Raphael Varane has been ruled out for a few weeks as Manchester United’s injury issues pile up ahead of the Premier League trip to Arsenal.

Erik ten Hag’s side head to north London on Sunday for their final match before the international break without several key players.

Luke Shaw and Mason Mount picked up issues in the first week of the season, while summer signing Rasmus Hojlund has yet to make his debut due to a back complaint.

Tyrell Malacia, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Tom Heaton have missed the start of the season and now experienced Varane faces a spell on the sidelines.

A club statement read: “Raphael Varane will be missing from the team when Manchester United face Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday due to injury.

“The France international came off at half-time in our 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday due to the complaint, which is expected to keep him out for a few weeks.”

The PA news agency understands that United are expecting Varane to be back in less than the six weeks reported by some outlets.

The 30-year-old has dealt with a number of injuries since moving to Old Trafford in 2021 and, having retired from the France set-up in February, will have the international break to work towards his return.

Wales will be without Daniel James for their crucial Euro 2024 qualifier against Latvia next month.

Leeds winger James has been sidelined with an adductor injury and misses the crunch clash in Riga on September 11, as well as the Cardiff friendly against South Korea four days earlier.

The 45-times capped James has been a regular since making his debut in 2018, starting 34 consecutive competitive games before the run came to an end last November.

Wales boss Rob Page has named a 25-man squad for the September double-header as he seeks to revive the Dragons’ Euro 2024 qualification hopes.

Back-to-back defeats against Armenia and Turkey in June have left Wales with an uphill task to secure an automatic route to the tournament in Germany next summer.

Nottingham Forest forward and Tottenham target Brennan Johnson is included, and Tom Lockyer returns to the squad for the first time since his heart scare in May.

The 28-year-old Luton captain collapsed just a few minutes into the Hatters’ Sky Bet Championship play-off final win over Coventry at Wembley.

Lockyer underwent an operation to address an irregular heartbeat but has since returned to action to lead Luton in their first Premier League campaign.

David Brooks is also present after scoring for Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, his first senior goal since returning to action earlier this year following treatment for stage two Hodgkin lymphoma.

Tottenham defender Ben Davies is available after missing the 2-0 Euro qualifying defeat to Turkey in June due to the birth of his first child.

Page has named four goalkeepers in his squad – Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, Adam Davies and Tom King – but none of them have had any game-time this season.

Kieffer Moore and Joe Morrell are both suspended for the Latvia qualifier after picking up red cards in June.

The pair received two-game bans, with Bournemouth striker Moore serving the first part of his suspension in Turkey after being sent off against Armenia.

Portsmouth midfielder Morrell saw red against Turkey in Samsun and will also miss the October qualifier with Croatia.

Both players have been included in Page’s squad and can feature against Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea in Cardiff on September 7.

Bolton midfielder Josh Sheehan returns to the squad for the first time since September 2021 and Wes Burns is also included. Midfield pair Luke Harris and Ollie Cooper drop out.

Full squad: W Hennessey (Nottingham Forest), D Ward (Leicester), A Davies (Sheff Utd), T King (Wolves), B Davies (Tottenham), M Fox (QPR), J Rodon (Leeds, on loan from Tottenham), B Cabango (Swansea), C Mepham (Bournemouth), T Lockyer (Luton), N Williams (Nottingham Forest), C Roberts (Burnley), W Burns (Ipswich), E Ampadu (Leeds), J Sheehan (Bolton), J James (Birmingham), J Morrell (Portsmouth), H Wilson (Fulham), A Ramsey (Cardiff, captain), K Moore (Bournemouth), N Broadhead (Ipswich), B Johnson (Nottingham Forest), D Brooks (Bournemouth), T Bradshaw (Millwall), L Cullen (Swansea).

Andy Farrell says Ireland are “devastated” to have lost veteran prop Cian Healy to injury ahead of the Rugby World Cup in France.

Healy has been left out of his country’s 33-man squad and is facing up to 10 weeks on the sidelines due to a calf issue sustained in Saturday evening’s 17-13 warm-up win over Samoa.

The 35-year-old – Ireland’s third most-capped player with 125 appearances – was helped off the pitch by medical staff in Bayonne and was later pictured on crutches.

Munster loosehead Jeremy Loughman will fill the void, with head coach Farrell holding faint hope of Healy possibly being fit to feature in the latter stages of the tournament.

