Wales are willing to appoint a non-Welshman as manager for the first time in 25 years.The Football Association of Wales has detailed the criteria required to succeed Rob Page after ending his three-and-a-half-year reign last week and invited "expressions of interest" from potential candidates.Welsh football's governing body has confirmed it is looking for an individual with a "proven track record of delivering success at club and/or international level" and plans to cast its net far and wide.An insight to some key characteristics and the profile that the FAW will be focussed on for the next @Cymru Men's Head Coach. #TogetherStronger 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿https://t.co/uoSghOwMkS— FA WALES (@FAWales) June 26, 2024Thierry Henry, Yaya Toure and Patrick Vieira – charismatic playing greats who went through Wales' admired coaching system – would all be welcomed to express interest by the FAW, although all three are currently in employment."The FAW knows how important coach education is to growing the game in Wales and offers a world-renowned service through its coaching courses," said a FWA statement."The UEFA Pro-Licence is a pre-requisite for coaches at the top level of the game and this qualification will be required to become Cymru's next head coach."The Pro-Licence prepares candidates to work as a modern-day manager or head coach at club or international level. It develops their leadership and interpersonal skills to successfully implement their unique management style and philosophy."Former Belgium assistant coach Thierry Henry almost joined the Wales set up in 2018 when Osian Roberts went close to being appointed manager (David Davies/PA)Englishman Bobby Gould was the last non-Welshman to manage Wales with his four-year tenure coming to an end in 1999.Former Wales players Mark Hughes, John Toshack, Brian Flynn (interim), Chris Coleman, Ryan Giggs and Page have held the position in the 21st century.But the FAW hierarchy have felt for some time that the role should not be restricted to domestic candidates, and Wales' failure to qualify for Euro 2024 and Page's subsequent sacking have convinced them the time is right to look further afield.Henry, the 46-year-old former Arsenal and France striker, came close to joining the Wales set-up in 2018 when former FAW technical director and assistant manager Osian Roberts applied to succeed Coleman.Patrick Vieira studied for his coaching badges at the Football Association of Wales (Phil Blanche/PA)Roberts would have appointed Henry as his assistant had he proved successful, but the FAW eventually gave the job to Giggs.Henry has since managed Monaco and Montreal Impact, worked with Belgium as Roberto Martinez's assistant and, as France Under-21 boss, is currently preparing to lead his country's Olympic team in Paris next month.Vieira, 48, Henry's former Arsenal and France team-mate, also fits the criteria after spells at New York City, Nice and Crystal Palace. He has spent the last 12 months in charge of Ligue 1 club Strasbourg.Toure is the most inexperienced of the trio, but the former Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder cut his coaching teeth in the Tottenham Academy and at Standard Liege in Belgium where he was assistant manager.Yaya Toure has coached in England at Tottenham and is currently an assistant to Roberto Mancini with the Saudi Arabia national team (Martin Rickett/PA)The 41-year-old is currently on the Saudi Arabia coaching staff assisting manager Roberto Mancini.The FAW accepts that it can not match the salaries paid by other national associations or European clubs, but believes the lure of trying to lead Wales to the next World Cup will be an attractive proposition.Dave Adams, the FAW's chief football officer and technical director, will lead the process to fill an appointment that may take several weeks."The head coach position is integral to inspiring the Cymru players to ensure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and deliver against the Football Association of Wales' strategic objective to consistently qualify for major international tournaments," the FAW said.Englishman Bobby Gould was the last non-Welshman to manage Wales between Wales 1995 and 1999 (David Jones/PA)"The FAW has a high performance strategy that has its foundations in the FAW values and the 'Welsh Way' tactical principals."Through this strategy, the FAW's ambition is to create winning teams by providing the platform and environment for people to achieve their potential and drive a culture of informed decision making through engagement with experts utilising the FAW's Centre for Football Research."Roberts, now head of development at Serie A club Como, and Burnley interim boss Craig Bellamy would be popular choices with some sections of the Wales fan base.Wales return to action on September 6 when their Nations League campaign gets under way against Turkey at home, with Iceland and Montenegro also featuring in the group.

Declan Rice and Kieran Trippier trained away from the main group as England geared up for the Euro 2024 last-16 clash with Slovakia.Gareth Southgate's side return to the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday to take on the side that finished third in Group E.England had 23 players out training at their Blankenhain base on Thursday. Phil Foden remains away in the UK due to a family matter that is not expected to keep him out of the Slovakia clash.Here's how the last 16 of #EURO2024 looks 👇 pic.twitter.com/FwhFRFhOPm— England (@England) June 27, 2024The Football Association confirmed Rice and Trippier were "working on their own individual programmes".Left-back Luke Shaw trained with the group having indicated he would be fit for this weekend's match after a hamstring injury.

