Royal Liverpool member Matthew Jordan admits there will be no excuses when he tees it up in his second major on the home course he has played for 20 years.

The 27-year-old, who grew up in nearby West Kirby and lives in Hoylake, followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps by becoming a member at the club while he was still at primary school.

Jordan has played the Wirral links in every conceivable weather and course condition and, while the most significant change for the Open is the switch of routing which means players tee off at what is the members’ 17th hole, he knows he has to take advantage of that knowledge after coming through final qualifying for the second successive year.

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“I would be amazed if there is something I don’t know. I’ve experienced it in all kinds of conditions so I guess there is no kind of excuse now.

“I know pretty much every pin position, I’ve seen it soft, I’ve seen it hard, I’ve seen it with rough up and down.

“I’ll probably play it exactly how I know how to play it but in terms of practice it is going to be a bit strange.”

Royal Liverpool is hosting its third Open in 18 years – after a hiatus of 39 years – and after weeks of primarily dry weather it seems likely conditions will be similar to 2006 when baked hard, fast-running fairways saw Tiger Woods use his driver just once in winning his third Claret Jug.

A major change to the course for this edition has seen the creation of a new 17th hole overlooking the Dee Estuary, a 140-yard par-three with an exposed green surrounded by bunkers which usually plays into the prevailing wind, which has become something of a talking point.

As a member, Jordan remained admirably diplomatic on the subject.

“I think it depends on individual opinion. Me personally, it will depend on conditions and how windy it is, how firm it is as well, as that will make a massive difference into how easy or difficult it will play,” he said.

“My reservations about it are if it will be a good hole for the Open, which will require it being into the wind and not soft and straightforward.

“I’ll have to ask the other pros what they think.”

The phrase ‘bigger and better’ has become a bit of a cliche, but it is still perhaps the most authentic way of describing the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup at a moment of reckoning in women’s football.

Australia and New Zealand are co-hosting the 2023 edition, which for the first time will feature 32 nations, 20 more than the inaugural 12-team tournament held in China in 1991.

Eight teams – the Republic of Ireland, Vietnam, Zambia, Haiti, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines and Portugal – are making their debuts in a World Cup organisers are hoping will attract a record two billion viewers.

The overall performance-based fund for the finals has skyrocketed to 110 million US dollars (£84.2m), more than three times what was on offer at the 2019 World Cup in France, with the players sharing more than 44 per cent of that between them.

Previously, there was no requirement for national associations to distribute a minimum amount of World Cup prize money to participating players.

Also, for the first time, FIFA will be directly paying all athletes for their participation in the tournament, with amounts increasing the deeper teams get, ranging from USD 30,000 (£22,964) per player for the group stage to USD 270,000 (£206,678) allotted to each champion.

It is a significant sum at a time when the average salary in the women’s game worldwide is USD 14,000 (£11,000), according to last year’s FIFA benchmarking report, although the improved pot still remains well short of the USD 440m (£337m) distributed after the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA has outlined ambitions for parity by the respective 2026 and 2027 tournaments.

The increased fund did not emerge out of thin air. A group of 150 players from 25 national teams, including England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, wrote to FIFA in October last year calling for equal conditions and for a guarantee that at least 30 per cent of prize money would be allocated to players.

Indeed, this World Cup arrives during what feels like the dawn of a paradigm shift in the women’s game. For much of its existence, players have often felt obligated to express gratitude for anything they were given, from meagre mentions in the media to ill-fitting equipment not designed for women’s unique needs.

They are beginning to demand more. In February, Olympic champions Canada played the SheBelieves Cup under protest as part of an ongoing dispute with their national federation over pay and working conditions, while other nations, including England, wore purple wristbands in a show of collective solidarity and desire for progress.

That same month, France captain Wendie Renard and two team-mates announced they were pausing their international careers over “conditions” in camp, part of a so-called ‘revolt’ that led to the sacking of head coach Corinne Diacre just four months before the World Cup. Renard and others have since returned to the French fold after former Saudi Arabia men’s boss Herve Renard took over the team.

