Sportsday - Friday as it happened

1. Oscar Pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide
2. Yorkshire win County Championship title
3. Manchester United's Phil Jones faces up to a month out
4. US investment company confirms Tottenham takeover interest

Goodbye

So that is everything from today's Sportsday Live. Remember to catch our live text commentaries for all of the action from the Premier League, Scottish Premiership and major European leagues over the weekend and Sportsday will be back at 08:00 on Monday morning.

Have a fun weekend. Bye for now.

BBC

So where will Radamel Falcao fit into Manchester United's system? A feature on Falcao, including the thoughts of some of the leading football writers is available on our football pages.

Premier League team news

Manchester United's new signings Radamel Falcao, Marcus Rojo, Daley Blind and Luke Shaw could all make their debuts against QPR on Sunday. However, defender Phil Jones is out for a month having suffered a hamstring injury while playing for England.

QPR manager Harry Redknapp is likely to give debuts to midfielders Sandro and Niko Kranjcar, who joined just before the transfer deadline. Joey Barton is nursing a hamstring strain and will be assessed.

BBC

Premier League team news

Liverpool will be without striker Daniel Sturridge, who injured his thigh while training with England. Mario Balotelli is set for his home debut, while the fit-again Adam Lallana may be involved for the first time since joining the Reds.

Tom Cleverley could make his Aston Villa debut after signing on loan from Manchester United. Ron Vlaar remains a doubt with a calf injury, while Jores Okore may be in contention after a knee problem.

Dowsett leads Tour of Britain

England's Alex Dowsett moves into the overall lead at the Tour of Britain after finishing second to Matthias Brandle on the sixth stage.

PA

Essex-born Dowsett, 25, began the 205.6km run from Bath to Hemel Hempstead one minute 25 seconds behind race leader Michal Kwiatkowski in the general classification. However, he got in the breakaway group along with Brandle and Tom Stewart.

Defending champion Sir Bradley Wiggins dropped to seventh, 62 seconds behind.

BBC

Premier League team news

Defender Joleon Lescott could make his West Brom debut against his former club after recovering from a knee injury. Keeper Ben Foster withdrew from the England squad with a thumb injury but is set to play.

Everton midfielder Leon Osman and forward Samuel Eto'o face fitness tests because of calf and groin injuries respectively. Forward Arouna Kone and defender Bryan Oviedo played in a friendly against Stoke midweek but won't feature.

Berra agrees new Ipswich deal

Scotland international Christophe Berra has signed a new three-year deal with Ipswich Town.

The 29-year-old is Town's top scorer this season with three goals and will remain at Portman Road until 2017. The former Wolves centre-half, who was set to be out of contract this summer, has played 51 times since joining Mick McCarthy's side last summer.

Empics

"I'm delighted to see Christophe commit to a new contract here," McCarthy told the club website.

"Delighted to have committed my future to @Official_ITFC. Looking forward to hopefully a few successful years ahead in blue," wrote Berra on Twitter.

BBC

Premier League team news

Tottenham new boys Federico Fazio and Benjamin Stambouli could be in line to make their debuts in Saturday's game at Sunderland.

Roberto Soldado (neck) and Kyle Walker (hip) will definitely miss out and, while no Spurs players came back injured from international duty, Nabil Bentaleb is unlikely to feature having only returned to London late on Thursday after playing for Algeria.

Sunderland, who are seeking their first win of the season, have Sebastian Coates and Ricky Alvarez in their squad for the first time after their deadline-day moves.

Get involved

Some more of your comments on how the season has gone so far for your team.

Yasmine Vargas: Worried for my club NUFC this season. No prolific goalscorer, a dodgy back line and De Jong injured - relegation battle.

Alistair Smalley: Painful start for Man United, QPR at home has come at just the right time and is perfect chance for new the signings to shine.

Kiriama16 (Arsenal fan): Debuchy has so far filled the void left by $agna and Sanchez is adding that pace we lacked, good things are to come.

Bayley assured of second world medal

World champion Will Bayley is assured of a second medal at the 2014 ITT Para Table Tennis World Championships after he and team partner Paul Karabardak reached the semi-final of the men's class 6-7 team event.

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Bayley and Karabardak recovered from a defeat to Spain to beat the Czech Republic 3-1 in their final group match and they will play top seeds Ukraine in Saturday's semi-final.

But Kim Daybell and Aaron McKibbin (Class 9-10) and Jane Campbell and Sara Head (women's Class 3) all missed out on the knock-out stages.

