Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has urged Romelu Lukaku to leave Manchester United this summer, and said the forward was "targeted" due to the club's underwhelming performances last season.

Lukaku is a transfer target for new Inter Milan chief Antonio Conte -- with the ex-Everton man having recently labelled the Italian the "best manager in the world."

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And Lukaku's international boss has said it would be better for both the player and United to part ways this summer.

"I think it is clear he [Lukaku] is ready for a new challenge," Martinez told HLN. "In his case, a transfer would be good for both the player and the club.

"And if two parties benefit from it, a move away usually happens. Serie A seems to be a good choice for him, although I think he can handle any league.

"I certainly don't think his transfer to Manchester United is a failure. The team did not perform to its capabilities and important players -- such as Romelu, but also Paul Pogba -- were targeted."

Speaking after Belgium's 3-0 Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Scotland, Lukaku said he had "always dreamed" of playing in Italy.

"I was always a big fan of the Italian league," the 26-year-old had told Sport Mediaset. "I have two leagues which I always dreamed about which are the English league and the Serie A.

"So for me the Serie A is my favourite league as well -- I love Italy."

ST. PAUL, Minnesota -- United States manager Gregg Berhalter believes his team is "in a good spot" as it heads into its Gold Cup opener against Guyana.

The U.S. looked poor in both of its recent friendlies, a 1-0 loss to Jamaica and then a heavy 3-0 defeat to Venezuela. But a week's worth of training has allowed the U.S. to not only gain fitness, but sharpness in terms of Berhalter's tactical system.

"We've been working towards developing a starting XI for the last week, and we're pretty much there," he said at the U.S. team's pre-match news conference.

"I think the focus, not just from the guys who are projected to be starters, but from the whole group has been really good. I like the attitude of the players.

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"We talked about unity. We talked about the importance of everyone supporting each other whether you're on the field or not, and that goes a long way. I've been on teams where it wasn't right and the performance suffered, and I've been on teams where the team unity is really there and you get a real boost in performance. The group is in a good spot and now it's just about performing."

Berhalter's sentiments were echoed by midfielder Weston McKennie, who will likely make his first appearance Tuesday in a competitive international fixture.

"We definitely stepped up the intensity in training, we went back and looked over the things we could have done better and the things that we wanted to work on," he said.

"And we looked back at the game and we saw a lot of the positives that we've been working on in training and the stuff that we've been wanting to do and progress with. So as of right now, it was a friendly and it was leading up to Gold Cup, and we've been working on it in training. I think come the first game tomorrow, we'll be set and ready to go."

The U.S. will be playing a Guyana side that is making its first Gold Cup appearance, and on paper looks overmatched, with much of its squad playing in with non-league teams in England. But Berhalter insists his side won't look past the Golden Jaguars.

"I think any type of opponent can be dangerous. That's the game," he said. "I firmly believe that on any given day 11 players can beat another 11 players. We don't take this opponent for granted. We know they have strengths. We know some of their weaknesses and we want to look to exploit that."

The U.S. will be without midfielder Tyler Adams, who will miss the tournament due to a recurring groin injury that flared up recently. Berhalter admitted Adams' absence will force him to tweak some things tactically.

"We've been dealing with [Adams] in this last week being out and figuring out how we're going to set up both offensively and defensively and maybe change some things a little bit in terms of how we're going to attack and what we're going to be looking to emphasize with him not on the field," he said.

"When he went down, I said he was a great player, but we know he's not going to be available now and we have to move on without him. I think we're prepared to do that. The group is focused."

The Americans' creative hub remains Christian Pulisic, who will need to impress a new manager now that Maurizio Sarri has left Chelsea. Berhalter said how Pulisic will be used depends on the new manager, but that with the U.S. he was trying to use his playmaker in different ways.

"I think what we're trying to do is develop other skill-sets in Christian and bring other sides out of his game," said Berhalter.

"When he's inside we've been seeing -- he had one combination today we were talking about where the ball is traveling really fast, one-touch between the lines and he's on the end of it and able to combine and get away from players.

"We've been using him more centrally. I can see also that he can play wide because of his explosive pace and his ability to get by someone. So I think it's going to depend on the tactics of the team and what the manager is looking for in Chelsea.

"I think he has versatility and our job over this period of time is to continue to bring different things out of him because we know he's a top talent."

Berhalter added: "When you watch Christian, he's a player that plays on intuition a lot. We put him in a different position and then we get to see how he interprets it. That's what I'm talking about. It's really nice to see how he can open space, his movements to create space, his combination play when he's in those positions.

