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Millie Bright has expressed her confidence that she will be ready for England’s World Cup opener as she continues her recovery from knee surgery. The defender, captain of the squad heading to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand in the absence of ACL injury victim Leah Williamson, underwent an operation after limping out of a Chelsea match in March. While Bright expects Saturday’s World Cup warm-up game against Portugal in Milton Keynes will come too soon for a return to action, she is feeling positive about the Lionesses’ opening Group D fixture against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22. The 29-year-old, who has been doing individual work during the squad’s camp at St George’s Park, said: “The knee’s really good. “I think we are a little bit ahead (of schedule) actually. Coming into it, there’s a big chunk of time before the first game, so we’re really confident and everything is going exactly the way we wanted it to go. “I think Saturday will be a little bit too soon. I’m not back with the girls yet and I don’t think we want to rush that. Obviously, we have a lot of time until the first game.” Asked if she thought there was any danger of her being undercooked, Bright said: “No, not at all. “I think the amount of minutes I’ve played leading up to this has been ridiculous, through the roof, so if anything I feel mentally and physically fresher than I’ve ever felt. “I can’t remember the last time I had longer than two weeks off. It’s been a fair few years now. A blessing in disguise I call it, that I’ve mentally and physically been able to completely just have a clean slate and let my body recover. I’ve played through many injuries but this one, I just couldn’t quite get there.” There had been concern for Alex Greenwood after she went down with an injury during Tuesday’s training session, but the Manchester City defender has said she “will be OK”, adding: “(It is) on the shin. It’s sore, but it’s football. It was a tackle, part of the game.” Meanwhile, Aston Villa midfielder Lucy Staniforth has been added to England’s standby list in place of forward Jess Park, who is returning to Manchester City for rehabilitation on a shoulder injury. Staniforth joins Maya Le Tissier on standby and both will remain with Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad until the Haiti match, with the European champions set to fly to Australia next Wednesday. Staniforth said: “I looked at my phone and saw it was Sarina and I was thinking ‘what’s going on?’ “I kind of thought once the first week (of England’s pre-World Cup camp, which started on June 19) was out of the way, if there was any chance of getting brought in, it would be then. I was surprised obviously. “I got her to repeat the whole tournament schedule again for me about three or four times because I just kept saying ‘sorry, when are we travelling?’ I just hadn’t followed it because I wasn’t involved. I was so out of the loop. I was buzzing. I wanted to get in the car quick and get straight down there. “I was supposed to go to Ibiza with my mum on Monday which is obviously very unfortunate. My mum was buzzing for me and of course wanted me to go. She wasn’t bothered about Ibiza. She will still go on her own. If anyone sees someone on their own in Ibiza, she’s looking for a bit of company!” Read More Lucy Staniforth added to England’s World Cup standby list amid injury concerns Happiness key to ‘best season’ of my career, says England’s Rachel Daly Kane must take Bayern transfer chance - and so should Spurs Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £45m fee with Leicester City for the transfer of James Maddison. Newcastle United had also shown an interest but the England midfielder preferred a move to Spurs.

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

What the papers say Arsenal have entered their third bid, worth £105million for West Ham star Declan Rice after Manchester City had a bid rejected at £90million, the Guardian said. West Ham will reportedly wait for Manchester City to submit another offer on Wednesday. Bayern Munich’s first bid of around £60million plus add-ons for Harry Kane has been deemed too low by Tottenham, the Guardian reported. The club are demanding £100million for the England and Tottenham captain, who is said to be keen to move to the club. Inter Milan are looking to acquire Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku on loan again next season with an £25million option to buy him at the end of the year, the Telegraph said. Social media round-up Players to watch Kylian Mbappe: Liverpool are set to rival Real Madrid and reach Paris St. Germain’s mammoth transfer fee of £258million for the French superstar, according to Marca. Frenkie de Jong: Manchester United and Bayern Munich are both interested in signing the 26-year-old Barcelona midfielder, 90min reported.