BBC

Nick Powell, who joined Leicester on loan at the end of the transfer window scored one goal for Manchester United, in a 4-0 victory against Wigan in September 2012.

Premier League team news

Stoke will make a late decision on whether to include Mame Biram Diouf as he did not return until Friday lunchtime following international duty. Peter Odemwingie is out with a long-term knee injury, but Oussama Assaidi and Stephen Ireland could be involved.

Leicester could give midfielder Esteban Cambiasso his debut after he was an unused substitute against Arsenal. Fellow new signings Danny Simpson, Tom Lawrence and on-loan Nick Powell are also in contention to play.

Hansen wins Vuelta stage

Australian Adam Hansen timed his attack to perfection to win Friday's 19th stage of the Vuelta a Espana.

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The 33-year-old Lotto-Belisol rider took off with just over 4km remaining and held off a charging peloton to win by four seconds from German John Degenkolb and Italy's Filippo Pozzato.

Spain's Alberto Contador maintained his race lead of 1 minute 19 seconds over last year's Tour de France winner Chris Froome as both came home safely in the reduced pack.

BBC

Sadio Mane also registered 12 assists in only 33 games last season while playing for Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.

Premier League team news

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman hopes new signing Sadio Mane will be involved despite work permit regulations delaying his return from Senegal duty. Saints' other deadline-day signing, Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld, is expected to start.

Newcastle have suffered another injury blow after winger Ronaldo Aarons was ruled out with a hamstring problem. Siem de Jong has a long-term thigh injury and Facundo Ferreyra is out, but Cheick Tiote and Jack Colback are fit.

Selby to face Allen in Shanghai Masters

World number one Mark Selby eased into the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters with a 5-0 defeat of Fergal O'Brien.

The Jester from Leicester will play Mark Allen for a place in the final after Allen held his nerve to edge Michael White 5-4 while defending champion Ding Junhui will play Stuart Bingham in the other semi-final.

Home hope Ding, the world number three, did not look back after taking the first two frames against Graeme Dott, going on to win 5-2 while Bingham defeated Alan McManus 5-1.

Worcestershire secure promotion

After Yorkshire's County Championship win earlier, Worcestershire have secured their fifth promotion to Division One in 12 seasons after beating Surrey by 27 runs.

Jack Shantry achieved the rare feat of 10 wickets and a century to help them to a hard-earned win.

Chasing 217 to win, Surrey looked well set just before lunch on 106-1. But Vikram Solanki's departure for 58 triggered a collapse as they were bowled out for 189.

BBC

Andrew Johnson scored 85 goals in 160 appearances in his first spell at Crystal Palace, from August 2002 to May 2006.

Premier League team news

James McArthur, Kevin Doyle and Zeki Fryers could make their Crystal Palace debuts, with Andrew Johnson also available after re-joining the club. Joe Ledley is fit after missing the last two league games, but Marouane Chamakh is nursing a hamstring injury.

New Burnley signings George Boyd, Nathaniel Chalobah and Michael Keane are in contention, although the latter pair are unlikely to start. Forward Danny Ings is available after overcoming illness.

Estimate lands Doncaster Cup victory

PA

The Queen's horse Estimate, ridden by Ryan Moore, records a battling success over Whiplash Willie in the Doncaster Cup, the feature race on day three of the St Leger Festival at the South Yorkshire track.

The 11-8 favourite won by one-and-a-quarter lengths and could now be aimed at November's Melbourne Cup.

Dowsett takes lead in Tour of Britain

AP

Austrian rider Matthias Brandle wins Friday's sixth stage of the Tour of Britain from Bath to Hemel Hempstead but Britain's Alex Dowsett is now the overall leader.

Dowsett, who rides for the Movistar team and won gold for England in the time trial race at the Commonwealth Games, finished a second behind Brandle and holds a 34-second advantage over Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski who finished in the peloton.

Sir Bradley Wiggins is in seventh place, one minute and two seconds back.

BBC

Premier League team news

Chelsea striker Diego Costa faces a fitness test on his hamstring injury. Eden Hazard is expected to play, despite suffering a minor Achilles problem. New signing Loic Remy could make his debut.

Swansea striker Wilfried Bony will be assessed by manager Garry Monk after playing for the Ivory Coast against Cameroon on Wednesday. Marvin Emnes could be involved for the first time this season following his hamstring injury, but Leon Britton is out for a further month.

'Cahill is a defender England trust'

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says defender Gary Cahill is in the best moment of his career and deserves his new role as England's vice-captain.