Players from numerous other countries, including Spain and Jamaica – and even Nigeria’s head coach – have taken action or called out their federations over issues such as pay, resources and personnel, while the Lionesses’ open letter to the then-Conservative leadership candidates following their Euro 2022 triumph led to the announcement of a £600m Government package to improve the PE provision in schools and grant girls equal access to school sports.

There have also been calls from all corners of the globe for more funding and research into women’s health.

The World Cup will be deprived of top talents like England’s Beth Mead and Leah Williamson, the Netherlands’ Vivianne Miedema, Canada’s Janine Beckie, the USA’s Catarina Macario and Christen Press, New Zealand’s Katie Rood and Zambia goalkeeper Hazel Nali, all of whom are on an exhaustive list of players whose dreams of representing their countries were dashed by anterior cruciate ligament injuries, for which women are at a three-to-six times higher risk than men.

As England’s Lucy Bronze told Sky Sports during an open training session in Queensland: “It’s a shame that women in sport in general have to (fight for change), but I think it’s a role that many athletes, many women, take on in society and in sport.”

Nevertheless, they will persist long after the trophy is lifted in Sydney.

The ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off with New Zealand taking on Norway on July 20 followed by the Republic of Ireland’s tournament debut against Australia, the Kiwis’ co-hosts, at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia later on the opening day.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points.

Who will watch?

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Organisers are targeting a record two billion viewers for the 2023 edition, a figure that would double the audience who watched the 2019 World Cup in France. They believe the unique geographic position of the host countries has paved the way for strategic match scheduling that will allow fans, no matter where they live, to catch their side in action.

Yet one of the big issues ahead of the tournament was the lack of confirmed broadcast deals in a number of major markets – including the UK, Spain, France, Italy and Germany – just months out from the opening match, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino on several occasions accusing bidding broadcasters of lowballing offers and even threatening that his organisation could be “forced not to broadcast” the tournament if they did not step up.

Some in women’s football hit back, arguing the timings still would still prove challenging in engaging non-diehard audiences. England’s three group-stage kick-offs all begin between 9:30am and 12pm in the UK, with ITV and the BBC splitting broadcast duties across the tournament.

England’s injury woes

The Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph placed them squarely in conversations predicting World Cup favourites. Sarina Wiegman’s squad and unchanged starting XI benefited from generally excellent health throughout that unbeaten run, but this time the England manager is not so fortunate.

Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot last summer, is still recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture she sustained in November, while her Arsenal team-mate and England captain Leah Williamson was ruled out when she suffered the same injury in April.

And while defenders Lucy Bronze and acting skipper Millie Bright have both recovered from their own respective issues in time to board the plane, Chelsea midfielder Fran Kirby announced she would not be joining them after doctors determined she would require knee surgery, leading to questions about how Wiegman will cope without three of her top talents alongside the absence of the retired Ellen White and Jill Scott.

Denying the ‘three-peat’

For anyone not sporting the stars and stripes, it feels the world has grown weary of American dominance and would welcome a new world champion with open arms, particularly after USA’s back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2015 and competition-leading four titles since claiming the inaugural trophy in 1991.

While USA remain the bookmakers’ favourites to lift the trophy, more than half of head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s 23-player roster will be competing in their first World Cup, with just nine returnees from their victory four years ago – potentially opening the door for other hopefuls including England, Germany, France and Spain to deny the United States a “three-peat”.

The great armband debate

The rainbow ‘One Love’ armband ban was a hot topic during the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar and sparked questions about what would be permitted in Australia and New Zealand, particularly as the women’s game has historically featured many out members of the LGBTQ+ community, including a record number bound for the World Cup.

