Marcus Rashford made his long-awaited return for Manchester United in their dismal Premier League defeat to Hull City as the former Barcelona loanee came off the bench

Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United return came in a dismal defeat to Hull City but the forward believes the team can use it as a building block for the rest of the campaign. England ace Rashford came off the bench against the play-off champions but could not navigate Michael Carrick’s side away from defeat.

The Red Devils fell to a 2-0 defeat courtesy of goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy. Rashford was introduced after half-time at the MKM stadium but could not reduce the deficit.

Despite having been widely anticipated to leave Old Trafford after his loan stint with Barcelona, it seems the 28-year-old remains a part of Michael Carrick’s plans. The Catalan club decided against triggering the option to sign Rashford permanently, and no other team has swooped in to pay the fee that United require for his services.

Instead, Rashford, who is under contract until 2028, has been awarded the No.9 shirt. The 28-year-old’s appearance came more than 18 months after his last competitive outing for the club, against Viktoria Plzen in December 2024.

“After 618 days, I’m back playing with United. I wish the result were better, but it’s something we can improve on,” Rashford wrote on Instagram after the defeat.

Lisandro Martinez, Bryan Mbeumo, Diogo Dalot and Andre Onana were among the United players who liked the post.

Rashford came on for Patrick Dorgu after 45 minutes against Hull. The Denmark international, who arrived initially as a wing-back, was deployed in a more attacking role by Carrick once more but endured a challenging afternoon.

Carrick had nothing but praise for the player he substituted, though. “Pat’s fine, we love him to bits. He’s a fantastic player, Pat. He’s a great character,” Carrick said after the match.

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“He’s a big part of what we do, and he will be. So it was just one of those decisions. It’s nothing personal. Sometimes you’ve just got to make them, you know, trying to do something a little bit different.”

Before the Hull fixture, Carrick was questioned about whether Rashford could feature in a central striking role this season. The England international has mainly operated from the left flank in recent campaigns.

Carrick reckons it’s within the academy graduate’s capabilities. “Of course he can play through in the middle. He has done,” Carrick said.

“I wouldn’t say it’s naturally his number-one position, but he can do that, and I think we’ve got forwards that give us that flexibility right across the frontline, we’ve used all of them, pretty much, in slightly different roles. So, I think for us to have that option is really good moving through the season.”

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Emphatically lost the battle of the two club-record signings as Mamadou Sangare completely dominated him. Tried in vain to inject some pace and rhythm into Spurs’ play with a few neat one-touch passes. Small consolation, though, for the Italian midfielder on a harrowing competitive debut.

Tadej Pogacar got straight down to business as ​he opened his quest to win the Vuelta a Espana for the first time by snatching victory in the opening time trial in Monaco.

Little more than two months after the roar of Formula 1 cars echoed around the streets of the glitzy principality, the world’s fastest cyclist relied purely on leg and lung power to underline his superiority.

Seven years after his only previous appearance at the Spanish race, since when he has won five Tour de France titles and a ⁠Giro d’Italia, the UAE Emirates rider laid ​down ⁠an immediate marker to break the heart of Britain’s Ethan Hayter.

Hayter had looked on course to win the 9.4km time trial and take the red jersey at the 81st edition of the Vuelta. But Slovenia’s Pogacar, the penultimate ​starter of ⁠the 184 riders, had other ‌ideas as he rolled down the start ramp from the marbled floors of Monte Carlo’s glitzy casino.

Few would wager against a rider who dominated last month’s Tour de France to move alongside the greats of the past, although he was marginally down on the split times. He produced a devastating late burst through the final curves though to claim his 20th victory of the season.

Britain’s Josh Tarling finished an emotional third fastest having decided to race eight days after the death of his 19-year-old brother Fin at the Volta a Portugal. “It was just great to have him here and he was really keen to ride and get back to the day job,” his Netcompany-Ineos race director Geraint Thomas told TNT Sports.

“It’s unimaginable what he has gone through the last week and to put in a performance like that shows his class. We will try to be normal around him and support him as best we can.” Monaco became the seventh non-Spain start for ‌the Vuelta and the fourth in ⁠five years after Piemonte last year, Lisbon in 2024 and Utrecht in ⁠2022.

