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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Arsenal will face the MLS All-Stars, who will be coached by Wayne Rooney, in a friendly in July.

The annual MLS All-Star Game sees a squad made up of players from across the league come together to face an opponent.

For the last two years, the MLS All-Stars have played a Liga MX All-Stars team, with the team from the United States' top tier emerging victorious on both occasions.

However, the 2023 edition will see the MLS All-Stars return to playing a European club, with Arsenal appearing in the exhibition event for a second time.

The Gunners beat an All-Stars side that included Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Didier Drogba and David Villa 2-1 in San Jose in 2016.

This year's match will be held at Audi Field in Washington, D.C, with England's joint-record goalscorer Rooney – who coaches D.C. United in MLS – set to take charge of the All-Stars.

"I've had a front-row seat to watch the growth and development of Major League Soccer, first as a player and now as a manager," said Rooney in a statement.

"The opportunity to lead the best our league has to offer against a top Premier League club like Arsenal will be a highlight for me personally and an unforgettable experience for our passionate fanbase here in D.C."

Mikel Arteta said: "It's great that we're playing against the MLS All-Stars in Washington D.C. in July.

"Our US tour [in 2022] was very good preparation for the season, and we're looking forward to once again visiting our amazing supporters in the US. The match against the MLS All-Stars will be a good test ahead of the 2023-24 season."

On July 18, 10 Arsenal players will also go up against 10 MLS players in the Skills Challenge, which will again be held at Audi Field.

Arsenal are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League with 10 games remaining, while Rooney's D.C. United are 11th in the Eastern Conference in MLS with four points from as many games this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice yet Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe helped Paris Saint-Germain defeat Riyadh All-Stars 5-4 in a thrilling friendly.

The exhibition at King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday saw 21 shots on target, nine goals, a red card for Juan Bernat and a penalty miss from Neymar.

Having had his debut for new club Al Nassr delayed due to a domestic ban carried over from his time at Manchester United, Ronaldo's first game since moving to Saudi Arabia came for a hybrid XI that also contained players from Al Hilal.

It set up a reunion with long-time rival and fellow multiple Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi in what was their first meeting on the pitch of any sort since Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League group stage in 2020.

Messi came out on top in terms of scoreline in this 37th encounter between the pair, with PSG pulling away in a game that the hosts levelled on three occasions, but Ronaldo outscored the 2022 World Cup winner.

Neymar, Mbappe and Messi all combined for the latter to open the scoring inside the opening three minutes, but Ronaldo equalised from a penalty he himself won after being caught in the face by Keylor Navas.

PSG lost Bernat to a straight red card for his last-man challenge just inside the opposition half, though they were soon back in front through a close-range Marquinhos finish from Mbappe's assist.

Neymar missed the chance to extend PSG's lead when having a tame penalty saved, and that proved costly when Ronaldo glanced in a trademark header on the stroke of half-time.

PSG still could not shake off their opponents after Sergio Ramos' strike, teed up by Mbappe, was cancelled out by Jang Hyun-soo's header less than three minutes later.

Mbappe capped an impressive display with a goal of his own from the penalty spot on the hour mark. He was then subbed off, along with Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo.

The tempo of the game dropped from that point but the entertainment continued until full-time as Anderson Talisca pulled back a late goal after Hugo Ekitike had seemingly put PSG out of sight, though the Riyadh All-Stars could not equalise for a fifth time.

Jurgen Klopp has suggested he will not consider selecting Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool's return to action against Manchester City next week.

Van Dijk returned to training with Liverpool in Dubai this week on the back of the Netherlands' elimination from the World Cup against Argentina last Friday.

The 31-year-old played a full part in all five of his country's matches in Qatar – including extra time in the quarter-final loss to Argentina – totalling 480 minutes of action.

However, while Klopp does not want to rush Van Dijk's comeback, he has yet to make a call on England duo Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Henderson did not finish any of the three England matches he started, while Alexander-Arnold managed just 33 minutes on the field across the Three Lions' five matches.

"Yes, there's a chance, of course – they're training already," Klopp told Liverpool's official website when asked if any returning World Cup players would be in action against City.

