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Egyptian official says Liverpool star will fade away if he opts for the MLS as San Diego FC owner welcomes compatriot.

Egypt’s ‌national team director Ibrahim Hassan has cautioned Mohamed Salah against moving ⁠to Major League ⁠Soccer (MLS) after he leaves Liverpool at the end of the season, as it would see the forward fade into obscurity.

Salah, 33, ⁠has yet to decide his next move after he ends a hugely successful nine-year spell at Liverpool, where he won two Premier League titles ⁠and the Champions League.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber has said he would love to see Salah in the league, though it is unclear whether any league teams will attempt to sign him.

“Personally, I would prefer him to stay in Europe,” ‌Hassan told On Sports. “I have heard about offers from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Bayern Munich and clubs in the Italian league.

“A move to the Major League? He would be far too out of the spotlight. You won’t remember Salah any more than I remember [Lionel] Messi now, I don’t even try to watch him.”

After trophy-laden stints with Barcelona and PSG, ⁠Argentina captain Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, months ⁠after lifting the World Cup, and became the club’s all-time top scorer.

Hassan said the Saudi Pro League would be a suitable option if Salah chose not to stay in Europe.

“If ⁠he does not receive offers from Europe, then a move to the Saudi league would be a good ⁠option, especially with big names such as Cristiano [Ronaldo],” ⁠Hassan, twin brother of Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, added.

However, San Diego FC’s billionaire owner Mohamed Mansour believes his Egyptian compatriot would be an “asset” as speculation builds over the Liverpool forward’s next club.

If he does move to the United States, recent MLS expansion club San Diego FC, who reached the playoff semifinals in their debut season last year, have been heavily linked with Salah, not least due to their British-Egyptian owner, Mansour.

“He’s probably one of the great players today. And any team that will get him, or any country that will get him, he will definitely be an asset,” Mansour told the AFP news agency at a summit in Atlanta on Thursday.

Mansour declined to answer whether he is actively trying to recruit Salah or has previously sounded out a move for the striker.

But he added: “Of course, Mo Salah is somebody that, as an Egyptian, my origin, I’m very proud of. He is somebody that reached the world stage as one of the great players.”

“And I think he will, if he does decide … wherever he will go, he will add a lot to that league and to that country and to that team for sure. So he’s somebody I’m very proud of.”

Mansour said the entire Egypt comes to a halt whenever Salah plays and named the forward as his favourite footballer of all time.

While effusive in his praise for Salah, Mansour insisted that footballing recruitment decisions are left to San Diego FC’s sports director and coach.

“I let the people in charge” decide, he said.

Salah is currently sidelined by injury and will miss Egypt’s ongoing training camp as they prepare for the World Cup in North America.

Egypt ‌face Spain in a friendly in Barcelona on Tuesday after a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Friday.

The seven-time African champions are in ‌Group ‌G with Belgium, New Zealand and Iran at the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19.

In the New Year episode, Max Branning was revealed to be marrying a mystery woman in 2027, and EastEnders fans think the soap has subtly ‘confirmed’ who that bride will be – along with her unorthodox reason for marriage

EastEnders aired the start of a love story in their most recent episode, and fans think this confirms one woman as his bride for 2027, but she won’t be marrying him for love. Instead, she’s out for revenge.

Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) has been one of the potential brides since Max Branning‘s (Jake Wood) fifth marriage was first teased. The two had already hooked up whilst unaware of each other’s identities, leading to an explosive punch up at their shared grandson Jimmy’s christening as Cindy realised she’d slept with her son’s killer. But after scenes airing on 19 March, fans are sure this enemies to lovers arc will end with a trip down the aisle.

READ MORE: Deafblind boy, 5, makes EastEnders debut as mum hopes he’ll ‘break down barriers’READ MORE: EastEnders spoiler ‘lets slip’ Jasmine’s fate amid ‘second murder twist’

During Thursday’s episode, Cindy and Max were having a chat in the Prince Albert as she closed up shop. The two quickly started eyeing each other up and Max leaned in for a kiss. When Cindy initially rejected him – on the grounds that he had killed her beloved Steven (Aaron Sidwell) – he apologised for Steven’s death. This was enough for Cindy to give in and start kissing Max, as a jealous Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), who was also a teased bride, looked on.

Fans are now more certain than ever that this means Cindy will marry Max, but they’re not convinced that she loves him. Rather, could Cindy be marrying Max as part of a revenge plan?

“If Cindy marries Max, it’s 100% for revenge,” said one fan. “She HATED Max for what happened to Steven and she’s way too smart to fall for Max’s greasy little lines.”

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They added that the bride mystery might not be the only part of the New Year flashforward that Cindy is part of. The fan predicted that Cindy would be the gunman who will hold Lauren and Oscar Branning (Jacqueline Jossa and Pierre Counihan-Moullier) hostage, forcing their father to pick one to save.

“I reckon, Max is marrying Cindy in 2027, but Linda is getting ready to crash the wedding because she knows Cindy is planning something horrible for Max,” the fan said. “What is that horrible thing? She’s the gunman. An eye for an eye, a child for a child you know?”

Another fan agreed that scenes from tonight’s episode pointed more towards a vengeful Cindy than a loved-up one. “OMG yeah you could be right! That look she gave him when he said he was sorry for Steven’s death wasn’t giving attraction for me, it was giving revenge!”

A third said they hoped this was the case: “Cindy has hated Max with a passion for years and I know they say there’s a thin line between love and hate, but her just falling for his chat yet again just doesn’t add up. I actually hope she’s playing him for some sort of revenge for Steven further down the line.”