It proved a fitting launch pad for the last grand tour of the year and one which could see Pogacar become only the ninth rider to win all three. After a relatively gentle start, things will ​quickly toughen up on Sunday with a hilly 214km stage from Monaco to Manosque.

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BRENTFORD 3-0 TOTTENHAM: Roberto De Zerbi has been dealt a serious reality check as his lavishly assembled side were hammered in their Premier League opener

Roberto De Zerbi has claimed Tottenham “can’t forget what happened last season” – but there was no danger of that as their losing habit continued at Brentford.

The Italian kept Tottenham afloat last term, just, and after a summer that will likely see £300million spent there was a sense of a new beginning. Instead those in the away end in west London will simply have felt a sense of deja vu from last season.

It felt like digesting defeat became a weekly occurrence for Tottenham and, despite boasting £100m record signing Sandro Tonali in midfield, were outclassed in every facet by the Bees, who were three goals to the good before the hour mark.

Only an Igor Thiago penalty that came off the post prevented it from being 4-0 by sixty minutes. Keane Lewis-Potter had the hosts ahead inside 12 minutes with Vitaly Janelt doubling their lead by half-time.

De Zerbi threw on Mateus Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur to start the second-half, but they did little to turn the tide. Fernandes spent a short period as Tottenham’s record buy after signing for £85m but after successive relegation he did little to prove his doubters wrong on his first run out.

The Tottenham boss said on Friday: “At the end of the transfer market, I will be more accurate in my opinion. Maybe we will know now. Maybe we have to see on the pitch. To be honest everyone we are very excited but in the end the pitch speaks.”

It did speak. Volumes. Tottenham’s spend has dwarfed that of Brentford but Keith Andrews’ side again showed that a solid system and plenty of continuity can still power over a host of multi-million signings.

Jan Paul van Hecke, the £52m new centre-half in the Tottenham backline, was unable to halt the Brentford wave. Had Tottenham got the first goal of the second-half it would’ve been game on, instead it was game over when Michael Kayode reacted quickest from a corner to score Brentford’s third.

There is talk of Savinho and Omar Marmoush both joining from Manchester City, which would add more than £100m to Tottenham’s summer spend. The addition of individual quality seems to have done little to improve Tottenham’s fortunes so far, so watch this space.

James Maddison appeared from the bench after spending last season out injured, which was about as positive as Tottenham’s evening got.

De Zerbi has clearly added quality to his squad, but Saturday showed that moving on from last year’s 17th place finish is going to be a lot harder than it may have seemed in pre-season when record signings were arriving on a weekly basis.

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Two men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the death of a 22-year-old soldier who went missing after a bar fight and alleged car ramming.

The men, aged 22 and 23, were taken into police custody on Saturday after the body of Liam Potts was found in the River Tyne on August 18, three days after he disappeared.

Mr Potts, who served with the Coldstream Guards, was last seen heading towards Wylam in Northumberland at around 12.20am on Saturday, August 15, and his body was found a short distance away from Wylam Bridge.

Prior to his disappearance, Northumbria Police had received a report of a fight and subsequent collision involving a vehicle and a group of pedestrians on the bridge.

On Monday, the police said two men were arrested and then bailed in connection with the report. 

They have since been re-arrested on suspicion of manslaughter as detectives investigate whether the two incidents directly led to Mr Potts entering the water, police said.

Mr Potts was not in the vehicle involved in the collision, nor was he struck by it, police said.

When officers found Mr Potts’s body they did not believe there to be any third-party involvement, but further inquiries have prompted the manslaughter arrests.

Liam’s body was found in the River Tyne on August 18, three days after he disappeared

He went missing near Wylam Bridge, Northumberland, after a pub fight and a car crash which happened in the area the previous evening 

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A man and a woman, both in their 20s, suffered serious injuries in the collision.

The woman has been discharged, while the man remains in hospital for further treatment.

Searches for Mr Potts were carried out by Northumbria Police in conjunction with HM Coastguard, North of Tyne Mountain and Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue teams after the 22-year-old did not return from a night out with friends.

Specialist officers recovered a body on Tuesday, August 18.

No formal identification of the body has taken place, but Mr Potts’s next-of-kin have been informed.

His family said he was the ‘heart and soul of any room’.

