Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney doesn’t believe the environment was to blame for Marcus Rashford being unable to perform consistently for the Red Devils.

Rashford scored 138 goals in 426 matches for United since making his debut for the club in 2016 and won five major trophies.

He scored 30 goals in all competitions in 2022-23 but has been unable to match that form since and fell out of favour, spending the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.

Rashford is now flourishing on loan at Barcelona and he said recently in an interview he had been in an “inconsistent environment for a very long time”., external

However, speaking on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said: “I think the environment hasn’t been right but that is down to yourself.

“If you are not playing well or you get left out of the team then I think it is easier to blame the environment and whether that is right or wrong. I think that comes from how you apply yourself.

“In games we have seen with him where we know he can do more, we know he can run more – that is nothing to do with an environment.

“I might be wrong here, I really like Marcus as a lad and as a person but I think that is an easy one to throw at people.”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says Cole Palmer will be out for six more weeks as he continues his recovery from a persistent groin injury.

The 23-year-old forward hasn’t played a competitive match since 20 September, when he was forced off by the recurrence of an issue that first emerged during the Blues’ shortened pre-season following their successful Club World Cup campaign.

Palmer has made just three Premier League appearances this season and is running short of opportunities to impress England manager Thomas Tuchel before next summer’s World Cup.

Chelsea decided to rest Palmer before the international break to give him the best chance of being fit and ready by November – but Maresca has pushed his potential return back to the end of next month.

“I was wrong,” Maresca told a news conference on Friday. “Unfortunately, he needs to be out probably six more weeks. So, yes, this is the update.”

The Chelsea manager said he was confident Palmer, who scored 15 Premier League goals last season, would not need surgery.

“We try to protect Cole as much as we can,” Maresca said. “The most important thing is when he comes back, he is fully fit.

“The medical staff are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough. We need to see it step-by-step. For sure, he’s going to be OK.

“He looks relaxed. He has tried to recover from the injury and is doing all the therapy.”

Speaking before his side continue their Premier League campaign away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Maresca conceded Palmer would be a big miss.

“To replace Cole is difficult, because Cole is a very important player for us – probably one of the best players in the Premier League – so to replace that kind of player is always difficult,” he said.

“We don’t have another player like Cole, because Cole is unique.”

Palmer will miss Premier League games against Sunderland, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley and Arsenal, and a League Cup tie at Wolves.

The six-week recovery estimate would also count Palmer out of Champions League games against Ajax, Qarabag and Barcelona, while ruling him out for England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

The great and the good of women’s football were among hundreds of mourners who said an emotional farewell to former Liverpool manager Matt Beard at his funeral service.

Beard, who led the Reds to successive Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014, died on 20 September at the age of 47.

The Beard family and friends were joined by leading figures from across women’s football, including United States boss Emma Hayes, for the mass at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

“Please, please, please let Matt’s passing be a lesson to us all,” his brother Mark, the former Millwall and Sheffield United midfielder, said during the service.

“We are only human.”

He added: “Matt had a beautiful soul and a one-in-a-million personality. He always found a way to make you laugh and smile.”

Beard’s wife, Debbie, children Harry and Ellie, step-son Scott, and mother Margaret were joined at the service by Liverpool’s first-team squad, along with manager Gareth Taylor and his coaching staff, and sporting director Richard Hughes.

Players who played under Beard – affectionately known as ‘Beardy’ to family and friends – formed a guard of honour inside the cathedral as his coffin, draped in two red and white scarves, arrived.

There were several former Liverpool players from Beard’s title-winning sides, including Natasha Dowie and Fara Williams. Ian Rush, Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer, was also present along with ex-Reds and England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.

Dowie said he was like a father figure to her. She told BBC Sport: “He had a cheeky smile, someone that made you laugh, a twinkle in his eyes, an ‘alright darling’, a big hug which made you feel like a million dollars.

“We’ll make sure as a family, his family are looked after and he won’t be forgotten, absolutely won’t be forgotten.”

Manchester United boss Marc Skinner, Canada boss and ex-Liverpool player Casey Stoney and former England forward Lianne Sanderson were among those in attendance.

Stoney told BBC Sport: “You can see from the turnout and the amount of people that have travelled far and wide to come and pay their respects and show their love to a wonderful man [how respected he was]. He was kind, funny, caring, cheeky.”

