Ilkay Gundogan is a midfield "heavyweight" and his arrival at Barcelona will raise the level of team-mates including Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Gavi.

That is the view of Barca great Hristo Stoichkov, who is excited by the prospect of the former Manchester City captain slotting into Xavi's title-winning side.

Barca won LaLiga for the first time since Lionel Messi's 2021 departure last season, with a young Blaugrana team finishing 10 points clear of rivals Real Madrid.

Gundogan joined Barca on a free transfer in June after helping City become just the second side to win a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble, and Stoichkov hopes his experience will benefit younger team-mates. 

"I think it's fantastic because he's a great player," Stoichkov told Stats Perform. "I have always liked Gundogan as a player since he did it in Dortmund, then at City and also with his national team. 

"He is a great professional and I think he will help a lot with his experience because Barcelona have a young team. 

"Frenkie De Jong, Pedri, Gavi, [Alejandro] Balde, [Ronald] Araujo and Ansu Fati are young and having a heavyweight in the squad can help them grow."

Gundogan will have to wait for his Camp Nou debut, with Barca due to play their home games at the Estadi Olimpic while their famous home is renovated next season.

President Joan Laporta pledged to create "the best stadium in the world" as the project began in May, and Stoichkov says the work – which will include the construction of a new roof – is overdue.

"For me Camp Nou is a myth and not only from my time, but since it was built in 1957," he said. "The greatest players, coaches and presidents in history have passed through that stadium. 

"It is a symbol and a temple of world football. When I arrived at Barcelona in 1990 and left at such a huge moment and with 120,000 people shouting my name, it will always remain in my memory. 

"But it is obvious that after so many years a remodelling is necessary, and Camp Nou needed something new. 

"Thank God, Laporta in his second stage as president has managed to rebuild Camp Nou and do something new. Barcelona needed it, Catalonia needed it, FC Barcelona needed it. 

"I will always have good memories. I recently sent some friends to collect a piece of the grass, a stone and a seat so that I can put them in my museum because it was very important in my career. 

"I will always remember my first goal for Barcelona at Camp Nou against Valencia, when we won 3-1. When I saw 120,000 people shouting my name, I realised Camp Nou was a temple."

Stoichkov – who won five league titles and the 1991-92 European Cup during his time with Barca – hopes the modernisation helps the club return to the top of the continental game.

"We must recognise it is the modern era," he added. "I played in very old stadiums in England, Germany, France, Italy and Spain and today there are new cycles, new presidents, new players and everyone wanted something new. 

"Obviously when you have a first-level stadium, you like to enjoy it. This is a time when Barcelona are building a new field and a new team so that in a few years, they can win the Champions League again, which is a great wish I have."

Celtic have confirmed the signing of 21-year-old South Korean winger Yang Hyun-jun.

The attacking player has moved from Gangwon on a five-year contract to link up with compatriot Oh Hyeon-gyu and become Celtic’s third summer signing.

Manager Brendan Rodgers told Celtic’s website: “We’re delighted to bring Yang to the club and I’m sure he’s going to be another great addition to the squad.

“He’s a player that we’ve looked at closely and who we think will further enhance our attacking options which, of course, already include his fellow countryman Oh.

“He’s an exciting player who was the young player of the year in South Korea last season, which is an indication of his quality, and I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to having a big impact at the club.

“It’s also clear that he was very keen to make this move to Celtic so I know he’ll be delighted that everything has now been agreed and we’re really looking forward to working with him.”

Yang’s club had been hoping to keep him until the end of their season but the player made it clear he wanted an immediate transfer rather than waiting until the January transfer window.

He said: “I’m very pleased to come to Celtic and I’m looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and to begin training with them.

“This is a move that I wanted to make and so it is great to be here in Scotland now as a Celtic player.

“I have spoken to Hyeon-gyu Oh who has already told me great things about the club and its supporters, so I can’t wait to meet them and play in front of them.”

Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal have submitted a world record 300 million euro (£259m) bid for Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, the PA news agency understands.

Mbappe’s future in Paris is in serious doubt after the 24-year-old was left out of the club’s pre-season tour of Japan.

