated with Manchester United, and we understand the strong opinions it has provoked based on the partial evidence in the public domain.

“We ask for patience as we work through the final stages of this carefully considered process.”

The Athletic reported on Wednesday that chief executive Richard Arnold told the club’s executive leadership in the first week of August that United were planning to bring Greenwood back.

The academy graduate has scored 35 goals in 129 matches for the club, with his last appearance coming on January 22, 2022.

Regal Reality will try for a second win in the Tattersalls Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury, three years after his first success in the race.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the eight-year-old showed he was as good as ever when winning the Diomed Stakes at Epsom on Derby day under Ryan Moore.

Richard Kingscote takes over in the saddle on this occasion, just as he did three years ago, but Regal Reality must shoulder a 3lb penalty for his Epsom success.

The consistent Chichester has his first outing for Charlie Johnston.

With Stoute in his early days, he joined Dalgleish for 30,000 guineas in October 2020 and won on his first start for new connections the following April.

Just touched off at Newcastle on All-Weather Finals Day, his last outing for Dalgleish saw him win a Listed race at York.

Kevin Stott takes the rides and said: “He’s very straightforward, easy to ride and always tries his heart out. I personally think he is good enough to win a Group race and the mile at Salisbury looks ideal.”

Mighty Ulysses represents John and Thady Gosden, who claimed the prize two years ago with Megallan.

A Listed winner last year, Mighty Ulysses was off for almost a year after finishing down the field as the beaten favourite in the Strensall Stakes at York last August.

He made his comeback recently in the Summer Mile at Ascot, where he was fifth to Master Of The Seas.

Owner Saeed Suhail’s racing manager Bruce Raymond said: “I suppose having been off for so long his comeback at Ascot was satisfactory.

“We’ve always thought he’s quite a nice horse and I know John is heading there.

“He’s got cheekpieces on for the first time, so John must think that is something that he needs, but I’m expecting him to improve a good bit from Ascot given that was his first run for so long.”

Roger Varian’s Embesto, who lost his unbeaten record behind Stoute’s Nostrum at Newmarket, Charlie Hills’ Pogo and Roger Teal’s Dancing Magic complete the field.

England head coach Sarina Wiegman and Spain boss Jorge Vilda will lead their teams into the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the two coaches.

Dutch courage brings England Euro joy

Having guided her native Netherlands to success at Euro 2017 and then on into final of the 2019 World Cup, where they lost to the United States, Wiegman took over the Lionesses in September 2021. Wiegman – a former captain of the Dutch national team during her playing career and also having a spell as a PE teacher – went on to lead England to Euro 2022 glory on home soil with victory over Germany at Wembley last summer. The only defeat so far of Wiegman’s tenure came in a friendly against Australia at Brentford in April – and England fans will be hoping that impressive run is extended again on Sunday.

Vilda steadies ship after player unrest

Vilda had spells in the youth set-ups at both Real Madrid and Barcelona, but saw his dreams of a playing career cut short by two major knee injuries when he was 17. Having moved into a coaching role at CD Canillas in Madrid, Vilda held assistant roles with Spain’s Under-17s and Under-19s, enjoying success in their European Championship and World Cup campaigns. He was appointed senior head coach of the women’s national team in 2015, taking them into the Euro 2017 quarter-finals and also the World Cup, where they reached the last 16. Following Euro 2022, where La Roja were beaten by hosts England in the quarter-finals, a group of 15 players threatened to quit if Vilda remained in his position, claiming his regime was affecting their “health” and “emotional state”. He, though, was backed by the Spanish Football Federation, with the players subsequently frozen out of his squad, before some returned to the fold for the World Cup, including Aitana Bonmati, Ona Batlle and Mariona Caldentey.

Same again for Lionesses?

Wiegman named an unchanged side for the 3-1 semi-final win over against Australia. Her faith proved well-founded as England stepped up to the challenge of restricting the counter-attack threat of the Matildas, although there was little the well-drilled defence could do to prevent Sam Kerr crashing in a fine 25-yard equaliser. England had plenty of possession against Australia, particularly in the first half, and will certainly need to show similar bravery in their challenges against the Spaniards. Some ruthless finishing saw Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo all on the scoresheet on Tuesday – and more of the same will be needed in the final when clear chances are expected to be at a premium. Chelsea forward Lauren James will be available again following a two-game ban following her red card in the last-16 win over Nigeria, handing a potential selection headache for Wiegman.

