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Manager Michael Wimmer has left Motherwell to join Jahn Regensburg, who will play in Germany’s third tier next season.

The 44-year-old took charge of last Sunday’s final Scottish Premiership match of the season, a 1-1 draw at Ross County, and returned to his native Germany.

He told club officials earlier this week he would not be back at Fir Park next season because of family reasons, leaving the Lanarkshire club hunting for a new boss.

Wimmer, who has thanked Well for their “support”, replaced Stuart Kettlewell in February and won five and drew three of his 12 matches in charge.

“I want to thank the board and all the staff at the club for the way they welcomed me to Scotland and also supported me so much from when I arrived in February,” Wimmer said.

“They have done everything to support me and my family during my time here. This has been an ongoing, extremely difficult position that I have found myself in and the club have done all they could to support me during these challenging times, both whilst I was in post and while I have been back in Germany.

“I am sorry to all the Motherwell fans; the support you have shown me has been outstanding and I have loved learning about this wonderful club.

“This decision was an extremely hard one for me to make; however, I have decided to move back home as I need to put my family first and be with them and I want to thank the board for the understanding shown through these challenging times.

Wimmer previously led Austria Vienna after a spell as interim boss at Stuttgart.

Jahn Regensburg were relegated after finishing bottom of the Bundesliga’s second division this season.

Wimmer’s exit leaves four Premiership clubs seeking a new manager – Dundee, Kilmarnock, Rangers and now Motherwell.

With Heart of Midlothian having taken Derek McInnes from Kilmarnock as their new head coach, at least five of 12 top-flight clubs will start the new season under new management.

Motherwell said Wimmer had “reached out to the chairman and chief executive of the club to inform them that he would like to remain in Germany” and become Jahn Regensburg boss.

“Wimmer explained the reasons for wishing to accept the new role were predominantly due to major family issues that have recently arisen in Germany,” said the club in a statement.

“Following extensive conversations with Michael, the club very reluctantly negotiated a compensation package with SSV Jahn Regensburg.

Manager Michael Wimmer has left Motherwell to join Jahn Regensburg, who will play in Germany’s third tier next season.

The 44-year-old took charge of last Sunday’s final Scottish Premiership match of the season, a 1-1 draw at Ross County, and returned to his native Germany.

He told club officials earlier this week he would not be back at Fir Park next season because of family reasons, leaving the Lanarkshire club hunting for a new boss.

Wimmer, who has thanked Well for their “support”, replaced Stuart Kettlewell in February and won five and drew three of his 12 matches in charge.

“I want to thank the board and all the staff at the club for the way they welcomed me to Scotland and also supported me so much from when I arrived in February,” Wimmer said.

“They have done everything to support me and my family during my time here. This has been an ongoing, extremely difficult position that I have found myself in and the club have done all they could to support me during these challenging times, both whilst I was in post and while I have been back in Germany.

“I am sorry to all the Motherwell fans; the support you have shown me has been outstanding and I have loved learning about this wonderful club.

“This decision was an extremely hard one for me to make; however, I have decided to move back home as I need to put my family first and be with them and I want to thank the board for the understanding shown through these challenging times.

Wimmer previously led Austria Vienna after a spell as interim boss at Stuttgart.

Jahn Regensburg were relegated after finishing bottom of the Bundesliga’s second division this season.

Wimmer’s exit leaves four Premiership clubs seeking a new manager – Dundee, Kilmarnock, Rangers and now Motherwell.

With Heart of Midlothian having taken Derek McInnes from Kilmarnock as their new head coach, at least five of 12 top-flight clubs will start the new season under new management.

Motherwell said Wimmer had “reached out to the chairman and chief executive of the club to inform them that he would like to remain in Germany” and become Jahn Regensburg boss.

“Wimmer explained the reasons for wishing to accept the new role were predominantly due to major family issues that have recently arisen in Germany,” said the club in a statement.

“Following extensive conversations with Michael, the club very reluctantly negotiated a compensation package with SSV Jahn Regensburg.

