Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan declared they would attack the cinch Premiership play-off final with the same mentality that has seen them score 16 goals in four games.
The Jags set up a two-legged final against Kilmarnock or Ross County with a 5-0 semi-final second-leg victory over 10-man Ayr at Somerset Park.
Looking ahead to next Thursday’s first leg, Doolan said: “They are Premiership sides for a reason but we have a one-track mentality, we want to go up.
“We haven’t limped into the play-offs, we have not sat back and absorbed pressure, we have been the team in the ascendancy. That won’t change in the final.”
A double from Scott Tiffoney and goals from Jack McMillan, Steven Lawless and Kevin Holt completed an 8-0 aggregate victory.
Doolan said: “It’s a statement of what we’re capable of. To score five goals in a play-off game under the pressure that comes was brilliant to watch.
“We’ve got stronger as these games have gone on and we spoke about that.
“I’ve been on the other side of it as a Premiership side when you’re used to losing games and you come up against a Championship side who are used to winning. We’ve built a winning environment here.
“We will rest up and be ready for the next challenge ahead and come into it confident.”
Ayr’s top goalscorer Dipo Akinyemi was sent off in the 25th minute after lashing out at Aaron Muirhead and appearing to catch the defender’s chin with his forearm.
“I’ve not seen it so I am being careful not to comment on it but I felt there was a foul on him prior to that and he has reacted,” said Ayr manager Lee Bullen, who bemoaned defensive errors over the two legs.
“But you can’t react and you can’t lift your hands. By the letter of the law he probably does go but if he gets the foul in the first place he maybe doesn’t raise his hands.”
Meanwhile, Bullen was in the dark over rumours that Dundee had approached Ayr for permission to speak to him over their vacant managerial position.
“I have not heard a dickie bird,” he said.
“Nothing at all, absolutely nothing at all. I have got a job to do at Ayr, we are still in the early parts of that, building a story at Ayr United and I have genuinely not heard a thing from Dundee at all.”
Mikel Arteta praised the influence of Granit Xhaka in helping Arsenal carve out their surprise title challenge this season but would not be drawn on whether the midfielder will still be at the club next season.
Xhaka has been a key figure alongside Thomas Partey in Arteta’s midfield this campaign, becoming a respected leadership presence and redeeming himself in the eyes of supporters after a public spat in 2019 threatened his place in the squad.
Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen have been heavily linked with a move for the 30-year-old, whose contract is due to expire at the end of next season.
He spent four years in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach before Arsene Wenger brought him to Arsenal in 2016 for around £30million, but he endured a strained relationship with fans culminating in a confrontation as he was substituted during a game against Crystal Palace at the Emirates four years ago.
Then manager Unai Emery subsequently stripped him of the captaincy and his time at the club looked to be over.
But this season has seen a full rehabilitation for the Switzerland international as Arsenal ran Manchester City to the final weeks of the season for the title and returned to the Champions League after a six-year absence.
“For me (he’s been) crucial – really, really important at every level, and I think for the team and the club as well,” said Arteta, who said he would not comment on the futures of any of his side until after Sunday’s Premier League finale against Wolves.
“In the great moments like this season he has had, and in the difficult ones, because I think we have become a better club and better people and we have understood certain situations much better than just judging them.
“I think the club and a lot of people have done really good to dig in there to understand what happened emotionally and why those reactions were happening.
“Having the courage to say, ‘OK, turn around to the situation, face it’. There’s going to be a moment of doubt but if you believe in what you’re doing and you go face-to-face and you say what you feel, normally things work out pretty well.
“When you look how he behaved. We have some others who are absolutely a joy for those boys, the way they treat them. And he has an honest and unique willingness to help them. It’s not an act, it’s genuine.
“It makes the difference. We have four or five in that dressing room who have been critical for these players to grow, to have the right support, to inspire them and in the right moment to challenge them when it’s necessary to get them in the right direction when they are tempted to go somewhere else. You need that in that dressing room.”
Arteta said he would take the time to recharge himself after a draining campaign in which Arsenal led the table for 248 days before slipping away, a record for any side that has failed to win the title.