PA understands Al Hilal have submitted a bid in writing for the player, who is out of contract next summer.

Sources close to the French club say there has also been interest in the player from other clubs in recent days, including Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Inter Milan and Barcelona.

The current world record transfer fee was paid by PSG, when they signed Neymar from Barcelona for a deal reported at the time as £200m.

John Barnes backed Liverpool for a top-three Premier League finish next season, although the Reds great believes the title race will be between Arsenal and Manchester City again.

Pep Guardiola's City overcame Arsenal in a two-horse title tussle last campaign, with Mikel Arteta's Gunners already strengthening for next term by signing Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.

Jurgen Klopp's side were far from their best in the 2021-22 season but battled to a fifth-place finish to secure Europa League football for the upcoming campaign.

Liverpool have bolstered their midfield options by bringing in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, with Barnes expecting the Reds to return to the top four this time round.

"As I've mentioned in the last year the injury situation really worked against us last season," Barnes, a two-time First Division winner with Liverpool, told Stats Perform.

"And of course, from that perspective, in terms of the age of the players we have to reduce the age and we did that in terms of the young players we had.

"So, it's a bit of a transitional period, not just in terms of the injuries and not having all the players available, but also in terms of having younger players coming into the squad.

"We have to give them time to develop and to grow to show their consistency. So, I have no doubt that we will be back, I'm not going to say we're going to win the league, but we'll be much closer to the top and I fully expect us to be in the top three next season."

Experienced midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, two staples of Liverpool's title-winning side under Klopp in the 2019-20 term, are expected to depart for Saudi Arabia.

The additions of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai will aid Klopp's cause but former England international Barnes believes Guardiola's City will again have too much quality to be overthrown at the top.

He added: "City are favourites, I think Arsenal have strengthened very well in terms of the players they've got with Declan Rice and Havertz, therefore they will be strong once again.

"There was a little bit of inconsistency towards the end of last season, but that will stand them in good stead. So I'll make those two, alongside ourselves, those two will be the main targets.

"Manchester United will also be stronger as well because of the harmony that they have within that squad and the lack of uncertainty in terms of the manager and the players and who's in charge.

"Chelsea will be interesting, to see how [Mauricio] Pochettino handles that situation. And Tottenham, with a new manager [Ange Postecoglou] from Australia, are they going to take that if all of a sudden they don't win matches?

"Are they then going to be negative because he's not a European? So yeah, I think that probably leaves ourselves, Arsenal and Manchester United [for the top four]."

Former Reds midfielder Lucas Leiva echoed Barnes' sentiment, suggesting Liverpool are strong enough to compete alongside the likes of City, Arsenal and United for the title.

"The top six, normally you expect all of them to challenge," the Brazilian said. "City is in a great moment, Arsenal are improving every year as well.

"I think Chelsea are playing only in the league this year. I think that could be better for them. I would say they could concentrate only on the league.

"And Liverpool like every season will be stronger. United as well. So the teams that we expect to challenge. City today are the team to beat but Liverpool are strong enough to compete for sure."

Liverpool have landed two midfielders perfectly fit for their system in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, according to Reds legend John Barnes.

Jurgen Klopp secured the services of Mac Allister for a reported initial £35million from Brighton and Hove Albion, while Szoboszlai arrived from RB Leipzig for £60m (€69m) ahead of the 2023-24 season.

The pair will likely be utilised as multi-functional midfielders, adding energy to an ageing Liverpool midfield, which is expected to lose Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia.

Having initially played as a winger before moving to a central role, Barnes believes the versatility of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai makes the duo a tailormade fit for Klopp's men.

"Last season I think it was fairly apparent that we needed midfield players," Barnes told Stats Perform. "Of course, what you do is you use every opportunity to get who you can.

"So, in the strikers that we've got, I think that bodes well for the future. But I think you can see that we were a little bit short in midfield from an age perspective but also from a quality and intensity perspective.

"We knew we were going to lose two or three midfield players, so they are welcome additions to the squad from a positional point of view and also from the quality point of view too."

