Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told Jesse Lingard to tone down his use of social media in a bid to get the midfielder back to his best.

Lingard did not score or assist a goal in the league in 2019 and has lost his place in the England squad ahead of this summer's European Championship.

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"Jesse has had his ups and downs as I've spoken about before, but against City and Tottenham, they are examples of how important he can be for us," Solskjaer told a news conference ahead of their Carabao Cup semifinal first leg against Manchester City.

"We want him back scoring and making assists. No one who runs as much as Jess, he's a great trigger in the pressing and lively, bubbly character.

"I don't think you see as much social media from Jesse as you used to. He's got his head down and working hard and getting back to the Jesse I knew.

"It's part of being a Man United player, how you come across and it's important that you do give up yourself in a positive way and it's football-related.

"I do speak to players about how they portray themselves. I don't have these social media things but it's a different generation."

Meanwhile, Solskjaer is facing a crucial 36 hours as he sweats over the fitness of four key players ahead of the clash with City.

Anthony Martial, Lingard and Luke Shaw all missed the the FA Cup tie with Wolves on Saturday while Harry Maguire left Molineux limping heavily after picking up an injury in the first half.

"We're going to give them as much time as we can, that's the most correct and honest answer I can give," Solskjaer said. "Some of them are still not ready.

"If it was a a game today [Monday], I'm not sure they could perform at their best but there is another 36 hours until I give them the team."

Pat Brown, the 21-year-old seamer, has been ruled out of all cricket for the winter after suffering a second stress fracture of the lower back in as many years.

Brown, who enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2018 when he took 31 T20 wickets for Worcestershire to finish as the Vitality Blast's leading wicket-taker, was unable to play franchise cricket last winter after playing through pain towards the end of the county season.

He developed a recurrence of the symptoms while preparing to play for Melbourne Stars, and a scan revealed a partial stress fracture.

Brown was due to replace Dale Steyn as the Stars' overseas player in time for Wednesday's game against the Thunder, but will miss the whole competition and return to the UK to start his rehabilitation.

He will also miss the white-ball leg of England's South Africa tour, having been named in both the ODI and T20I squads. Brown had impressed in his maiden series in New Zealand, taking three important wickets despite conceding 9.84 runs per over, but his chances of being named in their squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia this October are likely to suffer due to his injury.

England will name a replacement for Brown in due course, while the Stars could hand another opportunity to Haris Rauf, the Pakistan fast bowler who starred during his three appearances as Steyn's replacement.

"It's really disappointing for Pat," said Trent Woodhill, the Stars' list manager. "We were very excited to have him on board this season to replace Dale Steyn and it's disappointing we won't get to see him in action for the Stars.

"It's been great having him around the group and we've enjoyed welcoming him into the Stars family. We wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully we can work on seeing him in green in the future."

Tim Paine admitted it was hard not to think about the mouth-watering prospect of the Test series against India later this year, after a dominant home season that saw them trample all over Pakistan and New Zealand with five vast victories.

The 279-run victory at the SCG, wrapped up deep into the fourth day to mean none of the five matches needed a fifth day, capped a perfect Test summer for the home side and meant a full house of World Test Championship points to put them second behind runaway leaders India, who will arrive in November for four Tests.

Before then, Australia's Test side have a tricky assignment in Bangladesh for two Tests in June and a one-off match against Afghanistan early next summer, but facing off against India over four matches - two seasons after India's famous win in Australia - is a massive target.

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While playing down any element of revenge for what happened last season, when Virat Kohli led a 2-1 success, Paine is looking forward to facing India will a full complement of first-choice batsmen and with the benefit of the experience the side has had over the last 12 months.

"We are certainly a different side from what they played against last year and there's more at stake with Test Championship points," Paine said. "If we can continue our upward trend from the last 12 months, then you are looking at two of the best sides, so it will be an awesome series. They showed last year they have a pace battery that can be every bit as threatening as ours so it will be one to watch.

"If we go to Bangladesh and play well and get some wins over there, then you come back to Australia to play India, which is quite a mouth-watering series for players and the fans. It's hard not to be looking at that. We've got some people who're employed in Cricket Australia who are already looking ahead at that series.