While the One Love armband itself will not feature, FIFA announced late last month that they had reached an agreement to give players a selection of approved options highlighting issues from gender equality to indigenous people, peace and ending hunger, while another celebrates the sport of football itself. None, however, explicitly advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Antipodean legacy

Australia’s World Cup opener will take place with Test four of the Ashes already under way. The National Rugby League (NRL) season is also in full swing as is Aussie Rules’ AFL, so there is plenty on to entertain sports fans in a country where other games dominate the headlines.

Still, the 2023 Australian Sports Commission’s official AusPlay revealed football was once again the country’s most popular sport to play.

So while World Cup posters featuring Australia and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr seem ubiquitous Down Under and local governments are pointing to figures in the tens of millions for their visitor economies, the true test of this tournament lies in how much headway the sport can make in the two host countries – and what women’s football will look like here a generation down the line.

The world’s finest in women’s football have descended upon Australia and New Zealand for the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Here, the PA news agency picks out five players who could shine at the global showpiece.

Lauren James (England)

The 21-year-old forward has both England fans and pundits alike buzzing after a stellar season with Chelsea, where she scored seven goals and provided two assists in 26 matches played across the Women’s Super League and Champions League.

While the World Cup will be James’ first major international tournament, she has plenty of experience in high-stakes situations with Emma Hayes’ WSL and FA Cup-winning Blues.

The one-time PFA Young Player of the Year nominee is aggressive and opportunistic with the ball while also displaying what often feels like effortless control, and says she is keen to carve out an identity separate to that of her older brother, Chelsea and England defender Reece James. This opportunity could well accelerate that mission.

Trinity Rodman (USA)

Rodman can no doubt relate to James – she is also a 21-year-old forward who is often mentioned in the same breath as her own famous relative, ex-NBA player dad Dennis Rodman.

But the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League Rookie of the Year and 2022 Ballon D’Or nominee has more than earned her solo spotlight since she became, at age 18, the youngest player drafted into the NWSL. And last February she extended her stay at Washington Spirit with what was widely reported to be a league record-breaking USD1.1 million, four-year deal.

Rodman seems to be in fine form ahead of the USA’s tournament opener against Vietnam after bagging a second-half brace in the Americans’ 2-0 win over Wales in a friendly earlier this month.

Khadija Shaw (Jamaica)

‘Bunny’ Shaw will be a familiar face to many from her time with the WSL’s Manchester City, particularly after a 2022/23 season in which she finished second only to England and Aston Villa forward Rachel Daly for the most goals scored in the English top flight.

The 26-year-old Reggae Girlz captain, who recently extended her stay at City until 2026, concluded her second season with 31 goals in 30 games and in the process became the highest-scoring women’s player across a single campaign in the club’s history.

Shaw is the first Caribbean player to win the CONCACAF Women’s Player of the Year award, and Jamaica will rely on the skipper’s leadership when they embark on just their second World Cup finals in a difficult Group F that includes heavy-hitters Brazil and France alongside Panama.

Sam Kerr (Australia)

Prolific striker Sam Kerr is precisely the sort of player you want on your side in those dig-deep, do-or-die situations when the pressure is at its most intense.

Fortunately for tournament co-hosts Australia, the 29-year-old back-flipping forward is one of their very own and could well be the weapon that ultimately deals the tournament-ending blow to two of World Cup debutants Republic of Ireland, Olympic champions Canada and Nigeria to send the Matildas into the knockout stage.

Chelsea boss Hayes has heaped praise on the ‘FIFA 23’ cover woman for her steely focus until the final whistle, often paying off in result-deciding goals like the one that won the Blues this year’s FA Cup. Kerr also scored in England’s only loss under head coach Sarina Wiegman, a 2-0 upset for the Lionesses against Australia in their April friendly.

Lena Oberdorf (Germany)

Germany’s young midfield star will be looking for retribution after narrowly missing out Euro 2022 glory last summer, when her side lost 2-1 to England in their dramatic Wembley final, although she did walk away with Young Player of the Tournament honours.

