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Diogo Dalot is determined to kick on and help Manchester United fulfil what he calls their responsibility to be successful after committing his long-term future to the club. A decade has now passed since the Red Devils won their 20th league title, with the resulting post-Sir Alex Ferguson era full of ups, downs and too little silverware. Dalot is now under his fifth either permanent or interim manager since joining United from Porto in 2018 but Erik ten Hag’s promising first season suggests the club are back on track. The meticulous Dutchman has changed style and mindset at a club that are desperate to push on from their third-placed Premier League finish and Carabao Cup triumph. Obviously playing two finals, winning a trophy, being up there competing for the Premier League, that's where we want to aim. Diogo Dalot “(Last season) brings us momentum, energy as well, to look back on what we did last year,” Dalot told the PA news agency. “It has to bring us energy to build even more, to raise the bar a little bit higher. “I think we have all the conditions to give a little bit more and plus, so we can even get better from what we did last year. “It doesn’t fully (reflect) on the entire success that this football club works for and deserves. “Like our manager said, we see it as progress, a little step forward. “Obviously playing two finals, winning a trophy, being up there competing for the Premier League, that’s where we want to aim. “We know that it’s difficult, we have a lot of teams to compete (against), but we are Man United, so we have to look (at) that not as a motivation but as a responsibility to fulfil the objectives of this club.” Improving on last season will be a challenge given treble-winning rivals Manchester City’s quality and the improvements made by the Premier League’s other top clubs. But Dalot is in no doubt that United are back on the up and that he is in the right place to succeed, having recently signed a new deal until 2028 with an option for a further season. “I think it’s a combination of me and the club, the connection that we have,” the Portugal international said of that deal. “The project that the club believe that I can be a part of. “Obviously the manager, the important role that he had since he came here to help me to develop even more, so I think this is the perfect combination for me. “I didn’t have any doubts on keeping here at this club and fighting for even more.” Dalot made a mightily impressive start to last season, with rejuvenated Aaron Wan-Bissaka flourishing towards the end of the campaign. Every position we have at least now two players that can play and they can start a game for this club, so this is something that I've always said, and I've always kept on my mind that I like it. Diogo Dalot The United right-backs offer different attributes and their performances have meant that, unlike recent years, there has been little to no talk of the need to improve the position this summer. “If you want to play for this club, you have to be able to compete – not just as a team, but as individual as well,” Dalot said. “Every position we have at least now two players that can play and they can start a game for this club, so this is something that I’ve always said, and I’ve always kept on my mind that I like it. “I like to have this type of competition and I think I have a good team-mate to do that, which makes me even more motivated to raise the level and fight for the position.” Not only do United have depth in different positions but an improved number of leaders. Harry Maguire has worn the captain’s armband in recent seasons and Ten Hag recently named Bruno Fernandes skipper. “To be honest, knowing him as I know him, he’s not going to change the behaviour that he had since he came here,” Dalot said of his compatriot. “When he arrived, he always tried to get this natural leadership that he has inside of him. “He is always a player that you can rely on. Obviously, being there every single game brings you even more confidence to have a team-mate like him, who gives you everything for the team. “And then obviously, the personality that (he) has, that capacity to be a leader and we are happy that he’s one of the leaders of this team.” Dalot hopes to help Fernandes drive standards at United having learned from arguably Portugal’s greatest ever player. Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from Old Trafford last November was acrimonious but his impact over two spells at the club left an indelible mark on his United team-mates during those times. Dalot remains close with the 38-year-old world star and said: “I mean, he helped me a lot outside of the pitch. “Whether it’s the way he conducts himself every single day, I think the discipline that he has and he had through all his career brought me a lot. “It was a joy for me to play with him and to be his team-mate. He helped me a lot. “I will keep some things to myself but the general (thing) is that his discipline is what impressed me the most. “Because you can be consistent, but you can be consistent in a bad way, and he was disciplined and consistent in a good way. That’s what I’ve learned the most from him.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live ‘Matter of when not whether’ UK hosts Women’s World Cup – sports minister Ryan Reynolds reaches out to Manchester United keeper after Paul Mullin injury Football rumours: Bayern Munich officials fly to London in bid for Harry Kane

Lauren James scored after six minutes of her first start at the Women’s World Cup as England beat Denmark 1-0 in Sydney

Midfielder Keira Walsh has injured her right knee in a Women's World Cup Group D match against Denmark in yet another setback for European champion England

European champions England stood on the brink of the Women's World Cup last 16 after a Lauren James cracker in the sixth minute gave them a...