"We think we've got a lot of bases covered and a lot of flexibility. I think, at the moment, we're in a really good place. But we've got a lot of improvement in it" Tim Paine

"But for the main playing group, your goal is Bangladesh and you certainly can't take it lightly. We went there before and won a Test and lost a Test. And all the reports from the guys who went there is that it's a really, really challenging place to play particularly the time of the year we're going to be there."

Paine had started this summer "expecting" to win all five Tests but said that the margins of victory did not reflect how hard his team were pushed. One of the most pleasing aspects for him was learning from the previous series against India and especially the Ashes in England, where they could not always hold their nerve at vital moments.

"Think at times in England when the big moments came up we tried too hard and let the emotion of the game take over us executing our skills," he said. "It's about doing your role, and the teams that can do that win the big moments. There were periods of the Test series against India and England that we should have capitalised on, but through wanting it too much or putting too much pressure on ourselves we let opportunities slip.

"So confidence, learning and having some experienced Test players back as certainly helped."

While the India challenge looms large, there will be some interesting selection decisions to be made for the tour of Bangladesh including how many of the quick bowlers they take, the extra spin options and the potential need for an allrounder. Paine, who will move into some commentary of the Big Bash before resuming the back-end of the Sheffield Shield season with Tasmania in February, wants his team to keep striving for improvement.

"The moment we don't think we can improve, we are going to be in trouble," he said. "We certainly all as individual players can get better. If we can all do that, two, three, five per cent, then we've going to be a better cricket team again. We've got lots of upside as a team. In terms of what we can add to it, we've got a lot of options we've picked during the summer. We think we've got a lot of bases covered and a lot of flexibility. I think, at the moment, we're in a really good place. But we've got a lot of improvement in it.

"We're becoming a more consistent team. We've probably been a little more ruthless. It's a really good sign, after we let some opportunities slip in England. And we've got some real match-winners and great quality throughout our side. It's an exciting team to be a part of."

Famous half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields celebrates landmark edition in 2020

The general entry ballot for the world’s biggest half-marathon, the Great North Run, is now open.

The famous event will add another milestone to its rich history when it is staged for the 40th time on Sunday September 13, having been the first event of its kind to welcome home one million finishers back in 2014.

First staged in 1981 with 12,000 runners, the iconic half-marathon has grown to now accept 57,000 entries, with over 200,000 supporters estimated to line the route which takes runners from the centre of Newcastle to the coast line of South Shields.

Organisers say the 40th Great North Run – GNR40 – will be a celebration of the landmark staging and the people and places that have made the event great, with the race again set to be broadcast live on BBC television for four hours.

Last year saw four-time Olympic track gold medallist Mo Farah continue his winning streak with a sixth consecutive victory, while Brigid Kosgei – who would go on to break the marathon world record in Chicago – became the fastest ever female over the half-marathon distance, clocking 64:28.

In 2020, a series of activities and experiences are planned to celebrate the 40th staging, including a specially commissioned film charting the history of the event.

The Great North 5km will also take place and the Junior and Mini Great North Run will again transform the NewcastleGateshead Quayside into a sea of runners.

Runners can register for the Great North Run ballot at www.greatrun.org/north. The ballot will close at 9pm on Sunday February 9.

Australian cricket great Shane Warne is set to raise more than 300,000 Australian dollars (£160,000) for the bushfire appeal by auctioning off his prized 'baggy green' Test cap.

The 50-year-old wore the cap throughout his 145-Test career, in which he took an Australian record 708 wickets.

At least 24 people have died since the fires began in September.

"Everyone is in this together and we continue to find ways to contribute and help on a daily basis," said Warne.

"This has led me to auction off my beloved baggy green cap that I wore throughout my Test career.

"I hope my baggy green can raise some significant funds to help all those people that are in desperate need."

All money raised will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund, with the highest bid at 07:00 GMT on Monday standing at A$301,500. The auction is open until Friday.

The fires are a natural part of the Australian weather cycle, but have been worsened this year by hotter-than-average temperatures and a persistent drought in many areas.

Warne is Test cricket's second-most successful bowler, with only Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) taking more wickets.

The 'baggy green' is given to an Australian Test player when he makes his international debut and cricketers usually wear the same cap throughout their career.

Legendary batsman Don Bradman's 'baggy green' fetched A$425,000 (£225,000) in 2003 - the Australian, who died in 2001, has the highest Test average of 99.94 runs.

