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Rory McIlroy is laying low in his quest to end nine years without winning a major

Former Manchester United winger and Wales boss Ryan Giggs is hoping to revive his career in the game after being cleared of domestic violence allegations made by his ex-girlfriend. Giggs, who left the Wales job in the run-up to the last World Cup while facing trial, has “unfinished business” in football, a source close to the former player said. The 49-year-old was said to be “relieved” at being found not guilty of domestic violence allegations made by his ex-girlfriend Kate Greville after prosecutors offered no evidence and withdrew the prosecution on Tuesday at Manchester Crown Court. A source said: “His intention is to resume his managerial and coaching career. He’s got unfinished business in the game. He’s been found not guilty and wants to get back into the game. He’s football through and through “The last three years his life has been put on hold, but he’s a huge football man. “He’s been found not guilty and wants to get back into the game. He’s football through and through.” Greville told police and lawyers she did not want to go through the ordeal of a second trial after jurors failed to reach verdicts in the high-profile first trial last year, the court heard. Lawyers said there was no longer any realistic prospect of conviction and it was not in the public interest for Giggs to go on trial for a second time over allegations made by Ms Greville and her sister Emma. Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, offered no evidence against Giggs, who was not present for the 20-minute hearing as the allegations were formally dropped. Judge Hilary Manley entered “not guilty” verdicts on the charges of coercive and controlling behaviour and assault against Kate Greville and common assault of her sister. Giggs had been accused of controlling behaviour over a three-year period involving Greville. He was also accused of assault by “losing control” and headbutting Kate Greville and the common assault of Emma Greville by elbowing her in the jaw, during a row at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester, on November 1 2020. Giggs denied the offences and underwent a month-long trial, ending last August when the jury failed to reach any verdicts, and a retrial was scheduled to begin on July 31. But on Tuesday, Wright told Manchester Crown Court that the case had been considered at the highest levels at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and a decision had been made not to proceed with a second trial. Wright said Giggs’ ex-girlfriend Kate Greville had “indicated an unwillingness” to give evidence in a retrial as giving evidence in the first trial had “taken its toll” on her and her sister Emma. Wright said: “This is not a decision taken lightly.” Chris Daw KC, defending Giggs, said: “Mr Giggs is deeply relieved the prosecution has finally come to an end after almost three years in which he’s been fighting throughout to clear his name. “He has always been innocent of these charges – there’s been very, very many lies told about him in court.” At a series of hearings earlier this year, the court was told of difficulties the prosecution had faced in proceeding with the retrial. These included Kate Greville’s reluctance to now go through with a second trial. Earlier this month, Wright, at a court hearing which could not be reported at the time, said: “What she (Greville) has indicated is a wish not to give evidence by reason of her own mental and physical wellbeing, so seriously affected by the process. “You may recollect at the previous trial for example she gave evidence over a considerable period of time, cross-examined for what was three days, and during the course of that process she was both visibly distressed, weary, and expressed the view that she had felt violated by the defendant’s conduct and in giving evidence while maintaining her account, demonstrating a growing frustration in terms of the process.” Wright added: “What is underlying this is the further general principal consideration of the prosecution of the alleged abusive men so far as coercive and controlling behaviour is considered, the wearing down of complainants, is not to be interpreted by the public and by men as a passport to an acquittal – is that underlying question of considerable public interest that we are continuing with.” But Daw, defending Giggs, told the hearing: “As it stands, the prosecution has no case. “The position we submit is: what matters is the interests of justice. “What we have here is an attempt to cobble together a case built on hearsay and an unwilling witness almost three years after the event. “This is not about the public interest.” A spokeswoman for the CPS said: “It is not the function of the CPS to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.” During Giggs’ time at Old Trafford, Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and three League Cups. Giggs stood down as Wales manager following a period of leave since November 2020. He won 64 caps for Wales and is co-owner of Sky Bet League Two side Salford. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live New 17th hole set to divide opinion during Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Commonwealth Games organisers happy to listen to any UK offer to host 2026 event Likes of Hannah Cockroft and Jonnie Peacock can inspire ‘talent coming through’

Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans has signed a short-term deal with Manchester United and will be in the squad for their upcoming pre-season fixtures. Evans, 35, came through the ranks at United after joining as a youngster, and had been training with the club in recent days while considering his options after leaving relegated Leicester. Speculation had linked the veteran centre-half with Everton, but Evans has now signed a deal which will allow him to take part in United’s pre-season friendly against Lyon in Edinburgh on Wednesday before heading to San Diego with United’s academy while the first-team squad are in New York. Evans, capped 102 times by Northern Ireland, made 198 appearances for United before leaving for West Brom in 2015. During his Old Trafford career, Evans won the Champions League, Club World Cup, three Premier League titles and two League Cups. United have also revealed that Tyrell Malacia and Rhys Bennett have been ruled out of the Lyon match and the United States trip through injury. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The 151st staging of the British Open is at Royal Liverpool

