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Aston Villa booked a place in the Europa Conference League group stage by sweeping aside Hibernian 3-0 on the night and 8-0 on aggregate. Villa, who won the first leg of their qualifying play-off 5-0 last week in Edinburgh, underlined their superiority over managerless Hibs with goals from Jhon Duran and Leon Bailey before the interval. Substitute Matty Cash struck his third goal in two games just after the hour-mark as Villa, hosting a European tie for the first time in 13 years, made it four straight wins in all competitions. Unai Emery’s side will learn who they face in the Europa Conference League group stage on Friday when the draw is made in Monaco. Hibs, who sacked manager Lee Johnson on Sunday after a home defeat to Livingston left them bottom of the cinch Premiership without a point, were backed throughout by their noisy band of 2,200 travelling supporters. But the visitors were reminded of the gulf in class between the two sides in the 12th minute when Duran opened the scoring. The Colombia forward burst between Hibs’ centre-backs Rocky Bushiri and Paul Hanlon on to Pau Torres’ excellent pass and swept the ball home. Hibs have put former defender David Gray in temporary charge for a third time and they responded through Jordan Obita’s effort, which forced Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen into a flying save. But Villa made it 7-0 on aggregate when teenage debutant Omari Kellyman laid on their second goal in the 34th minute. The 17-year-old skipped past a tackle and slid in Bailey, who cut back on to his left foot on the right edge of the area to fire beyond Hibs goalkeeper David Marshall. Emery, who made six changes from the side which won 3-1 at Burnley last weekend, sent on Cash and captain John McGinn – against his former club – for the start of the second half. Cash, who fired a double at Turf Moor on Sunday, made it 3-0 on the night just after the hour-mark, burying a rebound after Marshall had failed to hold on to Bailey’s fierce free-kick. McGinn was denied a goal after more neat interplay from Villa by a last-ditch block before the home side took their foot off the gas. Hibs, given a rousing send off by their impressive fans at the final whistle, will now focus on Sunday’s league game at Aberdeen, where they will bid to kick-start their domestic season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andy Murray admits grand slam chances may never improve after US Open defeat Liverpool agree £35million deal with Bayern Munich for Ryan Gravenberch Jack Draper overcomes injury worries to reach US Open third round

Emile Smith Rowe is feeling fresh, fit and ready to prove his worth at Arsenal after a “really tough”, injury-interrupted season. The academy graduate came through the ranks in north London and, having established himself as an exciting performer under Mikel Arteta, was rewarded with a new long-term deal two years ago. Smith Rowe made his senior England debut later in 2021 but things went awry last term. The 22-year-old underwent groin surgery to rectify an issue that has been plaguing him since a loan spell at RB Leipzig in 2019, restricting him to 14 club appearances and no starts. This was my first time having surgery, so it was a really hard decision to take but I went for it Emile Smith Rowe “I am feeling good, it’s good to be back with the boys, back on the pitch with my team-mates,” the 22-year-old attacking midfielder said. “My ambition is to get some more minutes this season and really push on. “Last year was really hard for me, so I just want to kick on now and prove that I can play for this club. “It was really tough because I had surgery twice, so it was really hard. “But my family, friends and the club helped me a lot to get through it. I’m just really happy to be pain free right now and get fit. “This was my first time having surgery, so it was a really hard decision to take but I went for it. “I’m happy that I don’t feel anything there anymore. I am really happy to be fully fit now.” Smith Rowe, who came on in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Manchester United in New Jersey, is also buoyed by his starting role in England’s Under-21 European Championship final win against Spain. It was, he says, an “amazing experience” to triumph in Georgia – success that will only add to his hunger for silverware as Arsenal look to build on last season’s Premier League runners-up spot. “I am at a big club at Arsenal,” Smith Rowe said. “If I didn’t have competition, there wouldn’t be no point. “I have to push myself every day in training, keep working hard. “It’s tough competition but it’s good at the same time. I need to keep working hard and believing in myself. “We’re very ambitious, we want to win trophies. We’re back in Champions League, which is good for the club so really ambitious for us and I want to push on now. “There’s definitely a lot of confidence going into the new season. “We’re a young team as well, so to get that far last season was really good from us. “But, of course, we want to win trophies, so we are going to definitely try and be stronger this year and take it a step further.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2017: Anya Shrubsole bowls England to Women’s World Cup victory Time to show we are a ‘big team’ says Bruno Fernandes Day five of fourth Ashes Test: England face battle with elements in victory push