Tennis stars also pledge financial support

Novak Djokovic, the world number two in men's tennis, has also pledged financial support to the relief fund, matching the A$25,000 donation given by five-time women's Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova, 32, asked Djokovic to support the cause after saying on Sunday she would donate, with Serbia's 16-time major winner agreeing to help in a Twitter message to the Russian on Monday.

Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty has already said she will give all of her prize money from the Brisbane International to the relief fund.

It's go time as the January transfer window is open. Find out when it closes across Europe, view the latest transfers as they happen and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.

TOP STORY: Man United and City to battle for Winks?

Here's a name that hasn't appeared on the transfer pages for quite some time: Tottenham and England midfielder Harry Winks.

The Athletic reports that Winks is a January target for Man United, given he's young and British, but rivals City also want the midfielder for the summer as he considers his future under new coach Jose Mourinho.

While United are having a midfield crisis at the moment, City are more worried about their defence and the same report says that Pep Guardiola has up to five options to improve his backline with Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar and Shakhtar Donetsk's Mykola Matviyenko the top two.

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09.16 GMT: Flamengo midfielder Reinier is playing the waiting game amid reports that he is about to be transferred to Real Madrid.

The player, who turns 18 on Jan. 19, is training with Brazil's U23 squad but Marca claims his move to Madrid is a done deal with Real Madrid paying his €30m release clause.

When asked about his potential move to Real Madrid, Reinier told reporters: "Let's wait and see."

Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain were also interested in the Brazilian and his release clause was reduced from €70m to €30m when the player signed a new contract in November.

According to GloboEsporte, Reinier will not remain at Flamengo for another six months and will instead join Real Madrid once the pre-Olympic tournament ends in February.

08.33 GMT: Rennes hope to keep hold of teenage sensation Eduardo Camavinga despite interest from many of Europe's top clubs.

The midfielder, 17, has established himself as a regular in the Rennes team since making his debut as a 16-year-old in April 2019. Camavinga, who has made 23 appaearances in all competitions this term, has attracted interest from clubs including Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham.

Rennes president Olivier Letang told TF1's Telefoot: "I would like to keep him for 10 years. The goal is to continue in his company. Today, we want to keep him.

When asked specifically about approaches from clubs in Ligue 1 and abroad, Letang added: Yes [on a possible future sale to a Ligue 1 team], but that question has not yet presented itself. Yes, some [European clubs] have approached us."

08.00 GMT: Liverpool's young FA cup hero Curtis Jones has a bright future at the club, according to manager Jurgen Klopp, amid reports that the teenager is wanted on loan by several clubs.

Jones, scored his first senior goal for the club with a stunning curled effort from the edge of the box to seal a 1-0 win over Everton in their FA Cup third-round tie at Anfield on Sunday (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.).

"Unbelievable player, Scouser, very confident, can't wait to play in the first team, good, rightly so, he is [on] a very good way," Klopp said after the match. "I have known him for three-and-a-half years, he has made big steps, will 100% be a Liverpool player, if nothing strange happens. Great."

Last week, Jones was being linked with interest from Championship club Stoke City, who reportedly made an official enquiry about taking him on loan for the remainder of the season.

PAPER TALK (by James Capps)

Bayern highlight Hakimi for summer swoop

Bayern Munich are plotting a move for Real Madrid full-back Achraf Hakimi, who has impressed during a loan spell at fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, according to reports at Marca.

The 21-year-old struggled for regular game time at the Bernabeu after breaking into the Madrid first team in 2017, and during his near-two-year stint in Dortmund, the Moroccan has shone in a number of different positions. Bayern have identified the player's positional flexibility as a key factor in their decision to pursue the signing

Achraf is believed to be toying with the idea of staying in Germany, with his first-team opportunities back in Spain still largely limited by the presence of Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Odriozola in his preferred right-back position at Real.

A decision on the Morocco international's future is set to be made in July, when the player's loan at Dortmund ends.

Juve remain keen on Icardi

Juventus remain hopeful of completing a deal to sign Mauro Icardi from Inter Milan this summer, despite the striker looking destined to complete a permanent switch to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.

