Thats the end of today's edition of Sportsday. There will be more from the world of sport on Wednesday so join us then. Bye.

Former Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen says Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard needs to be at his best if the club is to challenge for the title.

"From second to first is a big leap so Liverpool are going to need to be better again and the top-line performers are going to need to play as well, if not better," Owen told liverpoolfc.com , external

"Steven had a fantastic season last season and if he can play anywhere near what he played last year, he's going to give a lot of people a lot of pleasure for another season. Hopefully he can go on."

Image source, Getty Images

Wales have a "genuine chance" of qualifying for a major tournament according to former national team captain Barry Horne.

Horne led Wales during their 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign, which was dashed in the final qualifier with a home defeat against Romania.

The former Everton midfielder expects the current side, with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, to qualify for Euro 2016.

"I am genuinely optimistic, with my head and not my heart," Horne said.

Image source, Huw Evans picture agency

Swansea City are keen for South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung to remain at Liberty Stadium.

Ki, who spent last season on loan at Sunderland, is approaching the last year of his contract at Swansea.

Chairman Huw Jenkins said: "We want to keep him, but obviously he has got to want to stay here and sign a deal with us. I think that is only fair to us."

Image source, Getty Images

Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill is confident number two Roy Keane will benefit from his joint role as Aston Villa's assistant manager.

O'Neill told the Irish Independent:, external "My view is if it doesn't impinge on the job here with Ireland, then in actual fact it will end up being good for him.

"I know that if we couldn't have made it work, he wouldn't have taken the job in the first place.

"If his commitments to us - both on the commercial side and certainly from my viewpoint in terms of the time working with players - is not impinged at all, then I'm happy for it to go ahead, genuinely happy."

England batsman Sam Robson believes it is only a matter of time before captain Alastair Cook hits form with the bat and has tipped his opening partner to bounce back ahead of the second Test against India, which gets under way at Lord's on Thursday.

"He's a world-class player, he's one of England's best-ever players there's no doubt about that, we're all aware of that. All the close followers of the game who know what they're talking about realise that as well," he said.

"There is no doubt that runs are not far away for him. It's a tough game and it's easy to get out and a few things haven't gone his way in the last couple of Tests from what I can see at the other end. Runs are around the corner for him there's no doubt about it."

Image source, Getty Images

Masters champion Bubba Watson is hoping to get his first win on European soil at the Open Championship at Hoylake.

"You always look forward to this event. You always look forward to coming over and playing what golf is all about, the imagination, the different shots you can play," said the 35-year-old left-hander and world number four.

"You've got to learn how to make putts around here. I like to hit low shots but maybe I need to start trying to hit high shots around here, because I haven't had that many low finishes at the Open.

"I love the creativity this kind of golf provides. I haven't been successful at it yet, but hopefully over the next few years I can get better at it."

QPR manager Harry Redknapp is confident of finalising a deal for Rio Ferdinand, insisting the former Manchester United defender is keen to move to Loftus Road.

Ferdinand, 35, who has won six league titles, two League Cups, one Champions League and a Club World Cup, left United after his contract was not renewed at the end of last season and has been working for the BBC at the World Cup in Brazil.

Redknapp said: "He arrives back today so I am going to meet him and hopefully we can get it sorted. He has not been difficult to deal with. He wants to play and he is not expensive. He wants to come and play at QPR now so hopefully we can get it done."

More from Tiger Woods on his back surgery as he prepares for the Open: "The people who have had my surgery say the same thing. It changes your life. It takes away all the pain.

"You're sore from the incision but you don't have that radiating pain down the leg. Once that was removed, I knew it was only a matter of time before I could get out here and play at the elite level again.

"Once I started getting stronger, more stable, I could work on my explosiveness and start getting my speed back. I'm probably not at the level I think I can be as far as my explosion through the golf ball but I'm pretty darn close."

Image source, Sporting Intelligence

According to Sporting Intelligence,, external an average 34.65m people in Germany watched the World Cup final. In the US, with 26.5m viewers, it was the third-biggest TV audience for football.