"Hendo is already training here. Virgil is training here, but I don't think we will try that. Hendo we will see, Trent we will see. 

"But this group worked now together for nearly two weeks and we made a real step and that's cool. I don't know in this moment.

"I hope we all get through it and we all know in England, and in Europe in general, there's kind of a virus going around, so we hope we can stay out of that. 

"Then we'll make the decision obviously on Wednesday who can play on Thursday. But it's good and will be a very interesting game after that period, but I'm looking forward to it."

Liverpool defeated Milan 4-1 in their second mid-season friendly on Friday, with Darwin Nunez – who suffered early World Cup heartbreak with Uruguay – scoring twice.

Mohamed Salah and Thiago Alcantara were also on target for Liverpool in the United Arab Emirates, where Klopp used 22 different players, including a number of youngsters.

"In general, tonight was the result of the last 10 days what we saw in training and tonight we could bring it on the pitch, which is obviously nice," Klopp said.

"I'm not sure the academy [players] could watch the game tonight but when you see these boys and performing in a game like this, it's cool. 

"It's a real physical game, adult football is a physical game and the boys need to make these steps so they can get ready for it step by step. 

"The physical part will come but until you are that strong, you can create a lot of ideas, you can do things a bit smarter. 

"There was a lot of really good things tonight and that's why we play football. We want to see good football games."

Liverpool's trip to the Etihad Stadium is followed four days later by a visit to Aston Villa on their return to Premier League action, before hosting Leicester City on December 30.

Erik ten Hag accused his Manchester United players of "sleeping" in their friendly defeat to Cadiz and says the first-half display was "not acceptable".

United lost 4-2 to the LaLiga strugglers at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Wednesday in their first of two warm-up matches before the season resumes in a fortnight.

The Red Devils were two down inside 14 minutes in Spain, but they levelled up through Anthony Martial's penalty and a deflected Kobbie Mainoo strike either side of half-time.

But United, who fielded different sides in each half, conceded two more goals and manager Ten Hag was not pleased with what he saw from his experimental side.

"It is quite clear. We were not awake, still sleeping, in first 15 minutes," he told MUTV. "They are a threat in transition. We have seen, the second goal can't happen. 

"We were not awake in the defence but also in the midfield we got run off. It's not possible and it's not acceptable.

"After that, we came into the game and got a penalty. I think it was a clear one and I think maybe the second half we deserved another penalty, but the first one was a clear one. 

"We came in the game, but we couldn't make the equaliser before half-time."

United were without 15 players who have been, or still are, taking part in the World Cup, and Ten Hag used the friendly as a chance to give some younger players some action.

"They gave energy," Ten Hag said of the youngsters such as Shola Shoretire and goalscorer Mainoo. "They run; they fight.

"They're maybe not always in the right organisation, so they make mistakes because they are not used to playing in this level. It was a good lesson.

"You see that if you make small mistakes, they have big consequences and that's what happened."

Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay, Donny van Beek and Martial were among the players to start for United, who face Real Betis next on Saturday.

Reflecting on what was a first run-out for his players since beating Fulham 2-1 on November 13, Ten Hag said: "We've spoken about the game and we'll do so again tomorrow.

"Then we have to strike it, draw a line and then move on. It can't happen in the future. The first 15 minutes cannot happen. That's not our standard and that should not happen."

United's first game after the World Cup break is against Burnley in the EFL Cup last 16 on December 21, before facing Nottingham Forest in the Premier League six days later.

Niclas Fullkrug came off the bench to spare Germany's blushes in their lone World Cup warm-up as they claimed a 1-0 friendly win over Oman in Muscat.

The Werder Bremen attacker replaced fellow debutant Youssoufa Moukoko at half-time and scored with 10 minutes to play in a lacklustre encounter at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.

Even with a pick-and-mix side that blended experienced faces with fresh blood, head coach Hansi Flick is likely to have some concerns a week out from his side's Qatar 2022 curtain raiser against Japan in Group E.

Despite a performance below the standards Die Nationalmannschaft are likely to set themselves, the former Bayern Munich boss will hope to have found clarity rather than confusion in their encounter with Branko Ivankovic's hosts.

