Dani Alves is grateful that he will have the opportunity to say a final farewell to Barcelona fans at Camp Nou in one of his first games as a Pumas UNAM player.

The veteran full-back left Barcelona at the end of last season following the expiration of a short-term deal signed when returning to the club for a second spell in January.

Brazil international Alves started 14 LaLiga games for Xavi's side in the second half of last season, but the club decided against extending his contract for another year.

He will now continue his prestigious career in Mexico with Pumas, who confirmed the 39-year-old's arrival on Saturday after days of teasing the high-profile signing.

And in a coincidental twist, Alves is now expected to be part of the Pumas squad that takes on Barca for the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 7.

Barca were originally scheduled to face Roma, but Jose Mourinho's side pulled out and Pumas took up the invitation to play in the pre-season friendly.

The defender previously suggested he was unhappy with the manner of his Camp Nou exit, but he has now said he can understand Barcelona's decision.

"In the end, life treats people who treat life well, and this game gives me the right to come and play with Pumas at Camp Nou to say goodbye," he told TUDN News. 

"My contract there ended. I didn't expect much more as I'd only signed for six months and fulfilled those.

"But now, I will have the opportunity with Pumas to say goodbye to the people as I would have always liked."

Alves scored one goal and set up four more between his second debut on January 5 and the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

That is a tally bettered only by Ferran Torres (six), Jordi Alba (seven) and Ousmane Dembele (11) among Barca players over that period.

Despite recently turning 39, Alves made clear he wanted to quickly find a new club in order to remain part of Tite's plans for the 2022 World Cup.

Asked why he opted for Mexico, and Pumas in particular, Alves said: "What attracted me to this club is more than just football.

"I think that in Mexico, you have to try to believe a little more in their football. 

"Those who out of ignorance discredit Liga MX, do it wrongly. There are very good goalkeepers, who we have faced at the Olympics. 

"When we went to the Club World Cup with Barca, the Mexicans were the only ones who wanted to face us."

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has welcomed the additional competition for a starting spot at Barcelona and says landing Robert Lewandowski "is what the club is all about".

Barca pulled off a coup of sorts earlier this week when bringing in prolific striker Lewandowski from Bayern Munich in a deal worth up to €50million.

Lewandowski outscored every other player across Europe's top five leagues last season with 50 goals in 46 appearances, six more than next-best Karim Benzema.

The Poland international's 312 Bundesliga goals with Bayern and Borussia Dortmund is the second-most of any player in the competition's history, behind only Gerd Muller (365).

Lewandowski's arrival could see February signing Aubameyang playing a bit-part role this term, but the ex-Arsenal man is relishing the chance to link up with his former team-mate.

"I was really excited because I know him well, we played together at Dortmund and had some nice times over there," Aubameyang told ESPN.

"I was just happy and when this was official we are reunited and we had some fun words about the past.

"I’m really happy because this is how Barcelona will compete, with great strikers and that's what this club is all about.

"Obviously I think we have more experience, we can maybe do better than the past in Dortmund, I am sure about that. 

"Personally, I will try to give my best and I'm sure he will [as well]. We will hope we have better numbers than in the past."

Aubameyang scored 13 goals in 23 games for Barcelona after arriving at Camp Nou in early February – more than double that of any of his team-mates over the same period.

He scored at a rate of one goal every 116 minutes, compared to a goal every 80 minutes for Lewandowski with Bayern across the whole of the 2021-22 campaign.

However, asked if he has been informed by head coach Xavi if he will be used alongside Lewandowski, Aubameyang said: "Yes, a little bit.

"He was talking to all of us that we have to compete this year to win titles. Of course, when you talk about trophies we need a competitive team.

"That's why we have a lot of strikers and midfielders and defenders. This is the way to achieve things this season."

Ousmane Dembele also signed a new contract with Barcelona in what has been a positive transfer window, despite the Catalan giants' well-publicised financial issues.

"That's definitely a boost," Aubameyang said of Dembele's new deal. "He's one of the best players I've ever played with.

"I'm sure about that because his quality is something crazy and every time I play with him I enjoy it on the pitch. I'm really happy he re-signed.

"Everyone was a bit scared because we didn't know if we would re-sign or not. In the end he did. 