England reached a Women's World Cup semi-final for the first time on this day in 2015 after holding on to beat tournament hosts Canada 2-1 in Vancouver.Early goals from Jodie Taylor and Lucy Bronze set the Lionesses up for a historic win, but they were forced to dig deep after Christine Sinclair pulled one back for Canada just before half-time.It was the first time a senior England side – men or women – had reached the World Cup's last four since 1990.Mark Sampson became the first coach to lead an England side to a World Cup semi-final since 1990 (Mike Egerton/PA)The Lionesses had won a World Cup knockout game for the first time by defeating Norway 2-1 in the last 16 and followed it up against the Canadians in front of a crowd of 54,027 at BC Place.Taylor gave England an 11th-minute lead when she pounced on Canada skipper Lauren Sesselmann's slip and raced on to drill a low angled finish into the bottom corner.The Lionesses extended their lead three minutes later. Fara Williams' diagonal free-kick into the penalty area picked out Bronze and the full-back's header bounced down over the line after hitting the crossbar.Jodie Taylor opened the scoring (Nick Potts/PA)Canada lifted the home support by reducing the deficit three minutes before the interval when England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley failed to hold on to Ashley Lawrence's cross and Sinclair turned home the rebound.Taylor was denied a second goal after the restart as her goal-bound curling effort forced a brilliant save from Canada goalkeeper Erin McLeod.England's World Cup dream was halted in agonising fashion in their semi-final, as defender Laura Bassett's stoppage-time own goal clinched a 2-1 win for Japan, who went on to lose 5-2 to the United States in the final.The Lionesses secured a third-place finish after beating fellow semi-final losers Germany 1-0 after extra-time thanks to Williams' 108th-minute penalty.

What the papers sayChelsea have added Newcastle's Alexander Isak to their summer shopping list. The Daily Mail said the Blues have made an enquiry about the Sweden striker, 24, but would have to shell out more than GBP 115 million.Another Newcastle forward has opted against a move, reports The Sun. Gambia international Yankuba Minteh, 19, has rejected a move to Lyon despite the French club agreeing a GBP 40 million fee.Everton's Amadou Onana and Arsenal's Declan Rice (PA)Amadou Onana, 22, is being lined up for a move to Bayern Munich, according to the Liverpool Echo. The German giants are looking at the Belgium midfielder after their efforts to sign Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha, 28, from Fulham have been frustrated.Manchester United will be offered Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte for a cut price, according to the Daily Mail. The 23-year-old will be available for less than the GBP 51 million Paris St-Germain paid for him a year ago.Social media round-up⚪️⚫️ Newcastle and AC Milan have been in contact today to discuss possible opportunities.No talks about Tomori, Newcastle are showing interest in Malick Thiaw but he's important part of Milan project 🇩🇪Kieran Trippier was also discussed but nothing concrete.@MatteMoretto 🤝🏻 pic.twitter.com/tkEMsd4RWi— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 26, 2024Manchester United are prepared to welcome Mason Greenwood back for pre-season training – if they fail to sell their exiled striker within the next fortnight✍️ @DiscoMirrorhttps://t.co/Q0HKihgROg pic.twitter.com/3ZacjOfv0Q— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) June 26, 2024Players to watchArgentina's Julian Alvarez, right, and Canada's Alistair Johnston (AP)Julian Alvarez: Spanish outlet Sport reports Barcelona are interested in Manchester City's 24-year-old Argentina striker.Ben Godfrey: Atalanta have lodged a GBP 10 million bid for the Everton defender, 26, with another an unnamed club offering GBP 15 million according to The Athletic

Rangers are due to host Motherwell and Ross County in the first three weeks of the William Hill Premiership season amid delays to Ibrox renovations that could force them to seek an alternative venue.Rangers kick off the new season away at Hearts but host the Steelmen on August 10 and welcome County two weeks later, with the second round of the Premier Sports Cup in between.Rangers previously confirmed there "will be an impact on matches at Ibrox" at the beginning of the season after a delay to material shipments from Asia held up the completion of work on the Copland Road Stand.Rangers played Hearts at Murrayfield in 2017 (Ian Rutherford/PA)It has been reported that Rangers could be unable to play at Ibrox for the entirety of August, meaning they would have to find an alternative venue to host their home matches including a Champions League qualifier. With the Hampden pitch being re-laid, Murrayfield has been mooted as an option.The first Old Firm game is at Celtic Park on August 31 and Rangers also travel to Tannadice before their third home league game against Hibernian on September 28.Philippe Clement's team will kick off the new season at Tynecastle at 12.30pm on August 3 in a staggered start to the campaign which will see Sky Sports televise four of the six opening matches.Celtic will raise the league flag for a third year running (Steve Welsh/PA)Motherwell