Calciomercato claims Juve sporting director Fabio Paratici is a big fan of the Argentine, and was interested in doing a deal for the 26-year-old last summer, before the former Sampdoria man opted for a loan switch to Paris instead.

An agreement is in place for PSG to seal a €70m permanent switch for Icardi, but reports claim there is a clause in the deal to allow the striker to pull out of a move.

Icardi has been in excellent form for Thomas Tuchel's side since joining the Ligue 1 champions in the summer, notching 14 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions.

Conte keen on move for Alonso

Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte is keen to bolster his defensive options, and Calciomercato claims the Nerazzurri are keen on Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso.

The Spaniard has featured just eight times for Frank Lampard's side in the Premier League this season, with the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson being preferred for the left-back slot by Lampard over the course of the campaign.

Alonso was a regular under Conte as the pair won the Premier League title together in the 2016-17 season, and the Italian is keen on a reunion with the former Bolton Wanderers man.

Two potential deals are on the table: Either a €35 million move this month, or a loan deal with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.

Tap ins

- After a nightmare spell in Serie A with AC Milan, Ante Rebic looks set to be shown the exit door at the San Siro, according to reports at Calciomercato. The Croatian only joined the Rossoneri from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, but after just seven appearances in six months, the winger could be set for a return to the Bundesliga.

- Leicester City could make a loan move for Juventus defender Merih Demiral, after having a £25 million bid knocked back by the Serie A champions, according to reports at The Sun. The Foxes are keen to bolster their defensive ranks amid a string of injuries at the back.

- Han Kwang Song looks set to be the second Juventus striker to depart for Qatari side Al-Duhail in a matter of days, according to reports at Calciomercato. The North Korean forward has arrived in the Gulf state to complete the move, where he could potentially line up alongside Mario Mandzukic, who recently completed the move from Turin.

LOS ANGELES -- It had been almost 20 years since an NBA team blocked 20 shots in a game until the Los Angeles Lakers swatted everything in sight in their 106-99 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night at Staples Center.

L.A. came into the night leading the league with 7.1 blocks per game and Anthony Davis eclipsed that mark all by himself, registering a season-high eight rejections. JaVale McGee (six blocks) and Dwight Howard (five) also put up season highs in the category.

"I mean, I think it's just an unbelievable feat. A remarkable feat. Dwight, JaVale and AD, they just make it easy on us," LeBron James said. "To know that you have that safety net behind you ... it's a heck of a luxury."

It became a laborious night for the Pistons as the Lakers blocked 25.6% of their shot attempts (20 of 78), making it the highest percentage of blocked shots in a game since blocks became an official statistic in 1973-74, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau.

"Obviously it was a huge factor in the game," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "Our three big guys just played exceptional basketball. I think we as a group were not happy with giving up 68 points in the paint against the Pelicans. That was sort of the theme of our film session yesterday, and those guys took a lot of pride in protecting our rim tonight. Twenty blocks, that's pretty special. Those guys did a great job."

Detroit was limited to only 32 points in the paint, a stark improvement from Friday night against New Orleans.

"They are No. 1 in the league right now blocking shots," Pistons forward Christian Wood said. "They showed that today and they do a great job at it."

Davis and McGee became just the third pair of teammates with at least six blocked shots each in a game in NBA history. The last pair to do it were Dirk Nowitzki and Erick Dampier for the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 29, 2005.

"I enjoy it because it gives our team a stop and allows us to get another possession in transition so anytime I'm able to block a shot, I think it kind of uplifts our team," Davis said. "Not just me, but anyone. I think our bench gets hyped when one of our teammates do something special. And then we have fun with it, hence Dwight doing a finger wag."

Ah yes, the finger wag. Howard broke it out after erasing a point-blank attempt by the Pistons' 6-foot-11, 280-pound center Andre Drummond, mimicking the mocking celebration that Dikembe Mutombo, who is No. 2 on the all-time blocks list, made famous.

"I was just in the moment, trying to get the crowd going," Howard said. "It was just will, wanted it more. Andre's a tough guy to try and block in the paint. He's really quick off his feet."

Vogel wished Howard's finger wag was a little quicker, too.

"I don't mind it. I just think he stayed in it a second or two too long. We were running on a break," Vogel said. "But I don't mind that."

Davis didn't dock Howard points for the length of his celebration, rather for the lack of creativity.