La Roja’s own ‘Total Football’

Vilda grew up steeped in Johan Cruyff’s football philosophy, with his father Angel having worked as the late Dutchman’s fitness trainer at Barcelona. Based around a 4-3-3 possession-based game, Vilda wants his team to play with a distinctly recognisable style. That belief never waivered as Spain bounced back from a 4-0 humbling by Group C winners Japan to thrash Switzerland 5-1 as they booked a place in the last eight, then went on to beat the Netherlands after extra-time before defeating Sweden in Auckland. England should expect to face high-tempo passing and movement as well as a relentless press in attack. Alexia Putellas, twice a Ballon d’Or winner, continues to be used sparingly in the tournament, having worked her way back from an ACL injury which ruled her out of Euro 2022. Teenager Salma Paralluelo came off the bench to open the scoring in the semi-final against Sweden and the 19-year-old will be out to prove herself the woman for the big occasion once more if given another opportunity by Vilda on Sunday.

England secured a 3-1 victory over home favourites Australia to reach the Women’s World Cup final.

Having fallen at the semi-final stage in the previous two tournaments, the Lionesses are now beginning preparations for Sunday’s showpiece against Spain.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how Sarina Wiegman’s European champions saw off the Matildas to make history.

Toone on song

Having been criticised for her form earlier in the competition, Manchester United attacking midfielder Toone set England on their way with a fine opening goal.

In doing so, she became the first player in England history – male or female – to score goals in a quarter-final, semi-final and final of a
major tournament after enjoying a fine Euros last year.

Lauren Hemp scored the second before supplying a fine assist for Alessia Russo to wrap up the famous win, but Toone’s strike set the tone and she will be hoping to keep her place against Spain despite Lauren James returning from suspension.

Kerr-tains for hosts

Chelsea striker Sam Kerr was fit enough to start for Australia as the lethal finisher aimed to fire the Matildas into a first-ever final.

She equalised with a long-range effort that clipped off club-mate Millie Bright to beat Mary Earps and give the hosts hope of turning the game around.

However, she then wasted two gilt-edged chances to put Australia in front – heading over and then blazing high just moments before Russo struck to make sure of England’s spot in the final.

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Third-place play-off: Sweden v Australia (Brisbane, Saturday 0900BST)
Final: Spain v England (Sydney, Sunday 1100BST)

Lauren Hemp hailed England as “a special team” and Ella Toone toasted the best shot of her life after the Lionesses reached their first World Cup final with a 3-1 victory over co-hosts Australia.

Hemp restored England’s lead in the second half, after Matildas captain Sam Kerr cancelled out Toone’s stunning opener, and provided the assist that allowed Alessia Russo to put the game away after 86 minutes.

England, who will face Spain in Sunday’s showdown in Sydney, are just one win away from securing the second major trophy in their history just under 13 months after becoming European champions at Wembley.

Player-of-the-match Hemp, who started every game of that triumph, said: “Oh my god, what a feeling. I feel like there are no words to describe what we all feel right now.

“It’s an unbelievable achievement, getting to a World Cup final. It’s every kid’s dream. I mean, I’ve got no words, I’m absolutely knackered right now. We’ve got a few days to recover but then we go again.

“We want to win this, obviously we’ve come so far now, so why not?

“I feel like as a team we have got such an inner-belief and also so much confidence as the group. No matter what happens on the outside, no matter who we come up against, every challenge we’ve managed to solve.

“I feel like this team is so special. You saw last year how successful we were. We want to do the same again and we want to go one step further.

“We have all got a dream. We’re pushing each other to be the best that we can and we know that whenever a player gets beaten by their opponent, we know there will be someone there, having each others’ backs, no matter what.”

World number four England have grown into this tournament since eking out a 1-0 win against Haiti, 49 places below them in FIFA’s global rankings, to open their campaign – sparking concerns about the Lionesses’ prowess in attack.

Russo and Hemp have netted three goals each in this tournament, equalling the contribution made by Chelsea forward Lauren James before she was sent off late in the second half of England’s victory over Nigeria in the last 16.