"I'm sure he knows Barcelona is one of the best clubs in the world so this is the place to be."

Julian Nagelsmann believes Harry Kane would "score a lot of goals in the Bundesliga", but admitted the England captain may too expensive for Bayern Munich.

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

Spurs' talisman scored twice on Saturday as Antonio Conte's men came from behind to beat Rangers 2-1 in a pre-season friendly at Ibrox.

The three-time Premier League golden boot winner has netted 248 times in 386 appearances for the London club, who he joined as an 11-year-old.

Speaking ahead of Bayern's pre-season friendly against Manchester City, who Kane almost joined a year ago, head coach Nagelsmann expressed his admiration for the England skipper but knows it would be a big ask to bring him to the Bundesliga.

"He's very expensive, that's the problem - but [a] brilliant player, one of two or three who can play as a centre forward [as well as a] number 10," he said. "He's very strong, brilliant with [his] head and both feet.

"It's possible that he would score a lot of goals in the Bundesliga. But it will be tough, I think, for Bayern Munich. We will see what will happen in the future."

Bayern 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.

"He's under contract with Tottenham," Kahn added. "Sure, [he's] an absolute top striker, but that's all a dream of the future.

"Now, we have to look at getting the squad together for the current season. Let's see what else happens."

Charles Leclerc was full of praise for Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz after he provided a tow down the straights to help Leclerc edge Max Verstappen for pole position in the French Grand Prix.

Sainz, who starts at the back of the grid following a fourth engine change of the season, looked to be the quickest throughout qualifying before switching his approach in Q3 to help Leclerc finish ahead of his title rival.

It secures Leclerc's seventh pole of the season and the 16th of his career as he looks to rejuvenate his title bid following difficulties in recent races, and he was clear it would have been a harder task without Sainz.

"I struggled all weekend to put a lap together, but I managed to do it. I have to say, I also had the help of Carlos and that was amazing teamwork," he said on the grid.

"Without Carlos it would have been much more close so a huge thank you to Carlos and I hope that he can join us in the fight for the win tomorrow. 

"The car feels good but it's difficult to understand what the Red Bull guys have done yesterday, as there was loads of difference in terms of lap times, so let's see how it goes tomorrow."

Verstappen looked to be in fine form with the Red Bull ace showing great pace throughout the free practice sessions, but he couldn't quite put it together in qualifying and sits behind Leclerc at the start – the sixth time in 2022 the pair have been on the front row together.

"Overall, I think we were lacking a bit in qualifying, just with general grip. It was a bit more tricky than I would have hoped but we still have a decent race car," Verstappen said.

"Hopefully, tomorrow will come to our favour. We're quick on the straights, so hopefully we can use that tomorrow. It's going to be a bit warmer. Clearly, Ferrari have been very quick again."

Sergio Perez will start third, bouncing back after struggling to find pace in the practice sessions, and admitted it had been a difficult few days.

"It's been a good recovery over the whole weekend, I have been struggling a lot, I think it has been my worst weekend up to qualifying really but we managed to recover well," he said.

Perez sits ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who will start fourth, which means Mercedes' wait for a top-three start on the grid continues, with it already being their longest stint into a F1 season without one.

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:30:872
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.304
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +0.463
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.893
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.160
6. George Russell (Mercedes) +1.259
7. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) +1.680
8. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) +1.908
9. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) No Time
10. Kevin Magnusson (Haas) No Time

Bernarda Pera claimed her second WTA title in as many weeks by defeating Anett Kontaveit 6-2 6-4 in the Hamburg European Open final.

The world number 81 continued her rich vein of form, having also captured the Budapest Grand Prix crown last weekend.

Pera, who won four out of six break points, stretched her winning streak to 12 matches, while she has also now reeled off 24 sets without reply.

Kontaveit had prevailed as a commanding straight-sets winner when the pair faced off in the opening round at Wimbledon four weeks ago.

Champion in St Petersburg and runner-up to Iga Swiatek in Doha, the Estonian became the fourth player to appear in at least three finals this season after Swiatek, Ons Jabeur and Veronika Kudermetova.

But the top seed was broken in the opening game by Pera, who won 16 out of 19 points on her first serve as she stormed through the first set.