"He's a great shot-blocker," Davis said. "I told him, he has to be a little more original he has to come up with his own thing."

The 20 blocks were the most by any team since the Toronto Raptors blocked 20 shots on Nov. 7, 2001. And it was the second most by the Lakers, falling one short of the franchise record of 21 on April 9, 1982 against the Denver Nuggets.

McGee seemed to suggest in a postgame tweet that the league took special interest in his performance with a drug test.

6 blocks in 20 mins and i get a drugtest after the game... CRAZY

— Javale McGee (@JaValeMcGee) January 6, 2020

For the Lakers, who have been challenged by Vogel to "dominate" and "kill" their opponents during this homestand, which has already featured the likes of Phoenix, New Orleans and Detroit and will continue with the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic in the next two weeks, the block party personified their coach's urging.

"I feel like for the other team, it's a low esteem [feeling], you know what I'm saying? It depletes their whole energy," McGee said. "It's just like, 'Damn, we can't go to the rim. Let's start shooting contested 3s instead.' ... So it's definitely great."

And great is an apt way to describe the Lakers, winners of five straight and owners of the best record in the Western Conference at 29-7.

"We're a hard-nosed team," McGee said. "We dunk everything. We don't let things come to the rim. We block shots. That's what we do."

Britain's Johanna Konta is out of the Brisbane International after losing in three sets to Barbora Strycova in the first round in Australia.

World number 12 Konta, 28, forced a decider after Strycova had dominated the opening set - but the Czech eventually won 6-2 3-6 6-3.

Konta has not beaten Strycova, ranked 31st, in three attempts, including in the 2019 Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Strycova, 33, will play Alison Riske or Karolina Muchova in the second round.

Rhys Webb may have made his final Toulon appearance after the club's majority owner claimed a "dishonest attitude" regarding his move back to Wales.

The Wales scrum-half will rejoin Ospreys next season after being released from his contract a year early for family reasons.

Webb is eligible for the 2020 Six Nations after special dispensation.

But Toulon owner Bernard Lemairtre suggested it all came out of the blue.

Speaking to France's Sud Radio, Lemaitre, who took over majority ownership of Toulon from Mourad Boudjellal last month, said: "His family is back in Wales, it's difficult for him.

"We made beach-sized amounts of time for him to go back and see them. Rhys asked us to free him from the final year of his contract and we accepted.

"All of a sudden we learn he has already signed for the Ospreys and his agent had already negotiated with the Welsh union that he can be selected. It's a dishonest attitude.

"It takes us to a situation where I think Rhys Webb will not play in the Toulon shirt again. The adventure will be cut short."

Webb, who is contracted to the French club until the end of the season, was not included in Toulon's squad for Sunday's Top 14 win against Castres. Head coach Patrice Collazo refused to answer questions about Webb after the game.

The 31-year-old would only miss one Top 14 game if he was selected in Wales' Six Nations squad when Toulon travel to face La Rochelle on 22 February.

Webb had been ineligible for Wales since the WRU brought in a selection policy in October 2017 that meant players would not be picked if they had won fewer than 60 caps and opted to move away from Wales.

Following the announcement of his Ospreys return next season, the Professional Rugby Board (PRB), which runs the professional game in Wales, last week accepted an appeal by Webb's management to immediately make him available again for international rugby.

Lemaitre suggested that decision could lead to Webb not playing again for Toulon.

Webb, his agent Derwyn Jones and Toulon have been contacted for a response to Lemaitre's comments.

Jones told BBC Radio Wales on Saturday how Webb's international exile had ended and insisted Wales eligibility was only approached when the player had secured his Ospreys move.

"As soon as Rhys agreed terms with Ospreys and we had the written release from Toulon, we appealed the decision to try and get him available for this year's Six Nations purely because he was coming back in the summer," said former Wales lock Jones.

"We asked the question to the PRB which is made up of the regions and the Welsh Rugby Union.

"They agreed so Rhys is available for the Six Nations which is great news and common sense.

"The first thing was that we had to get him back to Wales. He signed a contract with the Ospreys subject to getting release from Toulon.

"Toulon agreed and signed the release and we wrote to the PRB after that. So the first piece in the jigsaw was to get the Ospreys contract and Toulon release. After that we appealed the decision and they agreed."