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England manager Roy Hodgson says 28-year-old Cahill will be entrusted with the armband in his new-look side whenever captain Wayne Rooney is missing.

"Cahill is a very mature player and his profile as a professional and a player is always stable," adds Mourinho ahead of Saturday's first versus second clash with Swansea City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. "He is obviously a central defender that England trust."

France take commanding lead at Davis Cup

AP

Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga both won their singles rubbers to give France a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup World Group semi-final against the defending champions Czech Republic.

Gasquet beat Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-2 6-3 before Tsonga, the world number 12 defeated Lukas Rosol 6-2 6-2 6-3

In the other semi-final, Roger Federer gave Switzerland a 1-0 lead over Italy as he battled to a 7-5 (8/6) 6-4 6-4 win over Simone Bolelli in the first singles rubber.

'We have set the bar for ourselves'

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has been speaking at a news conference and hopes his side can build on their shock 1-0 victory away at Manchester City in their last Premier League match.

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"I think in fairness most of the papers gave us the credit we deserved," says Hughes. "To be fair to the people at Manchester City, they said we deserved the victory too, which was nice to hear.

"We have to use that performance and result as the standard now. We have set the bar for ourselves for the coming weeks and months. Leicester will be a totally different game. We will probably use the Aston Villa (1-0) defeat as a bigger incentive to us. We let ourselves down."

Mourinho news conference

AFP

Mourinho also says Loic Remy could make his debut against the Swans and the purchase of the Frenchman was in reaction to the departure of Fernando Torres.

"I analysed the transfer situation early on, and after that my club did an amazing job getting the right players," he adds.

Mourinho news conference

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says Diego Costa is a doubt for Saturday's Premier League game against Swansea after suffering a hamstring injury in Spain's defeat to France last week

"Diego came back injured on Saturday so he's had one week to work with the medical department," he says. "He has a chance to play."

Van Gaal news conference

BBC Sport's Simon Stone: "Van Gaal says Jones is set to be out for between three weeks and a month with a torn hamstring after he went off in the second half of England's win in Switzerland.

"But the Dutchman did provide a very amusing moment during his news conference.

"A couple of weeks ago he was asked to name his injured players and stumbled somewhat but today he came prepared.

"When the question came today, Van Gaal put on his glasses, opened a piece of paper and started reading from it. 'I have my paper. I have my glasses. Here is the list,' he said."

Van Gaal news conference

PA

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says defender Luke Shaw is in contention to make his club debut against QPR on Saturday after recovering from a hamstring injury.

However, the Dutchman is still without nine players, including Marouane Fellaini, Phil Jones, Michael Carrick, Chris Smalling and Ashley Young.

"We shall see who plays on Sunday," he says. "I'm a coach who always decides based on what I have observed."

Ireland make solid start against Scotland

Ireland have made 241-9 in the third ODI against Scotland in Dublin with John Mooney top-scoring on 96

The hosts have already won the three-match series after successes in game one and game two.

Spurs deny takeover rumours

Further to the earlier news (see 14:29 BST) that American investment company Cain Hoy say they are considering a takeover bid for Tottenham Hotspur, the White Hart Lane club say they are not in takeover discussions with Cain Hoy or any other party

The club add that they have been in discussions with finance providers in regard to their new stadium and while they have met representatives of Cain Hoy, there are no ongoing discussions.

Mountain biking

Britain's double world champion Gee Atherton tells BBC Sport that he believes downhill mountain biking should be in the Winter Olympics.

The downhill races are time trials on steep, rugged tracks that often include jumps and other obstacles and it has featured in every Mountain Bike World Championships but the only event with Olympic status is cross-country, added to the summer Games in 1996.

Investment company interest in Spurs takeover

American investment company Cain Hoy have confirmed they are considering a takeover bid for Tottenham Hotspur.

A statement from the group said they were in the preliminary stages of assessing a cash offer.

Spurs, who are trying to finance a reported £400m project to construct a new 56,250-capacity stadium. denied on Thursday that owner Joe Lewis was seeking to sell, after the Daily Telegraph broke the story of Cain Hoy's interest.

Football

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Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock is looking forward to getting back to action after the international break.

Warnock only took over at Selhurst Park on 27 August and his first game was a 3-3 draw against Newcastle.

"Since I've taken over, my feet haven't touched the ground. I thought it would have been nice to have a game so I could have a nice relaxing afternoon," he said.

"It has been nothing but chasing about, but it has been good and I've really enjoyed the training. They are a genuine bunch and I think bringing in a few new faces has helped set us up for the season."