The American then rescued two break points in the second set, while converting two of her own to secure consecutive breaks and move to the brink of the title.

Kontaveit dug deep; breaking back and winning eight of the next 11 points to stay alive at 5-4, but a long forehand in the next game sealed the deal for Pera.

Scott Piercy's putter was on fire for the second round in a row, setting up a seven-under 64 to follow his opening 65, and at 13 under he is three strokes clear of the chasing field.

Piercy – who this week changed his coach, swing, caddie, driver and putter – seems to be reaping the benefits of his bold moves, going bogey-free on Friday in a round that included four consecutive birdies to open his round on the back-nine.

He trailed only first-round co-leader Im Sung-jae in strokes gained with the putter on Thursday, and he was again second in that category in his second trip around the course, finishing with 3.96 strokes gained on the greens. Only Danny Willett (5.46 strokes gained) performed better with the flat stick.

In outright second place at 10 under is Argentina's Emiliano Grillo, with a strong 65 that included an eagle. He did not excel in any one area in his first round, but on Friday he was top-10 in both strokes gained putting (3.12 strokes, seventh-best) and in approach shots (2.57, ninth-best).

Grillo is two strokes ahead of England's Callum Taren, who is alone in third place at eight under, and he worked his way there after an even-par opening round. 

He shot Friday's round of the day with his eight-under 63, going bogey-free with eight birdies, finishing fifth on the day in strokes gained putting (3.36), second in strokes gained off the tee (2.07) and second in strokes gained tee-to-green (4.92).

There is a five-way tie for fourth at seven under, with American quartet Tony Finau, Robert Streb, Tom Hoge and Doug Ghim, as well as Im after the South Korean followed his six-under opening round with a disappointing 70.

The group tied for ninth are a further two strokes back at five under, which includes Patton Kizzire and Jared Wolfe, while Australia's Cam Davis and England's Willett headlining the group at four under.

Canada's Adam Hadwin finished right on the cut-line at one over, while Davis Riley missed out on the weekend by one stroke, with Beau Hossler at three over and Cameron Tringale at four over.

Linda Sembrant's stoppage-time winner scraped a dramatic 1-0 win over Belgium that sent Sweden through to the Women's Euro 2022 semi-finals.

With Sweden's 33rd and final attempt of the match, Sembrant fired home to break the hearts of a Belgium side who were contesting their first knockout game in Women's European Championship history.

Peter Gerhardsson's side will now take on hosts England in the semi-finals in Sheffield on Tuesday.

Stina Blackstenius thought she had given Sweden the lead in the 25th minute, but her goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Belgium mustered just one attempt on goal in the first half and Sweden continued their domination after the interval, but Nicky Evrard's instinctive save kept Blackstenius' close-range header out in the 73rd minute.

The Scandinavian side finally found the breakthrough in the second added minute. Belgium failed to defend a corner and although Evrard saved Nathalie Bjorn's effort, Sembrant turned home on the follow-up.

Reece Topley made a big impact once again as England thrashed South Africa by 118 runs in a rain-affected second one-day international to level the series.

The Proteas won the opener on a sweltering Tuesday at Chester-le-Street, but it was a very different story on a gloomy Friday at Old Trafford.

Liam Livingstone top-scored with 38 on his home ground and Sam Curran made a quickfire 35 from 18 balls as England were all out for 201 in a match reduced to 29 overs per side, Dwaine Pretorius taking 4-36.

Topley (2-17) and David Willey (1-9) were then outstanding with the new ball before spinners Adil Rashid (3-29) and Moeen Ali (2-22) did damage as South Africa were skittled out for 83 in 24.3 overs, setting up a decider at Headingley on Sunday.

Anrich Nortje removed Jason Roy in the third over after Keshav Maharaj won the toss and put England in. A delayed start occurred due to the miserable weather, but England were going well on 49-1 at the end of the powerplay.

The excellent Pretorius (4-36) then came into the attack to dismiss Phil Salt before getting Joe Root caught behind for only one and bowling a well-set Jonny Bairstow (28) in the same over.