"We're used to seeing him on the ball isolated and going at players. When we move him into these positions, we get to see how he interprets it."

Michel Platini, the former UEFA president, was detained in Paris early on Tuesday morning as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the Qatar 2022 World Cup bidding process.

The detention and questioning of the former French football star was first reported by French investigative website Mediapart and has since been confirmed to ESPN FC by judicial sources.

Platini, UEFA president from 2007-15, is being held in a cell of the Anti-Corruption Office of the Judicial Police (OCLCIFF), in the west suburbs of Paris. The former Juventus and France No.10 faces an investigation into his role and influence over the attribution of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Claude Gueant, the former general secretary of the Elysee Palace under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, will be questioned as a free suspect. It is the first time Platini, 63, has been arrested regarding the attribution of the 2022 World Cup.

At the time of the vote in December 2010, Platini was UEFA president and publicly backed the Qatar bid. Many stories linking Platini and the Gulf emirate have emerged since 2010, including a meeting with Mohamed Bin Hammam, the former Asian Football Confederation president who lobbied for Qatar and has since been banned from football for life on corruption charges. Platini also had lunch at the Elysee Palace with Sarkozy, Gueant, Bin Hammam and Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Qatar Prime Minister at the time.

Qatar beat the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan to the right to host the 2022 tournament but the vote was mired in controversy. Platini, who has always denied any wrongdoing, was banned over a £1.3 million "disloyal payment" from then FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has also denied wrongdoing. Blatter resigned in 2015 and at time of his resignation, he said: "FIFA needs profound restructuring."

Platini fought to reduce an eight-year ban from football activities imposed by FIFA in the wake of the corruption scandal in 2015 and eventually saw his suspension reduced to four years, meaning he can return to the game in October. He said last year that he wanted to return to football.

On June 5, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who succeeded Blatter, was re-elected unopposed to serve a second term and said: "Today on an election day nobody talks about crisis. Nobody talks about rebuilding FIFA from scratch. Nobody talks about scandals. Nobody talks about corruption."

The tournament in Qatar will be the 22nd edition of the World Cup and is due to kick off on Nov. 21, 2022.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Australia women's wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy has channelled Glenn McGrath in predicting Australia will not lose a game in the upcoming women's Ashes series against England.

Australia are the current women's Ashes holders but retained them only after a drawn series in Australia in 2017-18.

The women's Ashes are determined under a points system which includes matches across all three formats. Four points are awarded for a win in the sole Test match and two points each in the event of a draw. Two points are awarded for a win in each of the three ODIs and three T20Is.

Australia won the 2015 Ashes in England on the back of a thumping Test match win. But the 2017-18 series was drawn with Australia winning the ODI series 2-1 before losing the T20 series 1-2, with the Test at North Sydney ending in a draw.

No side has gone undefeated since the points system was introduced in 2013 but Healy boldly predicted the reigning Women's World T20 Champions might do something special.

"Australia not losing a game. That's very bold," Healy said.

Australia are currently in Brisbane playing practice matches against Australia A before heading the UK ahead of the first ODI on July 2. The sole Test will be played between July 18 and 21, with the T20I series starting from July 26.

Australia beat Australia A comfortably by 103 runs in a 50-over match on Monday. Vice-captain Rachel Haynes made 81 off 84 balls while Healy made 49 from 55, including nine boundaries. Legspinner Georgia Wareham claimed 4 for 21 with the ball.

Healy said the surface in Brisbane was quite difficult.

"Almost English conditions, the wicket was doing a little bit early," Healy said.

"For me to get out (against) the new ball and face some really top-class bowlers from around this country was a great opportunity to test what we've been working on over the last 8-12 weeks in preparation. It was nice to get out there and have a hit out and get the legs moving around the field."

Haynes said Healy just picked up where she left off at the end of last summer.

"(Healy) hasn't missed a beat, that's for sure, she batted beautifully early on against the new ball," Haynes said.

"It was tough actually, it was a bit wet and the pitch had a bit in it for the bowlers.

"It was nice to spend a bit of time in the middle. I didn't feel in the whole time to be honest, it was really tough and their bowlers bowled quite well into the wicket and it was just sort of holding."

After the best 12 months of her career, where she was named Player of the World T20 and won the Belinda Clark medal as Australia's best women's player in 2018, Healy said she wants to raise her game to another level.