Ashley remains committed to Newcastle

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley insists he has no plans to sell the club until the end of next season at the earliest.

Ashley has dismissed speculation that he is ready to sell up in order to buy Scottish club Rangers, in which he already has a nine per cent stake.

A club statement, which revealed that the Daily Telegraph has been banned by the club for a series of reports on the matter, said: "The truth is Mike Ashley remains committed to Newcastle United. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that for the remainder of this season and AT LEAST until the end of next season, Mike Ashley will not, under any circumstances, sell Newcastle United at any price."

Yorkshire celebrations

So as mentioned, Yorkshire have won the County Championship title today, their first success in 13 years, after beating Nottinghamshire by an innings and 152 runs at Trent Bridge.

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"It's the best thing I've ever done in cricket," said England bowler Tim Bresnan, who was one of 10 players in the side playing today to have come through Yorkshire's academy.

Coach Jason Gillespie added: "I'm a big one for enjoying the game of cricket, that's why we play the game, and play a really positive brand of cricket. Over the last few years, we've certainly done that, we are here to entertain people."

Warwickshire beat Northants by an innings and 16 runs at Edgbaston to move above Nottinghamshire and into second in the Championship.

Yorkshire secured the title on Friday morning, but the Bears moved 15 points ahead of Notts in the race for second place and £214,000 prize money. Resuming on 149-5 on the final day, Ben Duckett (71) and Andrew Hall (31) briefly raised Northants' spirits. But the visitors were dismissed for 284 before lunch as Keith Barker took 4-47.

Live text commentary from all of today's County Championship matches is available on the BBC cricket pages.

Middlesex v Durham (day four)

BBC London 94.9's Kevin Hand: "Last year's Champions Durham are on the verge of the victory that will ensure their Division One status as they picked up Dawid Malan with the last ball before lunch, having been set 396 to win.

"Six wickets have fallen this morning and the hosts will now be looking nervously over their shoulders with two games to play - their last being at second-bottom Lancashire."

Middlesex 276 & 200-8 Durham 377 & 294

Sussex v Lancashire (day four)

BBC Radio Lancashire's Scott Read: "Lancashire get to lunch in the knowledge that a win this afternoon will almost certainly take them out of the relegation zone.

"Losing quick wickets before lunch may not have been the worst thing for Lancashire as they'll need time to bowl Sussex out. Tom Smith retiring hurt hasn't helped their bowling cause but if the Red Rose are to win it will be largely down to Anderson, Chapple and spinner Simon Kerrigan."

Lancashire 320 & 364 Sussex 434

Cricket

Right, let's turn our attention briefly to cricket and the state of play in today's County Championship matches...

BBC

BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has given his predictions for this weekend's Premier League matches.

Manchester United have only picked up two points from three League games, but Lawrenson expects Louis van Gaal's side to be celebrating on Sunday afternoon when they face QPR.

This week, Lawrenson takes on Van McCann, the lead singer of British band Catfish and the Bottlemen. To find out his predictions and the rest of Lawro's forecasts then visit his prediction page on the BBC football site.

Croatia test for England

England Under-21s will face Croatia in the play-offs for next summer's European Championship.

The games will be held between 8 and 14 October and England will be at home for the first leg to be staged at Molineux.

Get involved

Some more of your comments on how your team has done so far this season and which players have performed well / poorly. Starting with an Arsenal fan.

Saif Rahman: Steady but slow start, win against City on Saturday could give us the jump-start we need to mount a serious title challenge.

Andrew Priestley: I'm hoping that Manchester United's PL season is going to actually start on Sunday vs QPR! Better late than never I suppose!

Wenger must be cautious - Savage

BBC Sport football analyst Robbie Savage believes Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger must resist the urge to include too many attacking players against Manchester City.

"His team are at home but he must remember what happened when he went to Etihad Stadium in December last year - Arsenal took City on and got battered 6-3," says Savage.

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"I watched Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Leicester last time out and it was completely obvious that they were missing a defensive midfielder. They looked unbalanced, with too much emphasis on attack. They should have signed a player to solve that problem before the transfer window closed - Wenger chose not to, but he has still got to find a way to tighten things up in his midfield."

The full Robbie Savage column is available on the BBC Sport football pages.

BBC

Danny Welbeck's figures include his time at Manchester United and a season on loan at Sunderland, while Aguero has only played for Manchester City in the Premier League.

So former Manchester United man Welbeck is set to make his Arsenal debut against Manchester City on Saturday.