Tabraiz Shamsi (2-39) ended a scratchy knock from Jos Buttler to reduce the world champions to 101-6, but Livingstone and Curran cut loose before Willey chipped in with a run-a-ball 21.

The Proteas made a nightmare start to their run chase, Topley sending Janneman Malan and Rassie van der Dussen on their way without scoring in a brilliant third over.

Willey got in on the act by getting Quinton de Kock caught by Livingstone and the tourists were in disarray on 6-4 when Aiden Markram was superbly run out by Buttler without facing a ball.

Heinrich Klaasen (33) was starting to motor before he was stumped when charging Moeen, and Rashid tormented South Africa as they were bowled out for their joint-second lowest ODI total, having also been skittled out for 83 by England at Trent Bridge in 2008.

Pretorius takes his chance

All-rounder Pretorius was a concussion replacement for Andile Phehlukwayo in the first match of the series on Tuesday and was given the nod to play in Manchester.

The 33-year-old took his opportunity with both hands by recording his best ODI bowling figures, settling on a good line and length as he dismissed the clean-striking Salt before claiming the big scalps of Root and Bairstow.

Paceman becoming England's Top man 

Topley almost retired due to injury, but the left-arm paceman is very much making up for so much lost time.

After claiming the best bowling figures by an Englishman in the 50-over format with 6-24 against India at Lord's, he returned to the side after missing out in Durham and set the tone with the ball along with Willey.

David de Gea has taken pride in winning individual trophies at Manchester United but hopes he never collects another personal accolade because it will mean the Red Devils have failed again.

Jose Mourinho became increasingly frustrated during his time at Old Trafford as goalkeeper De Gea won the Player of the Year award for United, amounting to failure from his outfield stars in the Portuguese's eyes.

The Spain international may have felt hard done by to not win another of those awards last season, with Cristiano Ronaldo pipping him to the honour after scoring 24 goals across all competitions.

De Gea made 128 saves in the 2021-22 Premier League, the third most in the English top flight, as United limped to a sixth-place finish and their lowest points tally in the competition's history.

New manager Erik ten Hag has made a promising start to his tenure with United, though, with the Red Devils winning three pre-season friendlies, including a 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool in Bangkok. They face Aston Villa on Saturday as the season build-up continues.

De Gea has been a vocal critic during United's downfall in recent years, and has insisted he no longer wants to win individual awards as that would represent more failure.

"It's good for me individually, of course, I love to win trophies, but I totally agree with what [Mourinho] said," said De Gea, who has won the Player of the Year award at United on four occasions.

"It must be a striker, a midfielder [who wins that award], that's what needs to happen, but this season it's going to be another player or striker, for sure."

Ten Hag has begun his sizeable rebuilding task with the Premier League side by bringing in Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen, while striking a deal for Lisandro Martinez.

Jadon Sancho, Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes have spoken approvingly of Ten Hag, and De Gea hopes the Dutchman will help United respond to an abject campaign last season.

"For me, for everyone, it was a very tough season, embarrassing sometimes," De Gea said, quoted in several British newspapers. "Some games were a mess, a disaster.

"So we should learn from last season that cannot happen again because it was tough, it was painful to be there – not capable to win games, losing games 4-0 or 5-0. It was unacceptable.

"Sometimes you have to feel pain to go up and keep going."

A notable feature of United's early pre-season games has been Ten Hag's insistence for his side to build from the back and play possession-based football.

For this to be successful, as seen with Ederson at Manchester City, De Gea as a goalkeeper must be confident with the ball at his feet, and the 31-year-old backs his own abilities.

"I think I showed it already," he said. "If you watch my games with the national team or when we played with Sir Alex Ferguson at the beginning, you could see it.

"I don't need to show anyone. I've been playing for many years. I will try my best. I'm going to stay quiet, calm and try to show that to the team and play out from the back.

"Obviously with different managers you have to adapt to the way they want you to play, but I used to play like this in the national team for many years so I'm comfortable with it."

Jadon Sancho hailed the early work of Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, saying the Dutchman has made the same players feel like a "whole different team".

Ten Hag has a sizeable rebuilding task at Old Trafford following the unsuccessful interim spell of Ralf Rangnick, whose mid-season appointment to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer failed last campaign.