Though also just 21, the Wolfsburg talent will be making her second World Cup appearance, having made her debut in the 2019 French edition aged 17, where she sat school exams during the tournament.

Known for taking initiative, winning back possession and her well-timed challenges, Oberdorf will be a key cog in a strong German side’s title hopes as one of the tournament favourites kick off their campaign with group H matches against Morocco, Colombia and South Korea.

Eight years and 11 months. 3,266 days. 78,384 hours.

Whichever way you look at it, by the time the 151st Open Championship gets underway the length of time since Rory McIlroy’s last major victory is truly remarkable.

Since McIlroy followed his Open triumph at Royal Liverpool in 2014 by winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship in his next two starts, 34 majors have been staged and the 34-year-old Northern Irishman has won none of them.

Brooks Koepka has racked up all five of his victories in that spell, Jordan Spieth three, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson two each, while 18 different players have tasted victory once, including a 50-year-old Phil Mickelson and an injury-ravaged Tiger Woods.

McIlroy has had to settle for commendable consistency, recording 19 top-10s and finishing no worse than eighth in all four majors in 2022, yet genuine chances to win on the back nine on Sunday have been relatively scarce.

In the 2018 Masters – the only major he has not won – McIlroy began the day three behind leader Patrick Reed but had a short eagle putt on the par-five second to draw level with the American. He missed, bogeyed the third to Reed’s birdie and that was effectively that.

At the 2022 US PGA, McIlroy roared into contention with four straight birdies early in the final round and was one shot off the eventual score required for a play-off, only to fade to eighth.

It was a different story two months later as McIlroy shared the lead with Viktor Hovland heading into the final round of the Open at St Andrews, four shots clear of Cameron Smith and Cameron Young.

Two ahead at the turn, McIlroy made his second birdie of the day on the 10th but was overhauled by a surging Smith, the Australian making five birdies in a row to start the back nine and another on the last to complete a stunning 64.

Last month’s US Open offered McIlroy another great chance to end his drought as he moved into a share of the lead with a birdie on the first hole of the final round at Los Angeles Country Club.

However, that proved to be his only one of a frustrating day and it was no surprise that he was overheard muttering “St Andrews all over again” to his manager after a level-par 70 which left him one shot behind winner Wyndham Clark.

Of course “Hoylake all over again” would be a very welcome sense of deja vu for McIlroy following his 2014 triumph, when he led from start to finish and held off a charging Sergio Garcia on the final day to lift the Claret Jug.

It made McIlroy the first European player to win three different majors since the Masters was founded in 1934 and gave him the third leg of a career grand slam completed by just five players in the history of the game.

When another major title followed a month later it was almost inconceivable that McIlroy would be stuck on the same tally nine years later, but there are precedents for ending even lengthier droughts.

Julius Boros and Hale Irwin both won the US Open 11 years apart, while Ben Crenshaw’s Masters victories in 1984 and 1995 came in just six days shy of that mark.

Tiger Woods memorably won the 2019 Masters almost 11 years on from his 2008 US Open win, with Lee Trevino and Ernie Els also cracking the 10-year barrier.

A keen student of the game, chances are McIlroy will be well aware of such facts. Whether he can do anything about adding his name to the list remains to be seen.

Ella Toone says her superb goal helping England triumph in the Euro 2022 final is “still a pinch-me moment” – and the kind of feeling she wants more of as she heads into her first World Cup nearly a year on.

Substitute Toone opened the scoring in the Wembley showdown against Germany with a wonderful lofted effort en route to the 2-1 victory that gave the Lionesses their first ever major trophy.

The 23-year-old Manchester United midfielder told the PA news agency: “It’s still a pinch-me moment – I still sometimes don’t think it’s sunk in.

“But the best feeling I’ve had in football, and one that I want to make sure I have over and over again.

“I’ve had that feeling of what winning is like and I definitely want to make sure that throughout my career I make sure I win more trophies.”

Toone is now preparing for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way next Thursday, with Sarina Wiegman’s team opening their campaign two days later by facing Haiti in Brisbane.