The striker, who netted twice in England's 2-0 win against Switzerland in midweek, will be motivated by criticism from his former boss Louis van Gaal.

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"He played three seasons for the first team, but he doesn't have the record of Robin van Persie or Wayne Rooney. And that is the standard. That's why we let him go," said Van Gaal.

Premier League team news

Danny Welbeck could make his Arsenal debut against Manchester City, having scored twice for England against Switzerland on Monday. But midfielder Aaron Ramsey may be absent after sustaining an ankle injury playing for Wales in midweek.

As you've just heard, Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta is available, despite picking up a knock on international duty. Forward Stevan Jovetic injured his hamstring while away with Montenegro and is out, while midfielder Fernando will also miss two weeks.

Pellegrini news conference

Pellegrini also explains his reasons for letting Alvaro Negredo go to Valencia: "The decision for Negredo to go was very important. We have a restriction on the players we can use in the Champions League. Alvaro Negredo was injured. He wasn't going to be on the list. He wanted to go back to Spain. It all starts from the restrictions due to the money we spent."

Pellegrini news conference

Pellegrini also says that Frank Lampard is available to play at the Emirates as is defender Eliaquim Mangala while Pablo Zabaleta is available after picking up a knock while playing for Argentina.

Pellegrini news conference

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says that midfielder Fernando will miss the next two weeks, including Saturday's trip to Arsenal while Stevan Jovetic is also ruled out after picking up an injury on international duty with Montenegro.

Pellegrini news conference

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has his turn in front of the cameras, looking ahead to his side's away game at Arsenal on Saturday.

Business as usual for Bruce and Hull

Hull City manager Steve Bruce says it is business as usual after owner Assem Allam has revealed the club is for sale as he continues to fight for the club to be called Hull Tigers.

"Deep down, I know he doesn't really want to sell but he feels so passionate about it and for that you have to respect him," says Bruce. "You only had to see what he did on transfer deadline day to see it's not the actions of a man who wants to sell the club.

"Nothing has really changed and we just want to get on with playing football and I hope the fans can get behind us but it is a difficult situation I find myself in."

Swansea boss receives award

As Ryan mentioned, Swansea have looked good so far this season. And their boss Garry Monk has today received the Barclays Premier League manager of the month award for August after the club made a 100% start to the season.

Huw Evans picture agency

Monk has guided Swansea to three wins - away to Manchester United and at home to Burnley and West Brom.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has also won the Player of the Month award.

Get involved

Some early reaction to our question of which teams and players are looking good or struggling.

David Abakah Jnr: Chelsea are making me proud! Jose and the entire team are doing great, however Costa has been excellent.

Ryan Shum: Can't look past Swansea, very impressive start after losing Michu. Equally happy with my team Liverpool, two tough away games played.

Sid: Aston Villa have looked very impressive after the appointment of Roy Keane as assistant manager.

Ryan, Liverpool did lose one of those away games!

Allardyce welcomes debate on referees' decisions

In his column in the London Evening Standard, West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he welcomes Fifa president Sepp Blatter's proposals to allow managers to question referees' decisions during a game.

"I have been banging on about this for some time now, in this column and elsewhere. It has seemed ludicrous that football has been yet again lagging behind other sports in this respect," he says.

"I'm fed up with people who close their minds to change. We have to move forward. We have the biggest brand in the world but, too often, we are the last to take a positive step. That has to change."

Get involved

Top level domestic football returns this weekend after the international break. So, let's look at the season so far. How is your team doing? Better than expected, are you confident of the title or promotion or has any optimism drifted away as you prepare for another long hard, miserable season?

Which teams or players have impressed, who have been awful? Let us know your thoughts and we will publish the best messages on this page throughout the rest of the day.

We are on Twitter, using #bbcsportsday, or leave a message on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Oscar Pistorius trial

After South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of the culpable homicide of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, BBC chief sports correspondent Dan Roan looks at the man behind the brand and traces his career.

Best video clips

Here are some of the best video clips on the BBC Sport pages for you to enjoy.

BBC

Formula 1: BBC Sport's David Coulthard teams up with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel to test out the new Formula 1 circuit at Sochi's Olympic Park ahead of the inaugural Russian Grand Prix in October.

Trampolining: BBC Radio 2 presenter Ken Bruce and his sidekick Lynn Bowles take on a Get Inspired trampolining challenge.

Cricket: Revisit the highlights and low points of England's season with a Test Match Special package.