Mac Allister was also the only player to average two-plus shots (2.68), two-plus tackles (2.18) and 50+ passes (56.2) per 90 minutes in last term's Premier League, among players with 1,000 or more minutes.

That all-round approach and energetic demeanour makes the 24-year-old a suitable fit for Klopp's high-pressing philosophy, in the opinion of Barnes.

"It's not all about what impresses me, but he's the type of player who will suit our style," Barnes said of Mac Allister, who hit 10 league goals for Brighton last term.

"He may not be able to play for Manchester City but that doesn't mean he's better or worse. It's just that we have to sign players that suit our style and are hardworking all-action midfield players.

"He's not a Bernardo Silva type, but he suits what we want. Liverpool have always done that and looked to get players who suit their system, regardless of how other good other people think they are, or not.

"He suits our midfield profile and the template of a midfield player that we want. Hardworking, aggression and playing the ball forward quickly. He suits our style perfectly."

While Mac Allister impressed for Brighton and also Argentina during their triumphant World Cup campaign in Qatar, Szoboszlai arrives as a lesser-known star on English soil.

The Hungary international again fits Klopp's criteria for free-flowing aggressive football, having been involved in 163 open play shot-ending sequences in last season's Bundesliga – 49 shots, 48 chances created, 66 in the build-up – the fourth-highest figure of any player.

Barnes added: "I haven't seen much of him. But once again, you look at him in terms of his size, his aggression, his ability to get up and down.

"And once again, I trust in Jurgen Klopp and the staff to know exactly what they want. Not many people have heard of him, I'm one who didn't hear of him but they would have done their homework on him.

"So I have faith in them because they know the type of player they want. As I said, I haven't seen much of him but he seems to be quite impressive."

England defender Lucy Bronze is drawing on the experience of her first World Cup eight years ago to allay fears that the Lionesses did not play like favourites in their 1-0 opening victory against Haiti in Brisbane.

That win, sealed by Georgia Stanway’s twice-taken penalty against a side 49 places below England in the FIFA rankings, extended the Lionesses’ streak without a goal from open play to three games, including their 0-0 behind-closed-doors pre-tournament training match with Canada.

Bronze made her World Cup debut at the 2015 tournament, where England fell to France in their opener but ultimately finished up with the third-place medal for their best-ever finish in a global showpiece.

She said: “Well, in my first World Cup we lost the first game and ended finishing third. There’s only so much you can take from the game. The most important thing is it gives us momentum but it’s better than having to chase points and we get to focus on the next two games.

“We’re playing against players we’ve never played before. It takes a little while to get into those games. Once we got going you saw England coming back to life again. We need to do that more for longer.”

Bronze had no doubt Stanway would step up to the spot twice on Saturday, after her initial penalty was saved by Haiti’s 5ft 4in goalkeeper Kerly Theus.

That would have left Stanway with a career record of six penalties scored and two missed, but she was given another chance after the referee ruled Theus had come off her line.

Bronze had full faith in Stanway to put the ball in the back of the net with her second opportunity, which the Bayern Munich midfielder did handily.

She said: “I don’t think anyone doubted that Georgia would take it. We just picked it up and gave it to her. She doesn’t need any encouragement to do that. Georgia is not the type of player that needs telling what to do or is lacking confidence. We all knew that a second chance was enough for her to bury it.”

England, who have now checked into their World Cup base on the New South Wales’ Central Coast, next face world number 13 Denmark on Friday in Sydney before taking on 14th-placed China in Adelaide to conclude the group stage, with the top two teams advancing to the last 16.

Bronze’s team-mate Alessia Russo, who on Saturday was favoured for the centre-forward role by Sarina Wiegman over Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly, was one of the only England players to admit their first half against Haiti looked a bit rusty.

She said: “Yeah, I think so. Us as players are the first to recognise that. We’ll be back to training this week and training hard to push on now but tournaments are always about winning and that’s the most important thing.

“I don’t think I ever worry about goals and winning with this team. I think we’ve got a very special talented squad and I know that people show up at the right times.

“The first game, we’ve been building up to it for a long time. It’s done now, three points under the belt. Now we really push on. Moments were good and we’ll reflect on it, we’ll analyse and we’ll be ready for Denmark.”