United finished sixth in the 2021-22 Premier League campaign after recording their lowest points tally, while failing to end a league campaign with a positive goal difference for the first time since the 1989-90 season.

The former Ajax coach has brought in Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen, while striking an agreement for Lisandro Martinez and reportedly holding negotiations with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong.

United have also impressed in their pre-season friendlies, defeating Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace, and Sancho was quick to credit Ten Hag's early influence.

"He's told all the boys that every friendly is a must-win game," the winger said to United's official website.

"I can already tell from his mindset that he wants us to do well and, when the players hear that from a manager, you all take that in and we all want to give our best, especially out on the pitch.

"That's been a real confidence boost. We've been having lots of meetings with the manager and understanding how he wants us to play and there's definitely been a big sign of everyone taking that on board and us producing what he wants to happen.

"This pre-season, we have the same players but it just looks like a whole different team and I do think that's something we're working on and I feel like we're getting better.

"The manager is big on team-bonding and having fun together and doing things like team dinners and things like that. So, yeah, it's helping.

"You can see in the games, as I said before, with how we're playing and there being a lot more structure and opportunities to score, and we're keeping the ball more too and being effective [with it]."

Sancho arrived from Borussia Dortmund last season as the only player from Europe's top five leagues to have scored 10 goals or more and at least 15 assists across all competitions in each of the previous three seasons.

But the England international struggled in his debut season in Manchester, scoring just three times in 29 Premier League appearances and he is keen to make amends in the upcoming term.

"Last year wasn't great and I feel like everyone has something to prove for this upcoming season," he added.

"It's my second year now, settling into the team, knowing how players play and I'm excited for the upcoming season, with a new manager and how he wants us to play, and I think it will be good for myself.

"We don't want to put performances in like we did last year and upset the fans. Some fans travelled for a long time to get to the stadium and watch us not perform.

"I'm sure, this year, everyone is going to make up for that and make sure every game we play we put 100 per cent in and make sure the fans are smiling at the end of the game."

Borussia Dortmund remain "relaxed" over the contract situations of Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, according to sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Reus and Hummels have both become Dortmund greats after long periods of service, but have just one year remaining on their contracts with the Bundesliga giants.

Since Hummels joined Dortmund – initially on loan – in January 2008, no player has matched his tally of 312 Bundesliga appearances for the club, despite the defender departing for a spell at Bayern Munich between 2016 and 2019.

Reus, meanwhile, is fourth on that list with 243 league appearances, and his 108 Bundesliga goals are the most by any player in that time for BVB.

Both players were part of the squad that reached the 2012-13 Champions League final, a side that also featured current sporting director Kehl. 

Speaking to Sky Sports, Kehl expressed confidence both Germany internationals would pen new deals, saying: "We are relatively relaxed about it. We have a very, very high level of trust. 

"We know that a few contracts will expire next year. And Marco and Mats are very, very important for this club. 

"They have helped shape this club in recent years, they stand for this club and bring an incredibly high level of identification with them: Marco as our captain and Mats as second captain.

"We will discuss this together in due course. We approach it very calmly, we have an incredibly high regard for these two players. 

"I believe that they can also be very relaxed in this situation. Because in the end we all want to be successful. For that we need good performances, for that we need Mats and Marco."

But speaking to Ruhr Nachrichten on Wednesday, Hummels, who started 20 Bundesliga matches during an injury-affected 2021-22 campaign, expressed his belief he must earn any new deal with the club.

"I want to help the team and not just be a weight," the defender said. "I even recently said to sporting director Sebastian Kehl that I wouldn't be renewing with me at the moment."

Dortmund have reinforced their defence with the signings of Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule.

Eden Hazard has no intentions of leaving Real Madrid to follow Gareth Bale to Major League Soccer, insisting "I want to show people that I can play in this club".

Hazard has struggled at Santiago Bernabeu since completing his big-money move from Chelsea in June 2019, with injuries and fitness issues hampering the forward.

The Belgium international was largely a spectator last season, making just seven starts for his 17 LaLiga appearances as Madrid earned European and Spanish glory.

That followed the pattern of a frustrating spell in the Spanish capital, where he has made only 48 appearances in LaLiga for the club – 20 of which have come from the bench.