Arsenal have submitted a British transfer record bid of over £100m for the West Ham captain Declan Rice, according to reports. The Gunners have increased their offer for the England international after Manchester City entered the race for the midfielder. Arsenal’s opening bid for Rice was a £75m payment with £15m in potential add-ons, but West Ham were insistent that their captain would not leave for less than £100m. Manchester City’s offer was closer to West Ham’s valuation but Pep Guardiola’s treble-winners also saw their approach rebuffed by the London club. According to the Athletic, Mikel Arteta’s side have now increased their package to £100m with a further £5m in add-ons, an offer which is set to test West Ham’s resolve and could bring Manchester City back to the table. Arsenal have made Rice their top transfer target this summer with manager Arteta holding long-standing interest in the 24-year-old. The Independent understands that Rice would prefer to stay in London and join Arsenal, but he is also open to a move to Manchester and the chance to play under Guardiola. The Premier League champions have lost captain Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona on a free transfer and remain interested in Rice, despite Mateo Kovacic signing from Chelsea in a deal that could reach £30m. West Ham have insisted on a package worth at least £100 million for Rice, which would break the record for an English player, held by Jack Grealish after joining City from Aston Villa in 2021. Read More Reuben Loftus-Cheek close to AC Milan move as Chelsea squad overhaul continues Arteta hypes up Arsenal progress despite pain of losing title race Carra hits Glasto and Frankie sings Frank – Friday’s sporting social

Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino poked fun at superstar LeBron James over a social media post that went viral the night of the NBA Draft.The Los Angeles Lakers came off a remarkable 2022-23 season. After getting written off earlier in the year, the Lakers made a run to the...

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Ronald Acuna's first half has been incredible. He has potential to reach a feat that no player has ever done before the All-Star Break.There hasn't been anybody in the MLB this year that has been as incredible as the Atlanta Braves superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. He has th...

Conor McGregor has reiterated his criticism of the bout structure on The Ultimate Fighter, after his team fell to a 0-5 skid against Michael Chandler’s team. McGregor’s fighters have lost every contest in the first five episodes of the new season of the UFC television show. In this week’s episode, Carlos Vera suffered a decision defeat by Brad Katona – a long-time training partner of McGregor. Katona won both rounds on the judges’ scorecards, with former UFC champion McGregor bemoaning the lack of a third round in The Ultimate Fighter’s bouts. “Tell them ‘three rounds’, yeah?” McGregor said after Vera’s loss to Katona, appearing to aim the comment at UFC president Dana White. “The fight’s not over, they’re unfinished fights,” the Irishman added in a backstage interview. “If they got unfinished fights, give them a third round. The guys are fighting for their life here. In those situations where they’re closely contested, back and forth, there should be a third round. “I mean, this guy [Katona] is in there, [saying]: ‘Yeah!’ What was done there? Nothing. I’m surprised that those two [fighters] were called at the second round to be honest.” McGregor, 34, also told Vera in the team’s locker room: “Unfinished fight, that’s it. They’re unfinished fights, man. Let them go another round. They’re three-rounders [that] we need. F*** two rounds. “That was great, that was great. That body kick was money, man – beautiful shot. He’s a solid fighter, I know; he’s trained with us a long time. So, keeping going, Carlos. Great work, my man. Proud of you, bud.” Vera, meanwhile, said in an interview on this week’s episode: “I hate to lose. It is what it is, and there’s a lot of things I have to work on, but I fought my fight. I have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be sad about. So, onto the next one.” McGregor and American Chandler are supposed to fight one another at the conclusion of The Ultimate Fighter’s run this summer, but McGregor is still not in the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool. Fighters must be in the pool for six months and return at least two negative tests – and zero positives – in order to compete in the UFC, unless an exemption is granted. As such, McGregor vs Chandler is unlikely to take place in 2023. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More How to watch The Ultimate Fighter 31 in the UK Conor McGregor denies allegation he sexually assaulted a woman at NBA Finals McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Football pays tribute to Craig Brown – Monday’s sporting social Conor McGregor complains as his team lose yet again on The Ultimate Fighter

Could the St. Louis Cardinals actually trade third baseman Nolan Arenado? Here's how one MLB insider detailed how it could happen.The St. Louis Cardinals' disappointing start to the 2023 season continues. Entering Tuesday, the team is 32-45, good enough for last place in the NL Central...

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett died Tuesday in an apparent drowning off a Florida beach, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team is drawing on French fashion as it looks to win the Rugby