Having started in-form Borussia Dortmund teenager Moukoko in attack, Germany pushed hard early on, with Leroy Sane their most dangerous operator.

An apparent problem for RB Leipzig's Lukas Klostermann – who only returned from a knee ligament injury this month – checked any momentum though, with Armel Bella-Kotchap drafted in just after the half-hour mark.

With nothing to show on the scoreboard come the interval, Fullkrug joined the fray amid a slate of sweeping changes as Flick looked to find a way through.

Germany looked as if they would be frustrated, by both their own slow tempo and the stubborn resistance Oman presented throughout, with the hosts determined to give their heavyweight foes a challenge.

As the clock crept towards the final stages however, the visitors struck, with Fullkrug released between the defence to fire into the bottom corner and give his country the narrow win heading into Qatar 2022.

Cristiano Ronaldo has appeared to confirm he will make his return to the Manchester United side for Sunday's friendly with Rayo Vallecano.

The Portugal international has yet to feature in pre-season amid widespread reports he is seeking a move away from Old Trafford, less than a year on from returning to the club.

Further doubts were raised over Ronaldo's future when he was not included as part of United's 21-man travelling party ahead of Saturday's meeting with Atletico Madrid in Oslo.

However, responding to a tweet from a fan page announcing he would not play in either of United's friendlies this weekend, Ronaldo replied: "Sunday, the king plays".

Should he feature against Rayo, it will be the first time Ronaldo has put on the United shirt since the 4-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on May 7.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner sat out the final game of last season through injury and was not present for the Red Devils' four friendlies on their tour of Thailand and Australia.

Ronaldo was back at United's Carrington training base this week for talks, but widespread reports suggest he is still seeking a move to a team competing in the Champions League.

He scored 18 Premier League goals last season – only Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min (both 23) netted more – but United still finished in sixth with their lowest ever points tally.

The 24 goals Ronaldo scored in all competitions in 2021-22 were 14 more than next-best Bruno Fernandes, with no other United player reaching double-figures in a dire season.

Ronaldo was particularly active on social media on Friday, having earlier responded to a post suggesting his agent Jorge Mendes had held talks with United's hierarchy.

"Impossible not to talk about me [for] one day," he wrote. "Otherwise the press makes no money.

"You know that if you don't lie, you can't get people's attention. Keep going that one day you [get] some news right."

Arsenal and Sevilla will observe a minute's applause in memory of Jose Antonio Reyes during Saturday's Emirates Cup clash. 

Reyes, who represented Sevilla and Arsenal during his playing career, died in a car accident in June 2019 at the age of 35. 

He lifted the Europa League three times with Sevilla and won two major honours with Arsenal. 

With two of his former clubs set to face off this weekend, Sevilla announced on Friday that a special tribute had been planned. 

Supporters inside Emirates Stadium were encouraged to applaud Reyes in the ninth minute, marking the number he wore on his shirt at Arsenal. 

There will also be a video tribute played on the big screens ahead of kick-off, while managers Mikel Arteta and Julen Lopetegui will exchange shirts before the match. 

Manchester United's players must "be ready to hear things we don't want to" from new manager Erik ten Hag if they are to avoid a repeat of last season, according to full-back Diogo Dalot.

Ten Hag officially replaced interim boss Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford last month on the back of United posting their lowest-ever Premier League points tally (58) in the 2021-22 campaign.

The Dutchman's tenure has started in a positive fashion with three wins and a draw during the Red Devils' pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, scoring 13 goals in the process.

However, Ten Hag criticised his team for an "unacceptable" loss of concentration in Saturday's friendly with Aston Villa, which finished in a 2-2 draw despite United leading by two goals at half-time.

Dalot, who played 67 minutes of the game in Perth, accepts that such comments must be taken on board.

"It is discipline. We need to be ready for that, to be ready to hear things that maybe we don't want to hear," Dalot said. "Everything is for the greater good of the team and that’s the most important thing.

"I feel that we start from scratch: new manager, new stuff, new energy, new players coming in, and we’re looking forward to playing with them as well. We need to build a team, a staff, a club, everyone together and go forward."

Jadon Sancho's third goal of pre-season and a Matty Cash own goal put United in a commanding position against Villa at Optus Stadium, but Leon Bailey pulled one back and Calum Chambers headed a stoppage-time leveller.