But the 31-year-old, who has just 10 league goal involvements for Madrid (four goals, six assists), is out to prove a point and show his worth to Carlo Ancelotti's side.

"It's been a few seasons that I was not playing that much, so for me... I just want to show what I can do on the pitch – that's my only target," he told ESPN.

"When you play football, you just want to be on the pitch, and when you are out [of] the pitch... [You think] 'What's happened?' because I was not injured before and so it was something new for me to be injured, so you have to learn.

"It's a way to learn the way you have to do things, your body, you take care [of] in different ways, you work more with physios, this kind of thing. But it's a good challenge now... I'm healthy, so I'm just ready to play.

"It's not that easy, especially when you don't know why you're injured. I've been injured at my time at Chelsea, but not like those three years with Real Madrid.

"I knew that it was something wrong with my body, so that's why I asked to do the surgery at the end of the season last year."

Bale ended his spell with Madrid as he joined MLS side Los Angeles FC at the end of June, aiming to gain fitness and match practice to feature for Wales at the upcoming Qatar World Cup in November.

Hazard has no intentions of moving to the United States to join Bale in the near future, though, with his sole focus on playing for Madrid for at least the next two years.

"I don't think about that that much now, I'm just focused," he said when asked about a transfer to MLS.

"It's been three years [which have been] hard for me, so I'm just focused on this season. I still have a contract after two more years, and then we'll see.

"In two years I'm going to be 33, so let's see what can happen."

Bruno Fernandes insists Cristiano Ronaldo was not the reason Manchester United struggled last season, while he expects the "strict" Erik ten Hag to deliver success at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo has reportedly asked to leave United, less than a year after returning to the club, and is yet to report for training with Ten Hag's squad after missing three pre-season friendlies due to family reasons.

Fernandes claimed earlier in the week that he had no knowledge of Ronaldo's future intentions but called for respect for whatever his Portugal compatriot decides to do.

Ten Hag has already made it clear that Ronaldo remains an integral part of his plans after the 37-year-old top-scored with 24 goals in all competitions for United last term.

As United prepare to face Aston Villa in their next pre-season friendly on Saturday, Fernandes again leapt to the defence of the forward, refusing to blame him for the Red Devils' issues last term.

Asked whether Ronaldo's presence caused a change in style and problems for United, Fernandes told Sky Sports: "No I don't think so.

"I am there to serve my strikers and I think we had an amazing start to the season. When Cristiano came in he scored two goals in his first game and I scored one and after that, I scored many goals playing with Cristiano.

"I think all of my goals I was playing alongside Cristiano, so I don't think that was the problem at all.

"I play with him for Portugal and that will never be the problem because good players can fit together at any time at any point."

Whether Ten Hag has Ronaldo to call upon in the upcoming campaign or not, Fernandes lauded the former Ajax coach's training methods as the Dutchman attempts to implement a new style of play at United.

"Nobody can get away with anything with him and the senior players have to play their part too, making sure that everyone is on the same page," he added.

"Everyone knows they have to be pushing to the same side and if not, they will be out of the team. That's a good thing because if you want to be successful as a team you have to be always in the same way.

"He's strict, he's tough, but at the same time, he's a nice and easy guy to chat to. 

"The main thing is following what he wants because I think he has a straight line that he wants to have with the team and I want to follow that straight line because I think we can be successful that way.

"I think everyone will be happy at the end of the season if we can do everything he wants us to do."

Fernandes netted 28 times for United in all competitions in the 2020-21 season, the best return by a midfielder for a Premier League club in a single campaign, surpassing Frank Lampard's 27 for Chelsea in 2009-10.

The Portugal international failed to follow that up in the next campaign, managing 10 goals across all competitions, and Fernandes wants to prove his worth after signing a new five-year contract in March.

"Last season, as a team it was not successful so individually it's difficult to be successful," he added.

"I was trying in the same way to improve the team, but obviously, it was a difficult season for everyone and was tough to be successful individually because the results were not there.

"I know everyone is expecting so much from me because my first season was amazing and last season I only scored 10 goals and 14 assists. I know I can do much better than that.

"So for me, it's about following the rules [Ten Hag] wants, following his demands and my game will come naturally. The main thing for me is that the team is successful."