host Ross County on the Saturday afternoon before a Dundee derby at Tannadice kicks off Sunday's live double header. Champions Celtic will raise the league flag before hosting Kilmarnock at 4.30pm.St Mirren take on Hibernian on the Sunday before St Johnstone host Aberdeen on Monday night in another live match.Premier Sports has chosen a 5.30pm kick-off slot on Saturday, August 10 for a game between Dundee and Hearts at Dens Park, the first of its 20 live Premiership games this season after arranging a new deal with the Scottish Professional Football League.The first Edinburgh derby takes place on October 26 while Rangers and Celtic each face trips to Aberdeen in the first two midweek cards of the season, in late October and early December.Cha Du-ri scored when Celtic last played at home on Boxing Day in 2010 (Chris Clark/PA)The festive fixture card sees games on consecutive Thursdays and Sundays immediately after Christmas Day.Celtic have been handed a home game against Motherwell on Boxing Day – the first time they have been scheduled to play at Parkhead in the fixture immediately after Christmas Day for eight years.After a trip to Dens Park was brought forward 24 hours to December 26 last year, the sixth time in seven years that Celtic fans had to travel on Boxing Day, manager Brendan Rodgers claimed they were either "very, very unlucky to be drawn away, or someone is making tricks behind the scenes".Hearts will host Hibs on Boxing Day in a match already selected for live coverage by Sky while Rangers make the short journey to St Mirren. Aberdeen fans face their longest journey of the season to Kilmarnock on the same day.Dundee United players walk from Tannadice to Dens Park (Andrew Milligan/PA)There are games on December 29 followed by a full card on Thursday, January 2 which sees a derby double with Rangers hosting Celtic and Dundee United making the short walk to Dens Park.Games continue on January 5 as there is no winter break this year because of the additional European league schedule, which rules out 10 midweek fixture dates up until the end of January.The third Glasgow derby takes place on March 15, four games before the Premiership splits in two. The top flight concludes on May 17-18.

Jermain Defoe wants to see "dynamic" Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins given his England chance at Euro 2024.Although England progressed through to the knockout stage as winners of Group C, Gareth Southgate's squad have yet to spark after successive draws following a hard-earned 1-0 win over Serbia.With Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon all having impressed when coming off the bench during the second half of the stalemate against Slovenia on Tuesday night, Southgate appears to be weighing up his options ahead of Sunday's last-16 tie against Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen.Ollie Watkins (right) impressed when he came on in the group game against Denmark (Bradley Collyer/PA)Aston Villa striker Watkins got some minutes under his belt when replacing captain Harry Kane during the closing stages of the 1-1 draw against Denmark in Frankfurt.Former Tottenham and Sunderland forward Defoe, 41, who was part of the England squad at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and again at Euro 2012, believes Watkins could bring something different to England's attack.Watkins, 28, scored 19 Premier League goals last season and contributed 13 assists to help Villa finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League."When Ollie Watkins came on (against Denmark), he looked really sharp," Defoe told the PA news agency."He is someone who can get us up the pitch because he is so dynamic. He runs in behind, the ball doesn't only come to his feet.Former England striker Jermain Defoe is backing McDonald's Fun Football campaign (McDonald's Fun Football Vending Machine/Matt Pover/PA)"I would love to see see him involved a little bit more because Harry Kane can drop into that 10 position, to roam and do his stuff."Harry is such a world-class finisher and it is almost like he can play in two positions, having almost mastered the number nine position as a focal point and can then also play in at number 10 because his passing rate is one of the best."Defoe, who scored 20 goals in 57 international appearances, knows from his own experiences how tough it can be watching from the bench, but feels keeping a positive mindset is crucial."You have to be ready – and that starts with training. You have to be sharp and keep yourself fit," said Defoe, who is supporting the McDonald's Fun Football programme which provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK.Jermain Defoe played for England at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa (Owen Humphreys/PA)"I have been there. When I went to South Africa (for the World Cup), I always thought 'okay, I could be called upon at any moment', so even if that means I have to do a little bit extra after training maybe a bit more finishing."I would approach every training session like I was a starter, so I was on it every day."I thought to myself: 'if I am called upon and I am a little bit off it, then that is your chance gone. You are at a major tournament, you may never in another one'."When you are sitting on a bench, you are watching the game and thinking: 'where can I come on and make an impact?"I would have been sitting there thinking: 'all I need is about 10 or 15 minutes – and then anything in and around the box and I get a chance of half a yard, then I am just going to get my shots off, because I have been doing it in training'.":: Former England international Jermain Defoe is celebrating McDonald's Fun Football offering 500,000 hours of free coaching sessions to ensure every child can play football in 2024. Sign up at McDonalds.co.uk/football