Cindy’s hatred of Max dates back to 2017. Then, he manipulated her son into a sweeping revenge plot against the Square, particularly Jane Beale (Laurie Brett), who had let Max go to prison for the murder of Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) even though she knew it was really her young son Bobby (Eliot Carrington).

After setting fire to a restaurant, Steven tried to save Jane, but Max, desperate to stop him, pushed Steven into a countertop. This caused fatal internal injuries, eventually leading to a cardiac arrest and his death.

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EU economy and finance ministers are gathering in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to discuss how to respond to surging energy prices and anticipated inflation amid the ongoing strikes and counter-strikes in the Middle East.

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“We are ready to take necessary and coordinated steps in order to stabilise markets, such as strategic stockpiling,” French Economy Minister Roland Lescure told journalists on Monday after chairing a meeting of G7 finance ministers.

Asked whether G7 finance ministers had agreed on releasing the system’s strategic stockpile, Lescure said: “We are not there yet.”

“What we’ve agreed upon is to use any necessary tools to stabilise the market, including the potential release of necessary stockpiles. The work is going to keep being done in the next couple of days”, the French minister said.

German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said on Monday that his country is open to unlocking the oil reserve, but that “this is not the right time”.

The International Energy Agency’s member countries currently hold over 1.2 billion barrels of public emergency oil stocks, with a further 600 million barrels of industry stocks held under government obligation.

Oil prices have rocketed since the Israeli and US attacks on Iran on 28 February, which killed some 40 Iranian leaders, including the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict has now expanded into other countries in the region, including Lebanon and Gulf countries, with retaliatory attacks by Iran hitting civilian energy facilities and US bases.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the former Ayatollah’s son, was elected as successor on Monday, providing continuity in leadership for the current regime.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international benchmark, surged to $119.50 early on Monday, but later traded around $107.80 after the Financial Times indicated that the use of reserve oil to respond to the crisis was on the table.

Leading European stock market indexes started the week with a big sell-off, following a major drop across Asian markets and surging oil prices.

The war is showing no sign of de-escalation. On 4 March, Qatar announced the suspension of its LNG production; then, over the weekend, Israel struck Iranian energy infrastructure while passage through the critical Strait of Hormuz remained suspended.

Energy prices in Europe will be affected, and inflation is likely to rise in the coming months. However, some EU diplomats and the European Commission indicates that the current situation presents significant differences from the energy crisis Europe experienced when the war in Ukraine started in February 2022.

“Thanks to the decisive actions we have taken over the past years, Europe’s energy system is better prepared and way more resilient today. Our energy sources are more diverse and cleaner. Our coordination is stronger,” European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen wrote on X on 6 March.

He called on the bloc to double down on the energy transition and continue to expand clean and homegrown renewable energy and energy efficiency efficients, all while modernising Europe’s energy infrastructure.

Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo told journalists on Monday that the EU should take inspiration from the response to the 2022 crisis as it formulates its response to the war.

A different crisis?

This crisis is also structurally different from the one that exploded in 2022, an EU government official told Euronews.

When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Europe needed an “infrastructure reset” with a new portfolio of suppliers, the official said – whereas in the current case, “the release of reserves and re-opening of routes could see prices going down faster”.

However, the situation remains extremely volatile, as it is highly dependent on when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and when production will resume in top LNG-exporting countries.

Discussions on Monday and Tuesday among EU ministers are expected to touch upon energy prices with the European Commission, while euro-area ministers are set to discuss with the European Central Bank how the war could impact inflation and the overall macroeconomic outlook.

While EU ministers are not expecting to put forward a common strategy on the table by the end of the meetings, the EU institutions will present an update of the situation. Most of the member states will likely present their remarks based on their national assessment of the war’s impact, an EU diplomat told Euronews.

Maria Tadeo contributed reporting.

Caitlin Clark is excited to make her U.S. national team debut next week when the Americans play in an FIBA World Cup qualifier in Puerto Rico.

It will be Clark’s first game in about eight months since a multitude of injuries derailed her WNBA season with the Indiana Fever in July.

“It’ll probably take me a second to knock a little bit of the rust off,” Clark said Saturday. “I’ll probably be a little bit nervous, which I usually don’t get nervous but that probably comes from I haven’t really played basketball in a while. I’m sure after the first minute of running around on the court, I’ll be just fine. But more than anything, just really excited. I know how much work and how much time I put in to make sure my body’s as healthy as it can be and to get back.”

It’s been quite a journey for Clark, who played in 13 games last season. She had groin injuries and then a bone bruise in her left ankle. She’s been in the gym getting ready, working with the Fever medical team and player developmental staff over the last few months.

“I’ve always been a person that’s going to just rely on my work. I feel like it’s certainly made me work harder,” Clark said of the injuries. “But that’s also probably the part that kind of stunk about it, is I felt like I put in so much time and so much energy going into last season, and then obviously, only appeared in about 13 games.”

Clark has fond memories of playing with younger USA Basketball teams. She recalled being in Colorado Springs in her teens and going into a room filled with jerseys of past American greats.

“My eyes were so wide, thought it was the coolest thing in the world of all,” she said. “[To see] the senior national jerseys of great men’s players and women’s players. It’s a 15- or 16-year-old’s dream of doing that one day.”

Clark knows this is just her first step with the national team. There was an uproar when she didn’t make the 2024 Paris Olympic team. She eyes playing on the World Cup team next fall and then in Los Angeles on the 2028 Olympic squad.

“There’s a lot to get to that point,” she said. “Obviously that’s my goal, the World Cup before that. There’s a lot for me to learn.”

Feinberg writes for the Associated Press.