Today's newspapers

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Today's front page of Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport features a few familiar faces, as they focus on former Chelsea striker Fernando Torres, former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra and ex-Manchester City full-back Micah Richards, who are set to make their Serie A debuts this weekend for AC Milan, Juventus and Fiorentina respectively.

Yorkshire win County Championship title

Yorkshire have beaten Nottinghamshire to secure the County Championship title for the first time since 2001.

Follow the latest from Trent Bridge via the BBC Sport website.

Wilson tipped for greatness at Man Utd

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The Guardian reports that teenage striker James Wilson has been identified as the future of Manchester United's attack by manager Louis van Gaal.

The Dutchman believes that the 18-year-old, who came on as a substitute in the Capital One Cup defeat to MK Dons, has the potential to one day succeed Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.

Wildcard for Murray

Andy Murray has been given a wildcard entry to the China Open, which starts on 27 September.

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The British number one, who is currently ranked 11th in the world, will join the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and newly-crowned US Open winner Marin Cilic in Beijing.

Murray, who has not played in the event since 2010, will be keen to accrue the points he needs to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in London.

Ferdinand forced to wait for Reading debut

Defender Anton Ferdinand will have to wait to make his Reading debut after being ruled out for at least four weeks with a hamstring injury.

Ferdinand, 29, arrived at the club last month having spent last season in Turkey with Antalyaspor but manager Nigel Adkins revealed he is set to be unavailable until after the international break in October.

England Under-21s to learn Euro draw

England Under-21s will find out later who they face in the play-offs for the European Championships next summer with the draw taking place in Geneva at 13:00 BST.

Gareth Southgate's team could potentially face Serbia for the first time since their controversial play-off two years ago which was marred by racism and violence.

England are among the top seeds so will avoid holders Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal and Denmark while the seven unseeded teams are Sweden, Slovakia, Croatia, Netherlands, Ukraine, Iceland and Serbia.

Football

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West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is in a happy mood today for his news conference. His side's purchase of French midfielder Morgan Amalfitano may have something to do with Big Sam's smiles.

"His overall play at West Brom and Marseille was what interested me in him," says Allardyce. "He's a creator with a few goals to add to that. Goals were a struggle for us last season, not the performances, and he can play a number of positions. Along with Alex Song, it's a couple of excellent signings late in the window.

"Mo Diame leaving allowed us to get Morgan in. He was coming to the end of his contract and Hull made us a good offer. It was good business all around as it allowed us to get Morgan in, and Mo got what he wanted as well."

Diame could play for Hull against West Ham when the two sides meet on Monday evening.

Hutchins announces retirement

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British doubles tennis player Ross Hutchins has announced his retirement from professional tennis.

The 28-year-old returned to action earlier this year after recovering from Hodgkin's lymphoma - a form of cancer - and reached the semi-finals of the mixed doubles at the US Open earlier this month with partner Yung-Jan Chan from Taiwan.

"Tennis has enabled me to do something which I love every day, to travel the world and along the way form some incredible friendships," he said. "I feel strong and healthy and I look forward to moving onto the next chapter of my life."

Redknapp backs Van Gaal over Welbeck sale

QPR manager Harry Redknapp backs Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal's decision to sell England striker Danny Welbeck to Arsenal. QPR face United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

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"They have built a strong team and I'm sure we will see Manchester United challenging to get back into the Champions League," says Redknapp. "But we have to go there and make sure we give them a game. We were disappointing against Tottenham (4-0 defeat), I was delighted with us against Sunderland (1-0 win) but we have to carry that on.

"Van Gaal has decided that if he is to bring Radamel Falcao in then Danny Welbeck is not going to play and Arsenal have bought a very good player. But it is the manager's decision and he has got more right than wrong so who can criticise him? Sir Alex Ferguson let players like Jaap Stam and Ruud van Nistelrooy go. You have to make decisions in this job."

On this day - 2005

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On this day in 2005, England triumphed in an Ashes series for the first time since 1986-87 after drawing the final Test against Australia at The Oval.

It gave them an overall 2-1 win in the series.

Redknapp set to sign new QPR deal

QPR boss Harry Redknapp is in talkative mood at his news conference. He has been discussing an extension to his contract, which he expects to sign soon.

"I haven't seen it yet, we've just been so busy and not got round to doing it yet, but we will do," says Redknapp. "It's there and we haven't had time, but maybe today or maybe tomorrow it will be done."