The team were eight points clear as recently as early April before a string of draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton weakened their advantage, allowing Manchester City to finally overtake them with a thumping 4-1 win at the Etihad.
The manager predicted the challenge will be even tougher if Arsenal aim to prevent City from winning a record fourth-straight crown, but planned to switch off from football for a period over the close season.
“I have the necessary energy to go into the last game and really feel again that connection, play well, win the game and finish the season in the right way,” he said.
“Then I have another kind of energy without that being so physical and so demanding and being there every single day but to have the time to think as well; to plan what we want to do, to try execute it, but to recharge my batteries as well next to my family, next to my friends, on a beautiful beach just not thinking about football.
“It’s very important (to be able to switch off). Me personally I have to get better at that but I think I have some good help around.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not believe Mohamed Salah will be looking for an escape route in search of Champions League football.
Writing on social media after Manchester United’s win over Chelsea on Thursday consigned Liverpool to the Europa League next season, the Egypt forward said he was “devastated” and there was “absolutely no excuse” for not finishing in the Premier League’s top four.
Last summer the 30-year-old signed a new contract, making him the highest-paid player in the club’s history, but even if next term goes to plan and they regain their place in the Champions League he will be close to entering the final 12 months of that deal.
Asked whether he was concerned about Salah’s immediate future after his rare public statement, Klopp said: “No worries, no. I only heard what he said but I couldn’t read anything that could lead in that direction.
“Obviously Mo loves being here and Mo was part of it. He said apologies for what ‘we’ did – not apologies for ‘what the other guys did, but I had to go with them’. It is all fine.
“If ever a player would come to me and said, ‘oh, we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, I have to leave’, I would drive him to the other club myself.
“I would take the key, (and say) ‘come in the car, where do you want to go, I drive you’.
“That would be something I never could understand. It is, I would say, ‘oh, we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, I need to work in the Champions League so I go’.”
Klopp said if that was a mentality he accepted he too would be looking to leave.
“I am responsible for this mess, or whatever, so you cannot go in these moments,” he added.
“It is not the case with Mo, not at all, and nobody else told me. They ask if they can have a longer holiday or whatever – but nobody asks me if after the holiday they have to come back.
“So that was not in our conversation.
“I saw him now in the canteen and he was smiling. I don’t know for which reason as I didn’t ask him, but he is not in a bad mood. That’s it.
“We didn’t point fingers at each other. That’s all good. If you don’t qualify for the Champions League, the best place you can possibly end up is fifth, so that’s what we did.
“If you’d have asked me 10 games ago if that was possible, I’d have said no. That the boys did that is really good but it’s not perfect.
“We didn’t end up fifth because of the last 10 games, we ended up there because of the lack of consistency before that.
“We didn’t deliver what everybody wanted or expected but we are still really united, that’s the good thing about it.”
Failure to qualify for the Champions League is set to cost Liverpool at least £50million next season but there may be implications in the shorter term as UEFA’s second-tier competition is likely to be less attractive to leading players.
The club have already pulled out of the running for primary target Jude Bellingham after the asking price for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder became prohibitive, and reports this week suggested Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount’s preferred destination is Manchester United.
Klopp is keen to get his business done early and is hopeful finishing fifth will not put a spanner in the works of their planning.
“I don’t think so but we will see. That is obviously possible, it’s always possible things don’t go as quick as you want. It’s not only possible, it is probably likely,” he added ahead of Sunday’s final match of the season at Southampton.
“The better the players you want the lesser is the desire of the other club to let him go and that’s exactly what we are prepared for.
“But it’s a long window and a long pre-season and a long break in-between so we have time. If we get in players tomorrow or in six or seven weeks it is not a game-changer for me to be honest.
“In an ideal world they all sign tomorrow and I can tell them when to be here and we can start giving them the plans for the summer break but that will not likely happen.”
Julen Lopetegui admits the uncertainly surrounding his future cannot be allowed to drag on.
The former Real Madrid manager’s long-term future at Molineux has been in the spotlight.
Financial fair play regulations will impact the club’s spending power this summer and Lopetegui has previously said he only discovered the constraints last week.
He has been calling for investment since securing Premier League safety and the manager will continue to speak to chairman Jeff Shi about what backing he will receive – but knows there needs to be a quick resolution.
