Saliba was subsequently withdrawn from the France squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland. A statement from the French Football Federation confirmed the defender suffered a ‘sprained ankle’ on Merseyside with Benjamin Pavard called into replace him.
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Arsenal will be sweating over Saliba’s fitness with huge games against Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle United lying in wait.
But Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare and performance analytics working with the Premier League, believes Arsenal fans can be optimistic.
Saliba withdrew from the French squad as a result (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Everybody at Arsenal will be wiping their brow on that one because of his importance to the team,’ Smith told Metro.
‘It appeared innocuous. Not to say there aren’t challenges with a ligament sprain but if it were something like a hamstring injury it would be something they would have to be even more careful with.
‘With this, they will be able to get that right quite quickly, I would have thought. They will be able to protect it and strap it up if needed and be able to get back out there relatively quickly.
Saliba picked up the knock in the warm-up (Picture: Getty Images)
‘It didn’t appear to be a significant sprain, we would expect to see him back out there within two to three weeks.’
Smith’s timeline for return suggests Saliba will be firmly back in contention for their visit of City on 21 September.
The Gunners return to action after the international break against Nottingham Forest next Saturday with there a possibility he could even return in time for that game at the Emirates.
‘That one might be really close but they will be pushing him to try and get there,’ Smith continued.
‘It depends on how much swelling was there, how much pain he was in the day after. If swelling was minimal and pain was relatively innocuous that will give him a huge chance.’
Martinez waited and waited for a move to United that never came (Picture: Getty)
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni hopes Emiliano Martinez can resolve his issues with Aston Villa after missing out on a deadline day move to Manchester United.
With Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana both enduring calamitous starts to the new season, United set out to sign a new goalkeeper on transfer deadline day, agreeing personal terms with Martinez.
Martinez missed the opening game of the new Premier League season through suspension, returning for the 1-0 defeat at Brentford.
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While the Premier League transfer window has closed, clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia can continue to do business although Martinez is said to have turned down a move to Galatasaray.
Martinez expected to leave Villa this summer (Picture: Getty Images)
His focus for now switches to international matters with Argentina taking on Venezuela and Ecuador in World Cup qualifiers.
While Martinez remains a key figure in the national team, la Albiceleste head coach Scaloni hopes he will remain first choice in goal ahead of next summer’s World Cup – be it at Villa or elsewhere.
‘We’ll see if Dibu loses continuity at his club, we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves,’ Scaloni said, TYC Sports report.
‘I understand that, if he stays, everything will continue as normal.
‘We want him to play. But it’s not my decision. We’ll see.’
United made a last-ditch attempt to sign a new midfielder on transfer deadline day, contacting Atletico Madrid about a deal for England international Conor Gallagher.
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Gallagher has been linked with a move away from the La Liga giants but Atletico were only interested in a permanent transfer while United asked about a loan.
As a result Amorim’s midfield options have not been bolstered this summer, with United now likely to make that position their priority in January.
Atletico Madrid and England midfielder Conor Gallagher (Picture: Getty)
As well as playing for Chelsea, Gallagher also had spells at Crystal Palace – who expressed interest in re-signing him last week – and EFL clubs Swansea City, Charlton Athletic and West Brom.
Wayne Rooney called for Man Utd to sign a new midfielder (Picture: Getty)
Asked if he would be ‘crying out’ for a new midfielder if he was in Amorim’s shoes, Rooney said on his BBC podcast: ‘You would be, yeah, but obviously we don’t know what the situation is with PSR.
‘But to get a midfielder and a goalkeeper is a priority, if they can address that before the window closes they will be in an okay place.’
Rooney also called for Manchester United to sign a new goalkeeper following Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir’s struggles at Old Trafford.
Incoming Manchester United signing Senne Lammens (Picture: Getty)
The United and England legend wanted Gianluigi Donnarumma to arrive at the club but the Champions League winner looks set to join Manchester City.