Tottenham attacker Son Heung-min feels the ongoing speculation surrounding Harry Kane is “not easy” for his team-mate, but has praised the professionalism of Spurs’ stand-in captain.

Son and Kane have landed in Singapore for the final leg of their Asia-Pacific pre-season tour after an eventful few days in Bangkok.

Monsoon weather saw Tottenham’s friendly with Leicester cancelled on Sunday and a day earlier a journalist from German publication BILD had unveiled a Bayern Munich shirt with ‘Kane 9’ on the back to new Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou in his pre-match press conference.

Postecoglou was far from impressed but the noise around Kane shows no sign of going away, with Bayern expected to return with a third bid later this month and reports overnight stating Manchester United could enter the race again for the signature of the forward.

Kane, who is performing captain duties during Tottenham’s tour after Hugo Lloris was left back in England to finalise a move away from the club, has been hailed by his long-standing strike partner.

“Harry has been fantastic for me,” Son told reporters, via football.london, in Bangkok. “He’s always professional, always working hard.

“He’s never showed any thoughts about himself. There’s so much news going around it’s also not easy for him, but he’s captain at the moment and he’s working with the team.

“He doesn’t show any distraction. He loves being here. I love him as a player. I fully respect him.

“He’s one of the best strikers in the world, has been for five, six, seven years in a row. The decision will be between the club and Harry and we have to respect it.

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“I can’t say anything about the final decision because I don’t know anything. Probably Harry doesn’t know. We just have to wait.”

Kane has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Tottenham and Bayern have increased their efforts to sign the forward this month, with their honorary president Uli Hoeness claiming last week that personal terms had been agreed between the German club and the England captain.

Bayern are reported to have lodged two unsuccessful bids for Kane so far this summer, but Spurs remain determined to keep hold of their all-time leading goal-scorer.

A new contract has been offered to Kane by Tottenham, which is a significant increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms, but he has not made any decision on the new deal while speculation over his future continues.

Spurs are set to play local team Lion City Sailors in Singapore on Wednesday before they head back to England.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was impressed with the debut of “complete midfielder” Jude Bellingham in the 3-2 pre-season victory over AC Milan in Los Angeles.

Federico Valverde scored twice in quick succession before Vinicius Junior netted the winner six minutes from time after Fikayo Tomori and Luka Romero had given the Italians a 2-0 half-time lead.

England international Bellingham featured for the first time since making an £88.5million switch from Borussia Dortmund, playing 64 minutes before he was replaced by Nico Paz.

Ancelotti told Real’s official website: “I was really impressed with Bellingham.

“Bellingham played very well and the team has to get used to his quality, which is unbelievable. His arrival into the box is hugely important for the team.

“He’s a fantastic player, very important for us because he’s a complete midfielder and he brings real pace and intensity to the game.

“He moves extremely well without the ball and he’s different to the other midfielders we have. He makes the most of the free space and adds another dimension to this squad, which is fantastic.”

What the papers say

The Telegraph says Tottenham owner Joe Lewis has told chairman Daniel Levy he must sell Harry Kane if they can not get the England captain to sign a new contract at the club. The Mirror said this means Manchester United could be back in the market for the striker, while the Daily Mail says Bayern Munich are preparing a third bid to try and lure Kane to Germany.

Former Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, now a free agent, is receiving interest from Brentford, Besiktas and Saudi Pro League clubs, the Mirror reports.

Fulham are looking to sign Demarai Gray from Everton for £7million, while the Toffees value the winger at around £10m, the Sun reports.

The Daily Express say Liverpool midfielder Fabinho’s £40m move to Saudi Pro League team Al Ittihad could be halted if his two French bulldogs are not allowed to join him.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Callum Hudson-Odoi: The Chelsea winger is close to joining former boss Maurizio Sarri at Lazio, the Gazzetta dello Sport said. Although Fulham are still hoping to keep the 22-year-old in England, with the Metro reporting he has agreed on personal terms with the club.

