Scott McTominay is determined to make himself a Manchester United regular next season despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's attempts to sign a new midfielder.

United are interested in Sean Longstaff and Bruno Fernandes but McTominay says he is not concerned about the prospect of more competition.

"Regardless of what other signings come in or who plays where, you have to back yourself to be a Man United player," he said.

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"That's one thing that I've done over the last two years, I've always backed myself. I've tried to train hard and I've always wanted to do extra things to try and give me that one percent difference."

Despite Solskjaer's interest in adding another midfielder to his squad, time is running out with under three weeks to go before the transfer deadline.

Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera have both departed in the space of six months to leave the Norwegian short in the centre of the pitch.

The pair combined to make 49 appearances for United last season and McTominay admits the shake-up of the squad has presented him with an opportunity.

"It's my ambition to be a regular No. 6, No. 8, a box-to-box player -- that's my main ambition," he said.

"That's always been my goal. It's important that I really go for that now.

"Obviously there is an opportunity there and you've got to take it with both hands.

"Last year I had some decent performances and it's important that I carry on from that."

McTominay, 22, has been associated with the club since the age of five when he attended a development centre in Preston.

He is closing in on 50 first team appearances after making his senior debut under Jose Mourinho in 2017 but the Scotland international insists the aim isn't just to play games -- it's to help United start challenging for the Premier League title.

"That's the desire from kitchen ladies at Carrington, to the kit men, to the physios to the players and all of the staff and the manager," he said.

"That's the sole aim of the football club, to get it back to where we want to be. That's the top of the league and it's important we get there."

James Milner has not held contract discussions with Liverpool and is waiting on the club to begin the process.

The vice-captain, who has entered the final year of his current deal, wants to extend his stay on Merseyside with Jurgen Klopp eager to retain his services.

The manager has said "without players like Milner, success in football is absolutely impossible" and while it is on Liverpool's agenda to reward the 33-year-old, no negotiations have taken place yet.

"As it stands, last year we spoke to the club and asked them if they wanted to do something and they said not at that time," Milner revealed during the pre-season tour of the United States.

"We haven't heard anything since, so that's where we are at."

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Klopp has stated there will always be a place for Milner at Anfield as long as he is in charge, which the midfielder appreciates, but he would like a concrete commitment from Liverpool soon.

"It's obviously nice [to hear that]. All I can do is concentrate on my football and do what I can," he said.

"But in terms of where I am with my contract, that's what has happened up until now and I haven't heard anything from the club.

"Everyone pipes on about my age and stuff I understand you are going to get that.

"There are three things to it: availability, fitness and performance level. Hopefully I am delivering all three.

"I am just going to keep concentrating on my football, keep contributing to Liverpool and be the best player I can be for as long as possible."

Milner, signed as a free agent from Manchester City in the summer of 2015, picked up his first winners' medal with the Reds in June following the 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the Champions League final.

"I won't say it is a burden lifted, but to do something like that was the reason I came here, to lift a trophy," he said.

"I did say it four years ago, that if I ever left here without winning something I would be absolutely devastated.

"To be able to contribute to the history of Liverpool and put one on the board is fantastic. I'm sure it will be the first of many.

"We haven't won as many trophies in our recent history as we should have done. When I was at City, we got that first FA Cup [in 2011] and we managed to kick on from there. You see the quality in the squad now and the players we have... the Champions League isn't an easy one to get, but we managed to make that our first one.

"Hopefully, the belief and confidence and everything we can take from it will help us move on to the next level."

Australia are coached by a former batsman in Justin Langer who had to have a doorway physically blocked by his captain Ricky Ponting in order to prevent him re-entering the field after a serious blow to the head.

In a famous episode, Langer was barred from coming out to bat at the end of a thrilling fourth innings chase against South Africa at the Wanderers in 2006, ultimately achieved by Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz with eight wickets down. Langer, despite serious concussion, doggedly put the pads on with 10 runs still to win.

"To tell the truth I don't know what I would have done," Ponting said at the time. "If we needed two to win and he had to go out and be on strike I was probably going to have to declare or do something like that, which would have been pretty hard. He said to me then he wouldn't have spoken to me ever again as long as he was alive. If it comes to that again, I am just going to have to knock him out.