They said: ‘To our Liam. You may no longer be here beside us, but your presence will never be forgotten. Your family, friends and colleagues have all said the same thing, “once you met Pottsy, you could never forget him.”

‘You really were the heart and soul of any room.

‘We are going to miss your smile, your laugh and the little things that made you who you are. Though time may pass, the love we have for you will never fade.

‘You will always be remembered, and forever loved. Rest peacefully, knowing that your memory lives on in all those whose lives you touched.’

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Rachael Rutherford, of Northumbria Police, said: ‘Our thoughts remain with Liam’s family during this difficult time.

‘The facts remain the same that Liam was on the bridge at the time of the collision, but he was not an occupant of the vehicle and was not struck by the vehicle.

‘Inquiries have revealed that Liam, for reasons yet to be established, entered the water within minutes of the collision.

‘We have therefore made the further re-arrests as we are looking to establish whether there is any link between the collision and Liam entering the water.’

Det Insp Rutherford added: ‘We know there has been a lot of confusion and speculation in the community. It’s clear that Liam was a very popular young man.

‘We are committed to finding answers for Liam’s family and we will continue to provide updates on our investigation.

‘We would remind people to avoid speculation both online and in our communities as this could impact the ongoing investigation.

‘We would continue to ask that people respect the family’s privacy at this tragic time.’

The church has stood at the centre of the village for more than 1,000 years

Numerous historic buildings in Cambridgeshire are suffering with deterioration or decay. If deemed ‘at risk’, they are placed on the Historic England register.

One church at risk, which has stood at the centre of a Cambridgeshire village for more than 1,000 years, is the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. It was once the victim of arson, and can be found in the charming village of Ickleton.

The church was built with a nave, a chancel and a central tower over the crossing between the two. The height of its tower was increased in the 14th century and the chancel was rebuilt during the middle of the 15th century. The chancel was rebuilt once again in the 19th century, but retaining the 15th-century pisicina and adding Gothic Revival sedilia.

Years later, in 1979, the Grade I listed building was struck by an act of arson. Thankfully there wasn’t too much damage caused, and it instead led to an interesting discovery. Hidden away for 400 years, the arson attack revealed “rare and beautiful wall paintings” which were found beneath the whitewash of the nave, according to Hinkledux Churches.

They date back from the 12th century, and are a unique find across England. According to Hinkledux Churches, nowhere else has such early surviving art from an age when every church had illustrations of saints’ lives and Bible stories on the walls, like holy picture books or sacred comic strips.

Nowadays, the church stands as an important landmark in the heart of Ickleton. Sadly, the church was listed on Historic England’s Heritage At Risk register. The Grade I listed building was deemed at “immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric”.

It is in a “poor” condition and the church’s vulnerability has been classed as “high”. According to the register, a solution has been agreed to help its condition.

Donald Trump‘s ambassador to Belgium has called for an American academic who was suspended by a university for sharing plagiarism allegations about Jason Arday to be reinstated in the name of free speech. 

Nathan Cofnas, an academic specialising in the philosophy of biology, was stood down from his position at Ghent University on Thursday. 

Arday, who was hired as the youngest black professor at the University of Cambridge at the age of 37 in 2023, was found dead at his London home last Friday. 

The 41-year-old resigned from his position as a sociology of education professor following intense scrutiny over claims of academic plagiarism first aired by Mr Cofnas in a post on his Substack last month. 

Ghent University confirmed it had suspended the academic after a ‘preliminary disciplinary investigation’, adding that it ‘opposes discrimination, hatred and racism’.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, university rector Petra De Sutter and vice-rector Herwig Reynaert said while academic freedom and debate were important, it was ‘not unlimited’ and ‘may be restricted’ to protect the rights of others. 

In an email to Ghent University seen by The Times, Bill White urged the institution to ‘explore a way to rescind this decision and to ensure Nathan’s continued employment’, adding the issue had the full attention of the Trump administration. 

Mr White, who described Mr Cofnas as a ‘well-respected Jewish American professor’ said his email was a ‘respectful and diplomatic attempt’ to ‘calm things down’. 

Nathan Cofnas, an academic specialising in the philosophy of biology, was stood down from his position at Ghent University on Thursday

In a lengthy statement on X, the ambassador said the United States Mission to Belgium condemned Ghent University’s ‘retaliation’ against Mr Cofnas following his ‘accurate whistleblower reporting on academic fraud’. 

