Manchester City are increasingly positive that Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva will stay at the Etihad Stadium, despite interest from the European superpowers. The right-back and the midfielder have both been offered new contracts by the Premier League champions and, while neither has signed yet, the feeling is growing that they will. Walker, who has entered the last year of his current deal, has been a target for Bayern Munich and had been expected to join the German champions. The 33-year-old had told teammates on City’s pre-season tour of Asia that he was likely to sign for Bayern but has had a change of heart. City manager Pep Guardiola has done his utmost to convince the England and Portugal internationals to stay, saying on Friday they would “do everything” to persuade them both. Guardiola had dinner with Walker on Friday and has made the defender captain throughout City’s pre-season games, after the departure of former skipper Ilkay Gundogan and when vice-captain Kevin de Bruyne has begun on the bench on his comeback from injury. Silva, who has two years left on his deal in Manchester, has attracted interest from both Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona but Guardiola criticised his former club on Friday for forever trying to sign the former Monaco player without submitting a bid that came close to City’s valuation of him. “If we don’t get a proper offer, he’s our player and we want him,” he said. Silva was also wanted in Saudi Arabia, although the 29-year-old has seemed to see his future in Europe. With Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez leaving this summer, his ability to play in the centre of midfield or on the right wing arguably makes him even more important to City this season while Walker is the only senior specialist right-back in Guardiola’s thinking. Silva and Walker joined in 2017 and have gone to make 307 and 255 appearances respectively, winning five Premier League titles each and the treble of the English title, the FA Cup and the Champions League last season. Read More Kevin De Bruyne ‘way ahead’ of schedule on return from hamstring injury Mikel Arteta benefits from new law changes as Arsenal clinch Community Shield Barcelona landed one Man City star for free - now Pep Guardiola won’t allow another

When Sarina Wiegman saw Lauren James after her red card against Nigeria, the first thing the manager said to her was “it happens”. There was absolutely no castigation, a stance made easier by the player’s immediate apology and the fact England got through. It has made the squad’s World Cup that bit more complicated, though, not least because of the curious regulation that James may not even know her full punishment until after the quarter-final. It is a definite one-game ban until Fifa’s disciplinary committee review the incident, which isn’t certain to happen before Saturday. One thing we know is that, for all the obvious comparisons, this was never going to be a David Beckham 1998 or Wayne Rooney 2006. That isn’t just because England won on penalties. We are a long way from “10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy”, particularly when it comes to women’s football. One of the most common responses after the game – beyond the question of what James was actually doing – was that she should be protected from the pitchforks that Rooney and Beckham faced. That is a good thing. It is just football, and she is only a 21-year-old experiencing a game of such intensity for the first time. Even a manager as experienced as Wiegman said she had never experienced a game as immersive as that, so what was it going to be like for someone so young facing such expectation? “They are in such an intense game and such an emotional game and, in a split second, she lost her emotions,” Wiegman said. That shouldn’t preclude a more constructive discussion about it all, that should serve James. Because, while it is just football, this is also elite sport. The team are going for the greatest prize in the game. Dealing with that pressure and everything the stage brings is a fundamental part of excelling; of fulfilling talent. Amid that, it is simply a pity that James might not now get to make this World Cup her own, in the manner she had been threatening. Her campaign was on one of those gloriously upward trajectories, with note-for-note perfection when it comes to the storyline of a young star going to the next level. She first got the crucial winner against Denmark, effectively announcing herself, before going to another level with her own personal highlights show against China. This ended up being part of the issue, though, that Nigeria played on and for a time so benefited from. James’ displays in that new No 10 role made her the player Randy Waldrum had to specifically plan for. Nigeria made a point of shutting her out of the game. There were constantly four players around her, isolating James and ensuring there was always a huge distance between her and other attackers. It was notable how often she began to drop back to pick up the ball. Those who know her say this was just one of many clear signs that she was getting frustrated, which is all the worse since she is one of those players who needs to feel like she is constantly in the game. James has never been one for waiting dangerously at the fringes. It says much that the England bench at least gave some consideration to taking her off before then, but Wiegman felt the game was too tight. That tightness only fed into James’ frustration, which she then took out on Michelle Alozie. It is something she is going to have to manage as she becomes one of the best players in the world. For their part, her teammates already told her that it’s something some of the best players were just as responsible for when they were younger. James pointed to how she just couldn’t get into the game. Amid the general sympathy, Wiegman offered a benign interpretation of the moment. “Absolutely she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. I haven’t seen it back. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and I think she agrees with that, too… she’s the sweetest person I know and, yeah, things happen like that. You can’t change it any more. It’s a huge lesson to learn but of course it’s not something she’s done on purpose.” It may well be true that James didn’t want to hurt Alozie given it was just a trod rather than a “stamp”, but it’s hard to say it was not on purpose. Having initially tripped over the Nigerian player, James could have easily not stepped on her. Alozie’s bemused response - which has itself already been the subject of many memes - said as much. Wiegman is good at this sort of management, though. The approach will be to bring James on. The hope is Fifa aren’t as forceful due to the more restrained nature of the contact, and that James’ teammates offer her another reprieve. They played their part in ensuring this wasn’t another national moment, although it shouldn’t have come to that anyway. It should just be a lesson, of the sort James will use to go to the next level. Read More In World Cup of revolving problems, Sarina Wiegman has another to solve England’s heroic penalty takers saved Lauren James from sporting ignominy How ‘arrogance’ and ‘complacency’ led to United States’ decline Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s World Cup golden boot: Who’s leading the top-scorer standings? Who and when do England play next? Lionesses route to the World Cup final