'I'm sure the owners know what they are doing'

More from QPR manager Harry Redknapp on his side potentially facing action for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

PA

"I'm sure the owners know what they are doing," says Redknapp. "If a team invests and gets relegated then what do you do? You can't just offload all of your players. It is very difficult to do that when they are on Premier League wages and are in the Championship.

"It's a chicken and egg situation. Do you just come up and not spend and go down again, or do you spend a bit of money, try to stay up, and then be in trouble for Financial Fair Play?"

'What is fair play?'

QPR manager Harry Redknapp has been speaking at a news conference about suggestions his club could face a large fine and even potential future demotion to the Conference for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

"To make it fair, we should be able to spend as much as Manchester United," says Redknapp. "What is fair play? One team can spend £200m, another team can spend £8m? Fair play would be everyone having the maximum of £30m to spend on their team and then have to bring in some players from the youth team.

"Seven teams are on another planet to the rest. You don't have to be a genius to pick the top seven teams - it will be almost certainly be the same seven as last year."

Wenger reveals audience with the Pope

EPA

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he turned his back on transfer deadline day to head to Italy for an audience with the Pope in Rome.

The Gunners boss came in for some criticism after he headed to Italy when everyone else back in England was scrambling around to do some late business, although the club struck late to sign Danny Welbeck from Manchester United.

"Meeting the Pope was an experience I did not want to miss," said Wenger. "I am a Catholic, so it was an experience, and one [invitation] I accepted a long time ago.

"Pope Francis shows humility and is available to meet for everybody, has a word with everybody. He is a supporter of San Lorenzo in Argentina. He is a football fan, you cannot be born in Argentina and not be a football fan."

Visa problems for Khan

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Boxer Amir Khan's plans to travel to America this weekend have been halted after his visa application was declined.

The 27-year-old was due to fly to Las Vegas to attend Floyd Mayweather's fight with Marcos Maidana on Saturday.

Khan wrote on Twitter: "Visa to America was declined after I had it approved a week ago. Was looking forward to the fight. Means I'm still in England."

The Bolton fighter has had difficulties travelling to America before. In 2010 he had to train in Canada after visa delays, while in 2011 he claimed he was held in Los Angeles customs for over two hours because he is a Muslim.

Yorkshire inch closer to title

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Yorkshire are closing in on their first County Championship since 2001. They need to take just five more Nottinghamshire wickets at Trent Bridge to clinch the title.

Notts will resume on 149-5 in their second innings, still trailing Yorkshire's total of 532-9 declared by 180 runs.

You can follow live coverage of the game, which will resume at 10:30 via the BBC Sport website with commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.

Wenger targets Barcelona duo

Sport

Barcelona newspaper Sport says Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is preparing to buy two young Barca players.

Wenger is reportedly keen to sign Munir El Haddadi, a 19-year-old striker, and defensive midfielder Sergi Samper, also 19.

The duo have played regularly for the Barcelona B team, with El Haddadi scoring on his full Barcelona debut in his side's 3-0 win against Elche last month. He then won his first international cap for Spain in their 5-1 win in their Euro 2016 qualifier against Macedonia on Tuesday.

Richards frustrated at City departure

BBC

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards says he has no animosity towards the Premier League champions, but does resent the lack of playing opportunities he was given by the Premier League champions and manager Manuel Pellegrini.

Speaking in the Daily Mail, Richards, who signed for Fiorentina on transfer deadline day, said: "I don't have any bad feelings towards the club. They put me on the map and gave me a chance when I was 17. But I do have bad feelings towards the playing time [I was given].

"For any player, when you're not playing it's frustrating. I feel as though I could have been given more chances to play [under Pellegrini]. I felt like I had improved and that I could do it at that level."

'Man Utd are in a better place now'

QPR captain Clint Hill has been talking at a news conference, looking ahead to his side's away game at Manchester United on Sunday.

"Man Utd are certainly in a better place than they were a few weeks ago. It's up to us to frustrate them," says Hill.

"We're the underdogs - like we will be for most of the season. But we must give a good account of ourselves. We're looking forward to it - these are the games that you look for when the fixture list first comes out."

Oscar Pistorius trial

AFP

The maximum sentence which Oscar Pistorius faces for culpable homicide is 15 years and it will be decided by the trial judge Thokozile Masipa at a later date.

He was also found guilty of firing a gun in a crowded restaurant.

BreakingBREAKING NEWS

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is found guilty of culpable homicide by a judge in South Africa.

You can follow the latest on the BBC News website.

The Savage view

In his regular BBC Sport column, pundit Robbie Savage looks at how Arsenal must get the balance of their team right against champions Manchester City on Saturday.