He said: “I hope – we will see.
“I want to solve the problems. Maybe me or the club aren’t able to solve them 100 per cent, but I think we have to try, for our fans, for our club, for our history and for our future.
“If we want to be demanding in the future we have to demand now with ourselves and with this summer.
“I have a contract and I’ve been here for six months. I’m very happy here and I hope I can continue being happy here.
“But we have a problem and we must be honest and look each other in the eyes to try to solve the problems.
“Maybe not 100 per cent, but maybe 80 per cent, who knows?
“This is all. About my future, I have a contract and we will see what is going to happen, This is football, we don’t know.
“We have to talk, it’s not about one or two days. We have to talk about the solution and the future to be able to have a squad ready to compete again.
“This year has been a wake-up call. We have to learn why it has happened and to overcome and make our homework this summer. It’s not about one or two days. We need a clear picture.
“It’s important to have the squad ready. Maybe not 100 per cent of players but maybe 90 per cent. For me it’s very important, to have the squad ready to start working with us on July 1.”
Wolves to go Arsenal for Sunday’s Premier League finale and Joao Moutinho will not feature and is likely to have played his last game for the club as he is out of contract in the summer.
Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) is out while Lopetegui himself is banned from the touchline for collecting four yellow cards.
He added: “On Sunday we have an important match because it’s the last of the season. They have been very close to winning the Premier League and will want to make a good match in front of their fans. We have to be ready to compete with them.”
Ryan Mason insists Tottenham are still a “big club” and an attractive proposition for managers despite the ongoing search for a new head coach.
Spurs saw another contender to permanently replace Antonio Conte exit the running this week after Feyenoord boss Arne Slot committed his long-term future to the Eredivisie club before he signed a new deal on Friday.
Tottenham held an interest in Slot but the PA news agency understands no direct discussions with the 44-year-old took place.
Mason is under no illusions the top job at Spurs remains desirable.
“It is Tottenham Hotspur, it is a big club. Not just for managers or coaches, but for staff members, for players,” Spurs’ acting head coach said before Sunday’s trip to Leeds.
“Anyone here should feel the privilege and honour to represent the badge. If they don’t, then they shouldn’t be here. It is as simple as that.
“Maybe these people (like Slot) you might be mentioning, I don’t know who because I’ve not been looking at the press, but if their name is out there, they are not exactly moving themselves away from it. They know it is a big club.
“They know if Tottenham and their name is being linked, it is a massive positive for them.
“It is a big club, we know it is. Every manager and every coach knows it is a big club, players do, fans do.
“You can really feel it when you are here, when you are in our stadium. This will stay a big club and will be attractive for whoever is in charge next season.
“I am sure players as well will want to come here.
When Conte left his position on March 26 Tottenham were firmly in the race for Champions League qualification, but they travel to relegation-threatened Leeds on Sunday with only a faint chance of securing a place in the Europa Conference League.
Mason insisted that, while European football for next season is crucial, the most important task for the club is to put a plan in place.
“Obviously it has its implications and it’s not where the football club wants to be. We definitely want to be competing in Europe,” the 31-year-old stated.
“Any European competition is important for a club this size but at the same time the most important thing, regardless of whether we’re in or out of Europe, is that there is a plan and there is commitment from everyone to that going forward.”
During the last few weeks, Mason has repeatedly referenced the need for commitment at the club without going into specifics.
Even before Conte departed two months ago, the future of the Italian was uncertain with his deal set to expire this summer anyway.
Mason again refused to be drawn on whether any coaches, players or members of staff had lacked commitment this season, but admitted the squad had been affected by the turmoil off the pitch.
He added: “The results before he (Conte) left weren’t amazing. I don’t think results have dipped a huge amount.
“Obviously we were in a different position but I think you could feel it, you could feel it the weeks leading up to it there was uncertainty and it’s never great to have that uncertainty.
“We’ve probably been in that situation for the last eight weeks where there’s been a lot of uncertainty.
“That is why one of my main things when me and my team of people came in, I wanted to create a togetherness and make us feel part of something towards the end of the season.”
Partick Thistle continued their goalscoring spree to reach the cinch Premiership play-off final with a 5-0 win over 10-man Ayr at Somerset Park.