It only took a moment for Jamaica’s plan to unravel. After keeping three clean sheets in their historic progression from the group stages, a goal was all it took for their World Cup dream to finally appear out of reach. As Deneisha Blackwood was caught under the high ball, Colombia found the quality they had long been searching for: Catalina Usme cushioned it perfectly on her left foot and a step later, it was guided into the far corner. For the first time in four matches at this World Cup, Jamaica and goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer conceded, and if this last-16 tie desperately needed a goal, so did Colombia’s entire approach. After taking the lead, they finally began to look like the team that shocked Germany in topping Group H, and who will now look to do the same against England in the quarter-finals. Playing Jamaica didn’t suit them. Facing the Lionesses might. When Colombia stunned the World Cup and beat Germany, it was a victory built on how effectively they disrupted the two-time champions when they were in possession. Not having as much of the ball allowed Colombia to pick, press and frustrate. But in the last-16 it was Jamaica who were succeeding in frustrating them. Jamaica barely left their half when the game was goalless, sitting deep and cancelling Colombia out with their defensive shape and resilience. Colombia were faced with having to create their own impetus, they struggled for fluency in a poor game and Jamaica’s plan, for 51 minutes at least, was working. But then Usme struck and as Jamaica were forced to open up, Colombia were released. They became the side that England will not enjoy facing, as Linda Caicedo showed the glimpses that the Lionesses need to somehow control. Colombia immediately looked more threatening as Caicedo, a nimble and electric dribbler from the left, had space to weave and drive. A goal up, Colombia were able to combine their combativeness in midfield with the 18-year-old’s speed and quality in attack. It should concern England, who were disrupted by Haiti in their opening game while being stretched by Michelle Dumornay. They are likely to face a similar challenge in Colombia, yet the South American side, who reached the final of last year’s Copa America, have a much sharper and more experienced edge. Of course, England have since settled on a new formation since that ragged opening display against Haiti and Dumornay, although the future of Sarina Wiegman’s 3-5-2 could also be now under consideration due to Lauren James’ suspension. What the system has given England is greater defensive solidity and the Lionesses have yet to concede from open play at the World Cup. They came under significant spells of pressure against Nigeria, but England still did not concede as many high-quality chances than they did against Haiti. Wiegman’s side have been less open and more disciplined with Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood alongside Millie Bright. Even as Nigeria targeted the sides of England’s back three, in what was an excellent tactical performance from Randy Waldrum’s side, Carter and Greenwood’s individual defending was exceptional. It will need to be again on Saturday, with Carter facing the eye-catching Caicedo and Greenwood likely to face the unpredictable Mayra Ramírez, who has licence to roam inside from the right channel. If England do keep their 3-5-2 and look to control possession, Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly will again be asked to push high and wide, leaving Carter and Greenwood with another match of considerable defensive responsibility. Jamaica would have been a completely different test and had they defeated Colombia, Lorne Donaldson’s side would have played the same way against England. That they reached the last-16 at all was credit to their remarkable defensive organisation but it only took a moment for that to slip as Blackwood was caught under the switch to the far post. Jamaica finished the World Cup having scored once and conceded once - that they reached the last-16 at all was a remarkable achievement. Jamaica’s late assault on the Colombia goal was too little and too late. Drew Spence’s header that sneaked past the post was the closest they came, but Jamaica may regret not showing more adventure in the first half and they struggled to bring Khadija Shaw into the match. The Lionesses would have been more confident facing a low block, although it is aso fair to question whether Wiegman’s side would have been anywhere near as dangerous without James when they thrashed China 6-1 in the group stages. But that performance and Wiegman’s deployment of 3-5-2 came with China in mind. The England manager needed a response after two uninspiring 1-0 wins against Haiti and Denmark, and so found the formation that unlocked something new and unpredictable from England while exploiting China’s obdurate system. Now James’ suspension has given Wiegman a reason to go on the front foot again, and to make the changes that will cover for the absence of their star forward, but to pick holes in Colombia as well. And with their quarter-final opponent set, Wiegman and England can get to work. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Who and when do England play next? Lionesses route to the World Cup final Lauren James apologises after World Cup red card Lauren James apologises after World Cup red card Trump goes on unhinged rant blaming Biden and ‘wokeness’ for USWNT’s World Cup loss A timeline of Donald Trump’s spat with Megan Rapinoe