Also present were Arsenal’s former Liverpool players Olivia Smith – women’s football’s first £1m player – and Taylor Hinds, who played for the Gunners in Portugal on Thursday against Benfica in the Champions League.

Many at the service wore red after Beard’s family invited fans to attend wearing football shirts or casual clothes.

Fans raised scarves and joined in as ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, Liverpool’s club anthem, was sung by Beard’s niece Lucy at the end of an emotional service, which was attended by around 600 people.

Richard Elliott and his daughter Anna travelled from Brampton, near Carlisle, to be at the service.

“He was the nicest bloke ever who always made time to speak to fans,” said Richard.

“When he learned where we travelled from to watch Liverpool games home and away, he’d say: ‘Wow, it’s you again!

“Before one game he took my daughter’s scarf into the the dressing room to get it signed.”

Another fan, Fiona Wedgner-Thorpe, who attended the service after travelling to Durham to watch Liverpool win 2-1 in a Women’s League Cup tie on Thursday, described Beard as a “trailblazer”.

“He gave everything to the women’s game. He was so giving to the fans.”

Beard was being laid to rest in a private ceremony and invited guests were heading to Anfield for a reception.

He spent seven years at Liverpool across two spells with the club, as well as jobs managing Millwall Lionesses, Chelsea, Boston Breakers, West Ham, Bristol City and Burnley.

An inquest into Beard’s death was opened and adjourned on 29 September.

At the hearing in Ruthin, North Wales, coroner John Gittins said paramedics were called to Beard’s home in Flintshire after he was found hanged. Beard was taken to hospital in Chester, where he died at 21:15 BST on 20 September.

Beard’s family requested that instead of flowers, gestures of remembrance be made through donations to a mental health charity.

In Liverpool’s first game after Beard’s passing, a 5-0 Women’s League Cup win over Sunderland on 24 September, one banner read: ‘Liverpool was made for Matt and Matt was made for Liverpool.’

A fundraiser to support his family organised by journalist Jacqui Oatley has raised more than £61,000.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.

The co-founder of investment firm 777 Partners – which made an unsuccessful bid to buy Premier League club Everton – has been charged with defrauding lenders and investors of more than $500 million (£372m).

Josh Wander, 44, lied and used fake financial documents to inflate the finances of 777, according to Manhattan federal prosecutors in the United States.

A potential deal for 777 to acquire the Toffees fell through in June 2024, before new owners the Friedkin Group bought the club from Farhad Moshiri in December that year.

“Wander used his investment firm, 777 Partners, to cheat private lenders and investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars by pledging assets that his firm did not own, falsifying bank statements, and making other material misrepresentations about 777’s financial condition,” said US attorney Jay Clayton.

Special agent in charge Ricky J Patel said the picture put forward of 777’s finances was “an illusion of stability that was a years-long house of cards”.

According to prosecutors, starting in 2018, Wander began investing in “new sectors with less certain cash-flow profiles, including streaming platforms, airlines, and professional sports teams such as Sevilla FC and Genoa CFC”.

They said he did this knowing that the Miami-based group either did not have the funds or had already pledged it to other lenders, and attempted to conceal this.

Wander, of Miami, Florida, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of securities fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

He is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Wander’s lawyer Jordan Estes said he denied all charges, telling Bloomberg: “This is a business dispute dressed up as a criminal case. We look forward to setting the record straight.”

Apple has won the rights to broadcast Formula 1 in the United States for the next five years in deal said to be worth about $750m (£558m) in total.

The agreement, which starts in 2026 and for which insiders say Apple is paying approximately $150m (£111.6m) a year, will make F1 available to all Apple TV subscribers in America as part of their standard monthly fee.

It is the first time Apple have ventured into sports broadcasting in this manner.

It provides coverage of US Major League Soccer but that is for an additional charge over and above Apple TV’s basic subscription.

Apple TV customers will have access to live coverage of all on-track sessions and all content produced by the sport’s in-house channel F1 TV.

Commentary arrangements have not been decided – Apple will not initially produce its own commentary and is likely to buy either that of F1 TV or the UK’s Sky network.

The popular Drive to Survive documentary series on rival streaming service Netflix will not be affected.

The F1 movie that was released earlier this year starring Brad Pitt was a significant contributing factor in securing this deal.

The film has been a big hit for Apple. It has taken about $630m (£470m) at the box office and is said to be both the biggest grossing sports movie ever, and Pitt’s biggest grossing movie.

F1’s previous US rights deal was with sports network ESPN, for about $80m (£60m) a year.