“He’s just had a scan as we got off the plane and he’ll be out for a spell of time that won’t be right, unfortunately, for Cian and for us, certainly for the start of the competition,” said Farrell, speaking in Dublin.

“We’ll see how his rehab goes during it, you’d never know towards the back end if he could be a replacement or not.

“It’s devastating, isn’t it? That’s sport, that’s life, that’s rugby. Cian’s big enough and old enough and experienced enough to be through these type of things before.

“I remember in 2013 on the Lions (tour) he got injured early and had to fly home. He’s experienced something like this and understands that these things happen. He’s devastated as we are for him.

“The prognosis is something between five, six to 10 weeks. How that rehab carries on is something that we’ll keep a track of as we go.”

Healy’s absence was the headline news from Farrell’s selection, but was hardly a shock given he was still hobbling when boarding the plane to return to Dublin from Biarritz earlier on Sunday.

Captain Johnny Sexton says his Leinster team-mate will be missed.

“I only just found out literally five minutes ago,” said Sexton. “He has been through ups and downs in his career, he’s a very, very decorated player, a great player. We’re going to miss him.

“I’m gutted for him to miss this tournament. It has meant a lot to him in how he has prepared for it and how he has trained.”

Ulster pair Jacob Stockdale and Tom Stewart, Connacht back-rower Cian Prendergast, Leinster fly-half Ciaran Frawley and uncapped Munster hooker Diarmuid Barron also failed to make the cut.

But Dan Sheehan, Ronan Kelleher, Jack Conan, Dave Kilcoyne and Keith Earls have been picked, despite recent injury issues, with Farrell opting for a 18-15 split of forwards and backs.

Ireland begin their campaign on September 9 against Romania in Bordeaux and also face Tonga, world champions South Africa and Scotland in Pool B.

“It’s obviously difficult because you’re shattering somebody’s dream, but I would hope that through all campaigns you don’t let bad news become a shock,” Farrell said of cutting down his squad.

“We think we have an extremely gifted squad and I also feel the balance is right.

“We’re the lucky ones that get to chase the dream for the wider group and the nation itself.

“If we can’t get excited for that and the first game against Romania, we’re in the wrong job. I think we’re in a great place, ready to take this challenge head on.”

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s injury suffered during the second leg of the 4x100m relay on Saturday is not considered serious and the iconic Jamaican sprinter is said to be in good spirits.

Fraser-Pryce sustained a hamstring injury early on the second leg of the sprint relay but still managed to hand the baton off to third-leg runner Sashalee Forbes that enabled the Jamaicans to complete the relay and win a silver medal.

She was taken to hospital in Budapest where she underwent scans on the injured leg.

Overnight, there was concern about the severity of the injury to Fraser-Pryce who went into competition with an injured right knee that caused her to be well below her best in the 100m in which she ran a season-best 10.77 for a bronze medal.

However, the news on Sunday was encouraging as according to team doctor Dr Warren Blake, who spoke with the Jamaican Observer, the injury was not as bad as initially feared and that Fraser-Pryce, notwithstanding the circumstances, was in good spirits. Dr Blake revealed that her disappointment was with the fact that Jamaica did not win the gold medal.

Gold-medal favourite Steven Gardiner has revealed the nature of the injury that saw him crash out of the 400m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Tuesday.

In a heartbreaking turn of events, Gardiner of the Bahamas, was leading his semi-final heat when he winced in pain and fell to the track, his dreams of winning another world championship title dashed.

The 2019 world champion was widely anticipated to dominate the competition once again. However, fate had a different plan for him. This was a particularly bitter pill to swallow, considering he had missed out on defending his title in the previous championship due to UTE tendon inflammation.

Taking to his Instagram account, Gardiner candidly shared the nature of the injury he sustained during the crucial race. “Heartbroken but will not give up. Today (Tuesday) during my 400m semi-final I suffered a grade 1 sprain of the tendon extending into the knee of the right posterior thigh. Unfortunately, this is season-ending but I will be okay," he said.

This announcement left fans and the athletics community in shock. A grade 1 sprain of the tendon extending into the knee is no minor setback. The injury would not only put an end to his aspirations for this championship but also his entire season.

Gardiner's message on Instagram continued with gratitude for those who supported him throughout his journey:

“I would kindly like to thank the Budapest medical staff, team Bahamas, my management team (ontrackmanagement), coaches, fans, and sponsors for always believing in me.”

Jaydon Hibbert’s gold medal ambitions at the World Athletics Championships have been shattered. 