Edson Alvarez: West Ham are confident that they will sign the Mexican midfielder from Ajax for around £40m, Football Insider said.

Commissioner Don Garber says Major League Soccer is on a “rocket ship” and believes Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami will take the competition to new heights.

After Pele’s move to New York Cosmos in 1975, MLS kicking off in 1996 and David Beckham’s 2007 switch to the LA Galaxy, this summer saw another seismic moment in North American football.

Global star Messi’s move to Miami just seven months after lifting the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar sent ripples across the footballing world.

The 36-year-old’s last-gasp free-kick winner on his debut against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on Friday only increased attention on a move that Garber is thrilled about.

“MLS has been on this sort of rocket ship for a while,” said the league’s commissioner since 1999.

“Every day that you think they don’t maybe there’s a quiet period and you can settle in, something else happens that gives you even more momentum, more energy and more sort of optimism about where things are going.

“I think the time is going to come where these great things become expected, special moments are going to be expected and it’s not going to be ‘boy, is this the most special time in the history of the league?’”

Garber takes great pride in the fact “the best player in the history of the game made MLS his league of choice” when he could have gone anywhere.

The commissioner says the Argentinian’s arrival underlines the league’s “unending ambition”, perhaps meaning that one day the best players on the planet will move to North America at 26 rather than 36.

“I think you need to start with getting the best of all time choose us now,” Garber said when that potential change was put to him.

“What will that look like in the years to come and perhaps it will because I think the perception of Major League Soccer is going to change dramatically over the next number of years.

“I think our own ambition is going to change as we all see how all of this plays out.

“But I think because there are a handful of really big names who come at the end of their career, everyone has this label that they put on.

“I mean, David Beckham was 31. He went to Milan and PSG after.

“Yet nobody was saying to Zlatan when he left LA and then he played for Milan for two years and was leading scorer for a while that AC Milan is a retirement club.

“So, I think that’s what all you international pundits like to say but we actually feel really good about the dynamic of our player rosters.

“This concept of a designated player – someone who is outside the (wage) cap who is internationally renowned – that you do need someone who has a legacy of popularity.”

The designated player rule was brought in when Beckham arrived in MLS, with his unique deal allowing him the option to purchase an expansion club at a discounted price.

That team was Miami and the England great looked emotional when Messi made his debut 16 years to the day after he stepped out for his Galaxy bow.

“It fulfilled a dream that he had to really make an impact and follow up on his commitment from the earliest press conference in 2014,” Garber said of the Inter co-owner.

“David stood up there and said ‘I’m going to bring the best players in the world here to Miami – this is a city I love, it’s a team that I’m going to build, I’m going to make it great and I love the league’.

“It’s just not often that things align, and you sort of deliver on the things you say you’re going to deliver. I think that’s cool.

“David is a special guy. People don’t understand how smart David Beckham is, how thoughtful he is and how hard working he is.

“Obviously, you know that he’s very accessible and he’s very humble, but he had a laser focus from the very beginning when he walked off the field: ‘this is what I want to do and this is what it’s going to look like’.

“And it isn’t often where it all aligns and I was emotional with him when I saw him on Sunday night (at Messi’s unveiling).

“Very happy for him and really proud of him. It’s cool.”

Sweden got their Women’s World Cup campaign up and running in dramatic fashion while Jamaica claimed a historic point on day four of the tournament.

The Swedes, who finished third in 2019, battled back to beat South Africa while Jamaica held France and in the day’s other game, the Netherlands claimed a narrow win over Portugal.

Here the PA news agency takes a look at all of Sunday’s action.

Netherlands down debutants

Stefanie van der Gragt’s header saw the Netherlands open their challenge with a 1-0 victory over debutants Portugal in Dunedin.

The defender beat Ines Pereira after 13 minutes but needed to wait before the effort was awarded by VAR.

Jill Roord and Danielle van de Donk missed good chances to extend the lead for the Dutch, who are without injured record scorer Vivianne Miedema. Portugal substitute Telma Encarnacao had a late effort saved by Daphne van Domselaar.

Reggae Girlz hold on to make history

Jamaica secured their first-ever point at a Women’s World Cup by drawing 0-0 with France in their Group F opener.