‘The United States government regularly funds and supports research, academic exchanges, and other engagements with overseas universities,’ he wrote. 

‘Dishonest, corrupt institutions that engage in, or reward, scapegoating mob behavior are not desirable partners for us. 

‘This is particularly true where the purpose and effect of the scapegoating is to punish accurate journalism unearthing academic dishonesty. 

‘We are therefore reviewing any relationships we have with Ghent University. Bad-faith idealogues will try to make this a referendum on the content of Cofnas’s scholarship – or polemical distortions of it. That’s wrong. 

‘Free speech means that controversial views are protected. And Cofnas’s views were known to Ghent University when he was hired. The ultimate purpose of freedom of speech is to overturn lies, fraud, and false ideologies. 

‘This is precisely what Cofnas was doing, and precisely the reason his home institution wants to silence him.’

On Friday, Mr Cofnas wrote that he had become ‘the scapegoat in the Jason Arday affair’ and ‘smeared as a racist’ in a piece for the Wall Street Journal. 

Arday, who was hired as the youngest black professor at the University of Cambridge at age 37 ub 2023, was found dead at his London home last Friday

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In an email to Ghent University, Mr White urged the institution to ‘explore a way to rescind’ the decision to suspend Mr Cofnas over a Substack post about Arday shared last month

‘I have been flooded with death threats, smeared in countless newspaper articles, and accused of targeting Arday because I think that, as put it, “people like Cofnas simply don’t believe that Black people deserve to be professors at all”,’ he wrote. 

‘Speaker after speaker at the vigil held for Arday in Trafalgar Square on Monday denounced me by name, including a prominent politician. Many have claimed that I fabricated the evidence against Arday, although this is easily refuted.’

Mr Arday’s death has been referred to the Coroner for the Inner South District of Greater London. No medical cause of death was given.

The coroner will now carry out an investigation and decide whether there will be an inquest. 

Cambridge initially said claims of plagiarism regarding Mr Arday’s thesis and some journal publications had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the journals in question.

LJMU, which awarded Professor Arday his PhD in 2015, concluded that he had not plagiarised work.

But last week, Cambridge announced an independent investigation into his appointment.

Mr Arday resigned but said this decision should not ‘be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me’.

Mr Cofnas declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail.  

Ghent University has been contacted for comment. 

The development was also described as ‘overdevelopment’ and ‘damaging urban sprawl’

Residents of two villages in the Peterborough countryside were delighted after plans to build thousands of homes were scrapped.

As part of Peterborough City Council’s draft Local Plan, which will see around 20,000 homes built in Peterborough by 2044, there were 3,000 homes allocated for land north of Castor and Ailsworth. During the consultation stages, local residents and campaigners fought hard to protect the rural area from what they labelled as ‘overdevelopment’ and ‘damaging urban sprawl’.

Martin Chillcott, chair of campaign group Protect Rural Peterborough, was over the moon to discover that the latest version of the proposed Local Plan no longer featured these Castor and Ailsworth homes.

He said: “This outcome is a win-win for both the city centre and the John Clare countryside. Development here would have ripped the heart out of this nationally important landscape, whilst diverting much needed investment away from the city and wider urban area.

“By focusing on urban renewal over trashing this much loved countryside, the Local Plan will enable a properly planned approach to reviving our city centre, turn around a decade of decline and protect Peterborough’s space to breathe. This landscape is one of our finest, shared assets, and this vital step will help safeguard it for everyone.”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Chillcott praised the “openness” of the current Peterborough City Council administration with their response to the campaigners’ feedback regarding the proposals.

Leader of Peterborough City Council, Cllr Shabina Qayyum, said: “Since we started our initial work on the Local Plan in 2023 our focus has changed.

“After extensive listening to local residents, parish councils and holding of workshops, we have asked officers to work on focusing on the city centre, where we are looking to increase the number of homes to help revitalise what the heart of the city is, so we are no longer looking to include as many homes within our more rural areas.

“This is a hugely positive outcome for us, demonstrating that we are an administration that engages in decision-making processes in consensus with the populations we serve and takes our heritage and nature reserve sites into consideration.