The talented 18-year-old,  the world leader with his mark of 17.87m was among the favourites to win the triple jump at the championships. He appeared to have suffered an injury on his first approach. As he leapt off the board, he aborted his attempt while clutching the back of his right leg.

Officially, he will take no further part in the competition.

Chelsea are waiting to discover the extent of the injury suffered by Carney Chukwuemeka at West Ham.

The 19-year-old scored his first goal for the Blues at the London Stadium to cancel out Nayef Aguerd’s early header.

But Chukwuemeka had to be helped from the field with a knee injury shortly before half-time.

“We need to assess him (on Monday),” said Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino.

“There will be an assessment with the doctor. We hope it’s not a big issue, but we need to wait.”

Further goals from Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta’s stoppage-time penalty condemned Chelsea to a 3-1 defeat, despite West Ham playing the last 25 minutes with 10 players following Aguerd’s red card.

The Blues had the chance to go 2-1 ahead before half-time but Enzo Fernandez’s spot-kick was saved by Alphonse Areola.

France international Areola insisted he was confident about saving the penalty despite his wretched record.

The 30-year-old is West Ham’s new first-choice this season having been promoted ahead of veteran Lukasz Fabianski, who has an excellent record of saving spot-kicks.

Areola, by contrast, had let in all four of the penalties he has faced for West Ham, as well as watching all 10 fly past him in a Carabao Cup shoot-out defeat by Blackburn last season.

He said: “I think we showed that we are strong defensively and can score after that.

“We tried to survive first and then with the red card, which was unlucky, we showed that we have the character and we are now experienced.

“I was quite confident on the penalty. I was ready and luckily for me and for the team I stopped it. I was happy and happy for the team, and I think it helped the team to push and keep our belief.”

The Chicago Cubs were planning on Marcus Stroman returning from the injured list to pitch Wednesday.

It turns out he will be sidelined much longer.

Stroman has been diagnosed with a right rib cartilage fracture and is out indefinitely.

Already on the IL due to right hip inflammation, the 32-year-old experienced rib discomfort recently during his rehab and the Cubs announced Tuesday he would not be activated to pitch against the Chicago White Sox the following night.

At this point, the Cubs are going to wait until he's pain-free until he resumes throwing.

While the team is not giving a timeline for his return, recovery for such an injury could be anywhere from two weeks to up to six weeks.

With only 6 1/2 weeks left in the season, it's possible he's done for the year.

It's a tough blow for a Cubs team that entered Wednesday 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and one game back of the Miami Marlins for the final wild-card spot in the NL.

Stroman, who was Chicago's opening day starter, was sensational early in the season, going 9-4 with a 2.28 ERA in 16 starts through June 20 and earned his second All-Star team selection. At that time, his ERA was the lowest in the NL among the 37 pitchers with at least 70 innings thrown.

The last two months have not gone nearly as well for him, as he's gone 1-4 with a 9.00 ERA in his last seven outings and landed on the IL on August 2.

Despite his recent struggles, the Cubs were hoping a stint on the IL would help Stroman regain his early season form, but now the team is facing the real possibility he won't be able to pitch the rest of the year.

Tottenham defender Ryan Sessegnon has been left devastated by his recent hamstring injury – but has vowed to come back stronger than ever.

Spurs confirmed on Tuesday that Sessegnon had undergone surgery on his left hamstring following an injury in the first week of pre-season training under new boss Ange Postecoglou.

Left-back Sessegnon was plagued by muscle injuries last season and now faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“Devastated and not really sure what to say right now, but I wanted to come on here and say thank you for all the kind messages I’ve received,” he said on his Instagram page.

“Hopefully this provides a light at the end of the tunnel. I feel very hungry and motivated to return stronger than ever and be back doing what I do best, for you guys.”

Sessegnon made 23 appearances for Tottenham last season, but his last outing for the club occurred back in February after a hamstring injury curtained the second half of his campaign.

The ex-Fulham academy graduate was over the initial problem and returned to work at Spurs on July 1, only to suffer a reoccurrence of last season’s muscle issue.

It is expected surgery will be a “permanent solution” to his hamstring troubles.

Sessegnon has only made 56 appearances for Tottenham since joining in the summer of 2019 and will now miss the club’s upcoming tour of Perth, Bangkok and Singapore.

Earlier on Wednesday, Spurs announced they would now play local side Lion City Sailors on July 26 in the Singapore leg of their pre-season tour after previous opponents AS Roma, managed by Jose Mourinho, pulled out of their tour to Asia.

