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Mason Greenwood has admitted that he has not hit the same kind of levels recently as he did at the start of his Marseille career.

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• Greenwood opens up on Marseille start
• Currently the top scorer in Ligue 1
• Claims he wants to stay at Marseille

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Greenwood joined Ligue 1 side Marseille from Manchester United in a cut-price deal worth €30 million (£25m/$34m) after the England international was exiled from the squad due to off-field issues. The 23-year-old had a fast start with the French side but has slowed down over the last couple of months. Greenwood has opened up on his situation and claimed that he 'can do a lot better' despite winning Ligue 1's Player of the Month award for December.

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• WHAT GREENWOOD SAID

  Speaking to Telefoot, Greenwood said: "I think I can do a lot better. I started very well and then I slackened off a little bit. I hope to get back to my best level and maintain it."

  When asked about his time at Marseille, he said: "Marseille has one of the best atmospheres in Europe. I had goosebumps during my first match at the Velodrome. It's exceptional. They sing for 90 minutes straight, I've never seen that before."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Greenwood has become a fan favourite at Marseille so far this season as the England winger has scored 13 goals and provided four assists in 20 games. He is currently Ligue 1's top-scorer with one goal more than Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, and Lille's Jonathan David.

• WHAT NEXT FOR GREENWOOD?

  Thanks to his scintillating form at Marseille, Greenwood has been tipped to join a big club in the summer for 'double what Marseille paid Manchester United'. However, the 23-year-old has maintained that he wants to continue with the French side.

  He added: "Stay here for many years? Of course. It's something I'd like to do, I want to win trophies here and play in the Champions League. It's a big ambition to be here, so yes."

Liverpool are looking to complete the signing of an “incredible” player next year, potentially beating rivals Manchester United to his signature, among others.

Isak in Liverpool training ahead of debut

The Reds are back in Premier League action on Sunday action on Sunday afternoon, making the trip to Burnley in a game that many will expect to see the visitors win comfortably.

For Alexander Isak, it has the potential to be a special day, with the Swede in line to make his debut at some point, even if it is from the substitutes’ bench.

The 25-year-old took part in his first training session for Liverpool on Wednesday, with footage showing the elite finishing ability that he has in his locker, and why the Premier League champions were willing to pay Newcastle United a record-breaking £125m for his services.

Granted, Isak needs time to build up his match fitness, so as mentioned, Hugo Ekitike is likely to be preferred at Burnley this weekend, but a second-half cameo feels on the cards, in what is hopefully the first of many appearances in a Liverpool shirt.

Liverpool enter race to sign "incredible" ace

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are now battling to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton in 2026, whether that be in January or next summer.

Man Utd “face a fierce battle” with their biggest rivals, with FSG now entering the race, whereas Newcastle United and Chelsea are also mentioned as options for the £60m-rated England international.

Wharton is one of the most exciting young English players around currently, already becoming such an accomplished footballer at the age of just 21.

The Palace star is an elegant player with a lovely left foot, and he possesses the ability to both dictate play from a deep midfield role, but also shine out of possession, displaying good positional sense and a strong work ethic.

Wharton, who has won two of his three games against the Reds (66%), could be a brilliant squad addition for Liverpool, coming in as a replacement for Wataru Endo, before maturing into a key starter, having been lauded by former Palace teammate Eberechi Eze.

“Playing with him at Palace, I’ve got used to seeing the way he plays and understanding him. He’s very calm, composed, and a joy to play with. For someone so young, he’s very mature and very wise. When you speak to him, it feels like you’re speaking to someone older than you, that’s the type of person he is. He’s an incredible player.”

"Huge money" – Liverpool eye 2026 move for "magician" after Isak and Wirtz

What a signing this could be.

By
Henry Jackson

Sep 9, 2025

There was a time when United were clearly the more exciting proposition than Liverpool, but that has changed significantly in the modern game, and the hope is that Wharton sees the champions as his best future option, picking them over the Red Devils and other suitors.

Gio Reyna has opened up about the controversy that marred his 2022 World Cup, reflecting on his fallout with then-U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter and the lessons learned from that turbulent period. The U.S. international admitted he would handle certain moments differently if given the chance but insisted he shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for what unfolded.

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  'That’s really what it stemmed from'

  Reyna spoke in depth about the events that unfolded during the 2022 World Cup, acknowledging that frustration over his limited role under then-manager Gregg Berhalter ultimately sparked the tension between them.