An average 14.95m watched in the UK, which makes it the most watched event since London 2012.

BBC Sport's Rob Hodgetts at Hoylake: "Justin Rose is trying to emulate Phil Mickelson by winning the Open Championship the week after victory at the Scottish Open.

"Mickelson thinks it will be a huge help to him having won at Royal Aberdeen, while Rose reckons wins in Scotland and on the US PGA Tour in his previous event, coupled with a breakthrough major at Merion last year, give him the confidence and experience to draw on at Hoylake.

"'Thousands of times I've won the Open Championship in my mind,'" said Rose, who finished fourth as an 18-year-old amateur in 1998. "This is probably the one I've dreamed about the most. When you're chasing major championships, any of them will do but if you're lucky enough to win this one it would be incredibly special'."

Fabian Cancellara has withdrawn from the Tour de France on the race's first rest day on Tuesday.

Unlike previous winners Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck and 25-time stage winner Mark Cavendish who all crashed out - Cancellara chose to abandon the race prior to the Alps and Pyrenees in order to prepare for September's Road World Championships in Spain.

Cancellara said in a statement: "I will travel home now and take a little break. The season has been long for me. I have done 59 days of competition this season so far and I have another big goal at the end of this season: the World Championships. It's not a secret that I'd like to be in my best shape there, so it's important that I take some rest."

Image source, AP

A reported half a million fans have lined the streets of Berlin to welcome home their World Cup winners.

Image source, Getty Images

The squad have even been greeted by chants of 'football's coming home'. Cheeky.

Image source, PA

Celtic manager Ronny Deila is unimpressed with the Champions League qualifying format which requires his side to negotiate three rounds to reach the group stage.

The Scottish champions, who reached the last 16 in 2013, are aiming for a third consecutive season in the group phase and start their campaign against KR Reykjavik in the second qualifying round on Tuesday in Iceland.

"It's very unfair that going to the last 16, as we did two years ago, is not going to be recognised," he said.

"Celtic have been fighting for many years with the best teams in Europe and it is stupid that the Scottish coefficient is not regarded as good enough."

Premier League newcomers Burnley have signed striker Lukas Jutkiewicz from Middlesbrough.

The 25-year-old, who was born in Southampton, joins for an undisclosed fee from the Championship side and has signed a three-year deal at Turf Moor.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche told the club website:, external "We're looking forward to getting him into the group and making him feel welcome here. I still think there is development in Lukas. He's 25 and has been around a little bit now and he finished last season very strongly."

Image source, Getty Images

Tiger Woods insists winning is his only goal at this week's Open Championship despite a season curtailed by injury.

Woods, who won the last of his three Opens at Royal Liverpool in 2006, had surgery in March for a back injury that "made it difficult to get out of bed".

But despite playing only one tournament since then, the 14-time major champion said there was only one acceptable result at Hoylake this week. "First. That's always the case," said the American.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott believes he and new signing Alexis Sanchez can form a potent partnership at the club next season.

"Sanchez is a world-class player and I enjoyed watching him play for Barcelona and for Chile at the World Cup," Walcott told the Arsenal website., external

"He's still very young as well and he is going to show so much pace and power, which we lacked a bit last year. With me and him on the flanks, a lot of teams won't be looking forward to playing Arsenal this year."

Image source, Getty Images

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis claims negotiations with Swansea over Michu are "well under way" but that no agreement has been reached.

The Spanish forward had a revelatory first season at the Liberty Stadium following his low-key arrival from Rayo Vallecano, but he was hampered by injury last term and managed just six goals in all competitions.

Napoli, managed by Michu's compatriot Rafael Benitez, have been long-term admirers of the 28-year-old and are understood to be keen on a year-long loan with the option of a permanent £8m deal to follow.

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker: , externalHome sweet home. Been away for a few weeks, how did England get on in that football World Cup thing?

Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole believes English players are afraid of moving to a foreign club.

The 33-year-old ex-England international has joined Italian side Roma after leaving Chelsea when his contract expired with the Blues.

"English players are probably afraid to come abroad, they're in a comfort zone in England," said the left-back.