A statement from F1 said the deal would “amplify the sport across” all Apple’s outlets – News, Maps, Music, Sports and Fitness+.

F1 chairman Stefano Domenicali said: “This is an incredibly exciting partnership for both Formula 1 and Apple that will ensure we can continue to maximise our growth potential in the US with the right content and innovative distribution channels.”

Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice-president of services said the company “looked forward to delivering premium and innovative fan-first coverage to our customers in a way that only Apple can”.

Spain’s record scorer Jenni Hermoso has been handed a recall after a 12-month absence by new manager Sonia Bermudez.

The 35-year-old Tigres striker was named in the 23-player squad for the Uefa Women’s Nations League semi-final against Sweden, along with Barcelona defender Mapi Leon, who last played for her country in 2022.

Bermudez has brought the pair back into the fold after being promoted from the under-23s side to replace Montse Tome, whose contract was not extended by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) when it expired in August.

Hermoso, who has 57 goals for her country, last featured in a 15-minute substitute appearance against Canada in October 2024.

She was not part of Tome’s plans for Euro 2025, where where Spain lost to England on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Spain are the reigning Women’s Nations League champions and Bermudez will lead the side for the first time in the first leg – which takes place on Friday, 24 October in Malaga – with the return in Gothenburg four days later.

Hermoso played a key role in Spain’s 2023 World Cup success, beating England in the final, and her three goals and performances helped her win the Silver Ball at the tournament.

But she then became the centre of controversy when the then-RFEF president Luis Rubiales kissed her on the lips without her consent as she went to collect her winner’s medal in Sydney.

Despite resisting calls to resign, Rubiales was forced to step down from his role and fined 10,800 euros (£8,942) as Spain’s High Court found him guilty of sexual assault.

Hermoso subsequently played a part in Spain’s qualification for Euro 2025 and helped them progress to the bronze-medal match at the Paris Olympics, which they lost to Germany.

But after the appearance against Canada, Tome said she did not select the forward due to her performances for her Mexican club.

“I understand that she is angry for not being called up when she feels she has to be,” said Tome.

“I try to be respectful, I have always been. I have given my arguments, I have a clear conscience and I know that I have worked professionally. We have followed Jenni in her team with the help of information from her coaches.”

Leon, 30, returns after last playing at Euro 2022, where Spain were beaten by the Lionesses in the quarter-finals.

She was then one of 15 players who asked not to be called up amid a dispute over working conditions and the conduct of then-head coach Jorge Vilda.

While most of those players on strike returned after Vilda was replaced by his former assistant Tome in September 2023 following the Rubiales scandal, Leon did not.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim thinks it is important Sir Jim Ratcliffe went public with his long-term thoughts – but says nothing is certain about tomorrow in football, let alone three years.

In an interview with The Times last week, Ratcliffe said it could take Amorim three years to make a significant impact at Old Trafford.

Coming in a period when Amorim’s future has been under scrutiny following an extended sequence of disappointing results, the comments helped quell some of the immediate pressure.

But, speaking before the 100th meeting with old rivals Liverpool at Anfield, the United boss stressed that the future is hard to predict in football.

“It is really good to hear it but he tells me all the time, sometimes with a message after games – but you know, I know and Jim knows, that football is not like that,” he said.

“The most important thing is the next game. Even with owners, you cannot control the next day in football.”

Chief executive Omar Berrada has admitted it has taken far longer for Amorim to adapt to the Premier League following his move from Sporting last November than anyone imagined.

United have won 10 times in 34 Premier League matches under the 40-year-old. They are yet to win two league games in a row and have not ended a round of league games this season higher than ninth.

The dire statistics are stretching belief in the manager among the United fanbase heading into a sequence of matches their club has been awful in for the past two seasons.

Amorim said he does not feel the uncertainty internally at the club’s Carrington training ground and is adamant nothing can match the pressure he puts on his players – and in some senses, he would prefer Ratcliffe not to be trying to bring a sense of calm because he fears the impact it could have on the team.

“It’s not just a thing that people talk about, I feel it every day,” he said. “It’s really good to hear it because it helps our fans to understand the leadership know it is going to take a while.

“But at the same moment, I don’t like it because it gives a feeling that we have time to work things out. I don’t want that feeling in our club.

“The pressure I put on the team or on myself is so much bigger [than that from outside]. In football, especially in big clubs, you need to prove yourself every weekend.”