‘There’s the goalkeeper situation and I’m sure every Man United fan is asking the same question,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast.
‘For me, Donnarumma is out there and if there’s a possibility you can get him, you have to go for him. Clearly that [the goalkeeper] is an issue.
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‘I go back to when we had Roy Carroll and Tim Howard in goal. I don’t think there was 100 per cent trust from the defenders in front of those two goalkeepers.
‘But the minute [Edwin] Van der Sar came in and calmed everything down, the defenders trusted him a lot more and you see a better output of performance.
‘These United players want that confidence and trust in the goal behind them and I just don’t see that with the ones we’ve got at the moment.
‘With Donnarumma, he’s 26 and one of the best keepers in the world. It would be crazy if Manchester United didn’t go for him.
‘If the deal can be done and what Donnarumma wants [in terms of a salary] is another question but I’d certainly be asking the question and try to get him to the club.
‘Andre Onana is a fantastic keeper, I watched him at Inter [Milan] and he was brilliant.
‘So you hope if they don’t sign a new goalkeeper he can get back to that level of form, but he certainly didn’t fill us with confidence last season.’
Sports broadcaster NBC got more than it bargained for in a recent baseball game (Picture: NBC)
American sports broadcaster NBC was forced to cut off a live broadcast after two audience members were caught getting raunchy in the stands.
Viewers had tuned in to see a baseball game between the Athletics and Texas Rangers on Saturday when cameras captured two individuals touching a very different kind of base.
As the camera panned across the audience in Sacramento, a couple could be seen sitting in the front row, looking and smiling directly at the camera.
It was then that the man, wearing sunglasses above the brim of his baseball cap, reached over and began fondling his partner’s chest.
The commentators were stunned into silence as the footage cut back to the game.
‘For the folks at home, I will apologise,’ the lead commentator said, before describing the man as ‘a handful.’
The couple were seen laughing and joking together prior to the incident (Picture: NBC)
The commentators were shocked as the man reached across and grabbed his partner’s chest (Picture: NBC)
The audio track then fell completely silent for half a minute, while the commentating team presumably tried to get their giggling fit under control.
‘A’s down by a few,’ the commentator chuckled as he returned, adding: ‘Trying to grab a couple back.’
The broadcast cut to an advert break, while the shell-shocked audience at home attempted to reckon with what they’d just witnessed.
The incident occurred as Athletics battled Texas Rangers in Sacramento (Picture: Getty Images)
‘This is the best I love it! Now that’s what I call a date night!’ wrote mkmt9017 on X in the immediate aftermath.
‘Better not be anybody’s CEO,’ joked OGAppraiserGuy, in reference to last month’s infamous Coldplay kiss cam incident.
Meanwhile, others shared their appreciation for the commentator’s handling of the incident, with MattShartz writing: ‘”try to grab a couple back” was the perfect response at the end of the inning.’
‘Those rare moments when the sheer magnitude of what just happened leaves even the pros speechless—it’s like the event speaks for itself and everyone at home is sharing that collective awe. Pure chills,’ said bolZaneXQ94afzu.
Viewers were reminded of last month’s infamous Coldplay kiss cam incident (Picture: BACKGRID)
Tech CEO Andy Byron was spotted with his arms around the company’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot.
In the now-iconic footage, the pair quickly disentangle once they realise they’re on camera, with Byron ducking out of view while Cabot moves out of shot.
‘Oh, look at these two. Either they are having an affair, or they’re just really shy,’ joked frontman Chris Martin.
As the clip garnered millions of views, internet sleuths tracked the pair down and soon discovered that Byron had been cheating on his wife with Cabot.
A statement from the company on LinkedIn read: ‘As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding.
‘Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.
‘Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.
‘The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.’
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The pair have shared the screen in the new Naked Gun reboot, which is released in cinemas on August 1, but are rumoured to have taken their chemistry off camera.
According to insiders, the Taken actor, 73, and the Baywatch icon, 58, are said to be ‘enjoying each other’s company’ and are clearly ‘smitten’.