  “At the end of the day, I was just upset that, you know, I wasn’t really playing,” Reyna said to . “I was playing at Dortmund. I thought that I wanted to play at the World Cup, and ultimately, in the end, I didn’t do that, and that’s really what it stemmed from.”

  “I guess the frustration and the disappointment was just wanting to play and help my country. It’s so far removed now and so far in the past, I don’t even really want to talk about it anymore.”

  Reyna admitted he would approach things differently if given another chance, but maintained that the situation was not solely his or his family’s fault.

  “Maybe in certain ways, but I’m not just going to sort of sit here and take all the blame for something that was made out to be completely my fault, which I believe it wasn’t, and also my family’s, too,” he said.

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  Pochettino's message to Reyna

  Now at Borussia Moenchengladbach, the 22-year-old is focused on rebuilding his form and proving to Mauricio Pochettino that he belongs in the 2026 World Cup squad.

  “I do obviously think about [the World Cup] pretty often as it’s somewhere where I need and want to be,” Reyna said.  “But I try to focus daily here, stay present here, work here every day, and hopefully believe everything will fall into place.”

  He also said Pochettino stressed the need to get consistent playing time in order to return to national team duty. 

  “I think Pochettino was very clear with saying, ‘You need to play, perform and then if you do that then you have a good chance to come in again,’” Reyna revealed. “It’s all on me now.”

  Despite the move to Gladbach, Reyna has had similar struggles for playing time at the German club. Die Fohlen sit dead last in the Bundesliga, and the American has played just 122 in four matches so far. 

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  Dealing with injuries

  Injuries have impacted Reyna throughout his career, and they've played a role in his limited action this season. The midfielder revealed he is trying to take a more proactive approach with his fitness. He described developing a more collaborative relationship with athletic coaches and implementing new strategies to handle the mental challenges that accompany repeated injuries.

  “I’ve learned a lot about my body,” Reyna said. “The first 24 to 48 hours are always going to suck. There’s no way around that. What I’ve learned now is, after those one or two days where [there’s] obviously a lot of pain, a lot of downtime, down energy, you just have to get on with it. You have to kick on, you have to really just attack the rehab.”

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  Looking ahead

  The November international break will be Reyna’s final chance to earn USMNT minutes in 2025, with friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay on the schedule.

Australia captain Alyssa Healy believes “this is going to be the tightest World Cup” she has been part of

Ashish Pant26-Sep-20253:00

Is this India’s best chance to win a World Cup?

Asia Cup 2024. Commonwealth Games 2022. T20 World Cup 2020. At all those tournaments, India Women lost in the final. But as they get ready to co-host the 2025 ODI World Cup, captain Harmanpreet Kaur is confident that “this time we will cross the line”.”No doubt we have been through these situations many times,” Harmanpreet said at the captains’ meet in Bengaluru. “We have been playing good cricket, and it’s only about going with good confidence and doing the things the way our team is expecting from us. At the same time, we have been only talking about enjoying this moment rather than thinking [about] what happened in the past. We have learned a lot from our mistakes, and hopefully, this time, we will be on the other side.”This will be Harmanpreet’s fifth ODI World Cup, but first as captain. While she described the feeling of leading India in a home World Cup as “unbelievable”, she does not want her team to take “too much pressure” as they chase their maiden title.Related

• India and Sri Lanka kick off a Women's World Cup with a difference

• All you need to know about Women's ODI World Cup 2025

• Athapaththu's goal? A maiden semi-final for SL

• Australia remain the team to beat as they look for eighth title

• Whisper it, but this could be India's best chance of winning a World Cup

“Leading your country is always very special for any player, but leading your country in [an] ODI World Cup is even more special,” she said. “On top of that, it is a home World Cup, so it’s even more special. When I started playing, I never even thought I would get the opportunity to lead my country… it was only in a dream. Everything altogether is exciting.”I just want to go there and enjoy, and play my best cricket. That’s what I’ve been telling myself and my team. The ODI World Cup is happening [in India] after 12 years, and I think it is going to be very amazing for all of us. It’s all about not taking too much pressure.”India have won ten of their 14 ODIs in 2025, with Smriti Mandhana playing a key role with 928 runs – comfortably the most for any batter this year.Smriti Mandhana is the leading run-scorer in ODIs this year•Getty Images