Scott Tiffoney hit a double and Jack McMillan, Steven Lawless and Kevin Holt were on target as the Jags secured an 8-0 aggregate victory.
Championship runners-up Ayr had top goalscorer Dipo Akinyemi sent off to cap a miserable play-off experience for the striker and the club.
Thistle will take on either Kilmarnock or Ross County in the two-legged final with the Staggies needing to win at Rugby Park on Sunday to avoid a difficult obstacle to retaining their top-flight status.
The Jags have scored 16 goals in four play-off wins and have only lost once in 17 games since Kris Doolan took charge.
Although a fourth-placed team in the Championship has never won the play-offs, Thistle now have an extra two days’ rest then their opponents before the first leg next Thursday after having a full week between both games against Ayr.
Ayr midfielder Reece McAlear had an early strike saved but the sting was taken out of the game in the seventh minute when McMillan netted his third goal of the play-off campaign.
The right-back provided the impetus to the move with a run into the box and his cross eventually fell for Aidan Fitzpatrick, whose shot was stopped by Ayr goalkeeper Charlie Albinson. McMillan was perfectly placed to nod the rebound over the line.
There were chances at either end in the following moments but Thistle looked the more dangerous side and the home side’s slim hopes disappeared in the 25th minute when Akinyemi was sent off.
The striker, who missed the first leg through illness, reacted angrily to being held by Aaron Muirhead and tried to push the defender away.
The man whose 24 goals earned him the PFA Scotland Championship player of the year award caught the defender in the face with his arm and Muirhead went down and received treatment.
Referee Colin Steven took a long time to deliver his punishment but Akinyemi was already walking towards the tunnel before the red card was shown.
Ayr manager Lee Bullen did not appear to be in agreement and pointed his finger at someone on the pitch.
His mood worsened two minutes later when Thistle doubled their lead on the counter-attack.
Fitzpatrick broke down the left, took his time and picked out Tiffoney at the far post to knock home. The former Ayr loan player celebrated by putting his finger to his mouth in front of the home support.
Albinson saved one on one from Brian Graham before Tiffoney added another goal in the 54th minute. A wonderful first-time pass from Steven Lawless sent McMillan down the right and his low cross was turned home from six yards.
Lawless netted in the 63rd minute with a reverse finish after Albinson had palmed away Kevin Holt’s cross.
Substitutes Anton Dowds, twice, and Danny Mullen missed good chances for the visitors before Holt headed home Kyle Turner’s 88th-minute corner.
Tyson Fury claims to have sent Anthony Joshua “a draft contract” for a fight at Wembley Stadium in September.
The fierce British rivals appeared on course to meet each other last year, but discussions broke down.
Joshua has been linked with a fight against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia, while WBC champion Fury’s proposed undisputed heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk fell through in March.
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Fury says a clash with Joshua “is a fight that everyone wants to see, including myself”.
Writing on his Instagram page, Fury said: “A few days ago I sent a draft contract to @anthonyjoshua for a fight in September @wembleystadium it’s a fight that everyone wants to see, including myself.
“Come of AJ lets give the world what they want to see. This time I’m not gonna make a million vids & keep putting pressure on. the ball is now on your side.. @frank_warren_official @eddiehearn @btsportboxing @daznboxing @toprank @espn @skysports”.
The Arizona Cardinals have released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after failing to find a trade partner.
The team announced the move Friday on Twitter.
Hopkins spent three seasons with the Cardinals after being acquired via trade from the Houston Texans in March 2020.
The 30-year-old had a stellar debut season with Arizona, being voted to his fifth Pro Bowl after tying his personal best with 115 catches totalling 1,407 yards.
In 2021 and 2022, Hopkins had a combined 106 catches as a torn knee ligament and a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing substances limited his playing time.
Earlier this offseason, the Cardinals brought in a new leadership team in general manager Monti Ossenfort and defensive-minded head coach Jonathan Gannon, leading to trade rumours circling Hopkins.
Arizona were unable to find a trade partner to take on Hopkins' $22.6million salary cap hit during the draft last month, leaving the rebuilding Cardinals no other choice but to release the three-time All-Pro receiver.