He also looks at where Manchester United's expensive new faces might fit into Louis van Gaal's system and why Swansea will head to Chelsea in confident mood.

Terry aims for Premier League success

Chelsea captain John Terry tells the London Evening Standard that his side want to win the Premier League this year after missing out narrowly last year.

"When you play all those games and just lose out at the end, it's disappointing, it's heartbreaking. I want to win trophies," he said.

Riley secures Wakefield deal

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Wakefield have completed the signing of winger Chris Riley, who has spent most of the 2014 season on loan from Warrington.

The 26-year-old, who has scored seven tries in 22 Super League appearances for Wakefield, was released from the last year of his contract with the Wolves earlier this week and has signed a 12-month deal to stay with the Wildcats for 2015.

Oscar Pistorius trial

Oscar Pistorius has been cleared of a firearms charge by a judge in South Africa. The charge related to shooting a gun through a car's open sunroof window.

He still faces one count of manslaughter over the death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and two further gun charges.

You can follow the latest on the BBC News website.

Cairns to fight to clear his name

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns says he will fight to clear his name after revealing he expects to be charged with perjury by the Metropolitan Police.

The charge relates to a 2012 libel action in the High Court in London in which Cairns, 44, successfully sued Indian Premier League boss Lalit Modi.

Cairns said he would do "whatever it takes... to again prove my innocence".

Oscar Pistorius trial

Judge Thokozile Masipa has resumed giving her verdict in the Oscar Pistorius trial in Pretoria and is now addressing the gun charges against the star sprinter.

Pistorius, who will find out later whether he is guilty of culpable homicide, is also accused of three firearms offences, shooting a gun through a car sunroof, accidentally firing a gun in a Johannesburg restaurant and illegally possessing specialised ammunition.

You can follow the latest on the BBC News website.

Ferdinand ready for Old Trafford return

Rio Ferdinand tells BBC's Football Focus that returning to Old Trafford will be "emotional", as his QPR side face Manchester United in Sunday's Premier League tie.

Ferdinand says that Harry Redknapp was a major factor in his signing at QPR and that the only expectation for the season is "survival".

You can watch more from Rio Ferdinand on Football Focus, Saturday 13 September, 12:10 BST on BBC One, BBC One HD and the BBC Sport website.

Today's back page

Daily Star

The Daily Star reports that Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is angry with England boss Roy Hodgson over the thigh injury that Daniel Sturridge picked up on England duty which is set to rule him out for three weeks.

Today's back page

Daily Express

The Daily Express leads with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's quotes following the sale of Danny Welbeck to Arsenal in the transfer window, describing the striker as not good enough to play for the Old Trafford club.

You can hear more from Van Gaal at 14:30 BST in his weekly news conference ahead of Sunday's game against QPR.

Koeman backs Schneiderlin attitude

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Ronald Koeman believes persuading midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin to stay at St Mary's in the face of strong interest from Tottenham Hotspur was Southampton's biggest transfer-window coup.

The 24-year-old initially vented frustrations at being denied a transfer, but new manager Koeman says the French international has decided to knuckle down on the south coast of his own accord.

"I hoped, and in the last three weeks I would say yes, him staying has been the best part (of the transfer window) for us," said Koeman.

"He's a fantastic player and an important player for the team. That gives the rest of the lads the confidence and ambition that we spoke about. It's important for us to keep that kind of player in the team."

It's another busy day for Premier League managers ahead of this weekend's games. First up is QPR boss Harry Redknapp at 09:15 BST with West Ham's Sam Allardyce at 09:30.

Then it is Manchester City (12:30), a first chance to hear from new Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock (14:00), Manchester United and Stoke (both 14:30) and Chelsea (15:00).

Football gossip

In Friday's gossip column, the Daily Express reports that Manchester United will offer Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, 29, a weekly wage of £300,000 to lure him back to Old Trafford.

The Sun says Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, 19, has been offered a new four-year contract by the club to ward off interest from Chelsea.

Oscar Pistorius trial

Oscar Pistorius will find out this morning whether he is to be found guilty of the manslaughter of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

On Thursday, Judge Thokozile Masipa said the prosecution had failed to prove its charge of pre-meditated murder and she will continue delivering her verdict in the High Court in Pretoria from 08:30 BST.

You can find out the latest on the BBC News website.

Sportsday

Hello and welcome to Friday's Sportsday Live for all the latest team news and manager reaction ahead of the weekend's Premier League games, plus everything else from the world of sport.