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Ex-England youth international Ashleigh Plumptre insists it was a simple choice to switch allegiances to Nigeria, who on Monday night could knock her native country out of the World Cup. Leicestershire born and raised Plumptre, 25, has represented England from under-15 to under-23 level, but in January 2022 received FIFA’s approval to join the Super Falcons. Plumptre, who three weeks ago left Leicester after making 79 appearances for the Women’s Super League side, grew up with a half-Nigerian dad whose own father was born in Lagos. The defender said: “For me, it wasn’t difficult because I knew exactly what I wanted from football and I think that just came down from understanding who I am. On my journey, I’ve learned more about myself and I know what I want from football. “And I always say, ‘for me, it’s more than just playing.’ It sounds really weird but I always say I’m not obsessed with football, specifically, I’m obsessed with what I can learn about myself from playing. “And that’s why playing for Nigeria would probably be the most fulfilling thing I could do. “Not to say that my experiences were ever bad with England, they never were, but it was just more that my life went on a different course. “And I’m like, hmm, this is important for me, for my sister, for my family and for the young people who identify as being mixed heritage.” In an interview for the Nigerian Football Federation, Plumptre describes her younger half-sister Bayleigh Bisi as having a darker skin tone and different hair texture, which initially led to her more strongly resonating with their Nigerian heritage. Plumptre feels her own journey is entwined with her sibling’s – going so far as to say that the road to this World Cup, which saw world number 40 Nigeria oust Olympic champions Canada en route to the knockouts, is one shared by them both. She added: “I feel like people have different reasons for wanting to play for a different country. “For me, obviously, I grew up playing for England and I enjoyed my time with them but I always say it was always more of a life decision than a football decision. “I felt like I had a responsibility to try and play for Nigeria, if I could. “And that just came from experiences within family. I’ve got my younger sister, I used to coach an under-12s team with girls with mixed heritage girls, and I feel like I have a responsibility to learn about my heritage and I have the privilege of being able to play football and use that to be able to learn, so it came about like that for me.” Nigeria have contested all nine World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals in 1999. Should they wish to equal or better that feat they will have to find their way past European champions England. Plumptre is prepared to face the Lionesses, a side which includes several former team-mates. She said: “I was like, ‘it’s gonna end up that way’. I know a lot of the players, I grew up playing with a lot of them, play against them. So I would completely relish that opportunity. I would love to play them.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Harry Kane puts speculation to one side with four goals in Tottenham friendly Dozens of triathletes stuck down with diarrhoea and vomiting after ‘swimming in s**t’ Finn Russell expects different challenge from full-strength France next week

Saturday's football transfer rumours, with updates on Joao Palhinha, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Reece James & more.

Over the next month, you're going to hear a lot of NBA Draft prospect comparisons — some good, some absolutely disastrous.With the lottery behind us, NBA Draft season is upon us in earnest. That means it's time to start breaking out the NBA Draft prospect comparisons.These ki...

An age-old argument, without any definitive answer: when do you let your best player go if the rest of the team needs serious improvement? Is it at the point of emotional guilt-tripping, or when the finances make most sense? Is it when the individual starts creating negativity around the dressing room? Or is it in fact not at all – you keep the top performers and that’s the end of it? Daniel Levy, chairperson at Spurs, has been placed in this position before, but perhaps not when Tottenham have been in such a period of weakness and at such a moment of crossroads. When Luka Modric departed in 2012, Spurs had finished fourth and reached the FA Cup semi-final. A year later when Gareth Bale made his exit, Spurs finished one place further back in the Premier League but actually earned three points more than the campaign previous. The rebuild money across those two summers was perhaps spent in mixed fashion, but it was at a time Tottenham were trying to crack into the top clubs on a regular basis. This time, it’s Harry Kane who looks set for a departure, with Bayern Munich offering up an initial bid – big money, but perhaps not quite big enough just yet – for the striker who has only one year remaining on his contract. Kane has been better, more important, more consistent and longer-serving for Tottenham than either of the two aforementioned stars, or indeed any others they’ve had of late. Yet the club also finished eighth last season, their worst league placing in 14 years, and it’s time for both Kane to move on and Spurs to move on without him. It is not for any reason so crass or emotive or frankly ludicrous as “they owe him”. Spurs do not owe Kane anything. He has been excellent for them, and they have given him the platform to be so. But he clearly has kept his level when the club has lost its own, starting at the most uppermost points of the hierarchy downwards. Kane should be seeking a move for his own prospects, for his own ability to win trophies and his own capacity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the greatest centre-forwards of this generation. At Bayern in particular, he’ll very much have the opportunity to do that. Of course, the flip side of the player-based argument is twofold: winning silverware at Spurs might mean more, and so too might claiming the Premier League goalscoring record. Only Kane himself can answer those two factors truthfully, but even if he were to head to the Bundesliga to rack up three or four titles now, there’s very little to suggest his playmaking and goalscoring prowess would have deserted him by the time he turns 33 or 34. A comeback to Spurs once they’ve rebuilt and he’s filled his boots elsewhere? Don’t rule it out. A move abroad is also a risk of its own kind, between adaptation to culture and club, especially in a Euros season. But Gareth Southgate isn’t likely to be leaving out his captain any time soon even if form does desert him – let alone the question of whether there’s even an alternative candidate. And so the decision heads once more to Levy, in charge yet again of overseeing transfers after Fabio Paratici’s enforced exit, and tasked with coming up with a price he finds acceptable for a player the fans value above all others, yet will otherwise surely lose for free in a year. To be blunt, Spurs cannot afford the kind of bluster and brinkmanship Levy has shown before with a far stronger hand. The team needs investment. The team might need outright reshaping, given Ange Postecoglou is almost as far removed from Antonio Conte tactically as he is by way of club interim appointments. Without any kind of European football this coming campaign, Spurs have the chance to make the most of the Australian’s excellent coaching capacity on the training pitch with the additional time between matches the schedule will afford him, so to maximise a season on the fringes they should also be seeking to build the group of players which will benefit him most. While Kane the player is irreplaceable, Spurs can provide Postecoglou with a group to more than make up for what they lose through his sale, if the proceeds are reinvested well and existing players nurtured. Richarlison is the most obvious example, especially as the potential replacement No 9, but Dejan Kulusevski has so much more to give too. Spurs don’t need to gut the building entirely, but they certainly need a better structure than they had last season. Selling Kane is a hard choice, but the right one for the club to move into a new phase of more normalised expectations with long-term prospects for improvement – and the right one for the striker to prove himself on a whole new level, too. Read More Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid Tottenham standing firm on Harry Kane amid interest from Bayern Munich Football rumours: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain weighs up Saudi Arabia move Osimhen and five Man United transfer alternatives to signing Kane Football rumours: Manchester United make last-gasp attempt to sign Harry Kane Range of armband options for Women’s World Cup as FIFA aims to avoid repeat row