Josh Magennis is determined to keep proving his worth to Northern Ireland for as long as possible. When manager Michael O’Neill said after last month’s defeat to Kazakhstan he needed to evaluate some of the older players in his squad and whether they could still deliver for the team, the 33-year-old Magennis recognised he was among those under the spotlight. But a player who has 73 caps for Northern Ireland, having made his debut against Turkey in May 2010, still savours every opportunity to represent his country. “It’s up to me to stay fit, perform at club level and when I get a chance in matches here or in training show I’m still worth having around,” Magennis told the PA news agency. “I know I’m getting on but to me that’s just an excuse, whether people say it for you or you say it yourself. If you still play with intent, with the sports science that’s available now you can play endlessly. It’s up to you to prove you are worth your place in the squad.” Magennis went as far as telling fans at a meet-and-greet event in Belfast this week that he would fancy playing at Euro 2028 when it is hosted by the UK and Ireland in four and a half years’ time, when he would be just shy of 37. “Playing for your country is the biggest accolade you’ve ever had,” Magennis said. “I’m never going to retire and nor will I ever say I’ve retired. “If Michael decides, or anyone else decides, they don’t want me to come any more that’s up to them but I can never retire on my country. That’s not how I will be going out.” His love of playing shines through as he discusses his season so far with League One Wigan and “riding the wave” of being back after an injury lay-off. Magennis saw his 2022-23 campaign cut short by a bad knee injury in April, forcing him to miss Northern Ireland’s June fixtures as he went through a lengthy rehabilitation process. Although Magennis got himself back to fitness by August, the early season form of Charlie Wyke, who has scored six in 11 for Wigan, has meant all but two of his 10 club appearances have been from the bench, but one of them saw him score a hat-trick in an EFL Trophy win over Leicester Under-21s. “Charlie has been on fire and I’ve just had to wait for my chance,” Magennis said. “At any level scoring goals is massive. The goals don’t move. I’m just feeling good to be back and ready.” Goals would certainly not go amiss for a Northern Ireland side who have only scored four in their six Euro 2024 qualifiers to date, suffering four 1-0 defeats along the way. Qualification is beyond them but there is a clear opportunity to end a five-game losing streak when San Marino, the only team O’Neill’s side have beaten so far, visit Windsor Park on Saturday. But while they can change the mood with victory, Magennis said the team does not need a reset. “It’s not about trying to change our mentality,” he said. “Michael is working towards something. “I don’t want to say we’re rebuilding but there’s been an influx of new players, a lot of players Michael’s not been around before and a lot of players who are experiencing international football for the first time. “It’s just about trying to keep going, keep grafting and trying to implement what Michael wants us to do. It’s been tough not winning. This is a results-based business and everyone wants to win but there’s a process and Michael has proved this process has worked before. We’ve got to trust in it.” Read More Andy Farrell feels Ireland are becoming better at handling pressure Charlie Savage impresses Rob Page during his Wales debut Harry Maguire supported by ‘role model’ David Beckham after Hampden experience I want to play – Harry Maguire admits lack of matches will become an issue England forward Ollie Watkins: I no longer go shopping due to recognition Conor McGregor closes in on UFC return by re-entering anti-doping test programme

China’s capital has recorded its heaviest rainfall in 140 years over the past few days

The visit was agreed under a landmark defence pact in April and comes amid rising tensions with Pyongyang.