Jon Rahm will take the PGA Tour money for staying loyal if they give it to him but doesn’t really think he deserves it

Manchester United are set to sign Andre Onana after agreeing a €51m (£44m) fee with Internazionale and personal terms for a five-year deal with the Cameroon international goalkeeper. The 27-year-old will undergo a medical and is then due to link up with his new teammates for pre-season, when he is likely to make his first appearance on the tour of the United States. Onana, who will be reunited with manager Erik ten Hag after their time together, will be the replacement for David de Gea, who left earlier this month after making 545 appearances in 12 years at Old Trafford. United have a club option to extend Onana’s contract for a further year, until 2029. He will become United’s second summer signing, after Mason Mount, and the Carabao Cup winners were determined to bring in new recruits early in pre-season. Onana’s fee could rise by a further €4m in add-ons and he is another key player to leave Inter after their Champions League final defeat, with Edin Dzeko moving to Fenerbahce and Marcelo Brozovic to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. United are expected to sell Dean Henderson after Onana’s arrival, with Nottingham Forest interested in the England international, who had a loan spell at the City Ground last season. Ten Hag’s next target would be to get a centre-forward, with Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund the likeliest candidate. Read More Onana, that’s his name – the lowdown on Manchester United’s new goalkeeper Ryan Giggs hoping to ‘rebuild life’ after domestic abuse charges are dropped Manchester United agree deal with Inter Milan for goalkeeper Andre Onana

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has undergone reconstructive surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament. The 22-year-old centre-back begins his rehabilitation at the Blues’ Cobham training ground while the squad travel to the United States on a pre-season trip. Fofana, who joined the Londoners from Leicester in 2022 for £75million, featured just 15 times for Chelsea in the Premier League last season as he suffered a number of injury setbacks. This latest problem comes two years after the Frenchman broke his leg in a pre-season friendly for Leicester against Villareal which saw him miss a large part of the 2021-22 campaign. Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Alfie Gilchrist and Bashir Humphreys are the remaining centre-back options at Mauricio Pochettino’s disposal in the US as he prepares for Thursday’s opening pre-season clash against Wrexham. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed the Saudi Pro League “is better” than Major League Soccer, appearing to take a swipe at rival Lionel Messi following his transfer to Inter Miami. The Portuguese forward, 38, also confirmed he has no plans to play in the United States or return to Europe. “The Saudi league is better than MLS,” Ronaldo said, after playing the first half of Al Nassr’s 5-0 preseason friendly defeat to La Liga side Celta Vigo. “Now all the players are coming here. In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia.”

Lionel Messi jogged a lap with his new teammates, took part in a warm-up drill of players making short passes in a tight circle, and before long tapped his left foot at a ball that wound up in the back of an open net

Republic of Ireland midfielder Ruesha Littlejohn believes footballers cannot shy away from the spotlight if they want to escalate the growth of the women’s game. The 33-year-old is one of 23 women selected by manager Vera Pauw to represent the Republic in their first World Cup, a monumental moment that has drawn unprecedented attention to the team and individual players. The full World Cup experience comes with corresponding changes off the pitch – more photo shoots and social media followers among them – a fact of life Littlejohn encouraged the players at this Australia and New Zealand-hosted tournament to embrace like England’s Lionesses after their Euro 2022 victory blasted them into their country’s consciousness. Speaking at the Girls in Green’s team hotel in Brisbane, she said: “It’s full on. The other day we were doing pictures and I was shattered, and I kind of felt sorry for the camera guy because I was just dead tired. Hopefully the pictures look OK. “But look, this is it, we wanted to be here and now we’re going to need to embrace the change and manage all the way. I’m not a superstar so I think it’s going to be different for me but it could be different for the likes of Denise [O’Sullivan] and Katie [McCabe]. “Look at other teams. Like, you see the Lionesses, how their lives have probably changed massively. It’s probably been a big adjustment for some of them and I’m sure it’s not always easy. “I’m sure there’s moments where they’re like, ‘oh, leave me be’. Let me go and get a Nandos and leave me in peace please’. But look, that’s where the game’s going and we kind of need to embrace that and learn now to deal and manage situations.” The effects of England lifting the European trophy last July were keenly felt throughout the following 2022/23 domestic Women’s Super League (WSL) season, which according to a league report saw attendances up 173 per cent compared to the previous campaign. All but one of the WSL’s 12 sides broke a club or stadium record during a season that also set the three highest attendance records in the English top flight, including the league record 47,367 who turned out for the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham at the Emirates. Littlejohn’s side are now just two sleeps away from their World Cup opener, when they will face Group B rivals and tournament co-hosts Australia in Sydney, and says “you know it’s on party mode back home”. It will be some time before the legacy of the World Cup in the Republic of Ireland crystallises, but ex-Aston Villa player Littlejohn is already starting to notice a shift. The native Glaswegian, who swapped allegiances through her Irish grandparents after representing Scotland at youth level, added jokingly: “It was the Euros last summer. Obviously deep down I’m gutted that England won. “I’m just about over it. It was great for the game there, the WSL. It’s only going in one direction and I think the change that they’ve made is massive, and now you can see the change that hopefully we can all make on this world stage. “It’s just exciting to see. You can even see that, round about the hotel, there’s a few young girls running about with Ireland tops on. I mean I would have never been taken anywhere to a different country to watch a game of football. “I don’t know how these people are getting to do it, but that’s amazing that there’s so many people tuning in and it’s a reality for people now. This can become a job for you. You can go and do this too if you want to do it.”