"Doing that is going to be incredible difficult, I'd like to think I'm improving as a cricketer and I've still got a lot to learn," Healy said.

"I guess that's motivating me to keep pushing and to see how I can do things better. I've identified a few key things that I could have done better last year and I've been working on them over the last few months and hopefully we'll see them come to fruition in the Ashes."

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Michel Platini, the former UEFA president, was arrested in Paris early on Tuesday morning and placed in custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the Qatar 2022 World Cup bidding process.

The detention and questioning of the former French football star was first reported by French investigative website Mediapart and has since been confirmed to ESPN FC by judicial sources.

Platini, UEFA president from 2007-15, is being held in a cell of the Anti-Corruption Office of the Judicial Police (OCLCIFF), in the west suburbs of Paris. The former Juventus and France No.10 faces an investigation into his role and influence over the attribution of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Claude Gueant, the former general secretary of the Elysee Palace under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, will be questioned as a free suspect. It is the first time Platini, 63, has been arrested regarding the attribution of the 2022 World Cup.

At the time of the vote in December 2010, Platini was UEFA president and publicly backed the Qatar bid. Many stories linking Platini and the Gulf emirate have emerged since 2010, including a meeting with Mohamed Bin Hammam, the former Asian Football Confederation president who lobbied for Qatar and has since been banned from football for life on corruption charges. Platini also had lunch at the Elysee Palace with Sarkozy, Gueant, Bin Hammam and Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Qatar Prime Minister at the time.

Qatar beat the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan to the right to host the 2022 tournament but the vote was mired in controversy. Platini, who has always denied any wrongdoing, was banned over a £1.3 million "disloyal payment" from then FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has also denied wrongdoing. Blatter resigned in 2015 and at time of his resignation, he said: "FIFA needs profound restructuring."

Platini fought to reduce an eight-year ban from football activities imposed by FIFA in the wake of the corruption scandal in 2015 and eventually saw his suspension reduced to four years, meaning he can return to the game in October. He said last year that he wanted to return to football.

On June 5, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who succeeded Blatter, was re-elected unopposed to serve a second term and said: "Today on an election day nobody talks about crisis. Nobody talks about rebuilding FIFA from scratch. Nobody talks about scandals. Nobody talks about corruption."

The tournament in Qatar will be the 22nd edition of the World Cup and is due to kick off on Nov. 21, 2022.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Sportsbooks throughout the country are creatively trying to capitalize on recent buzz surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers and their recent trade for Anthony Davis to pair with fellow superstar LeBron James.

Caesars Sportsbook posted a unique proposition on whether a team from California will win the 2019-20 NBA championship. That includes the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Kings (Yes +175). The other 26 teams represent the "No" (-210).

"Anybody who watches the NBA and bets on the NBA is interested in LeBron and Anthony Davis," Caesars head of risk Jeff Davis told ESPN. "You want people to say. 'Oh, this place has that. Let's go there because they have cool stuff and see what else they have.'"

"You're not putting up the prop to get money on the prop. You're putting up the prop to drive interest in your business."

However, plenty of betting options do drive large handle. The Lakers are favorites at nearly all sportsbooks and represent significant liability for most. Caesars posted the Lakers with 25-1 odds last month. Despite missing the playoffs for the six straight season, steady action and trade speculation have driven the price to its current odds of 3-1.

For the first time, Davis said, Caesars plans to post proposition bets for any Lakers game that is televised nationally. "If they gain traction, then it's worth the work," Davis said.

DraftKings also recently posted a funky prop, allowing bettors the option of Davis or James winning the 2019-20 NBA MVP (+265) or wagering on "the field" (-455).

Last summer, the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas posted a proposition on whether the Lakers will win a title before the 2022-23 season begins. That timeline overlaps with the free-agent contract James had just signed.

NEW ORLEANS -- Days after agreeing to a blockbuster trade that brought three young players and three draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis, the team's front office made its next move: securing the leader of the new-look squad.

The Pelicans announced they've picked up the team option of head coach Alvin Gentry's contract for the 2020-21 season.

"We couldn't be happier to extend our relationship with Alvin," David Griffin, the Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations, said in a statement. "He is exactly the right coach at the right time for this franchise. As I have mentioned several times previously, the shared vision we have for the future of Pelicans basketball both on and off the floor will enable us to build a roster that fits both culturally and tactically.

"Perhaps more importantly, the relationship we have built over our many years together will enable us to challenge, empower and further one another and our franchise."