"He was probably only ever going to go out there if he could stand at the non-striker's end. We couldn't risk or afford him having to face any deliveries. Medically over the last couple of days his situation hasn't changed. It was going to take me and probably a few other blokes to keep him in the dressing room if it had got down to that."

That being the case, it is not so surprising that the captain Tim Paine is less than 100 percent sold on the concept of players being withdrawn and substituted from Test matches due to concussion. Even if Cricket Australia and its sports science division have led the way on pushing for concussion substitutes, ever since the death of Phillip Hughes highlighted the vulnerability of the head in 2014.

"I know the rule has come in. I think you'll be hard-pressed to make guys pull out of a Test match," Paine said in Southampton. "It's going to be interesting to see how it works.

"We're all for player safety and improving that space. But it's new to me as anyone and it'll be interesting to see how it's worked and policed. I find it quite fascinating that you can replace a guy halfway through a game. Again, we'll wait and see how that works."

Approval of concussion substitutes for the Ashes as part of the inaugural world Test Championship was a keynote decision at the ICC annual conference in London following the World Cup.

However, it left a few questions open that remain to be answered: will each Test venue have a demonstrably independent doctor on hand to determine concussions at arm's length from either team? Will decisions be enforceable irrespective of variable symptoms? Will teams either home or touring stock themselves with additional squad members just in case?

Whatever the answers, the area will be a source of interest throughout the Ashes, given the batteries of pace assembled on either side. Certainly Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will be eager to match the pace of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins by series end, the better for Australia to prepare by way of a bareknuckle internal trial in Southampton this week.

"I think it will be a proper game, Paine said. "Both sides will be looking to win and both sides will have individual players wanting to do really well to press the final case for Ashes selection. We certainly don't expect it peter out on the second innings or play around with a run chase or anything like that. At the moment it's a fair dinkum game of cricket and that's been made really clear.

"Over the years the opposition in tour games has, I wouldn't say it's got worse but I don't think opposition cricket boards have helped each other prepare as much as they used to. You've had to find different ways in your preparation to make sure everyone is ready to go for Test match intensity. And obviously a series of Ashes magnitude we thought it was a great idea and as close to a Test match as we think we can get it's a perfect preparation."

Usman Khawaja will be the one name missing from the game, as he recovers from a hamstring strain, although Paine left open the possibility that the Test No. 3 may get a bat towards the end of a self-regulated fixture. There is no question as yet regarding his availability for the first Test in Birmingham.

"I don't think he's in serious doubt. He's in a rehab stage so the decision has been made that he won't at this stage," Paine said. "There is a possibility, maybe, if something were to happen to someone else he might be right for the back end of the game. But we expect him to be fully fit and available for selection for the first Test."

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- A return of a skins game format that will feature Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama will take place on Oct. 21 at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Japan, a source tells ESPN.

The one-day competition, which will offer lucrative prize money, will take place a few days prior to the start of the Zozo Championship, a new PGA Tour event being played outside of Tokyo where Woods will also compete.

The structure and prize money are to be determined, but the PGA Tour is sanctioning the event.

The Skins Game was once a popular offseason tournament that featured many of the game's greats from 1983 to 2005 and was often contested Thanksgiving weekend. Woods played the event seven times, but he never won it.

Typically in a skins competition, a certain amount of money is at stake per hole, with a player earning that sum only if he wins the hole outright. If there are any ties, the money carries over to the next hole until someone shoots the lowest score on the hole. There are various other wrinkles that could be added.

How much this version of a skins game will resemble that is unclear, but this event is part of an agreement Woods has to provide content to GolfTV, an entity that does interviews and other features with Woods at international locations that at this time do not include the United States -- although there are negotiations to have the skins event televised in the U.S. market.

GolfTV is a PGA Tour rights-holder.

Steinberg said earlier this year that there were plans for Woods to play a series of matches in Asia beginning later this year. Steinberg declined to comment for this story.

The Zozo Championship debuts Oct. 24-27 at Narashino Country Club outside of Japan and is part of a three-tournament Asia swing on the official PGA Tour schedule that includes the CJ Cup in South Korea and the WGC HSBC Champions in China.