The William Hill Premiership fixtures have been announced, giving fans plenty to look forward to ahead of the big kick-off on August 3.Here, the PA news agency looks back at six classic top-flight encounters which took place on the opening weekend over the last 20 years.July 30, 2005, Motherwell 4 Celtic 4Scott McDonald celebrates another goal against Celtic (Steve Welsh/PA)Just two months after having the SPL title ripped out of their hands by two-goal Motherwell striker Scott McDonald on Helicopter Sunday, the Hoops were back at Fir Park with new boss Gordon Strachan in charge, days after a 5-0 Champions League qualifying defeat by Artmedia Bratislava. This time it was the Glasgow giants who were celebrating at the end as Craig Beattie's injury-time equaliser ensured a first-half John Hartson hat-trick did not go without reward as they claimed a dramatic point, but only after Well came from 3-1 down to lead with the aid of another McDonald goal.August 2, 2015 Hearts 4 St Johnstone 3#OnThisDay in 2⃣0⃣1⃣5⃣… Hearts beat St Johnstone in a 7-goal thriller at Tynecastle. Sam Nicholson grabbed the winner! 👀#OTD | @JamTarts pic.twitter.com/NQwpJXdo4P— SPFL (@spfl) August 2, 2020Hearts made their Premiership return in style as Robbie Neilson's side came out on top in this seven-goal thriller. After unveiling the Championship flag they threatened to blow Saints away early but every time they got their noses in front, back came Tommy Wright's Perth outfit. In the end it took a close-range Sam Nicholson strike to secure the points.August 7, 2016 – Hearts 1 Celtic 2Instant impact 💥⏪ A debut winner from Scott Sinclair #TBT | @CelticFC pic.twitter.com/jxlFMGIR0P— SPFL (@spfl) May 25, 2023Brendan Rodgers began his first Premiership campaign at Celtic with a late win at Tynecastle as his side kicked off what would be an unbeaten domestic season. With Rangers unfurling the Championship flag before an Ibrox draw with Hamilton, champions Celtic were unusually away from home on the opening day and went into the game following Champions League qualifying wins against Lincoln Red Imps and Astana which had difficult moments. They also had their work cut out in Gorgie after Jamie Walker cancelled out James Forrest's early opener with a contentious spot-kick. Hearts had a penalty claim denied before substitute Scott Sinclair struck an 81st-minute winner hours after completing a move from Aston Villa.August 5, 2018 – Aberdeen 1 Rangers 1⏪ It was some debut for former Dons forward, Bruce Anderson! 🔴#TBT | @AberdeenFC pic.twitter.com/6iEfa2jIgn— SPFL (@spfl) January 26, 2023Steven Gerrard experienced a roller-coaster ride during his first campaign in charge at Ibrox and there were plenty of thrills and spills during his side's opening Premiership clash. The Light Blues found themselves a man down at Pittodrie after just 12 minutes as Alfredo Morelos was sent off for a kick out at Dons defender Scott McKenna – a decision later overturned on appeal. Despite their numerical disadvantage Gers dominated and took a deserved lead on the half-hour mark with a James Tavernier penalty. But Gerrard's league bow ended in disappointment as Bruce Anderson fired home in stoppage time to hand the hosts a point on his Dons debut.July 31, 2021 – Hearts 2 Celtic 1John Souttar rose to head a late winner (Jane Barlow/PA)Ange Postecoglou also travelled to Tynecastle for his Scottish football debut, days after Celtic fell to Midtjylland in the Champions League qualifiers. The Australian was still assembling his squad and Carl Starfelt had a shaky debut 24 hours after his first training session, after getting out of quarantine, while Kyogo Furuhashi made a late debut off the bench hours after meeting his new team-mates. Celtic gave Hearts a guard of honour ahead of their hosts unfurling the Championship flag and soon fell behind to Gary Mackay-Steven's goal. Anthony Ralston hit an impressive equaliser but John Souttar headed an 89th-minute winner to the delight of the 5,272 fans who were back in Tynecastle following Covid restrictions.August 5, 2023 – Kilmarnock 1 Rangers 0Rangers manager Michael Beale during the defeat at Kilmarnock (Steve Welsh/PA)The Rugby Park result set the tone for both teams as a Brad Lyons goal midway through the second half handed Killie the three points. Derek McInnes had navigated the Ayrshire side out of a relegation battle months earlier but the confidence-boosting opening win helped propel them to a fourth-placed finish. Rangers fans had been optimistic following the arrival of Michael Beale midway through the previous season but he would only last until October 1. The then Gers boss said after the game: "It's bitterly disappointing for the players and staff but ultimately for the fans who have been excited in the summer, so there's a bit of realism in the air with that result."