The England women’s team took the decision to pause controversial negotiations over World Cup bonuses in order to show it was “on their terms”, but also make clear their anger and disappointment with the Football Association over an issue that could have developed into a huge distraction on the eve of the tournament. There is similarly a determination the issue isn’t parked once the competition ends, and that the federation have got the message over how payment structures need to be clarified going forward. There has still been some debate over the merits of the strategy, particularly as the FA had already been insistent that all discussions be delayed until after the campaign. While that could be seen as bending to what the association want, there is also the risk now that the England squad lose their leverage in the event of going out of the competition unexpectedly early. The dispute most directly comes from the players’ feeling that the FA should top up the guaranteed Fifa prize money with performance-related bonuses, in the same way that similar elite sides like Australia and USA do. The wider context is nevertheless a frustration that the squad went through the same issues over Euro 2022, and that has only belatedly been resolved, rather than immediately after the competition in the way that had been promised then. That is why there has been scepticism throughout these negotiations. The players ultimately feel there has not been sufficient clarity or transparency through any of the process. That is the major point of contention for the players, and feeds into why the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has been pushing for a collective bargaining agreement, in the same way that American and Australian players have. For its part, the FA has argued that the full budget for an expensive trip will not be known until afterwards, while there has been some concern that this is being pushed by agents and the PFA, who are representing the players in this. A different position has also been that not all the discussions should become about prize money, since this is supposed to be about the “holistic” growth of the women’s game, too. That is also why the players took the unprecedented decision to release a statement on the eve of a World Cup, however, in order to show they have been pushing it and they are “disappointed” with the association and make a stand that women’s teams shouldn’t constantly have to battle for everything. “Last year we presented the FA with concerns relating to our bonus and commercial structures,” a statement read by the entire squad read. “The hope was that discussions would lead to a solution before the commencement of our World Cup. “We are disappointed that a resolution has still not been achieved. We view the successful conclusions of these discussions, through player input and a transparent long term plan, as key for the growth of Women’s Football in England. With our opening game on the horizon, we Lionesses have decided to pause discussions, with full intentions of revisiting them following the tournament. “We collectively feel a strong sense of responsibility to grow the game. And while our focus now switches fully to the tournament ahead, we believe every tackle, pass, and goal, will contribute to the work we are committed to doing off the pitch. We look forward to playing for our country this World Cup, with pride, passion, and perseverance. Thank you for your support, Your Lionesses.” That move has at least staved off the possibility of a damaging “civil war” that could negatively affect what can be a historic competition for the England team, although some in the game have questioned why they didn’t fully use their considerable leverage. This is also the matter of some debate, however. While the presumption would be that national heroes and European champions would enjoy public support against a bureaucratic federation, online discussion has so far been mixed, with a lot of discussion about the women’s game potentially going the same financially driven way as the men. The players have naturally been intent on completely ignoring this, of course, and the main concern is now ensuring they maximise an opportunity to make history in Australia and New Zealand. The feeling is that they have asserted themselves by parking this on their terms, and also making it publicly clear how aggravated they are by the FA’s stance. It is an issue that will now be put off until the World Cup campaign ends – although it could well be dictated by how the tournament pans out. Read More FIFA Women’s World Cup start date, fixtures and full schedule World Cup 2023 fixtures from England vs Haiti to route to the final FIFA Women’s World Cup start date, fixtures and full schedule Can France handle injuries after overcoming Women’s World Cup crisis?

Aliyah Boston just wanted to fit in as a WNBA rookie