Amid the offseason trade rumours, Hopkins had been notably absent from voluntary OTA workouts and caused a stir earlier this week when he discussed the NFL's top quarterbacks on a podcast and omitted now-former teammate Kyler Murray.
In three seasons with the Cardinals, Hopkins recorded 221 receptions for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns in 35 games.
The 10-year veteran has 853 career catches for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns.
Joseph O’Brien is heading to Royal Ascot with Nemonte who came with a strong late run to win the Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden on debut at the Curragh.
Although sent off an unfancied 20-1 chance for the six furlong contest, the daughter of Ten Sovereigns was staying on strongly from a patient ride by Mikey Sheehy, getting up by a neck in the shadow of the winning post. Sheehy’s brother, Danny, was on the runner-up Gaenari.
Connections of the winner could target the Albany Stakes if wishing to stay at six furlongs, but O’Brien is eyeing up a step up in trip where she could tackle the colts in the Chesham Stakes at the royal meeting.
He said: “It was a smart performance. We thought she would run well but didn’t expect her to win first time at six (furlongs). I was impressed with the way she really quickened up on her own on the wing
“It looked a good maiden with plenty on them well fancied so we’ll look to go for either the Chesham or the Albany.
“The dam won at a mile and a quarter so she qualifies for the Chesham and will probably go straight there. She probably wants to go seven.”
Fresh from saddling their first winner since joining forces last weekend, Michael Halford and Tracey Collins doubled their tally when Ostraka caused a shock at 50-1 in the Extra Place Races At Novibet Irish EBF Fillies Maiden.
The Profitable filly came from last to first under Ronan Whelan, looking a nice prospect in the process.
“Last year we brought her to a barrier trial and she disappointed. She lost a shoe and things just didn’t work out for her. She kept growing and weakened out on us so we put her away,” said Halford.
“She was working well and only getting going for us now. I thought she would come on for the run as she’s very laid back.
“She jumped a bit slow and Ronan just let her find her feet. You’d know from a long way down that she was travelling easy.
“She’s from a very fast family, the likes of Osterhase. Hopefully she’ll be a black type filly and we’ll sit down and see where we go from here.”
Bellaphina (13-2) was a first ever Flat winner for John Kinsella when winning at Limerick last month and the filly followed up under Conor Maxwell in the DNG Spring Fillies Handicap.
Aidan O’Brien’s Subzero (8-11 favourite) broke his duck at the third time of asking in the Live Music At McDonnells Bar Newbridge Irish EBF Maiden.
Lewis Hamilton had hoped his revamped Mercedes would have propelled him closer to the front after he finished sixth in practice for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s Mercedes team arrived for the sixth round of the season in the sun-cooked principality armed with a major upgrade.
But after an encouraging start – with Hamilton briefly heading the order in the opening running of the weekend – the British driver ended the day half-a-second behind Max Verstappen, who finished fastest for Red Bull. George Russell was only 12th in the other Mercedes.
“It is a shame we were not as close as I hoped we would be at the end of the session,” said Hamilton.
“In P1, I thought, ‘Wow, maybe we’re looking pretty good’, but in P2 we were close to half-a-second off. I don’t think we have half a second in the bag.
“We’ve just got to keep chipping away to see if we can squeeze any more juice out of the cup.”
After giving up on this season’s car on the eve of the opening race in Bahrain, Mercedes have spent the ensuing dozen weeks working on a new design philosophy.
The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod concept and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a drastic change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton’s career.
On Sunday, it will be 539 days since Hamilton last stood on the top step of the podium at the penultimate round of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia.
And although Mercedes are keen not to draw too many conclusions at this week’s unique Monte Carlo configuration – and believe the following round at the well-trodden Circuit de Catalunya venue on the outskirts of Barcelona will present them with a better understanding of where they stand – the evidence of practice suggests they are no closer to providing a real challenge to Red Bull.
Hamilton added: “It’s not really the place to test an upgrade, but the car was generally feeling good.
“It’s very clear where the lack of performance is, and we will talk about that in the debrief. Hopefully this gives us a platform to build on moving forwards.”
Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez are the only men to have won a race this year, but their rapid Red Bull is not necessarily suited to the narrow and slow-speed track in Monaco.
However, despite Perez managing only seventh in practice, Verstappen’s pace indicates he could still be the driver to beat.
Home favourite Charles Leclerc is ready to pounce – after he finished just 0.065 seconds back – with his Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, who crashed out of second practice remaining following a mistake at the high-speed swimming pool chicane, third.
Fernando Alonso could be a contender, too. The Aston Martin driver, 41, took fourth spot, 0.220 sec adrift of Verstappen. Lando Norris finished fifth in his McLaren.
Owen Farrell insists Saracens return to the Gallagher Premiership final with more strings to their bow as a result of last year’s Twickenham heartache.
Leicester were crowned champions at Saracens’ expense and although it was a narrow 15-12 defeat, a disappointing performance prompted a tactical rethink that has produced greater emphasis on attack.
Now they face the ultimate test of their progress in the winner-takes-all clash with Sale on Saturday.
“It took us a while to figure out how to get the best out of ourselves after last year’s final because we didn’t do that in that game,” Farrell said.
“What happened probably allowed us to change a bit more than we usually would after a final. It got us looking at ourselves a bit more than usual.
“Just simply because we were nowhere near our best and we didn’t give the best version of ourselves.
“Obviously Leicester played a massive part in that, but we don’t want to come off the field feeling like that again. That 80 minutes made us look at everything and look at how we can be better.
“Everyone talks about us now like we have turned into a team that plays attacking rugby this year alone. We’ve won stuff before playing good rugby.
“We have always had a solid basis behind us and we still have but there were times during the year and sometimes in big pressure games that we were trying to stay in the fight whereas now we want to take opportunities and make good decisions.
“Part of that could be staying in the fight – we want to be good at that – and part of that could be moving the ball. It could be anything – kick pass, run.
“We want to be good enough to play any way the game demands of us and we feel like we have taken a step forward with that this year. Hopefully that plays a big part in what we have do on Saturday.”
A key battle that will shape the contest is Farrell’s fly-half duel with George Ford, his long-term friend and former England team-mate who has been hugely influential for Sale since returning from an Achilles injury.
“I have known George since I was a kid. When you come up against him, first and foremost you know you are playing against a quality player,” Farrell said.
“You know you are playing against someone who knows what they are doing and as he has shown since coming back into the Sale team, he has been outstanding.
“He’s in a good place, he looks calm, he looks in control and I am sure he is a big driver behind this Sale team so I am looking forward to it.”
George Ford says it is not about individual match-ups ahead of an intriguing Twickenham battle with friend and England colleague Owen Farrell.
Ford will pull the tactical strings for Sale on their first appearance in a Gallagher Premiership final since 2006.
His rival fly-half Farrell, meanwhile, is key to Saracens’ hopes of securing a sixth Premiership title on Saturday following the crushing disappointment that accompanied their defeat against Leicester at Twickenham last season.
“We understand Owen has an unbelievable influence on the Saracens team, but he is one of only 15 men on the field at that particular time,” Sale playmaker Ford said.
“There are threats everywhere, and we are like that ourselves. I am one of only 15 at a time for Sale.
“I never see it as just a match-up between me and him. There is so much more that goes into a game of rugby.
“Obviously, both of us will want to do our job as well as we can, of course we do, for our team, and that is making as many good decisions and executing as well as we can.
“He is a great friend, and we understand we are just a cog in a machine of two teams, I suppose, that hopefully have an influence on the game one way or another.
“That consistency that he (Farrell) plays at very rarely dips. You see the influence he has on the teams he plays in and the way he drives it.
“He is obviously driving their variety in terms of the way they attack when they have the ball, and he is probably as ferocious as ever in defence.
“A lot of the stuff in rugby comes down to not just one player against another, it comes down to many things.
“Who has got momentum, who’s got speed of ball, who has got field position, who’s building pressure the most? And then it is about who executes better in those moments.
“Saracens have added variety to their game, everybody knows about that, in terms of the last 12 months, the way they play with the ball.
“But it comes down to who executes the best under pressure, because both teams are going to try to put each other under pressure. Who can handle that?”