The Reggae Girlz had skipper Khadija Shaw sent off late on but held on against a side 38 places higher than them in the FIFA rankings.

Kadidiatou Diani saw one shot saved by Rebecca Spencer, another deflect just wide and headed against the woodwork late on as France were left frustrated.

New Gunners signing seals Sweden comeback

Amanda Ilestedt’s late winner saw Sweden come from behind to beat South Africa 2-1 at Wellington Regional Stadium.

The new Arsenal signing’s header came in stoppage time to break South Africa hearts after Hildah Magaia put them ahead minutes into the second half.

But Sweden, who beat England in the third-place play-off four years ago and were runners-up in 2003, recovered with Fridolina Rolfo equalising in the 65th minute. Defender Ilestedt then nodded in the winner in the 90th minute.

Picture of the dayPost of the dayQuote of the day

Jamaica manager Lorne Donaldson: “I would say it is the number one result we have had so far. The number one result, men or women. Just look at the rankings. You would say this result, on this stage, has to be number one.”

Up next

Group F: Brazil v Panama (12pm Monday, Hindmarsh Stadium)
Group G: Italy v Argentina (7am Monday, Eden Park)
Group H: Germany v Morocco (930am Monday, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium)
all times BST

After three defeats on their historic Fifa Women’s World Cup debut in France in 2019, Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz dreamt of picking up their first ever point at the global showpiece on this occasion, and that they did.

The 43^rd-ranked Reggae Girlz fought gallantly to hold overwhelming favourites and fifth-ranked France to a goalless stalemate, much to the delight of the over 39,000 spectators inside the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.

France, a quarterfinalist in 2019, has never been involved in a goalless draw and little did they expect that it would have come against the Jamaicans, who lost captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw in the latter stages of the high intensity encounter, as she was sent off in time added on.

Reggae Girlz Head coach Lorne Donaldson praised his team for their heroic display, particularly goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer.

“She has been training for this, she hardly took a break after her club season, she just wanted to get right back into it. I saw her efforts in Jamaica, and I questioned whether she is doing too much, but she said no coach, I am ready, and she was just fantastic,” Donaldson said of the Tottenham Hotspur shot stopper.

With their first point in the bag, Donaldson declared intentions for the remainder of the tournament, with Concacaf rivals Panama, next in their line of sight.

“We came here believing we could get something out of the game, it was a fantastic French team, but we were determined to play hard, and the ladies gave it everything.

“This is the number one result we would have had in our history on this stage male or female, so now we have to keep getting points, it three games we just have to keep getting points and try to get ourselves in a good position to advance from the group,” he added.

It was always expected to be a dogfight given the Jamaicans intentions, as the Les Bleues entered the contest with six wins from their last eight outings, including wins over Norway, Denmark and Ireland earlier this month. However, the Reggae Girlz again displayed their ability to turn up when it matters most.

Though France was always the dominant force in the high-intensity and physical battle, the Jamaicans stood up strong and had their chances from set pieces, the best of which was when Shaw’s stinging free kick from about 25 yards out was parried by Pauline Peyraud-Magnin in goal for France.

At the other end, Kadidiatou Diani, forced a save from Jamaica’s goalkeeper Spencer and later saw another effort deflected wide to end the first half.

France maintained the momentum on the resumption, but the Jamaicans had a few good breaks in patches, none of which amounted to any real goal scoring chance.

In fact, there best chance of the half came in the 65^th minute when Player of the game, Deneisha Blackwood’s weighted cross in the 18-yard box was headed down by Cheyna Matthews, but the effort lacked enough pace to beat Peyraud-Magnin.

France’s first effort on target in the second half came in the 76^th when Eugenie Le Sommer squeezed a right-footed effort off while under pressure from Chantelle Swaby, but it was easily gathered by Spencer, who was well positioned at her near post.

After consistently probing, the French almost got the much sought after breakthrough in the 90^th when substitute Vicko Becho floated in a cross that was headed on towards goal by Diani, but the late effort came back off the bar, leaving one of the tournament favorites to settle for a point.