However, a source claimed to TMZ that their relationship was a PR stunt concocted to promote the film.
The publication reports that insiders allege that Liam and Pamela ‘didn’t even see each other from the time cameras stopped rolling in June 2024 until the press tour launched more than a year later, in July 2025.’
Although they have remained coy about the status of their relationship, they did get up close and personal on the set of their new comedy, with writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand sharing that it was probably the ‘strangest sex scene’ the stars had filmed.
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A source has claimed their relationship is a PR stunt (Picture: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Speaking to Metro at the New York premiere, they shed light on the most absurd thing they asked Liam – who plays the main role of officer Frank Drebin Jr – to do in the role, and Dan didn’t hold back.
‘This is a spoiler, but he has a great … very strange love scene that I believe has to be the strangest sex scene of his life,’ he told us.
‘Every day was the strangest thing,’ Doug recalled. ‘Every scene is like, “Liam Neeson is doing this?”’
‘We didn’t even have an intimacy coordinator for that; no one knew how to do it,’ Dan quipped.
Thankfully, there actually was an intimacy coordinator present for the shoot, with one particularly bizarre montage showing Frank and Beth (Pamela) taking their relationship to the next level – where they were joined in the bedroom by a snowman.
Despite the absurd setup, Liam shared that those moments were actually his favourite to film, adding more fuel to the romance speculation.
Liam got put through his paces while filming the Naked Gun (Picture: Paramount)
The pair got up close and personal on set (Picture: Paramount)
In a photoshoot and interview with You Magazine, where they were reportedly ‘all over each other’ the Love Actually star admitted that ‘the sex scenes’ with Pamela were his highlight.
Speaking of the coordinator, he revealed: ‘I’d never had one before. But she was in the background. There was no kind of, “Okay, excuse me!’’’.
‘She knew when to walk away,’ Pamela joked, pretending to be an exasperated intimacy coordinator, throwing her hands in the air and storming off, continuing the bit by adding: ‘”I can’t take this!”’
‘She said, “This is too hot for me. I’m going for coffee,”’ Liam added, while also referring to his co-star’s audition tape as ‘incredibly sexy’ and ‘funny’.
Are Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson dating?
Both have remained publicly single over the last few years, though insiders have claimed ‘everything between them has been genuine.’
‘Neither would ever take part in a publicity stunt. They have a great time. Neither of them needs the publicity,’ an insider told People, refuting the TMZ claims.
A separate source has claimed the couple has a genuine connection (Picture: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock)
Another source insisted that Pamela and Liam have no need to fake a romance, observing that they ‘have a real connection.’
The insider said: ‘Their relationship isn’t just for show. They have a real connection. There’s no incentive for either of them to stage something like this.’
Pamela previously opened up about their relationship, revealing that they ‘just like each other.’
The Hollywood duo loved working together on the comedy movie, and Liam admitted that their friendship grew very naturally.
He told Extra: ‘It just grew naturally. We didn’t force it, just allowed it to grow.’
The Last Showgirl star Pamela stated in September that she was ‘much happier’ on her own, but added that not being in a relationship after five marriages was ‘tough’.
They shared a peck on the cheek at the London premiere (Picture: Getty)
Pam was previously married to Tommy Lee (Picture: Shutterstock)
Liam’s late wife, Natasha Richardson, died in 2009 (Picture: Shutterstock)
Meanwhile, Liam hasn’t seriously dated anyone since his wife, Parent Trap actress Natasha Richardson, tragically died at the age of 45 after sustaining head injuries in a skiing accident in 2009.
What have Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson said about each other?
During a TV appearance on the Today show, they clearly had some fun with the speculation when host Craig Melvin asked: ‘What’s the deal here? You’re both single right now. There’s clearly chemistry. Are you two an item?’
‘What?! I don’t understand the question,’ Pamela coyly replied while Liam jokingly shook his head.