Keira Walsh added to England’s injury woes when she went down in the first half of the World Cup Group D game against Denmark. Here the PA news agency takes a look at some of the key players missing in England’s World Cup campaign. Keira Walsh Walsh stayed down after stretching to intercept a pass in midfield and could clearly be seen telling the team’s medical staff: “I’ve done my knee.” Play was stopped immediately, despite it not being a head injury, and England’s midfield metronome was carried off on a stretcher after a period of treatment. Laura Coombs took Walsh’s place as a substitute but a prolonged absence would be the latest significant blow to the Lionesses’ hopes of following up their European Championship win. Leah Williamson England captain Leah Williamson was ruled out of the World Cup after she ruptured her anterior cruciate knee ligament during Arsenal’s Women’s Super League defeat to Manchester United in April. Like Walsh, Williamson appeared to catch her studs in the turf with no other player in close proximity. A pillar at centre-back, Williamson has been an integral part of the England set-up and skippered the side to their first major trophy at Euro 2022. Beth Mead Williamson joined a long injury list at Arsenal which includes fellow Lionesses favourite Beth Mead, who has been out with the same injury since November. Mead caused havoc for opposition teams at last summer’s Euros, where she was named player of the tournament and was awarded the Golden Boot with six goals including a hat-trick in England’s 8-0 thrashing of Norway. Fran Kirby Kirby missed the tournament Down Under following a knee injury picked up in Chelsea’s Continental League Cup semi-final win at West Ham in February. The midfielder started every game of last summer’s European Championship campaign – providing three assists and scoring two goals as the Lionesses won on home soil – and scored nine times for Chelsea in 16 appearances across all competitions last season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ryan Reynolds reaches out to Manchester United keeper after Paul Mullin injury Football rumours: Bayern Munich officials fly to London in bid for Harry Kane British Cycling set to debut Olympic bike at World Championships

The state of the pitches at the Women’s World Cup have been heavily criticised after England star Keira Walsh suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury during the Lionesses’ game against Denmark. Midfielder Walsh got her boot stuck in the turf during the first half at Allianz Stadium in Sydney and twisted her knee as she fell to the ground. The 26-year-old looked to be in serious pain and was eventually stretchered off, replaced by Laura Coombs. The incident comes amid growing concern about the number of ACL tears in women’s football with the likes of England captain Leah Williamson, winger Beth Mead, Netherlands superstar Vivianne Miedema, Canada forward Janine Beckie and USA’s rising Cat Macario just some of those missing the tournament with that specific injury. Speaking on the BBC at half-time of England vs Denmark, pundit Jonas Eidevall – who is head coach at Arsenal – slammed the state of the pitches as “not good enough” and believes the turf needs to be watered to improve player welfare. “I think it looks very dry,” said Eidevall. “You could see on the movement that when she [Walsh] tries to slide with her right foot, it stops and then twists her knee. “I think another example of that was the celebration for the first goal. Lauren James tries to knee slide but when she does that on the pitch, she just stops and falls over. “It looks funny but it's a danger to player welfare to have such a dry pitch. It should allow you to slide through. It's not good enough. “I'm a big advocate of watering the pitches, it makes the passes go faster but it also prevents situations like this. It’s these stopping mechanisms that a lot of the time cause these serious injuries.” England led 1-0 when Walsh’s injury occurred and if she is ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup, that would be a huge blow to the Lionesses’ chances of lifting the title. The Barcelona midfielder is the beating heart of England’s midfield and speaking as a pundit for the BBC, ex-Lioness Ellen White commiserated with her former teammate. "I'm devastated for her to be honest,” said White. “She's been one of the best if not the best player for England. She knew it didn't look good. She'll be a big miss. I'm devastated for her." Walsh had expressed her concern about the number of injuries being suffered in an interview earlier this month and urged greater resource to be poured into the game. “I think there is a massive worry,” Walsh said at the time. “Look at the resources the men have as well, I don’t think that’s available to us and we are being asked to play close to what they play in a season now without the kind of resources behind it. “The medical teams, they work so hard but it’s impossible to keep everybody fresh all the time and we’re playing so many games and I think – with the introduction of the Nations League as well – it’s going to be difficult and you see how many ACL injuries there have been and how many players are getting injured. “I would be lying if I say it’s not a worry for me every time I go on the pitch that I’m going to get injured next.” Read More England vs Denmark LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score after Lauren James goal and Keira Walsh injury England sweat on Keira Walsh fitness amid avalanche of ACL injuries impacting Women’s World Cup Keira Walsh fears injury ‘every time I go on the pitch’ due to increased load England sweat on Keira Walsh fitness after ACL injuries impact World Cup Laura Coombs: England’s unlikely midfield general in profile Keira Walsh not focused on personal treble as England chase World Cup glory