Tottenham have also added another fixture to their summer schedule with the club set to face Barcelona in the 58th Joan Gamper Trophy match on August 8.

The pre-season friendly will take place at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys – the scene of the 1992 Olympic Games – due to construction work taking place Barca’s Camp Nou stadium.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Ivan Perisic were among the international players to return to training at Hotspur Way on Wednesday despite speculation over their futures.

Joanna Mason, who suffered a leg fracture in a gallops accident last month, looks set to return to the saddle “in two or three weeks”.

Mason, 33, who was sidelined for 10 days when kicked in the knee by Jazz Samba following his win at Beverley on May 1, suffered more bad luck when three pigeons flew out of bushes adjacent to the gallops at her grandfather Mick and his son David Easterby’s yard, spooking a filly she was riding and unseating her.

The Malton rider raised her profile significantly on a wider stage earlier this year, producing a superb performance in February’s International Jockeys Challenge at the Saudi Cup to finish as leading woman rider and in third place overall.

On her rehabilitation, she said: “It’s going well, not doing too badly. I’m not a 100 per cent sure. I’ve increased stuff this week in the hydrotherapy pool, the physio and in the gym, and am doing a lot more weight-bearing. I’m hoping I’ll be back within the next two or three weeks.

“I definitely couldn’t get on a horse yet. I am just body-weight loading and doing that with heel raises, but I’m getting there.

“The knee is still a bit sore, because I was over-using it and hopping around while I was nursing my left one. There is not as much pressure, and it doesn’t hurt. I’m not doing too badly. I suppose your body will tell you when you are ready, but the process always takes longer than you think.

“The physios are really happy and I’m doing enough to push it without it hurting.”

In a remarkable display of resilience and determination, Olympic relay gold medallist, Briana Williams, defied the odds and made a triumphant comeback at the Jamaica National Athletics Championships on Friday night.

Despite battling injuries throughout the season, she managed to finish fourth in the highly competitive 100m race, clocking in at a season's best time of 11.01 seconds.

The race was dominated by some of Jamaica's finest sprinters, with Shericka Jackson leading the pack and setting a world-leading time of 10.65 seconds to claim victory. Sashalee Forbes, who achieved a personal best of 10.96 seconds, secured second place, closely followed by Natasha Morrison in third place with a time of 10.98 seconds.

For Williams, this achievement was nothing short of miraculous. Just a week prior, her hopes of participating in the trials seemed bleak after suffering an injury. However, through the relentless efforts of the staff at the YB Rehabilitation Centre, she made a remarkable recovery, defying the odds to secure a spot on Jamaica's team for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

In a post-race interview, Williams expressed her gratitude, acknowledging the support she received during her challenging journey. "Last week, the unbelievable happened to me, and I wasn't even sure if I was going to run at trials this week. The YB Rehabilitation Center worked tirelessly on me, and I just want to thank God that I made it out here and was able to run all three healthy races," she revealed.

 While the fourth-place finish may not have been her ultimate goal, Williams remained positive, focusing on the progress she had made despite the setbacks.

"The season's not over. I still have more personal bests to run, but I just want to thank God that I still made the team," she said, emphasizing her determination to continue improving.

The Olympic relay gold medallist also highlighted the improvements in her race execution, crediting her coaches at Titans International for their unwavering support and guidance. She acknowledged the hard work they put into refining her performance and expressed confidence in her increased strength compared to the previous year.

“Definitely a lot stronger than last year. Just a few more things to work on and just focused on being healthy for the rest of the season so I can get lower my times each race.

“Right now it's going well. I'm just happy that I made it without feeling it (the hamstring) and I'm so grateful.”

Five-time world 100m champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, has expressed her unwavering confidence and determination as she prepares to open her 2023 season at Jamaica's national championships in Kingston from July 6-9 and begin her campaign for a record-extending sixth world 100m title in Budapest in August.

After recovering from a knee injury she suffered back in May in Kenya, Fraser-Pryce is more determined than ever to get back on track after her record-breaking season in 2022.

Reflecting on her journey, Fraser-Pryce, in an interview with Black Enterprise shared, "You know, I've always said that no two years are ever the same. You plan and you work, and you just hope that everything falls into place."

Her last year was filled with joy and achievement, especially after winning an unprecedented fifth World 100m title and running under 10.7 seconds, a record seven times, which laid a solid foundation for her ambitions this year.