Teams: Jamaica –Rebecca Spencer, Chantelle Swaby, Allyson Swaby, Vyan Sampson, Tiernny Wiltshire, Deneisha Blackwood, Jody Brown, Atlanta Primus (Havana Solaun 70^th), Drew Spence, Cheyna Matthews (Solai Washington 70^th), Khadija Shaw

Subs not used: Liya Brooks, Sydney Schneider, Konya Plummer, Tiffany Cameron, Trudi Carter, Peyton McNamara, Kameron Simmonds, Kalyssa Van Zanten, Paige Bailey-Gayle, Kayla McKenna

Booked: Primus (24^th), Shaw (37^th, 90+1 (red)

France: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, Maelle Lakrar, Estelle Cascarino, Wendie Renard, Sakina Karchaoui, Sandie Toletti, Grace Geyoro, Amel Majri (Vicko Becho 66^th), Kadidiatou Diani, Eugenie Le Sommer, Clara Mateo (Kenza Dali 66^th)

Subs not used: Solene Durand, Constance Picaud, Laurina Fazer, Elisa De Almeida, Selma Bacha, Aissatou Tounkara, Lea Le Garrec, Viviane Asseyi, Naomie Feller, Eve Perisset

Booked: Mateo (14^th)

Referee: Maria Carvajal (Chile)

Assistant referees: Leslie Vasquez (Chile); Loreto Toloza (Chile)

Fourth official: Laura Fortunato (Argentina)

Everton have signed Netherlands international forward Arnaut Danjuma on a year-long loan from Villarreal, the club have confirmed.

The 26-year-old, who has played six times for his country, spent the second half of last season at Tottenham after they hijacked a deal for him to move to Goodison Park in January.

He scored only once in the Premier League for Spurs, netting during the 3-2 home defeat to Bournemouth in April.

He was Villarreal’s top scorer during their run to the Champions League semi-final in 2022 but subsequently fell out of favour and was made available for loan.

Bournemouth signed him to try to salvage their top-flight status in January 2020 but he failed to register a goal as Eddie Howe’s side dropped into the Championship.

“It’s amazing to join Everton and I’m really happy to be here,” he told Everton’s website. “It’s been a long time coming to join such a massive club as Everton and it makes me proud.

“I had interest from other clubs but there was a pull towards Everton because of the fans, the manager and the history of the club and it’s second time lucky for me.

“I know I did not move to the club in January, that was because there was some uncertainty over the manager situation at that time, but I think it makes it even more beautiful for me to join now.

“I am very grateful to be at the club and I can’t wait to play in front of the fans as well.”

He becomes manager Sean Dyche’s second signing of the summer after Ashley Young joined following his release from Aston Villa.

Rachel Daly admits it was difficult for her to have been benched in favour of Alessia Russo for England’s World Cup opener against Haiti on Saturday.

Georgia Stanway’s retaken penalty secured the Lionesses a nervy 1-0 victory at Brisbane Stadium to begin their quest for a maiden World Cup, but they have not scored in open play since Ella Toone netted against Brazil in April’s Finalissima at Wembley.

The Russo-or-Daly dilemma was a much-debated topic ahead of the 2023 finals, with Tottenham’s Beth England also amongst boss Sarina Wiegman’s attacking options.

Asked how she felt about her manager’s decision, Daly said: “I think anyone would be (frustrated). No one is happy to sit on the bench. If you are, then you are not in the right place, not in the right career.

“It’s a tough place for Sarina to be, to pick the team. I respect her decisions and I will support Alessia all the way and obviously I know Beth will do the same.”

Versatile Daly started at left-back for every game of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022-winning run last summer, but has always played as a striker at club level and was selected as a forward for this tournament.

The Harrogate native’s 22 goals for Aston Villa in the 2022-23 Women’s Super League season were enough to secure her the Golden Boot, while she also finished joint first for penalties converted with three.

England was the WSL’s third-best scorer with 14, while Russo was joint fifth on 10 with Manchester United team-mate Leah Galton.

Saturday’s Group D contest, against a Haiti side 49 places below the FIFA world number four-ranked Lionesses, did not do much to assuage fears about England’s attacking form.