England have never had two different players score three or more goals at a single edition of the tournament before, with James also set to be available for Sunday’s final after serving the second match of her two-game suspension on Wednesday night.

That might put Toone’s chances of starting the final at risk, but the Manchester United midfielder could not have done any more to impress head coach Sarina Wiegman, lashing in a thunderous strike to set England on their way in Sydney.

“It fell straight to me in the box and I just thought ‘why not just smack it?’ Honestly, that’s the best shot I’ve hit in my life,” said Toone, who scored the opener in last summer’s Euro 2022 final triumph.

“Sometimes when you hit a ball, you just know I’ve caught that perfectly and I was like ‘wow, that was alright’. I think I knew as soon as it left my boot that it was going to end up in the back of the net.

“It seems to be I like the big stage in tournaments, but in tournament football it is often about taking those moments and it was my turn to do so tonight.

“I had my moment, it fell to me and I put it in the back of the net. Even if I hadn’t scored, I would still have done my job for this team, worked hard and did what I needed to do.

“When big moments fall to me in tournaments, I’ve taken them.”

Arsenal’s season has been rocked by a serious knee injury to summer signing Jurrien Timber which will require surgery.

The Netherlands international moved to the Emirates Stadium from Ajax this summer but was forced off on his Premier League debut – Saturday’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

Timber, 22, limped off at half-time against Forest following a heavy challenge on Brennan Johnson that earned the full-back a booking.

He emerged for the second half but lasted just five minutes before going down off the ball and being replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu.

An Arsenal statement on Wednesday read: “Further to detailed assessments with consultant specialists since Saturday, we can confirm that Jurrien has sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

“Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time.

“The support and expertise from our medical team and everyone at the club will now be focussed on Jurrien’s rehabilitation programme, to ensure he recovers well and is back playing as soon as possible.”

Timber was a £38.5million signing for the Gunners and played in the Community Shield penalty shoot-out win over Manchester City before suffering the setback against Forest.

Despite losing Timber, Arsenal are still expected to allow Nuno Tavares to leave the club in the coming days, with Forest a potential destination for the former Portugal Under-21s full-back.

While signed primarily to play at right-back, Timber had started life at Arsenal on the left side of defence, filling in as Oleksandr Zinchenko recovered from a calf problem.

The British Horseracing Authority expects to unveil the 2024 fixture list in mid-September, with approximately 160 new premier cards planned.

A shake-up of the racing calendar was announced in May, with the BHA outlining its aim to grow the sport’s reach, appeal to new fans and better engage existing customers in the hope it will generate extra revenues which will in turn boost prize money levels.

Part of the changes unveiled was the introduction of premier fixtures, which will offer higher prize money and feature better horses, with a two-hour slot on a majority of Saturday afternoons limited to two of the premier cards and one other meeting for a two-year trial period. Other fixtures scheduled on those days will have to start either earlier or later.

The 2024 fixture list is nearing publication, when details of what constitutes a premier fixture will be confirmed, and Richard Wayman, the BHA’s chief operating officer, thinks the number of premier fixtures planned indicates the desire of tracks to be involved.

He said: “If every racecourse continued their 2023 behaviour into 2024, we would have had about 115 or 117 premier fixtures that would effectively meet the criteria we’ve set.

“We are looking at the moment at around 160 premier fixtures in 2024, which I think gives an indication there is significant change in those fixtures, that racecourses are changing their behaviour and wanting to be part of staging premier fixtures.”

Wayman said around 20 premier fixtures are scheduled on Sundays, which represents “a reasonable step up in quality”, while details of a pilot for six Sunday evening meetings in the early part of the year on the Flat are being finalised.

Concerns have been raised that premier fixtures would result in less funding for lower-grade racing and Wayman added: “Part of creating premier fixtures involves investing more money.

“There is a combination of measures we are looking at as to how that extra money would be generated from requests to Levy, some redistribution of money into premier, but also asking the Levy Board for additional prize money support to support the strategy. The Levy Board doesn’t meet until September so they will consider that then.

“Racecourses are looking to invest some of their own revenues into these premier fixtures and in terms of wanting to stage some of these fixtures, they will be thinking about how they distribute their own budget across the year and one would imagine there will be some redistribution from within racecourse budgets too.”