Badminton world number one Viktor Axelsen survived a serious scare from H.S. Prannoy of India on Friday to advance to the...

ACL injuries have already influenced the Women’s World Cup with the contenders weakened after a number of key players were ruled out in the build-up to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. Players are asking why the injury has been so prevalent in women’s football, including glaring omissions of Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema, England's Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, Canada's Janine Beckie and rising USA star Catarina Macario in this tournament. And now the Lionesses will be forced to sweat on the health of Keira Walsh, who suffered a knee injury to be forced off against Denmark. The Barcelona midfielder was taken off on a stretcher, replaced by Laura Coombs, and appeared distraught, covering her face with her hands. "I'm devastated for her to be honest,” said Ellen White on BBC Sport. “She's been one of the best if not the best player for England. She knew it didn't look good. She'll be a big miss. Laura has come in, I'm devastated for her." While Jonas Eidevall added that the dry pitch may have contributed to the injury: “It's a danger to player welfare to have such a dry pitch. It's not good enough. I'm a big advocate of watering the pitches, it makes the ball go faster and stops situations like this.” USWNT midfielder Andi Sullivan, who tore her ACL in college at Stanford, believes it is a “multifaceted issue” hurting the game. “I don’t know if I’m the expert in it, even though I’ve experienced it,” said Sullivan. “There’s so many different factors that could contribute to that and I think we are a little bit behind on the research as to why, so hopefully now the prevalence will kind of wake people up,” Sullivan added. “This is an issue we need to pay attention to and look more into preventing and how to handle it better.” Last year it was estimated that nearly 60 players in the world's top professional women's leagues were sidelined because of anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Among them was Spain's Alexia Putellas, who injured her ACL just before the Euros last July. Putellas, who will play for Spain at the World Cup, partnered with FIFPRO, the international players' union, to call attention to the outbreak of ACL injuries and demand a closer look at possible contributing factors including workload, medical care, field conditions and even equity. Studies have shown women are up to eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries in sports involving sudden changes of direction, like soccer and basketball, than their male counterparts. Dr. Mark Cullen, the team physician for the University of New Hampshire who specializes in orthopedic surgery, says women have wider hips which impacts knee mechanics. “They also tend to land a little bit more stiff-legged and don’t absorb the forces as well as their male counterparts, and that puts more force on the ACL and contributes to the tears,” Cullen said. Katie Rood, who plays professionally in Scotland, was hoping to make New Zealand's roster and play in soccer's biggest tournament on home soil. But she recently announced that she had joined the “ever-growing ACL club.” “It’s been an interesting process so far and one I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from, especially as it’s a serious issue in the women’s game. What’s hit me quite hard in this situation is just how many times I’ve been asked ‘Is the club looking after you?’” she wrote. “It’s a reminder that health care and medical treatment isn’t often the norm in the women’s game and we all know of players being left to fend for themselves after getting seriously injured with their clubs.” Rood, however, praised her team for their support. Miedema won’t be ready in time to help the Netherlands when it returns to the Women's World Cup after finishing as runner-up to the United States four years ago in France. She is one of four players from Arsenal in the Women’s Super League currently sidelined by ACL injuries. The list includes Williamson, who tore her ACL in April. When Arsenal’s Laura Wienroither tore her ACL earlier this month, Miedema posted on social media: “At least we will all be in the gym together. PS. ACL group is full now. Please no more.” Five of the nominees the 2022 women's Ballon d’Or — Putellas, Miedema, Macario, Mead and France’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto — all sustained ACL injuries last year. Mead, who won the Golden Boot at the Women's Euros last year, was left off England's 23-player roster for the World Cup. “We have to take care of players and do what’s smart, and not do what’s a little bit naive,” England coach Sarina Wiegman said. Having already lost Katoto, France was dealt another ACL blow when Delphine Cascarino tore her ACL while playing for Lyon. Lyon teammate Macario, one of the most promising young U.S. attackers, tore her ACL last June. Macario rehabbed at Aspetar, a specialized sports medicine facility in Qatar, but announced in May that she wouldn't make it back in time for the World Cup. Aside from the mechanics, there's an emotional toll that such long-term injuries take on athletes. For some, it means the loss of a paycheck, for others it may be that their careers stall or are cut short. Others miss out on chances to play in the World Cup. Tierna Davidson, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League, tore her ACL last March. She said the injury and the rehab helped her appreciate her career. “At the beginning, I felt like I was impatient and I was frustrated. When is this going to be over?” Davidson said. “But I think throughout the process, I really learned how to be patient and how to listen to myself and allow myself the space to enjoy the good things, which is important when you’re going through something like that.” Read More England vs Denmark LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score after Lauren James goal and Keira Walsh injury Why are England wearing black armbands today? Who are the BBC World Cup commentators? Alex Scott, Fara Williams and full list of pundits Laura Coombs: England’s unlikely midfield general in profile Women’s World Cup groups: A comprehensive guide to each squad Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today