“A very collaborative piece of work. It is also important to stress that reasonable development gives families the opportunity to work and live in rural areas as well. This final draft of the Local Plan has removed a number of previously proposed sites.

“However, it does include a requirement that the Ailsworth, Barnack and Castor Neighbourhood Plans identify sites to contribute towards meeting local needs.”

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor Paul Bristow also backed the campaign to remove the proposed homes from the Local Plan.

He said: “After speaking to campaigners, I made it clear to Homes England that I thought this was the wrong site and that this would be reflected in any spatial development strategy I put forward. But make no mistake, the fact that the John Clare countryside will remain the landscape that inspired that famous poet is down to the hard work of campaigners and residents. I was proud to back their campaign and be with them, and I always will.”

Peterborough City Council’s cabinet will be asked to approve the final draft of the Local Plan to enable a six-week consultation to take place in September and October 2026 before it is submitted to the government for approval.

The Local Plan is the key document which allows local authorities to guide development in their areas. It outlines what areas should and should not be developed and how land should be protected.

Any representations received during the final consultation stage will only be considered by an independent planning inspector, not Peterborough City Council. The council cannot amend this version of the plan before it is submitted.

He was last seen wearing a red Manchester United t-shirt and black tracksuit bottoms

Police have issued an urgent appeal for help in locating a “high risk” nine-year-old boy who has been missing for two days.

Cathal O’Shea was last seen in the Castlewellan area of Co Down on Thursday, 20th August 2026.

He is described as wearing a red Manchester United t-shirt and black tracksuit bottoms.

In an appeal posted on social media, the PSNI said: “Police are growing increasingly concerned about the welfare of 9-year-old Cathal O’Shea.

“He was last seen in the Castlewellan area on the afternoon of Thursday, 20th August 2026, and was last seen wearing a red Manchester United t-shirt and black tracksuit bottoms.

“If you have any information to assist locating Cathal please contact Police on 101 and quote reference number 257 of 22/08/26.”

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Rachel described how she ‘did a number’ on herself

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The Traitors winner Rachel Duffy has shared the gruesome extent of a blender accident that left her in “severe pain” and needed a frantic dash to A&E.

The TV star, who won the latest series of the BBC reality show alongside Stephen Libby, took to Instagram to share graphic images showing her injured thumb, bandages and fresh stitches. Warning fans before they viewed the photographs, she wrote: “Warning, do not swipe if you’re squeamish”.

Rachel later admitted she is often the clumsy one among her friends, joking that there was “always one friend in every group that’s accident prone”, the Mirror reports.

Describing the incident, she told followers: “Two weeks ago, I had an accident with a blender blade which resulted in a trip to A&E. Yes, I’m in flip-flops and jammie bottoms as I ran out the door with a blood-soaked tea towel wrapped around my hand.

“I got an X-ray just in case the blade chipped the bone but luckily it didn’t. I ended up with a few stitches. Seven days after the accident, I was back in the local treatment room to get my stitches out when things didn’t feel or look quite right…”

Rachel added that she was in “severe pain”, had “numbness in the thumb” and “limited movement”, requiring her to return to the hospital for further assessment. She then showed her hand in a brace and said she was referred to a specialist team.

“Did a number on myself and completely severed my dorsal nerve and partially lacerated my tendon,” she explained alongside a picture of her with two surgeons.

“Had surgery on Monday and these legends repaired both in one go. I’m lucky my face is washed here. My 12 year old tied my hair back. Cue two days of feeling sorry for myself as the anaesthesia wears off and the nerve pain kicks in.”

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The reality star also revealed the details of what the surgeons had to do, explaining: “They had to widen the original laceration to get a good look inside the hand. Hats off to medical professionals. You are phenomenal!”

She added that she “nearly passed out” when she saw the huge cut on her hand and that she asked the physio specifically for a nude coloured cast because she would be attending the NTAs soon.

As part of her rehabilitation, her hand will be wrapped up for the next 10 weeks, meaning that she would need to be driven around for the immediate future. She joked that she was “accepting applications”.

In the caption, she said: “Oopsie daisy. Everyday’s a school day!!! The lesson learned in this little bump in the road…..take the time to read the instructions on a new kitchen blender. A big thank you to the medical staff who looked after me over the past couple of weeks. You are absolute angels. Thank goodness I’m a leftie.”

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