"We should have come into the second half a little bit more lively," Dalot said. "Obviously we were winning 2-0, but we need to keep the tempo, keep the ball, we don't want to concede so many counter-attacks that we conceded.

"But it is something to learn for the future. We are going to analyse the game for sure and take the lessons. We need to be proactive, not just the full-back – everyone. Read the game, be always on our toes.

"Mentally we have to be connected all the time, and hopefully we can improve a little bit more as well and go to the season."

Dalot has started all four of United's pre-season friendlies, suggesting he has dislodged Aaron Wan-Bissaka as first-choice right-back heading into Ten Hag's first season in charge.

The Portugal international has struggled to hold down a place since arriving from Porto in 2018, and was sent out on loan to Milan in the 2020-21 campaign, but he is up for the challenge of proving himself.

"I want to be ready for the manager, for the club – every time he needs me I'm going to be there," Dalot said.

"I need to show my qualities as well. This is why I came here, to show to this club I'm capable of playing many games for it. This is what I want."

Thomas Tuchel questioned the commitment of his Chelsea players and admitted they were "simply not good enough" in their heavy friendly defeat to Arsenal on Saturday.

The Blues were thumped 4-0 by Premier League rivals Arsenal at Camping World Stadium in Orlando in the final game of their pre-season tour of the United States.

Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Albert Sambi Lokonga were all on target for the Gunners, who looked far sharper in front of the 64,000 watching spectators.

And with the new season just two weeks away, Chelsea head coach Tuchel is worried about what he saw from his side.

"I think we deserved to lose – which is fair enough – because we were simply not good enough," he said.

"We were absolutely not competitive. The worrying part is the level of commitment, physically and mentally, was not the same – it was far higher for Arsenal than us.

"We can argue they played with I think their strongest line-up; they've had now together several weeks and for more than one year. 

"They've strengthened their line-up, played the same structure, and this is the line-up they'll try to start Premier League games.

"It was not our strongest line-up and this is part of an explanation, but only a little part. The other part is worrying."

First-team regulars Edouard Mendy, Reece James, Jorginho and Mason Mount started the game, while new signings Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly also featured.

Chelsea were also beaten on penalties by MLS side Charlotte FC earlier in the week after a 1-1 draw in normal time, which followed on from a 2-1 win against Club America.

The Blues round off their pre-season programme away at Udinese next week before facing Everton in their opening Premier League game on August 6.

Tuchel has made clear he wants to further strengthen his squad before that trip to Goodison Park, with Jules Kounde reportedly close to joining from Sevilla.

"The analysing of the season does not change because of this game," Tuchel said when asked about the need to bring in more new signings. 

"Unfortunately, it proved my point and the last week proves my point. I would prefer to not be right and I did everything to prove myself wrong.

"But at the moment I feel I was right when I look at the last season and at the parts of the game where we struggled and how we struggled.

"We got sanctioned and players left us, we know that some players are trying to leave us, and this is where it is. 

"We've got two quality players – that is no doubt – but we are not competitive like this and unfortunately we could see it today."

Chelsea finished third in the Premier League last season, a distant 18 points behind runners-up Liverpool and 19 behind champions Manchester City.

Tuchel, who was not prepared to use fatigue as an excuse for the Arsenal loss, accepts his side cannot realistically think about making up the gap on the top two. 

"At the moment, given the last two weeks, given our last week and given the game today we should not mention the two teams in front of us," he said.

"We got absolutely beaten by a team that does not play Champions League next season, that is behind us. And it seems at the moment far ahead of us."

Tuchel added: "I am a huge fan of a strong pre-season for everything: for the atmosphere, for the feeling, for the performance, for the belief.

"We need to find solutions. We fly home now and then we have one-and-a-half days only and Tuesday afternoon we need to present solutions. 

"We need to present actions. We, me, the coaching staff, together with our team to stand up again and find a way through this because it hurts at the moment."

Antonio Conte has suggested Bayern Munich have been "a bit disrespectful" by refusing to rule out a move for Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

Kane, who has two years remaining on his Spurs contract, is reportedly being lined up as a potential replacement for Robert Lewandowski at the Allianz Arena following the prolific Poland captain's switch to Barcelona.