France has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup by beating Morocco 4-0

Roy Keane looks to have patched up his issues with the Manchester United hierarchy after taking part in the intense new kit launch with the club. The former player and United captain stars in the new promotional clip for the side, which references his infamous “prawn sandwich brigade” comments which took aim at elements of the fans inside Old Trafford. In fact, his relationship with United has been a little uneasy after his acrimonious exit as a player in 2005, but it looks like things have been somewhat resolved. The new clip sees him ponder the “deal” that players and supporters sign ‘before they’re even born’, considering what it really means to be a United fan. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The new white third kit features a red devil emblem on the jersey, with Keane walking out onto the playing surface at Old Trafford and telling fans to sign the deal “on the dotted line”. “So you’re a devil are you? Well let’s remind you of the terms,” Keane says in the clip. “The devil isn’t something you wear. It’s more like a pact, a deal, shall we say. “It’s not for everyone. We expect a lot. And as sure as the sun will rise, we will know if you mean it. So have a good long think. “What do you get in return? What’s on offer? It’s Manchester United. “So there it is. No small print. Sign on the dotted line. But you already signed, didn’t you? Before you were even born.” The clip also features players Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacha and Casemiro and sparked a big reaction among United fans. 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.

Lauren James has apologised to Michelle Alozie for the incident which led to her being sent off during England’s last-16 World Cup win over Nigeria and vowed to learn from the experience. The forward was dismissed for deliberately standing on the back of Nigeria defender Alozie with three minutes of normal time remaining in Brisbane. England survived the dismissal to advance to the quarter-finals 4-2 on penalties after the game finished goalless following extra time. In response to a tweet from Alozie, James posted: “All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened. “Also, for our England fans and my team-mates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.” James became the fourth England player to be sent off in a World Cup knockout match after David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and current Lionesses captain Millie Bright. England boss Sarina Wiegman admitted James had “lost her emotions” during a moment of indiscretion which could see the 21-year-old miss the remainder of the World Cup through suspension. Opponent Alozie had earlier tweeted in defence of James. She posted: “Abeg, rest. We are playing on the world’s stage. This game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions, and moments. All respect for Lauren James.” James faces an automatic one-match ban, which could be extended to three games by FIFA’s disciplinary committee. England take on Colombia in the last eight on Saturday in Sydney. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Lauren James has promised to “learn” from her sending off at the Women’s World Cup - as the England star apologised to Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie for stamping on her back during the last-16 match. James was shown a straight red card after leaving her studs on Alozie’s back when the defender was on the ground, with the 21-year-old having grown frustrated as Nigeria marked her out of the game. The forward will be suspended for at least the quarter-finals, with England facing Colombia on Saturday after defeating Nigeria on penalties, but a Fifa disciplinary panel could decide that the act merits further punishment. Alozie had tweeted “all respect to Lauren James” earlier on Tuesday after appearing to forgive the England player for the incident, adding “we are playing on the world’s stage, this game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions, and moments”. James replied to Alozie’s post and said: “All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened. Also, for our England fans and my team-mates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.” James has been England’s player of the World Cup but was left frustrated after Nigeria marked her out of the game and lashed out, with manager Sarina Wiegman admitting she “lost her emotions”. Wiegman chose not to criticise James and said: “She’s an inexperienced player on this stage and has done really well, and I think in a split second she just lost her emotions. “And of course she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. She’s the sweetest person I know, and things happen like that and you can’t change it anymore, so it’s a huge lesson for her