Andy Robertson insists Liverpool had no concerns over Darwin Nunez after the Uruguayan hit four goals in a pre-season thrashing of RB Leipzig, as he urged fans to be patient with the Reds' new striker.

Jurgen Klopp defended Darwin from criticism after he failed to score in Liverpool's first two pre-season outings, but the new recruit put in a terrific performance against the Bundesliga outfit.

The former Benfica striker scored four times after coming on as a half-time substitute in a 5-0 win in Germany, including a hat-trick within 20 minutes of entering the action.

Speaking to the club's website after that victory, Robertson urged patience as the €75million arrival settles in on Merseyside. 

"It always takes time to get used to new signings. We've all been through it ourselves, so it's no different," the left-back said.

"Maybe there's outside pressure on him in terms of the fee and everything like that, but to us it doesn't matter. People have come in on small fees, big fees, it doesn't matter. 

"We know they have to take time to get used to our system, get used to our style of play, to get used to how we want them to play and things like that.

"He's adapting, he's getting fitter, he's getting stronger – like all of us are in pre-season – and he needs time to adapt. Today will do him a world of good. Today will give him a lot of confidence in terms of in front of goal and everything, which is obviously so important for a striker. 

"So, [we're] delighted about that and we don't have any worries about him. It's just about having a bit of time with him, having a bit of patience, and we've got that and hopefully the Liverpool fans have it as well."

Meanwhile, Liverpool's latest pre-season outing came on the fifth anniversary of Robertson joining in an £8million move from Hull City.

Robertson has made 161 Premier League appearances for Liverpool since joining, a tally only bettered by Mohamed Salah (180), Sadio Mane (169) and Roberto Firmino (165) in that time, while only Salah (46) has bettered his tally of 45 league assists since July 2017.

Looking back on his five years at Anfield, the Scotland international expressed pride at following in the footsteps of compatriots such as Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen and Graeme Souness in winning silverware at Liverpool, as he targeted bringing up a decade with the club.

"On that day it was a huge honour for me to sign for the club," he recalled. "A lot of people said that the club don't really win stuff without Scottish players, so obviously when I signed then I wanted to achieve it. 

"We've obviously got a long history of Scottish players playing for this club, legends in their own right, and the fact I can be a part of this club, it meant a lot that day and it still means a lot now. So, hopefully many more years to come.

"Five years have flown by. It felt like yesterday that I was signing and it's crazy that that time has passed. I'm a wee bit older, a wee bit wiser now, certainly look a bit older now than the day I signed! 

"It's amazing playing for this club, I don't want it to end, I want it to continue for as many years as I can. But five years is incredible but now I look to the next five. I'm always one to look forward and hopefully we can achieve a lot more things."

Brentford have secured the services of Ben Mee on a two-year deal after the defender left Burnley at the end of his contract.

The centre-back played over 300 times for the Clarets, joining in 2011 on an initial one-year loan before signing a permanent deal at the end of that season.

He won promotion to the Premier League at Turf Moor twice, in 2014 and 2016.

Burnley endured a torrid 2021-22 season though, with long-term manager Sean Dyche losing his job in April with his team four points from safety.

Mee, who had suffered a season-ending calf injury, joined the temporary coaching staff until the end of the season, but they were unable to save themselves from relegation afnd a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on the last day sent them down to the Championship.

The 32-year-old now joins Brentford, who themselves looked threatened by relegation until a late-season charge sparked by the arrival of Christian Eriksen led them to a 13th-placed finish in their first top-flight season in 74 years.

It has been a busy transfer window for Brentford, who have broken their own record transfer fee twice with the signings of full-back Aaron Hickey from Bologna and winger Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull City.

Mee adds plenty of experience to Brentford's backline. He ranked third in blocks (21) and second in clearances (92) for Burnley in the league last season, while also winning the third most aerial duels (68).

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said: "I am very happy that we have signed Ben. He will add a lot of quality and experience to the squad. 

"I really love his defensive mindset; he knows how to defend the box, he knows how to block a shot and he knows how to win duels.

"He will bring leadership and communication to the team, which is very attractive. I am looking forward to adding him to the squad."