Bayern head coach Nagelsmann has expressed his admiration for the England skipper, but says he knows Kane may be too expensive.

The Bavarian giants' CEO Oliver Kahn had denied that the club are interested in buying Kane during this transfer window, but refused to rule out a move for the 28-year-old further down the line.

Speaking after his talisman Kane netted twice as Tottenham came from behind to beat Rangers 2-1 in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, Conte made it clear he was not impressed with Bayern.

"For sure, I'm a coach that doesn't speak about players from another team," the Italian said.

"The situation is very clear at Tottenham and Harry is a very important part of the project. [They are] only rumours, but I don't like to talk about players from another club.

"If I want to do something, I don't do it through the media. Maybe, that's a bit disrespectful for the other club."

Kane has scored five times in three games during pre-season, with Tottenham unbeaten after their 6-3 victory over a K-League XI and 1-1 draw with Sevilla.

The London club complete their preparations for the Premier League campaign against their former boss Jose Mourinho's Roma side next weekend, and Conte is pleased with the shape his squad are in.

"I'm happy because the [Rangers] game wasn't a friendly game; it was a real game," he added.

"The last game they played against West Ham, they won 3-1, and you know the fitness of Rangers is higher. But despite this, I think that we played with a good intensity, a good pressure and a good quality.

"For sure, we can improve because we conceded a goal that we can avoid, but I'm delighted with the attitude and the will and desire that the players are showing me in this pre-season. I'm very happy."

Erik ten Hag says there can be no excuse for Manchester United's "unacceptable" second-half display after they let a two-goal lead slip in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa.

Jadon Sancho's third goal of pre-season and a Matty Cash own goal put United in a commanding position at half-time in the friendly at Optus Stadium in Perth.

However, the Red Devils were unable to see out a fourth win in four outings, as Leon Bailey pulled one back and Calum Chambers headed in a 93rd-minute leveller.

While disappointed his side dropped off after the break, Ten Hag is glad it happened in a friendly rather than in a competitive contest.

"I said in the dressing room, a drop of focus is unacceptable, but I'm happy because now I can tell them it cannot happen [again]," he said in his post-match news conference.

"[At the start of the second half you] have to get out of the dressing room and back in your plan and your focus and back to your performance and that is what we didn't do.

"We had a lot of movement behind the defending line, scored two great goals, so we were 2-0 up at half-time, and then our focus dropped."

United's fourth and final friendly in 11 days on their tour of Thailand and Australia was played in wet conditions, with concerns raised over the quality of the pitch ahead of kick-off.

Ten Hag did not want to use the playing surface as a reason for their shortcomings.

"It can be that the guys are tired, but that's not an excuse. They have to perform and it is what we didn't do in the second half," he said.

"It was the focus. I don't want to make excuses about the pitch or weather. No matter what, we have to perform.

"Football is a sport of mistakes and we have to decrease the mistakes. That's clear, but I have seen a lot of progress in these two weeks.

"In the first half I saw really good football, really controlling and dominating the game, but we have to learn from what happened in the second half. 

"It's not possible that you go 2-0 [ahead] and then throw it away."

United face Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano next weekend in their final outings ahead of taking on Brighton and Hove Albion in their opening Premier League match.

Nani has implored Manchester United to do all they can to ensure Cristiano Ronaldo stays at the club amid speculation linking him with a move away.

Ronaldo has reportedly asked to leave Old Trafford in this transfer window, with Chelsea rumoured to be among the early frontrunners for his signature before the Blues signed fellow forward Raheem Sterling.

Chelsea's new owner Todd Boehly was said to have held talks with the Portugal captain before the American and coach Thomas Tuchel opted to resist the temptation to launch a bid.

Bayern Munich, who have lost talisman Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, were another side linked with Ronaldo, but Julian Nagelsmann and chief executive Oliver Kahn were quick to rule out a move.

Erik ten Hag has repeatedly insisted Ronaldo is not available for transfer, though, with the new United coach making it clear he wishes to keep the 37-year-old at the club.