“She has been great,” Harmanpreet said of Mandhana. “The way she is batting nowadays is something really exciting to watch. When I’m batting with her, things become quite easy on the pitch. You don’t need to stress so much because she is always there to help. Having her in my team is a big strength.”India’s only away game during the group stage is against Pakistan in Colombo. At home, they play in Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Indore and Navi Mumbai. Of those grounds, only Visakhapatnam has hosted a women’s ODI previously, in 2014. But Harmanpreet isn’t too worried about the unfamiliarity with the conditions.”The wickets are going to be flat,” she said. “We will get a few practice sessions there to get used to the conditions and the pitches. It’s really about being in a good space. Even though this World Cup is in India, we are not very familiar with the stadiums we are going to play at. But we have enough data to see how the conditions and the pitch are.”

Healy: ‘Getting complacent not in Australian culture’

With seven titles, defending champions Australia are the most successful team in the Women’s ODI World Cup. But their captain Alyssa Healy feels “every team is on equal footing” this time.”I firmly believe that this is going to be the tightest World Cup that we have been a part of,” she said. “Defending a title is not easy. Obviously, no one has really done it for a long period of time, but it’s not really about that. Every team is here to win the World Cup. We know what we need to do. We have got to beat every single side in the world to be able to lift that trophy at the end.””I feel like I’m part of a really special group at the moment that wants to be better every single day” – Alyssa Healy•Getty Images

The numbers are stacked in Australia’s favour – they have lost just two of their 18 ODIs since the start of 2024, a run that includes beating India in India 2-1 earlier this month. But they are not complacent.”I don’t think it’s quite in the Australian culture to get too complacent about things at any point in time,” Healy said. “People tend to write more about us when we lose than when we actually win. It’s quite a nice thing to experience. I feel like I’m part of a really special group at the moment that wants to be better every single day. They are working to improve themselves both on and off the field, which I think is a really great place to be.”The fact that that mindset’s already in place just allows them to go out there and enjoy their cricket on the field. And that’s basically as simple as it gets. We go out there, we compete as hard as we possibly can, and hopefully the results go our way.”Healy believes it could come down to how a team handles the pressure.”I think conditions could potentially change throughout the World Cup,” she said. “It’s just [about] adapting to them as quickly as possible, and knowing that you have got that depth in your side to make that happen. But I think it’s going to be about who can hold their composure the longest in this tournament and handle the pressure for long periods of time. You are going to have to sustain pressure at different points in time, and put it back on the opposition when you get the opportunity.”

There has been a suggestion this week that an in-form striker who is scoring once every five shots he takes this season wants to sign for Celtic in the summer transfer window.

Celtic transfer news

The Hoops continue to be linked with new signings ahead of this summer, with Brendan Rodgers wanting to add fresh blood to his squad, even if they do seal yet another Scottish Premiership crown.

Cremonese midfielder Charles Pickel is one potential target for Celtic, with scouts sent to watch the "charismatic" ace in action, while Brondby goalkeeper Patrick Pentz has emerged as an option to replace the soon-to-be-retired Joe Hart when he hangs up his boots at the end of the season.

He isn't the only 'keeper who has been mooted as Hart's successor between the sticks, however, with Liverpool stopper Caoimhin Kelleher linked, too, should he look to leave the Reds and aim to be first-choice elsewhere. That won't be the case for him there as long as Alisson is around.

It is also important for Celtic to retain the services of some of their most influential players, and left-back Greg Taylor falls into that bracket, proving to be a consistent performer. He is now expected to sign a new deal at Parkhad, acting a significant boost.

Celtic back to sign red-hot striker

Speaking to The Daily Record, Steve Evans backed Bristol City star Tommy Conway to make a move to Celtic this summer, suggesting that he would be keen on heading to Parkhead: "The last player I recommended Celtic should sign, when I got a call from the manager, was the boy who went from MK Dons who’s now worth multi-millions (Matt O'Riley).

"But he’s also at a very good football club here with lots to achieve and if I was Liam Manning I’d be saying to the board, ‘we need to keep players like that, if we’re genuinely going to challenge for the Premier League.' He might want to go to Celtic, but you can’t (let him), he’s a gifted boy."

Conway would be such an exciting addition to Celtic's squad, should all parties be keen on a move being agreed in the summer, having shone so much for Bristol City this season.