Woods committed to the tournament months ago, and it will likely be his only official PGA Tour start in the fall. Since the PGA Tour went to a wraparound schedule in 2013-14, Woods has never played an official fall event.

The Japan tournament has a 78-player field with no cut and a $9.75 million purse.

This season, Woods has played just 10 times, including his missed cut at The Open. He is skipping this week's WGC-FedEx St. Jude Classic and not expected to play again until the Northern Trust, which begins Aug. 8.

The Miami Dolphins have waived defensive tackle Kendrick Norton, who had his left arm amputated following a car crash near Miami earlier this month, with a non-football injury designation.

By placing Norton on the reserve/non-football injury list, the team is able to pay the 22-year-old his full salary.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Norton's Ford F-250 crashed into a concrete barrier on State Road 836 in the early hours of July 4.

The University of Miami product underwent at least six surgeries before he was released from the hospital last week.

"I just want to give a big thank-you, first of all, to God for me still being here. Second of all, to Jackson Medical Center. They did a great job. They took great care of me while I was in here," Norton told reporters outside the hospital. "Next, I would like to thank the Miami Dolphins family. They've been crazy with how much help they've been willing to give and, you know, they really didn't have to."

The hope is that Norton will be able to get a prosthetic arm as he transitions to life after football. He confirmed last week that his playing career is over after the accident.

Dolphins coach Brian Flores has been a frequent visitor. General manager Chris Grier and several of Norton's teammates have visited him, as well, giving their support.

All of Norton's medical bills will be covered by the NFL's and Dolphins' insurance policies.

Norton was cited as at fault for the July 4 accident with an improper lane change, due to his pulling in front of another vehicle and making slight contact with it before crashing into a concrete barrier, according to a copy of the Florida Highway Patrol accident report obtained by ESPN. According to the report, alcohol and drugs were not suspected as a factor in the accident for either driver.

Norton was selected in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers, and the Dolphins signed him off the Panthers' practice squad in December. He was expected to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster this season.

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Mark Reynolds was cut by the Colorado Rockies two home runs shy of 300 after hitting .170 with four homers and 20 RBI in limited at-bats.

The 35-year-old infielder returned for his second stint with the Rockies in March, agreeing to a $1 million, one-year deal. He had just 135 at-bats in 78 games and was designated for assignment on Sunday in a flurry of roster moves by Colorado, which had lost 13 of its previous 15 games.

"Kind of a punch in the gut," Reynolds said. "It's tough to be consistent when you don't get consistent at-bats. I knew the role I signed up for; I knew what my role was on this team. It was just one of those things where I could never get going."

A 13-year veteran, Reynolds said he will return home to assess whether or not he'd attempt to continue his playing career. He was a key member of Colorado's 2017 wild-card team, hitting 30 homers with 97 RBI to guide the Rockies to the first postseason appearance in eight seasons.

"Mark never really got on track, especially the last couple of months," manager Bud Black said. "He's been a great pro. He's had a great career."

"We're going to miss Mark," Black added. "Change in this game is inevitable, and we had to make these moves for the present."

Colorado recalled right-hander Jeff Hoffman from Albuquerque, selected the contract of left-hander Sam Howard from the Triple-A farm team and optioned Antonio Senzatela to the Isotopes, a day after the right-hander allowed six runs and lasted just 1 1/3 innings in an 11-5 loss to the New York Yankees. Senzatela allowed 21 earned runs with six walks and six strikeouts in his past three outings.

Hoffman, 26, begins his third stint with the team and has allowed 25 earned runs over seven starts with the Rockies. He was 6-5 with a 7.32 ERA with Albuquerque, and Black said Hoffman will pitch in relief.

Howard was dropped from Colorado's 40-man roster during the offseason and the 26-year-old was 2-1 with a 3.83 ERA over 36 appearances with the Isotopes.

"We needed some reinforcements for our bullpen," Black said. "The pitching has been taxed over the last few weeks, and especially late, especially the last couple of days."

In its first nine games since the All-Star break, Colorado's bullpen allowed 36 earned runs in 39 1/3 innings for an 8.24 ERA.