impresses

Carrick has confirmed Marcus Rashford will rejoin the Manchester United squad for their trip to the Republic of Ireland.

Rashford, England team-mate Kobbie Mainoo and Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez are the final three players to return for United after the World Cup.

Although it was not expected Rashford would return to the club when he joined Barcelona on loan in July 2025, the La Liga champions failed to trigger a £26m option to buy the 28-year-old at the end of the season.

Despite interest elsewhere, there has been no deal, meaning Rashford will return to United for the first time since January 2025, when he moved to Aston Villa after falling out with former manager Ruben Amorim.

United are training at the plush Carton House hotel in Maynooth and have a friendly with Leeds United at Croke Park on 12 August.

They complete their pre-season programme against Amorim’s new club AC Milan in Wroclaw on 15 August, when Rashford could make his first United appearance since December 2024 if Carrick decides Wednesday is too soon.

A former team-mate, coach and manager of Rashford, it has been felt if anyone can patch up the relationship between club and player – which includes his number 10 shirt being given to Matheus Cunha who is also due to be on the trip after a minor injury ruled him out of the Gothenburg encounter – it is Carrick.

“I’ve played with him. I played in the game he made his debut, so we have a history,” Carrick said.

“We have got a full squad this week in Dublin. We fly straight there and have a few days where we have the whole group back together. Marcus is part of that, and Kobbie [Mainoo] and Lisandro [Martinez]. We look forward to seeing them.”

The Hundred women’s competition, Sophia Gardens

Welsh Fire 177-4 (100 balls): Devine 52 (29); Matthews 2-52

MI London 117 (92 balls): Henry 30 (23); Potts 3-24

Welsh Fire won by 60 runs

Scorecard. Table

An impressive Welsh Fire earned their first win of the women’s Hundred with a 60-run thrashing of MI London in Cardiff.

Fire suffered a poor defeat by Southern Brave in their opener but bounced back to post 177-4, comfortably the highest total of this year’s tournament and the third-highest in the tournament’s history.

After openers Ella McCaughan and Georgia Voll added 49, captain Sophie Devine and all-rounder Georgia Wareham added 79 from just 35 balls for the fourth wicket as MI London’s bowlers wilted.

Devine was stumped from the penultimate ball for 52 from just 29 balls including four sixes, one of which was smacked out of the ground, while Wareham finished unbeaten on 43 from 20.

To conclude the entertaining innings, Em Arlott came out with one ball to face and launched it for six, as Fire’s performance provided some much-needed entertainment for the women’s tournament where the previous-highest team total so far was just 126.

In reply, MI London – despite a batting line-up stacked with international quality – crumbled to 117 all out and suffered their second successive defeat.

Fire seamer Grace Potts dominated the powerplay with figures of 3-24 as MI London crumbled under the run-rate pressure. Potts accounted for MI London’s powerful top three of Hayley Matthews for 10, Danni Wyatt-Hodge for 12 and Kira Chathli for two.

Devine backed up her knock with figures of 2-15, including the wicket of Chinelle Henry who was MI London’s top-scorer with 30, while Welsh left-arm spinner Sophia Smale chipped in with 2-17.

MI London will take on unbeaten Southern Brave on Monday as they search for their first win, while Fire face Trent Rockets on Wednesday.