Still only 21 years of age, the Scotland Under-21 international has 10 goals in 26 Championship starts in 2023/24 to date – that comes from just 53 shots, with a near one-in-five average – and his overall record for his current side stands at 25 strikes in 91 outings. Former manager Nigel Pearson has been an admirer for some time, too, saying back in 2022 that he is "very hungry for success and he works exceptionally hard and on a physical level and a psychological level".

Conway could be a new attacking star at Celtic, adding firepower and competition for places, so Rodgers should be looking to heed Evans' advice and snap him up.

Whether it is 38 for 4 or 150 for 2, VVS Laxman doesn’t let the match situation affect his batting

Sriram Veera at the Kensington Oval28-Jun-2011It’s mesmerising to watch VVS Laxman bat in a crisis. He doesn’t counterattack. He doesn’t go into a shell. He bats normally. As if one can bat normally in crisis. Laxman does. He really does. That’s his greatness. Laxman doesn’t have the best leave in the business. He doesn’t have the best defence in town. He doesn’t have the best counter-attacking instinct in the game. Yet, he is man for a crisis. It’s his mind that sets him apart.A glimpse at other great batsmen in crisis makes that contrast stark. You can feel the entire gravity of the situation when Steve Waugh and Rahul Dravid bat; they drag you with them into their fight.You can sense the effort Tendulkar puts in to show that there is no pressure out there and that he is in control. The signature self-nods increase, he tries to blank out the emotions from his face and you can feel him trying to be in total control. With Brian Lara you can see the imperious mind trying to dominate the situation. Dravid defends, Tendulkar tries to find a balance and Lara imposes himself. Laxman just bats.Tuesday was no different. Some of his younger partners looked out of depth, a senior partner got out to a peach and Laxman just batted. It wasn’t, as you would expect, without its little struggles. When Laxman is batting, his constant inner-struggle as a batsman is about leaning forward. He doesn’t move his front foot much; with his eye-hand coordination and wristy skills, he doesn’t have to. He just tries to lean his upper body forward. Occasionally, as in the first innings of the first Test, it doesn’t work.You can see the effort to lean forward in his stance with the shrug of that front shoulder, you can see it in his stretches between deliveries and you can see it in his occasional struggles. Fidel Edwards slung a few full deliveries. Laxman couldn’t quite lean forward but adjusted his wrists to cover the line. A couple ran off the inside edge, a few rolled away to the off. Edwards stood down the track and stared down. Ravi Rampaul had his hands on his head at mid-off. It’s the closest Laxman came today to offer any sort of hope to West Indies.With Laxman, in these moments of discomfort, there were, as ever, no visible self-admonishments, no deliberate walks to square-leg, no return-stares at the bowlers and no verbals. Nothing. He just batted. The score could have been 150 for 2 for all you know. He stayed in his cocoon with his small routines. He constantly re-marked his guard with the bat, tugged his left hip with his left hand, touched his thigh pad, adjusted the peak of his helmet and made every effort to lean forward while in his stance. Every now and then, he kept stretching. Constantly, he went down the track to tap the pitch with his bat. Tap. Tap. Tap. Often, while at the non-striker’s end, he stood in front of stumps and got into his batting stance and leaned forward. And then on to the next ball. Waft. Flick. Punch. Leave. Tap, tap, tap.West Indies nearly gave up. The short balls came up more often and he dismissed nearly every one of them with his nonchalant pull. In many ways, it’s a shot that reflects his calm mind. The wristy flicks showcase his artistry – there was one off Devendra Bishoo when he flicked from outside off, and against the turn, through midwicket. The on-the-up punch through off reflects his skill but it’s the pull that tells us about his unruffled mind. He doesn’t pull with a smashing authority like a Viv Richards or a Ricky Ponting. He is not trying to impose himself out there like them. ‘Don’t you dare bang it in short to me’ is not his style. He just nonchalantly swivels back and wafts it from his presence. You want to bowl short to me? Really? Are you sure? Okay, here goes. Waft. Four. Tap, tap, tap.As the day went by all his signature shots made an appearance. The flicked on-drive through mid-on off Rampaul, the casual glide off the hips off Darren Sammy, the delicate steer past gully against Edwards and of course those flicks against the turn to Bishoo. In the end, he fell, failing to keep a cut down, but he had lifted India out of shambles. Laxman doesn’t snarl. He doesn’t muscle. He doesn’t impose. He doesn’t hustle. Laxman just bats.