While Daly has full confidence in Wiegman, she did not rule out the possibility of trying to convince her boss to give her a shot in one of England’s two remaining group games against Denmark or China.

Daly, who came on for Russo in the 76th minute on Saturday, said: “I think that’s the beauty of having a competitive squad. I think everybody is digging out for a position. It’s a headache Sarina has to have in multiple positions. I wouldn’t like to be in her shoes, obviously making such big decisions coming into tournaments.

“But she’s a fantastic manager, we respect all of her decisions. It proved tonight that it works, so we are happy.

“I think movement is probably one of my strengths. I just tried to come on and make a nuisance of myself for the defenders, stepping in off the back of Alessia’s big shift. She did brilliantly again, and I’m just ready when I’m called upon.”

The retirements of striker Ellen White and midfielder Jill Scott last summer combined with injuries to Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead meant there were five differences between Wiegman’s line-up on Saturday and her unchanged Euro 2022 starters, while Daly’s position switch also created an opening in the back line.

All that change, Daly speculated, could have factored into why England did not look near their dominant best in a match many expected they would win handily.

She added: “I mean you could put it down to a number of things, but I think we are quite a new side, a relatively new side. We have lost a lot of players through injury, retiring. We are still building, but I don’t think it’s a worry and a concern at the minute. Hopefully, more will come.”

John Barnes is unconvinced the influx of star talents into the Saudi Pro League will necessarily grow Saudi Arabian football on the world stage.

Cristiano Ronaldo's mid-season arrival at Al-Nassr after the Qatar 2022 World Cup marked the start of a dramatic influx of major players joining clubs in Saudi Arabia's top league.

Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino are among those who have made the move to the Saudi Pro League, where lucrative contracts have tempted several high-profile players.

Liverpool legend Barnes is not sure the competition's aggressive recruitment will improve their position, pointing to the past failures of the Chinese Super League and Saudi Arabia's own strong international record.

"Football has always been big all over the world, since the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s," he told Stats Perform. "Now, because of the media attention you're looking at what's going on in Saudi Arabia.

"10 years ago, people went to China, and now they're going to Saudi Arabia. But once again, like America, just getting some retired players, or players who want to go for the money to go there may not be as good.

"It's more to make the statement of being able to attract superstar players there. That's not necessarily going to grow the league and Saudi Arabia has been doing well internationally anyway.

"They qualified for the World Cup, they were the only team to beat Argentina. Once again, that's very similar to what goes on in America.

"If ex-players or players coming towards the careers want to make a lot of money, they do that. That doesn't necessarily impact the local football."

Fellow former Liverpool player Steven Gerrard is another who has made the move to the Saudi Pro League, to manage Al-Ettifaq, while Jordan Henderson is also expected to join him there.

Henderson's reported move has led to a mixed reception on Merseyside, but Gary McAllister – another former Liverpool player – believes Gerrard should be admired for stepping out of his comfort zone.

"I think Steven was close [to] a couple of jobs in the UK, and they didn't quite land for him," he added. "There was an opportunity, and the club obviously wanted him strongly.

"He's made the decision to go and have a go. I think that's something that you've got to admire. He is going to go there, and it's going to be different, it's a new adventure for him.

"But he's back in the game, and that's what he wanted to do. He wanted to get back in the game. There weren't the avenues here or across Europe. He's made the decision, and he's gone for it."

McAllister believes Saudi Arabia will continue to push and grow its sporting portfolio, but acknowledges there is a long way to go for their football system to catch up with Europe.

"Over the past 10 years, Saudi has gone big and has been able to persuade Formula One to go there," he added. "All the big heavyweight championship bouts have been brought there.

"Obviously, what's happened recently with [LIV] golf, they want to be involved in world sport. I don't think it's going to go away, I think they'll continue to try and invest in all sports right across the board.

"[But] there's a long way to go for other countries to try and take away the power of some of the great clubs that have existed for a long time.

"The game is new in Saudi, so it'll take a long time before they can actually match what happens across Europe and in South America, and even in MLS."