However, the sprinter experienced a hiccup early in the season in Kenya, forcing a delayed start to her season. Determined to bounce back stronger, she returned to the drawing board to ensure her knee was in excellent condition. She knew that the outdoor season would demand not only mental fortitude but also peak physical performance. Her goal was to be in top form and leave no room for setbacks.

 Speaking about her preparations, Fraser-Pryce stated, "So far, training has been going great, and I believe I'm in a much better place now. I've been able to tweak some things and really revisit areas that needed work."

A three-time Olympic gold medallist, Fraser-Pryce’s relentless work ethic and dedication have been the driving force behind her successful career, and she remains focused on fine-tuning every aspect of her performance.

Throughout her journey, Fraser-Pryce has relied on her spirituality, trusting that God will always guide her path. "I really just trust that God will always work things out," she said, "I always have to trust that. You do the work, and you just get on the track, and you know you have a good team. Coaches are prepared, we're prepared."

England’s Ashes preparation has been rocked after spinner Jack Leach was ruled out of the series with a back stress fracture.

Leach claimed four scalps during England’s 10-wicket victory over Ireland at Lord’s this week, but developed low back symptoms during the match.

A subsequent scan on Sunday revealed a stress fracture in the lumbar region of the spine, which will rule him out of all five Ashes Tests.

“Spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the LV= Insurance men’s Ashes series with a low back (lumbar) stress fracture,” an England statement said.

“England will announce a replacement for the Ashes series in due course.”

Fran Jones’ hopes of making a first French Open appearance are over after she was forced to retire during her second qualifying round.

The Briton, who suffers from a congenital condition which means she has three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on one foot and four toes on the other, was left in tears as she had to retire due to an apparent shoulder injury during the first set of her clash with Ylena In-Albon at Roland Garros.

Jones, currently ranked 316 in the world, had beaten former grand slam semi-finalist Coco Vandeweghe in her opening round and had enjoyed some encouraging results on the ITF circuit prior to the main clay-court in Paris.

She joins Heather Watson and Katie Swan in heading out of qualifying as the British pair lost in Tuesday’s first-round qualifying.

A host of other Brits are in action later on Tuesday as they hope to continue their journey towards the main draw.

James Anderson is ready to sit out England’s first Test of the summer against Ireland but is confident a groin strain picked up on county duty will not hold him back from next month’s Ashes opener.

The country’s record wicket-taker pulled up sore during day one of Lancashire’s LV= County Championship clash against Somerset last week and sat out the remainder of the clash.

His absence brought back memories of the 2019 series against Australia, when he battled back from a torn calf only to break down again on the first morning of the first Test and bring an early end to his summer.

Scans allayed the worst of those fears and even allowed the 40-year-old to appear in a 15-man squad for the one-off Lord’s Test against Ireland on June 1, but England may ultimately be happier to wrap their lead seamer in cotton wool ahead of the Ashes opener at Edgbaston two weeks later.

“I think I will be fit for the Ireland game. Whether I play or not is probably another matter really. I definitely don’t want to risk it,” he said, at an appearance for new England sponsors Radox.

“I am desperate to be fit for the first Ashes Test. If that means missing the Ireland Test, so be it.

“I feel good. I had a scan on the second day of that game – it was a little groin strain. It’s a 10-day recovery period, and I’m rehabbing already, running next week.

“It was the best result of a bad situation. That situation (in 2019) was a different injury, a more serious injury. I ripped my calf earlier that summer, and it was a real push to try to get fit for that first Test. I don’t feel like this is anywhere near that severity.”

Anderson was making his fourth appearance of the county season when he went down at Emirates Old Trafford, tuning up nicely with 16 wickets, and realised instantly he needed to withdraw.

“I was disappointed to have to pull out of a game but, with what’s to come in the summer, it was actually a pretty good result,” he said.

“It was weird how it worked out. The last ball of my spell I felt something not quite right. I came straight off, and then we came pretty much straight off for rain after that. I pulled up the next day and it wasn’t right. I went for a scan that night and it showed a strain, so there was no point risking it.”

Anderson’s likely absence against Ireland creates opportunities elsewhere, with the returning pace pair of Chris Woakes and Matthew Potts eager for action as they seek to force their way back in.

:: Anderson was speaking at a partnership launch announcing Radox as an official partner of England Cricket. Radox will be keeping cricketers and fans feeling refreshed this summer.