England Lionesses fans were left shocked after Keira Walsh appeared to suffer a serious knee injury during the Women’s World Cup game against Denmark. The Barcelona midfielder was in tears as she was stretchered off during the first half of the match in Sydney. Walsh was seen in television pictures mouthing: “I’ve done my knee.” The 26-year-old had played some neat passes in the opening part of the group stage match, but was replaced in the 38th minute by Laura Coombs. Walsh was comforted by team mate Rachel Daly. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter While it is too early to know exactly what the problem is, the incident has echoes of the anterior cruciate ligament injury which has dogged women’s football lately. Some of the biggest names in the game including England captain Leah Williamson are absent because of a wave of ACL injuries in recent years. It is a common sight in the women’s game when clubs and countries are forced to announce that their biggest stars will be out for months on end. Other stars to miss the tournament are England’s Beth Mead and the Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema, who both suffered the injury in November. Canada's Janine Beckie and the USA’s Catarina Macario are in the same boat. England fans were heartbroken to see one of their key players suffer what could be a serious injury. One person said: “Some players can’t be replaced and Keira Walsh is one of them.” Another person added: “We cannot lose Keira Walsh…. Praying for your knee.” One other commenter added: “Keira Walsh saying "get off" and "it's my knee" is something nobody wants to hear.” England’s game against Denmark is their second of the group stage after beating Haiti 1-0 last week in an unconvincing performance. The Lionesses went into the tournament with high hopes after winning the Euros last year. However, the wave of injuries, of which Walsh is the latest, could prove detrimental to their chances. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Julz Dunne graduated from LSU, majoring in kinesiology, but is currently focusing on building her own social media presence and helping her sister

England are back in action with their second Women’s World Cup 2023 against Denmark in Sydney. Sarina Wiegman made two changes from the side that started in the 1-0 victory over Haiti. Lauren James and Rachel Daly started at the Allianz Stadium, with the former curling a beautiful opener for the first Lionesses goal since the Finalissima against Brazil. England’s players could be seen wearing black armbands for the Group D match. The move is a gesture and tribute to the late Trevor Francis. Millie Bright was also wearing an armband to celebrate Indigenous People. The former England striker, who was the first £1 million player, died on Monday, aged 69. A picture and a message for Francis was also seen on the big screen at the Allianz Stadium. Francis earned 52 England caps across a legendary career playing for Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday. Read More England vs Denmark LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score as Lauren James curls in Lionesses opener Who are the BBC World Cup commentators? Alex Scott, Fara Williams and full list of pundits Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today

Ferran Torres has ruled out leaving Barcelona this summer.