Having come off the bench in each match during the Euros – most often for Fran Kirby, who has been ruled out of the World Cup by a knee injury – Toone has started 10 of 12 England fixtures since, and been a key member of a United outfit that achieved club-best finishes as runners-up in the Women’s Super League and FA Cup.

On her potential role at this tournament, Toone said: “I’m not putting too much pressure on myself and I’ll make sure whatever role Sarina asks of me I give 100 per cent, whether that’s starting or coming off the bench, I’ll make sure I’m ready for that.

“I think since the Euros I’ve just wanted to keep improving as a player and keep working hard.

“I know I have a lot of stuff that I need to keep working hard on, but I’m definitely ready to get out onto the world stage. It’s something I’ve dreamed of as a little girl, so I need to make sure I enjoy every minute of it.”

Somebody Toone has had alongside her for the highs of the past year at international and club level, and many experiences prior to that, is Alessia Russo, the player she describes as her “best friend”.

Striker Russo, another effective England substitute last summer that has been a regular starter since, is no longer Toone’s United team-mate, having left to join Arsenal earlier this month.

Regarding Russo’s departure from United, Toone said: “I think for both of us our focus is on the World Cup and stepping out there together, hopefully playing there together.

“It is what it is. It’s football and people move on. No matter what, I know we will be friends for life. Whatever Alessia does I want her to do the best in.”

The pair have known each other for some time, with Toone saying: “We started our journeys off aged 14 at England camps, we went through all the age groups together, and then we stepped out at the Euros together and won that.

“We lived together for a bit, it was more in Covid times. We couldn’t get rid of each other!

“It makes it 100 per cent better – not many people can say they’ve achieved some of the best things in life with their best friends.

“So it’s definitely been nice to share all those special memories together, and to see where we were and where we’re at now and what we’ve achieved is amazing.”

After starting their bid for World Cup glory with the Haiti match, England – also without skipper Leah Williamson and Beth Mead at the tournament due to ACL injuries – will face Denmark and then China in Group D.

“I think for us it’s going out there, inspiring the next generation and making the nation proud,” Toone said.

“We know we have a big target on our backs after the summer but we thrive off that pressure and we’ll just make sure we go out there, enjoy ourselves and believe in ourselves and see what happens.”

Novak Djokovic’s 33-match unbeaten run at Wimbledon will be tested against Italian eighth seed Jannik Sinner on men’s semi-final day in SW19.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz comes up against Russia’s third seed Daniil Medvedev in the other last-four clash on Centre Court.

Henry Searle carries the British flag in the juniors with a semi-final appearance and Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are in wheelchair action.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day 12 of the Championships.

Djokovic closes in on Federer record

It was 2017 when Novak Djokovic last lost at Wimbledon and even then it was because he retired injured in a quarter-final against Tomas Berdych.

Since then it has been total domination and he is just two wins away from a fifth successive title and eighth overall.

Standing in his path of a ninth final is 21-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, who is Wimbledon’s poster boy for the future having featured prominently in an official pre-tournament picture.

He was two sets up against Djokovic in last year’s quarter-final before the Serbian hit back and it is going to be a huge challenge for him to even repeat winning two sets never mind stopping a 33-match unbeaten run.

Russian roulette for finals weekend

Following Aryna Sabalenka’s semi-final defeat to Ons Jabeur on Thursday, men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev is the last remaining Russian or Belarusian in the tournament.

That still leaves the possibility of an awkward presentation for the Princess of Wales on Sunday as tensions over the optics surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to simmer.

For that to happen, though, Medvedev has to beat 20-year-old world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who has shown over the last fortnight that he is the likely heir to Djokovic’s throne.

The Spaniard has looked assured on grass and his versatility and athleticism means he is probably the most likely to stop Djokovic should he get past the Russian.

Searle carrying British flag/h2>

Henry Searle is making a name for himself in the boys’ singles as he is through to the semi-final and is the only home player left in the tournament.