While United failed to secure Champions League qualification last season, reportedly a decisive factor in Ronaldo's dissatisfaction, former Red Devils winger Nani has urged his compatriot to stay with Ten Hag's side.

"I hope [he stays]," said Nani, who recently signed for Melbourne Victory and played a late cameo in their 4-1 friendly defeat to United on Friday.

"He's an important player and a player who always makes a difference. I hope he's in a good mood to help the club so hopefully [he'll stay]."

 

 

Nani also revealed he had tried to contact Ronaldo to discuss his future, but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is busy on holiday.

"When he's on vacation he doesn't answer the phone to anybody," added Nani, who won four Premier League titles and one Champions League at United. "I tried to talk to him, but he said: 'I'm so busy now, we'll talk soon.'"

United will hope to have Ronaldo available to call upon when they begin their Premier League campaign at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on August 7.

 

Mikel Arteta hailed Gabriel Jesus's "chaotic" nature after the forward continued his impressive start for new side Arsenal in Saturday's pre-season win over Everton.

The Brazil international, recently signed from Manchester City in a reported £45million deal, made it three goals in two outings as Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners in Baltimore.

Jesus, who scored his first two goals for Arsenal in last week's 5-3 win over Nurnberg, also assisted Bukayo Saka for the Gunners' second goal against Everton.

Arteta has been impressed by the 25-year-old's instant impact and in particular his ability to disrupt opposition defences.

"He creates chaos, he creates uncertainty and he's always on your shoulder," Arteta said. 

"He's always there to nick the ball off you, he's always in front of the goal. He's a real threat and this is what we need.

"The moment we give the ball away he is straight away active and putting pressure and getting his team behind him. 

"He has a lot of leadership skills. I can see straight away what he's doing with the boys and he's the type of guy that we want.

"He looks really sharp, really dynamic. He's got a really good understanding with his team-mates straight away. 

"They are looking for him, he's generating chances, good connections around specific spaces we want to exploit with him especially, and yeah, we're really happy."

Excluding penalties, former Palmeiras ace Jesus averaged 0.81 goal involvements per 90 minutes between signing for City in 2016 and his departure this month.

Of players to have played at least 5,000 minutes over that period, only former City colleague Sergio Aguero (0.91) and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (0.88) boast a better return.

Jesus was often used in a wide position at City, but Arteta has so far used the versatile forward through the middle.

"He's very versatile, but obviously, the way we would like to develop him is in that position," Arteta said when asked if he sees Jesus as a number nine.

"In relation to what the opponent does in certain games, we are going to have to use him in different positions. He's open to that and he knows it's part of his strength as well."

William Saliba was given his first run-out of the close season against Everton, the centre-back featuring for 71 minutes before being replaced by Pablo Mari.

He completed more passes (53) than any other player on the field and Arteta confirmed the 21-year-old – who has spent three seasons out on loan – is part of his plans.

"He is in the plans, yes," Arteta said. "We cannot guarantee first-team football to anybody in this team – you can ask that question to anybody.

"What we guarantee is that the ones we really see and think are going to take us to the next level, they're going to be playing a lot of minutes.

"He's a proper talent and he's shown in the last year what he can do. But in football it's about what you do the next day.

"What everybody did three months ago or a month ago, it doesn't really matter. It's about what you do tomorrow and he's going to have the chance to play."

Lionel Messi won a penalty that Sergio Ramos converted as Paris Saint-Germain got a new era under Christophe Galtier off to a winning start on Friday.

The French champions, who appointed Galtier as Mauricio Pochettino's successor earlier in July, saw off second-tier side Quevilly-Rouen 2-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

Galtier named a starting XI containing a mix of big names and younger players, with Messi partnering Mauro Icardi in attack, while Vitinha, signed from Porto, was given a debut in midfield.

Messi played a big part in PSG's opener as he was brought down in the box for a penalty, which Ramos stepped up to convert midway through the first half.

Without Kylian Mbappe and Neymar for their pre-season opener, PSG were rewarded with a second goal early in the second half through 18-year-old academy player Djeidi Gassama.

PSG, who changed their entire side for the second half, will now fly out to Japan ahead of fixtures with Kawasaki Frontale, Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka.

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