However, a source shared with People Magazine that they are ‘smitten’, insisting: ‘It’s a budding romance in the early stages.
‘It’s sincere, and it’s clear they’re smitten with each other.’
They added that the stars are ‘enjoying each other’s company’.
‘I’m madly in love with her,’ Liam said of Pamela in a previous interview while promoting the film.
‘With Pamela, first off, I’m madly in love with her. She’s just terrific to work with,’ he said. ‘I can’t compliment her enough, I’ll be honest with you.
‘No huge ego. She just comes in to do the work. She’s funny and so easy to work with. She’s going to be terrific in the film.’
Meanwhile Pamela described her castmate as the ‘perfect gentleman’.
‘He brings out the best in you… with respect, kindness and depth of experience. It was an absolute honor to work with him,’ she raved, despite having entered the rehearsal room ‘shaking’ with nerves, intimidated to meet him.
‘Once we got going he’s such a gentleman, he’s such a sweetheart. He’s so giving and generous and we’re very complimentary and supportive. You can’t help but fall in love with Liam.’
Pam turned heads with her stint in the new movie (Picture: Paramount)
Is Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson’s flirting real?
Fans’ eyebrows are sky-high at this point, with social media flooded with questions over whether they’re the real deal.
‘Are they in love or something?’ asked @kingshagrin. That is the question.
Their overtly flirty interviews could be part of a whole marketing campaign for their new project.
Leslie Nielsen first appeared as bumbling detective Frank Drebin in parody series Police Squad, before reprising his role in the first three Naked Gun movies – between 1988 – 1994.
In the reboot, which serves as the fourth film in the franchise, Liam appeared as his son, Frank Drebin Jr.
In it, the officer must follow in his father’s footsteps and save the world, with Pamela as ‘femme fatale’ Beth, who goes to the police for help after her brother’s murder.
A previous promotional video for reboot showed them hamming up their off-screen flirtation, very much tongue in cheek.
The Naked Gun is out in cinemas very soon (Picture: Paramount)
When asked how they were building chemistry for the role, Liam innocently responded, ‘Nothing out of the ordinary,’ before a clip showed the pair in various romantic settings which were very much out of the ordinary.
He was shown putting his arm around her in front of an ocean sunset, the duo laughed in a fairy-lit restaurant over spaghetti, and danced in the moonlight, even going so far as doing trust falls.
After all these clips played out like a romantic comedy montage, it cut to Pamela sitting next to Liam in the interview setting, as she said: ‘Yeah, just the usual.’
This article was first published on July 21.
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After a poor first-half display, Fernandez was clearly upset and as he headed towards the tunnel for the break the World Cup winner was seen offering his captain’s armband to Chelsea’s fitness coach Marcos Alvarez.
When asked why Fernandez appeared frustrated at half-time, Maresca replied: ‘The answer is, he’s a Club World Cup winner, he’s a World Cup winner.
‘And I think probably he’s the only player in the world to win both titles. And when he’s not good enough, he can recognise. And probably he was upset for that. Because in the first-half I think he was not good enough.
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‘Then in the second-half he was, like the rest, brilliant. So probably the reason why he was not happy is because he can see that he was not good enough.
🚨Enzo Fernandez’s reaction at the half-time whistle was to run to #CFC fitness coach Marcos Alvarez as he appeared to offer him his captain’s armband😡 Fernandez wasn’t happy after Chelsea’s goal, yelling at fans & bench. Andrey Santos had been sent to warm-up before half-time pic.twitter.com/iJ6mf5DgeO
‘And in the second half I think he was brilliant. But at the end of the game they were all dancing or celebrating the win. So Enzo was there and he was happy.
‘If you see when we scored with Joao, I immediately left the bench because I was more worried to improve in the second-half. So I came back in the changing room to prepare the tactical board and everything.’
Maresca was also full of praise for Trevoh Chalobah after Chelsea secured their second clean sheet of the season.
‘Since he came back in January he’s doing very well,’ Maresca said.