Searle, who took out the top seed earlier in the first round, dispatched eighth seed Joao Fonseca in the quarter-finals and now comes up against American Cooper Williams.

The last-four meeting gets a Court 12 showing as he becomes the first British boy to make the last four since Jack Draper in 2018.

Order of play

Centre Court
Jannik Sinner v Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz v Daniil Medvedev

Court One
Caroline Dolehide/Shuai Zhang v Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens
Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova v Marie Bouzkova/Sara Sorribes Tormo

Weather

Strong winds with risk of rain.

Kathryn Dane has vowed to appreciate every moment of her rugby career after fighting her way back from a stroke at the age of 26.

The Ireland and Ulster scrum-half suffered a brain haemorrhage in November last year while training at the Irish Rugby Football Union’s high performance centre in Abbotstown, where the prompt actions of medical staff and early treatment at Connolly and Beaumont Hospitals gave her the best possible chance of making a full recovery.

Eight months on, Dane, who also works a physiotherapist in Dublin, is back in light training and completing her PhD with a fresh perspective on rugby and life in general.

She said: “Before it, I used to just kind of go through life at 100mph and not really appreciate the good things or the achievements or the learnings that I’ve had.

“Since the stroke, I have just kind of realised that when you’re in those dark places, that’s when you start to see all the light that you have in your life.

“I have so many opportunities through sport and through my PhD that I never really appreciated before, and now I’m going to be properly grateful for what I have and enjoy rugby and enjoy all the moments that I have because I think I did take it a little bit for granted before.”

Dane became unwell when an arteriovenous malformation – a cluster of blood vessels – in her brain ruptured as she prepared for an early-morning gym session with her strength and conditioning coach Ed Slattery.

She said: “I was in at 7am doing some warm-up sets of hip thrusts with my coach Ed Slattery and just got this massive pain behind my right eye in the back of my head and I didn’t feel great.

“Ed noticed straight away that my face had dropped – I didn’t notice it had dropped, but I didn’t feel great and he quickly got the team doc, who was actually in the gym at the time, to have a look at me and they knew straight away I’d had a stroke of some description.”

Dane was rushed to Connolly Hospital, where an MRI scan confirmed the medical team’s worst fears, and later transferred to Beaumont Hospital to undergo procedure to seal the damaged blood vessel.

She spent two weeks in hospital before being allowed home to Fermanagh to start the process of working her way back to health under the watchful eye of an NHS brain injury team.

Dane said: “I was really, really lucky it happened where it happened because it could have happened on a rugby pitch in France or Italy somewhere. It was just by chance it happened there, and I do really believe that it was supposed to happen.

“I know it’s a s*** card to be dealt with, but it’s just a chapter in my story that I’ve had to overcome.”

Asked if her medical background, which had involved working with stroke patients, had proved a help or a hindrance, Dane said: “I’ve never lived in fear before, but when something like this happens to you out of the blue, you think, ‘Gosh, I’m vulnerable for the first time in my life’.

“It is beneficial to have that knowledge, but then at the same time ignorance is bliss sometimes.”

Initially having to battle fatigue and the left-sided weakness with which she had been left, has eased her way back to health and fitness, a process aided in part by a conversation with former Ireland back row Chris Henry, who returned to rugby after suffering a mini-stroke.

Asked about her own future in the game, she said: “I just want to make sure that I’m in the best place physically before I even begin to make that decision about returning to contact and returning to play.”

Liverpool’s LGBGT+ fans group Kop Outs are “appalled and concerned” club captain Jordan Henderson is considering a move to Saudi Arabia side Al Ettifaq.

The England midfielder is understood to be a target for the team now managed by Steven Gerrard, the man Henderson assumed the armband from at Anfield, with reports suggesting the 33-year-old is close to accepting an eye-watering £700,000-plus-a-week offer.