Ford started for Leicester in last season’s final but a serious Achilles injury suffered during the first half of that game meant a lengthy rehabilitation programme and his Sale debut being delayed until earlier this year.
He now has a chance to win silverware in his first campaign with the Sharks, backing Ford’s long-held view that Sale can be challenging for trophies.
Reflecting on the move north, he added: “It was the reasons of coming up to where I grew up, coming up to be close to my family, coming to a team I knew had unbelievable potential to start competing and hopefully start challenging for titles in the Premiership.
“Also, to have a new challenge. Sometimes, the easier decision as a player is to be more comfortable, stick with what you know, understand where you are within that team.
“But also you’ve a decision where you can maybe come out of your comfort zone, come to a new team and you are at a stage where you have to start influencing, you’ve got to start proving yourself again to a whole new group of people and see what you can do with that team.
“I think that brings the best out of you sometimes. I certainly felt that coming back from injury. I have loved it.”
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from May 26.
Football
Harry Kane was proud of his award.
Manchester United players celebrated a Champions League spot.
United and Aston Villa looked back on European glory.
Mohamed Salah apologised for Liverpool’s “failed” season.
The club’s ground staff had a parting gift for James Milner.
Barnsley set out on a journey they hope will take them to the Championship.
Goalkeepers’ union.
Morecambe remembered their former defender Christian Mbulu on the anniversary of his death.
Rachel Brown-Finnis helped the next generation.
New threads.
Formula One
The glamour of Monaco.
Pic of the day?
Boxing
Conor McGregor had something to say to Floyd Mayweather.
https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1661974372712628224
Carlos Alcaraz is ready to take top billing at a grand slam for the first time as he steps into Rafael Nadal’s clay-court shoes.
With the 14-time champion choosing to sit out a chunk of the season ahead of an expected swansong next year, Spanish hopes at the French Open now rest on Alcaraz’s broad shoulders.
The 20-year-old claimed his first grand slam title at the US Open last summer but was forced to sit out the Australian Open through injury so will be entering a major as a slam champion for the first time.
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He is also the number one seed after surpassing Novak Djokovic following back-to-back titles in Barcelona and Madrid.
“For me it’s still crazy to see myself as top seed in a grand slam,” he said. “But at the same time it’s great. It’s something that I work for to be there. I’m really happy to be number one seed here at Roland Garros.”
Alcaraz’s swift rise and instant popularity has been a gift to the sport as it faces losing all of its long-time figureheads.
Nadal will miss the tournament for the first time since 2004, and his young compatriot said: “I felt bad when I heard that Rafa, he was not able to play here in Roland Garros and probably the rest of the year.
“As a fan of tennis, I always want to watch Rafa playing. I always want to watch the best players in the world playing the tournaments. And of course learning from them really close, here in the locker rooms, around the club, the tournament, for me is great.
“When I heard that it was tough to understand how it’s going to be without Rafa this year. Hopefully we’ll see him next year and he’s 100 per cent.”
Nadal cited the Paris Olympics, where the tennis will be held at Roland Garros, as a key target for next season, and Alcaraz welcomed the idea of the two men playing doubles together for Spain.
“It could be a dream playing doubles with him in the Olympics,” he said. “So of course let’s see. Let’s see how he’s doing and how he’s going this year. Hopefully he’s going great.”
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Alcaraz could potentially meet Djokovic in the semi-finals, with Daniil Medvedev having overtaken the Serbian to claim the second seeding by virtue of winning his first tour title on clay at the Italian Open last weekend.
Medvedev lost in the first round on his first four appearances at Roland Garros before reaching the quarter-finals in 2021 and the fourth round last year.
Asked if he now believes he can win the French Open, the Russian said: “I don’t know. Because I also don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. But what happened in Rome was amazing, especially beating a lot of good players.
“That’s an amazing feeling, and I’m for sure maybe having more expectation than I usually had in Roland Garros. But I know that it’s also tricky and you have to use this confidence, but not get cocky, because that’s where the danger is.
“Sometimes you think, ‘Oh, well, I played so well, now it’s going to be easy’. Then the first round you have problems. You can get angry and maybe lose the match. So I have been in this situation many times, and I just want to try to play good tennis here in Roland Garros.”
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