Griffin believes that Gentry's offensive focus with be a stylistic fit for the roster he is assembling. In the deal for Davis, the Pelicans acquired Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram from the Los Angeles Lakers.

At many points during last season, drama swirled around the Pelicans. Davis publicly requested a trade ahead of the February deadline, but Feb. 7 passed and Davis remained on the Pelicans' roster. Days later, then-general manager Dell Demps was fired.

Many people within the organization credited Gentry with being a calming presence internally during a turbulent time. As one front office staff member put it, "His personality is like Icy Hot -- eases the pain and tension in a tough time."

On Thursday, the Pelicans are expected to use their No. 1 draft pick to select Zion Williamson -- a prospect they can rebuild their franchise around.

TORONTO -- Angels outfielder Justin Upton came out swinging in his first game back from injury.

Upton homered on the first pitch he saw in his return from the injured list, Mike Trout had a solo homer among his four hits and Los Angeles used a seven-run second inning to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-5 Monday night.

"Upton obviously had an immediate impact," manager Brad Ausmus said.

Shohei Ohtani and Kole Calhoun also connected in the second for the Angels, who have won all four meetings with Toronto this season.

Toronto rookie Cavan Biggio hit two home runs, a solo shot in the first and a two-run drive in the eighth, the second multihomer game of his brief career. Randal Grichuk hit a two-run homer in the seventh, but the Blue Jays lost for the eighth time in 11 games.

Trout finished a triple shy of the cycle. He flied out in the first, doubled in the second, singled in the fourth, homered in the sixth, and singled again in the eighth.

Upton went on the injured list in late March because of turf toe on his left foot. He missed 71 games before returning, then started the seven-run rally with a first-pitch blast off right-hander Edwin Jackson (1-5). Later in the 11-batter frame, he chased Jackson with a single.

"It's huge to get him back," Trout said.

Upton is the first Angels player to homer in his first at-bat of a season since Trout did it against Seattle's Felix Hernandez in 2015. The last Angels player to homer on his first pitch of a season was Jeff Mathis, who did it against Minnesota's Scott Baker in 2010.

"I didn't expect a homer my first at-bat," Upton said. "I was pretty confident that I had prepared myself. I happened to get a good result."

Calhoun went back-to-back with Upton in the second, his 15th. It was the third time this season the Angels have hit consecutive home runs.

Two outs later, Trout hit a two-run double and Ohtani followed with a three-run homer, his ninth.

With sluggers Trout and Upton now flanking him in the lineup, Ohtani has high hopes for the Angels offense.

"As long as the guy hitting in between them does a good job, we should be able to win a lot of ball games," Ohtani joked through a translator.

Jackson, who snapped a five-game winless streak by beating Baltimore in his previous outing, allowed seven runs and six hits, including three home runs, in 2/3 of an inning. He has a 12.43 ERA in seven games with Toronto.

"The execution has been terrible," Jackson said. "I know I'm better than that. That's not who I am."

Trout's homer, his 20th, was an estimated 456-foot drive into the center field party deck.

"Every time I see him, he always does stuff like that," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said of Trout.

It's the fourth time Trout has hit 20 or more home runs before the All-Star break. He and former slugger Tim Salmon jointly hold the team record with eight seasons of 20 or more home runs.

Luis Garcia opened for the Angels and gave up Biggio's homer in the first.

Felix Pena (5-1) followed and allowed four runs and six hits in six-plus innings.

The Angels have won 16 of their past 22 in Toronto.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: OF Cesar Puello was designated for assignment to make room for Upton.

Blue Jays: Toronto activated RHP David Phelps (elbow surgery) off the 60-day injured list and optioned RHP Justin Shafer to Triple-A Buffalo. To make room for Phelps on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays transferred RHP Elvis Luciano (elbow) to the 60-day injured list. Phelps made his first appearance since August 2017, when he pitched a scoreless seventh. ... OF Teoscar Hernandez sprained his left wrist crashing into the outfield scoreboard while chasing Justin Bour's double in the third. Hernandez was replaced in the seventh. X-rays were negative.

NORTHERN PRIDE

In their first home game since the Raptors won the NBA championship last Thursday, the Blue Jays honored their sporting neighbors with a `We The North' banner in center field, and the same slogan in chalk behind the batter's box. The Raptors logo was painted on the back of the pitcher's mound.

FOUR SPOT

Trout's four-hit game was the 17th of his career and first this season.

UNHAPPY HOME

Toronto has lost a season-worst five straight at home.