‘The reason why we achieved what we achieved last season is also because of Trev, in the final against PSG in the Club World Cup he was top.
Amie Upton, 38, has been criticised by bereaved mums who were shocked to see their babies in her living room while awaiting burial (Picture: Ben Lack Photography Ltd)
A funeral director who took babies’ bodies home with her has defended her actions, saying she read them stories and made sure they were ‘never alone’.
Amie Upton, 38, has been criticised by bereaved mums who were shocked to see their babies in her living room while awaiting burial.
One, Zoe Ward, 32, said she screamed down the phone to her mum after being traumatised by the sight of her baby son Bleu sitting ‘in front of the TV watching cartoons’.
Another claimed her stillborn baby ‘deteriorated’ because she hadn’t been placed in a cold cot to keep her temperature down.
Ms Upton set up her funeral service, Florrie’s Army, after losing her own unborn baby.
Speaking through tears, she said she ‘just wanted to help’ bereaved families.
She told The Mirror: ‘I know here the babies were never left alone. I was always here.
‘They were always clean and tidy and were not deteriorating or smelly as claimed on posts I’ve seen today.
‘The babies here were not put in a fridge when staff go home but I was here all the time. Their babies knew nothing but love.
‘You don’t find nurses reading their babies a story. I would. I know I only ever did my best. It is ridiculous.’
Zoe Ward pictured with son Bleu, who died in 2021 (Picture: Zoe Ward)
Ms Upton denied placing Zoe’s son in a baby-bouncer, saying he was briefly left in a ‘laid back chair’ while she moved him to a bed.
She also described how her own daughter, Florence, who was stillborn at 29 weeks.
The funeral director said she lost her baby after her abusive partner repeatedly rammed a child’s buggy into her.
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Her attacker – the baby’s father Shaun Birchall – pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and was jailed for two years in April 2021.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust banned Ms Upton from all its mortuaries and maternity wards earlier this year, a BBC investigation has revealed.
Zoe said when she first spoke to Ms Upton about her funeral service, she came away confident it would be ‘brilliant’.
But when it came to meeting her in person, she found her son positioned in front the TV in Ms Upton’s living room.
‘She [Ms Upton] says: “Come in, we’re watching PJ Masks”,’ Ms Ward told the BBC.
‘There was another [dead] baby on the sofa. It wasn’t a nice sight.’
She called her own mother ‘screaming’ before another funeral director was asked to collect Bleu’s body.
Ms Ward said the ‘weird’ experience made her ‘upset and angry’.
The parents of the stillborn baby taken home by Ms Upton said they believed her body was being kept at a funeral parlour in Headingley until she told them she was in her home.
‘I just didn’t know why she was there,’ the mum said.
The couple said they do not think their daughter was stored at the recommended 4-7C temperature because it was ‘really smelly, like she’d been in there and not kept cool’.
Zoe Ward described speaking with Ms Upton and coming away confident that the service would be ‘brilliant’ (Picture: Zoe Ward)
The Trust said it received ‘several serious concerns’ about Ms Upton’s services and introduced ‘specific safeguarding measures’ in place since 2021.
Funeral director Philip Gallagher, who signed the bodies out, said he had a ‘working relationship’ with Ms Upton but understood concerns about her ‘have been thoroughly investigated’.
West Yorkshire Police said it has investigated two reports about Ms Upton’s funeral service since 2021 but after ‘extensive enquiries… no potential crimes were identified’.
Ms Upton told the BBC she has only had two complaints in her eight years of running Florrie’s Army.
The funeral industry in England and Wales is unregulated, with no legal requirements on how bodies should be stored or qualifications required to become a funeral director.
Earlier this year, an inquiry urged the government to introduce statutory regulations to protect the ‘security and dignity’ of people after death.
Warning that the system is fundamentally flawed, chairman Sir Jonathan Michael found the lack of regulation meant anyone could set themselves up as a funeral director, work at home and keep bodies in their garages if they wished.