During a media conference, the BHA’s director of communications and corporate affairs Greg Swift offered an update on ongoing work concerning Levy reform, with various pieces of work having been submitted in recent months and subsequent meetings held with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as “a sustainable Levy process” is sought going forward.

Swift also outlined the BHA’s response to proposed affordability checks for gamblers, saying “sweeping blanket checks” would be “unacceptable” whilst outlining a collective approach from across the industry to respond to the Gambling Commission’s consultation process on the matter.

Harry Kane insists he will relish the “new pressure” of challenging to win titles every year at Bayern Munich and knows success in Germany can put his name in the Ballon d’Or conversation.

It has been a whirlwind week for the England captain after he departed boyhood club Tottenham on Saturday for an initial £100million fee, which could rise to £120m with add-ons.

Kane made his Bayern debut later that same night in the DFL-Supercup but his wait for a first trophy goes on after RB Leipzig inflicted a 3-0 defeat on the Bundesliga champions.

The 30-year-old is eager to add team success to a host of individual honours on his CV during his time in Munich.

“A lot of people talk about the trophies and why I came here, but ultimately it was to improve,” Kane told Sky Sports.

“To feel a new pressure of having to win titles every year, having to go far in the Champions League and pushing myself to that limit.

“I think if you’re winning games, winning titles, winning Champions Leagues and I’m the one playing up front, it more than likely means I am scoring goals so that allows you to win other individual awards.

“But that all comes from what you achieve as a team. That’s my focus first and foremost and that all starts on Friday.

“We have a long season ahead. A lot of pressure for Bayern Munich to win the league and go far in the Champions League. That is what I am excited to try and challenge myself with.”

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An outstanding 2017 resulted in Kane finishing 10th in the Ballon d’Or list but Spurs have endured a difficult few seasons since they made the Champions League final in 2019.

With Kane aware his chances of winning silverware were reducing at Tottenham, the forward made the decision to leave the north London club after a 19-year association.

He hinted part of the decision to leave Spurs was to play in the Champions League and have no regrets at the end of his career.

Kane added: “If you’re winning your league, winning the Champions League and we obviously have the European Championship next summer as well, I think as we’ve seen with the Ballon d’Or, you have to be winning team trophies to achieve that.

“Yeah, if I am scoring goals and we’re winning trophies then of course that will come into question, but it is not really what my focus is on right now.

“I’ve always said throughout my whole career I never want to retire and feel like I could have done more or pushed myself more. That was a big part of the decision-making coming here.

“I felt like to improve and to get better I had to be playing at the highest level.

“Of course I want to win every competition that I play in, that’s the goal every season but when you finish your career, you want to make sure you pushed yourself to the limits and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”

Last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown remains on course for a sizzling clash with Paddington and Mostahdaf in next week’s Juddmonte International having come through his latest gallop in good style.

The four-year-old was put through his paces by Ryan Moore, who will be on Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington on the Knavesmire, in a spin on Wednesday morning.

Desert Crown has only been seen once since his Epsom victory, when he lost his unbeaten record in finishing second to Hukum in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes in May.

He was then a late absentee from the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, with familiar adversary Hukum taking home the Ascot showpiece.

“Desert Crown worked this morning, he worked nicely and everybody was happy with him,” said Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail.

“He’s not a great worker, as has been stated before, but everyone was very happy with him this morning and everything went as well as expected.”

William Buick had been announced as his jockey in the King George before he was ruled out, but he is expected to be aboard next week.

“William didn’t ride him. Ryan Moore rode him this morning. He’s ridden him a lot of times at home and Sir Michael just sometimes likes a different opinion,” Raymond went on.

“It’s really shaping up into a great race. One thing I can definitely tell you is this horse needed it badly at Sandown, it wasn’t said at the time but Michael was quite surprised how much he was blowing afterwards.

“He had worked on the grass but nowhere near as much as we would have liked as it kept on pouring down.

“Having spoken to Richard Hills (assistant racing manager for Shadwell, owners of Hukum), their horse had been working really, really well for a long time, so we met a very fit horse that day and he’s gone on to prove again he is a very good horse as he’s one of the favourites for the Arc.

“We’re looking forward to next week. Where else could you take a horse like that? He’s got to go somewhere and when you are in his class, there are only certain races you can run in.”