Henderson has been a significant supporter of both the group and LGBGT+ issues – he is a Rainbow Laces ambassador – and so suggestions he is ready to move to Saudi Arabia, whose human rights record has long been criticised, has prompted an angry response from Kop Outs.

“Kop Outs have valued the allyship shown by @Jhenderson,” said a statement on Twitter.

“We are appalled and concerned that anyone might consider working for a #sportswashing operation for a regime where women & LGBT+ people are oppressed & that regularly tops the world death sentence table?”

“Gerrard’s participation in this sportswashing is particularly galling given his previous support for LA Galaxy team-mate Robbie Rogers (who came out as gay in 2013).

“When someone’s made a fortune, should money tempt them to go to work? Maybe they should be asking themselves those questions.

“We hope that Jordan Henderson proves to be a man of his word and stays true to the values of our club, which so far he has been an absolute embodiment of.”

It is understood Liverpool have yet to receive an approach from Al Ettifaq and the player still has two years to run on his contract, which in itself means any potential move would involve a transfer fee more significant than the nominal amount being suggested in the Middle East.

Liverpool’s midfield is undergoing a revamp this summer with the experienced James Milner leaving for Brighton and the contracts of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita expiring and they have been replaced by Argentina World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and Hungary captain Dominik Szobozslai for a combined £95million.

That may mean reduced playing time for Henderson, who has lifted every elite trophy during his captaincy of the club, but there is no appetite within the club to lose such an experienced player and integral part of the dressing room.

Former team-mate Jamie Carragher said if Henderson does accept a deal then he also has to take the criticism which will inevitably come his way.

“The money is difficult to turn down hence why virtually no one has, a great servant & player for Liverpool,” the ex-defender-turned-pundit wrote on Twitter when asked about Henderson.

“Not a player in his prime but again a big statement to get the Liverpool captain to the Saudi league.

“He will get criticism because he got a lot of praise for his stance on LGBT+ in the past.”

Ollie Robinson has given England a boost with the declaration he expects to be “100 per cent fit” for the fourth Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford next week.

The seamer sent down just 11.2 overs at Headingley before suffering a back spasm, and while he had a six-ball cameo with the bat and fielded in Australia’s second innings, he did did not bowl again.

Robinson was told a heavy workload in the second Test at Lord’s – where he bowled 50.4 overs across two innings – plus just a four-day turnaround between matches was likely responsible for his injury.

But England defied his absence to record a three-wicket win, which means they trail 2-1 in the five-match series, and Robinson is hopeful of keeping his spot next time out after being included in a 14-strong squad for Manchester.

“It was so frustrating to get that back spasm on day one,” Robinson wrote in his column for Wisden.com. “I was really looking forward to bowling and it was coming out nicely, but these things happen.

“Normally when I’ve had back spasms before, they’ve built up and I would feel it coming on. Whereas this was on landing, it was just a sudden, quick stabbing feeling in the back.

“I think we caught it earlier than I have done in the past. I had some acupuncture, a bit of treatment, and I was fine after that. I was available to bowl on the third day if I’d been needed.

“The medical team said that it’s likely to have happened because I played back-to-back Test matches, and bowled 15 overs of bumpers at Lord’s. So sometimes these things come around, but then they go just as quickly as well. I’m 100 per cent fit for Manchester.”

Robinson, who had an injection in his lower back before the start of the county season, faces a battle to retain his place as James Anderson is pushing to be involved on his home ground for the penultimate Test – which starts next Wednesday – while the extra pace of Josh Tongue is also a consideration.

Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes are expected to stay in the XI, as is express fast bowler Mark Wood, who topped out at 96.5mph, took seven wickets at Headingley and contributed 40 with the bat off 24 balls.

“I’ve never seen a spell like Woody’s on that first morning,” Robinson said.

“After the first over I went to fine leg and I was standing no more than 15 yards behind (wicketkeeper) Johnny (Bairstow), thinking, literally, ‘this is the fastest thing I’ve ever seen’. It was crazy.