to learn, but of course it’s not something that she really did on purpose.” England defender Lucy Bronze said James was “upset” as the Chelsea star waits for the disciplinary panel’s verdict, which may not come until after England’s quarter-final on Saturday. “Obviously she’s going to be disappointed in herself,” Bronze said. “I went straight off the pitch after the game to make sure she was OK. Obviously she was a little bit upset and rightfully so and more than anything she just feels bad for the team. I said to her, ‘We’ve made it through. It’s a team, it’s not just one player.’” After receiving a red card, James is automatically suspended for England’s next match against Colombia, however her punishment will be reviewed by a Fifa disciplinary panel. If the forward is deemed to have committed a serious act of foul play, the panel have the power to apply further sanctions. A three-match ban would see James ruled out for the rest of the tournament if England were to reach their first-ever Women’s World Cup final. A decision might not be made until after England’s quarter-final, however, once James serves her automatic one-match ban. Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun was given a three-match ban after she was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Canada’s Ashley Lawrence in the group stage, but her ban was not increased until after she had served the first game. Read More It’s done – Millie Bright says England have moved on from Lauren James red card Lauren James ‘lost her emotions for a split second’ over red card stamp, Wiegman says Lauren James ‘upset’ as red card puts her World Cup in doubt Why Lauren James must be protected, not vilified, after World Cup red Who and when do England play next? Lionesses route to the World Cup final

Catalina Usme scored early in the second half and Colombia beat Jamaica 1-0 to advance to the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals for the first time

Robert Helenius will step in to fight Anthony Joshua on short notice on Saturday, after “AJ”’s original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a doping test last week. Joshua vs Whyte 2 would have been a rematch eight years in the making, with “AJ” having knocked out his fellow Briton in 2015 to avenge an amateur defeat by Whyte. However, Saturday’s rematch at the O2 Arena in London fell through when Whyte, 35, returned an adverse finding in a drug test. Whyte has maintained his innocence, while it was initially unclear whether Joshua, 33, would still compete on Saturday. But his promoter Eddie Hearn then teased an announcement on Tuesday (8 August), with fans learning that Helenius will replace Whyte. The Finn, 39, fought just last week, stopping Mika Mielonen in the third round to bounce back from a knockout loss to Deontay Wilder last October. Helenius appeared to retire after his first-round defeat by Wilder, who tearfully said at the post-fight press conference: “How much is that man gonna suffer? He may be alright right now – a little bit – but what about the next day? What about two weeks from now? What about a month from now? Maybe years from now?” Helenius returned to the ring last Saturday, though, beating Mielonen in what might have proved a helpful warm-up for this clash with Joshua. With that win, Helenius improved his professional record to 32-4 (21 KO wins, 3 KO losses). His most notable opponents, alongside Wilder, have been Whyte and Derek Chisora, with the former outpointing Helenius and the latter losing to the Finn via decision. Following the drastic change to Saturday’s main event, Matchroom is offering refunds to fans who do not wish to attend Joshua vs Helenius. Those who do wish to attend the event will see their original tickets honoured. “This wasn’t in the script,” Joshua said. “I respect Helenius and may I say, I respect any male or female who steps into the ring. “I am laser-focused on the win. I can make steps forward to bigger and better things, but the road map has a checkpoint, Saturday night. May the best man win.” Helenius added: “I am excited. I am a true Viking that is willing to face any challenge at a moment’s notice. This is not an opportunity I was going to let slip away. I plan to make the most of it!” Joshua last fought in April, beating Jermaine Franklin on points to bounce back from two straight decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua to face Robert Helenius after Dillian Whyte fight cancelled Anthony Joshua news LIVE: Robert Helenius named as new opponent after Dillian Whyte fails doping test Dillian Whyte vows to prove his innocence after doping test ‘adverse finding’ Anthony Joshua news LIVE: Next fight revealed after Dillian Whyte fails doping test Anthony Joshua’s new opponent revealed after Dillian Whyte fight cancelled Reaction as England reach World Cup quarter-finals – Monday’s sporting social