UP NEXT

Angels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (5-6, 5.00) is 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA in six career starts against Toronto.

Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (4-8, 3.18) is 4-5 with a 3.52 ERA in 11 career games against the Angels.

NEW YORK -- Edwin Encarnacion went from last place in the American League West to first in the AL East.

Naturally, he was pretty excited about it.

The veteran slugger was hitless during his Yankees debut Monday night against Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game series. But he received a warm ovation from the crowd of 39,042, and New York won 3-0 to move 1½ games ahead of the Rays.

"He could have picked somewhere else. I'd have been fine with it,'' Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash joked before the game.

Batting fifth as the designated hitter, Encarnacion went 0-for-4 in pinstripes. He struck out swinging on the 10th pitch of his first at-bat in the second inning against Yonny Chirinos.

"I saw a lot of pitches. I feel good. I'm just missing a couple of pitches that I know I can hit,'' Encarnacion said. "It's part of the game. I'll get them tomorrow.''

Acquired from Seattle in a trade late Saturday night, Encarnacion joined the Yankees on Monday and began the day leading the American League with 21 home runs. He said he expected to be shipped off by the payroll-paring Mariners, but didn't think he'd wind up in New York.

When he got the news, he was surprised and happy to be sent to a first-place team.

"I play the game to win, and it's exciting to come to a team that's battling and doing so well right now,'' Encarnacion said through a translator.

The 36-year-old Encarnacion batted behind catcher Gary Sanchez, who ranked second in the AL with 20 homers. And with fellow sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge close to returning from the injured list, the Yankees are soon poised to field one of baseball's most powerful lineups.

"I can't wait to see that. It's going to be fun,'' Encarnacion said. "We're going to hit a lot of homers, and we're going to win a lot of games, too.''

General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged some might have been surprised to see the Yankees add another big bat when it's clear they're looking to upgrade an injury-depleted pitching rotation before the July 31 trade deadline. But he said the Encarnacion move won't preclude that.

"I've got more work to do,'' Cashman said. "We'll be aggressive. We're always aggressive. We just want to be smartly aggressive.''

Stanton is due to come off the injured list Tuesday, with Judge potentially to follow in a few days. When they get back, and with Encarnacion now in the fold at designated hitter, Stanton is expected to play left field a lot, making veteran Brett Gardner primarily a fourth outfielder with a part-time role on the bench.

"We have a great lineup, and with those two animals coming back, it will be even more powerful. An even better lineup,'' Sanchez said through a translator. "We just have to stay healthy and keep on playing baseball.''

Cashman pointed out the addition of Encarnacion will give manager Aaron Boone even more opportunities to rest top players and keep them fresh while mixing and matching, something the GM said Boone has done a "masterful job'' with despite all the injuries New York has endured this season.

"It gives us a lot of coverage in a lot of different ways,'' Cashman said.

Encarnacion switched from No. 10 with the Mariners to No. 30 with the Yankees, who retired No. 10 in honor of Hall of Fame shortstop Phil Rizzuto.

"It's very exciting to wear the uniform,'' Encarnacion said through a translator.

The three-time All-Star has 401 career home runs, making him the third player with at least 400 before joining the Bronx Bombers. Jose Canseco had 440 when he arrived in 2000, and Andruw Jones had 407 when he was obtained in 2011.

"We've seen what he's done to us over the course of time,'' Cashman said about Encarnacion. "He's a very patient, powerful, impact bat. His makeup is off the chart, and he's very well-liked by his teammates.''

As a visitor at the new Yankee Stadium, Encarnacion had 18 homers in 69 games.

"When you play here, every game is packed. So that's maybe why,'' he said.

Encarnacion began the night hitting .241 and was among the league leaders with 49 RBIs and 48 runs. He has averaged 37 homers and 109 RBIs in his past seven seasons and tops the majors with 322 long balls this decade.

He moved from Cleveland to Seattle last December in a three-team trade that included Tampa Bay. Cashman said the Yankees knew the Mariners would make Encarnacion available again, so they stayed in touch.

Seattle will send $8,397,849 to the Yankees as part of the trade, leaving them to pay $8 million of the remaining $16,397,849 guaranteed to Encarnacion at the time of the trade -- $11,397,849 of his $20 million salary this year plus a $5 million buyout of a $25 million club option for 2020.

New York sent 19-year-old minor league pitcher Juan Then to the Mariners.

The way the deal is structured, Encarnacion counts only $3 million toward the Yankees' luxury tax payroll this year and $5 million toward 2020.