“The fact he was consistently getting the shape and movement on it as well – at that speed – was just unbelievable bowling. It was just amazing to watch and be a part of.”

Robinson added of his quirky team-mate: “Woody’s just got this mad, unique energy. There’s no one else like him.

“This is a bloke who, 10 minutes before we went out, literally at 10:50am, was on all-fours barking on the changing room floor, going, ‘there’s a dog in the dressing room. There’s a dog in here, lads’.”

The New York Jets and Quinnen Williams agreed Thursday to a four-year, $96 million extension that will make the 2022 All-Pro the NFL's second-highest paid defensive tackle, according to multiple reports.

Williams' new deal, which NFL.com reports contains $66 million in guaranteed money, will run through the 2027 season and is surpassed only by Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald's six-year, $135 million contract as the largest for an interior defensive linemen.

It's also the largest contract guarantee in Jets history, eclipsing the $51 million the team granted to linebacker C.J. Mosley in 2019.

Williams was entering the final season of his rookie contract and is coming off an outstanding 2022 campaign in which he recorded a career-high 12 sacks along with 55 tackles in 16 games, earning first team All-Pro honours for the first time in his four-year career.

The 25-year-old was selected by the Jets with the third overall pick of the 2019 draft, behind only Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and San Francisco 49ers star pass rusher Nick Bosa. Williams has compiled 191 tackles and 27.5 sacks in 57 career games, including 53 starts.

Williams is the fourth prominent defensive lineman to agree to a big new contract this offseason. The Tennessee Titans signed Jeffrey Simmons to a four-year, $94 million contract in April, while the Washington Commanders' Daron Payne received $90 million over four years and the New York Giants gave Dexter Lawrence $87.5 million over four years.

SImmons' extension also contained $66 million in guarantees.

Ons Jabeur believes her new-found patience helped propel her into another Wimbledon final.

The Tunisian sixth seed, last year’s runner-up, came from a set down to beat Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3 on Centre Court.

Sabalenka, banned from Wimbledon last year over the role of Belarus in the war in Ukraine, was a point from going a set and 5-3 up.

But Jabeur’s rousing comeback spared Wimbledon chiefs the uncomfortable situation of the Princess of Wales handing a trophy to, and shaking hands with, a player from Russia’s allied nation Belarus in the women’s final.

Instead of a politically-charged clash between Sabalenka and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Centre Court will host Jabeur against Czech Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday.

Jabeur was devastated after losing to Elena Rybakina in last year’s final, but believes she is a different player 12 months on.

“Maybe the old me would have lost that match today,” she said. “Probably 12 months ago, for sure. Maybe also a little bit before, like six months ago. It’s a different player.

“I’m working on myself like crazy. You have no idea what I’m doing. Every time there is something, I’m very tough with myself, try to improve everything. Very impatient sometimes, which is not good.

“Maybe my injuries slowed me down and teach me to be patient and accept what’s going on.”

A set and a break down, Jabeur came out fighting on the Sabalenka serve and it finally paid off.

“I was like, honestly, I’m not going to give a s***, I’m just going to go in and hit my return,” she added.

“Yeah, it was coming. I was returning much better. She missed some shots that did help me stay in the game. I was fighting every point. We just wait for a little bit of chance sometime to get the game, and that’s what happened.”

Sabalenka has reached four consecutive semi-finals but only won one of them, when she took the Australian Open title earlier this year.

“I didn’t play my best tennis today. It was just, like, a combo of everything. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of luck for her at some points,” she said.

“I mean, she just played really well. She played unbelievable tennis. In those key moments, she got a little bit more lucky, and I didn’t play the way I was supposed to play.”

Victory would have elevated Sabalenka above Iga Swiatek to become world number one.

“I wouldn’t say that I was thinking about that. I mean, for me it’s more about how you finish the year than during the year you’re first, second, you just go back and forth,” she added.

“For me it’s more about the finish to the year. I’ll keep pushing myself and do everything I can to finish this year as world number one.”