Harry Kane has signed a brand new deal – but not exactly the sort fans might have been expecting. As supporters continue to speculate about the striker’s future at Tottenham, it’s been revealed that Kane has agreed to a new boots deal with Sketchers. Barstool Football reports that Kane has signed a major lifetime deal to help launch the first-ever high-end boots from the US shoe brand. It comes after Kane wore a pair of blacked-out "Mystery Pro Player Test Boot" in Tottenham’s friendly game against Shakhtar Donetsk. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, it’s not exactly the kind of deal Kane fans had expected the player to be signing this summer. There’s much speculation about his future in north London, after the England captain reportedly placed a time limit on any potential move to Bayern Munich. It was reported that the German giants’ latest offer was understood to be still at least £10m short of what Tottenham would accept. According to the Telegraph, Kane will abandon his pursuit of a transfer if no deal is agreed by the end of this week, with the German club believed to be preparing one final offer for the 30-year-old. Kane has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Tottenham. He did however manage to put any transfer drama behind him when he scored four goals in a 5-1 friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday (August 6). Meanwhile, Kane was feeling the heat off the pitch recently, after taking part on First We Feast's Hot Ones challenge. 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.

A footballer who was stamped on by England’s Lauren James in a red card incident has called on fans to stop their abuse and “rest”. Nigerian footballer Michelle Alozie asked for James to be shown “respect” following the incident that saw James step on her back as she got to her feet after a tackle. James had the initial yellow card in the 87th minute upgraded to a red card after a VAR check during England’s last-16 World Cup knock-out match against Nigeria. England held on to a 0-0 draw and beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties, sending them through to the next round of the competition. Alozie issued a classy statement, writing on the social media site X that she understood James’ high passion and emotion at that moment. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter She wrote: “Abeg, rest. We are playing on the world’s stage. This game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions, and moments. All respect for Lauren James.” She added: “Still a red though.” One fan said: “I keep saying it, these players are 10000000% more gracious than the fans. We all could take lessons! “Because not only have they played their hearts out, they have shown how to have a heart off the pitch! Michelle Alozie is pure class and a world treasure!” In an interview following the match, Alozie reiterated there were “no hard feelings” towards James. She said: “We didn't want [James] to move freely and get those shots off that she usually does. It was good for us to have her taken out of the game. “I was a little bit surprised by her reaction to the tackle. I don't think it was really needed. I'm fine, my butt is fine from her stepping on it! I was kind of confused initially. “I didn't understand what was going on at first. There's no hard feelings, it's just a game.” James will be banned for at least one game. Depending on the outcome of FIFA's disciplinary committee meeting, the ban could be extended to three matches, effectively ending her World Cup campaign. 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.

Roy Keane has made an official Manchester United appearance for the first time in 18 years as he launched the club’s 2023-24 third kit. The former captain’s successful stay at Old Trafford memorably ended in 2005 after an explosive interview with the in-house TV channel MUTV, in which he criticised his team-mates. Keane has been back to the club many times over the years as a pundit, but his involvement in the promotional video for their third strip is the first in a formal capacity. The Irishman is seen in the video asking the current crop of players whether they have what it takes to be a true red devil – reference to the return of the fan favourite red devil emblem on the jersey. “So you’re a devil are you? Well let’s remind you of the terms,” Keane says. “The devil isn’t something you wear. It’s more like a pact, a deal, shall we say. “It’s not for everyone. We expect a lot. And as sure as the sun will rise, we will know if you mean it. So have a good long think. “What do you get in return? What’s on offer? It’s Manchester United. “So there it is. No small print. Sign on the dotted line. But you already signed, didn’t you? Before you were even born.” Keane ends the sequence sitting at a table in front a plate of prawn sandwiches – a nod to his famous “prawn sandwich brigade” comment, criticising a section of the Old Trafford support. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live