Newport County have named Manchester United youth coach David Hughes as their new manager.

Hughes has signed a two-year deal at the League Two club, leaving his role as under-21s coach and assistant manager at Old Trafford.

The 47-year-old Welshman replaces Nelson Jardim at Rodney Parade, who left the Exiles two weeks before the end of the season.

“Leaving a great club like Manchester United is never easy, but I’m excited about what lies ahead here,” Hughes said.

“You build relationships with people and that makes decisions like this challenging.

Hughes, a former Aston Villa, Shrewsbury Town and Cardiff City defender, had been the leading contender for the job following Jardim’s exit by mutual consent.

Having held lead academy roles at Cardiff and Southampton before joining United in August 2022, Hughes has developed an impressive reputation at youth level.

He will now be charged by Jenkins to oversee an upturn in fortunes at Rodney Parade for a youthful squad that finished 22nd in 2024-25.

The Wrexham-born former Wales Under-21s international – who also spent four years as manager of Wales Under-17s – will be assisted by Wayne Hatswell, who was previously number two at Newport under Mike Flynn.

Due to his involvement in a “small issue” during training, Joao Pedro will miss Brighton’s final game of the Premier League season at Tottenham.

The Brazil international was reportedly involved in a training ground altercation with defender Jan Paul van Hecke during Monday’s 3-2 home win over Liverpool.

The Seagulls have won 10 Premier League games this season, but the 23-year-old has missed their last four matches after receiving a red card in Brentford’s 4-2 defeat on April 19.

“With Joao, we had a small issue in training,” according to Joao, which isn’t uncommon at all football clubs. The issue has been resolved internally, according to head coach Fabian Hurzeler.

Joao is a fantastic player, a match-winner for us, and that’s why we invested in him.

There are some non-negotiable values that everyone must adhere to, such as the principle of not making any compromises.

Joseph is still a young player, he said. He will develop, and I’m confident that he will take lessons from this and emerge stronger next season. I’m really looking forward to seeing him at his best when he’s been revived and renewed.

Georginio Rutter, 23, will also miss the game against the newly crowned Europa League champions after failing to recover from an ankle injury.

With Crystal Palace’s FA Cup victory making it possible for them to earn a spot in the Europa League, Brighton, who are eighth overall, will enter the game with qualification still in doubt.

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s number one, describes herself as “love” having a target on her back as the player to beat at the French Open women’s singles.

After a strong start in 2025, Sabalenka has stepped up to take control of her position.

The 27-year-old Belarusian has won two WTA 1000 titles, including three finals at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Stuttgart.

The three-time major winner will now enter the French Open, where she will look to improve her best-ever run to the 2023 semi-finals, where she is widely considered the winner.

Iga Swiatek, who has three-time defending champion, has given Sabalenka’s hand a boost this year’s struggles on the clay.

“Every time I go outside, I think to myself, “OK, let’s go.” Who should we check out to see if they are prepared for the pressure?

It actually makes it easier for me to stay focused and fight on the court no matter what.

Mirra Andreeva, a Russian teenager, defeated Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of last year’s competition after a stomach bug prevented her.

“I’ll definitely not be going back to eat the same meal as I did before that match.” The lesson is learned, Sabolenka joked on Friday.

Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia will face Sabalenka on Sunday in her first matchup. She has won two Australian Opens and one US Open.

Swiatek, the four-time champion, has become known as the “Queen of Clay” due to her impressive record on the surface, but she has not been so low in Paris since 2021.

The 23-year-old was unhappy with her form and did not rate her chances of returning to Roland Garros after falling to Danielle Collins in the third round.

She took a week off to reflect, but it seems like she’s changed her mind.

Swiatek, who starts against Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova and could face Emma Raducanu from Britain in the second round, said, “I had a lot of time to think about how I played and what my attitude was.”

Because I don’t feel like I’m getting the match right, I focused on changing some things and putting on more intensity.