Chris Pratt has shown off his sparkly new look after his daughters gave him a makeover. The Guardians of the Galaxy star, 44, shares his daughters Eloise Christina, 15 months, and Lyla Maria, three, with his wife Kathrine Schwarzenegger. He also shares his 11-year-old son, Jack, with ex-wife Anna Farris, 46. In an amusing Instagram caption, Pratt wrote: “All I have to say... Jack would never do this to me.” Pratt gave fans a glimpse of two different looks. The first one showed his forehead bedazzled with teal, purple, and silver gems. He had pearl-like gems dotting his face, as well as a teal manicure, in the other. TheTomorrow War actor opened up on Late Night with Seth Meyers about his experience going from raising one son to two daughters. Pratt noted that his daughters’ penchant for all things glitter is one of many differences that he loves and appreciates. “I love it. It’s fantastic,” he gushed to host Seth Meyers. “You know, you hear that maybe the experience is different and it really is, in my experience." “My daughter Lyla is so girly. I picked her up yesterday and she said, ‘Oh Daddy, that’s a cute outfit. Look, you have little cute pockets,” Pratt added, laughing: “That’s not something Jack ever said to me.” While Eloise and Lyla may be mini fashionistas, Jack has taken a liking to America’s favorite pastime: baseball. The Parks and Recreation alum took his son to watch a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game in late July and posted pictures of the fun father-son day on Instagram. In the photos, Pratt and his son posed with a jersey that had their last names printed on the back. “What a day! Jack and I got to hit the mound together, eat our bodyweight in Dodger Dogs and delivered the game opening announcement!” the actor captioned his post. He also mentioned his gratitude to the baseball team for hosting the fun outing: “Thank you @claytonkershaw for asking me to throw yesterday’s pitch for faith and family day, what an honour! Let’s go Dodgers!” Watching his father play baseball isn’t the only time that Jack has supported his dad. Pratt previously said that his son was “freaked out” that his dad was voicing Mario in The Super Mario Bros Movie, telling People: “He saw it already and he’s thrilled. He loves it. He took all his friends and he really freaked out.” The actor also noted that although his daughters were “a little too young” to watch the movie, he hoped that when they eventually see it “they’ll think their dad is cool”. Read More Maria Shriver reveals how she avoids conflict as a mother-in-law: ‘I zip my mouth’ Chris Pratt says every dad ‘secretly fantasizes about what they’d do if someone ever f***** with their kids’ This is how stress affects different parts of the body 4 hacks to get teens off the sofa and get active – as study warns of heart damage How to protect your kids and yourself from back-to-school colds

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos won’t play against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night due to a lower-body injury that will lead to him missing his second straight game

If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is happy his old team McLaren is competitive in Formula One again

Dillon Danis hit out at Logan Paul, calling him a "cowardly rat" ahead of their scheduled fight in October. In a recent X/Twitter tirade, Danis continued his trash talk from recent weeks, saying he's "gonna break Logan's jaw into pieces." "He’s a scamming coward," he wrote. "The audacity he’s the one to sue, sending lawsuit after lawsuit to me after all he’s done to people dead and alive. He’s a backwards c*nt, mark my words I’m gonna dance on this kids head." In a follow-up tweet on 12 September, the fighter added: “This isn’t about money. Logan bullies others and resorts to NDAs and lawsuits when things don’t go his way, like a cowardly rat." It comes after Paul's fiancee, Nina Adgal, became Danis' target on social media, with misogynistic trolling including old footage from her Snapchat and photos with previous partners. Subsequently, she filed a lawsuit seeking damages of £120,000 and has requested that the judge ban Danis from posting more sexually explicit images that could damage her reputation. Danis went on to claim the fight on 14 October in Manchester could be in jeopardy. In documents obtained by TMZ Sports, the model says she has suffered "humiliation, emotional distress, and reputational harm" from the fighter's posts. She went on to suggest that an uncensored photo from a "romantic encounter" over a decade ago has even broken laws. "Danis posted the photograph — entirely uncensored — from his X (Twitter) account, without Plaintiff’s consent," her suit stated. “Later that day, Danis reposted the explicit photograph in order to maximize the number of views it would receive." Inevitably, Danis had something to say, writing: "Nina Adgal has filed a massive lawsuit against me. She filed a restraining order against me and is seeking prison time, so the fight is in jeopardy if I’m in jail. This is actually wild, but I won’t stop f*** the system come get me. Logan Paul is a dead man walking." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A’ja Wilson had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces advanced to the finals for the third time in four years, beating the Dallas Wings 64-61 for a three-game sweep

The scourge of negative-yielding debt refuses to go away for investors as the Bank of Japan’s continued reluctance

England were beaten 3-2 by Croatia at Wembley on this day in 2007 to end their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 and seal the fate of manager Steve McClaren. Their failure to qualify for the Euros meant the writing was on the wall for McClaren, who was dismissed as boss a day later after 18 months in charge. McClaren had watched the dismal defeat unfold in the pouring rain at Wembley from under an umbrella and was dubbed the “wally with a brolly”. England only needed a draw to book their place at the finals in Austria and Switzerland but found themselves two goals down at the break, Scott Carson letting Niko Kranjcar’s 25-yard effort slip through his grasp for the first before former Arsenal striker Eduardo made it two. David Beckham came off the bench for his 99th cap and inspired an England comeback as he set up Peter Crouch for a superb equaliser shortly after Frank Lampard had converted a 56th-minute penalty to put England on course for qualification. But the fightback proved in vain as Croatia substitute Mladen Petric beat Carson from 20 yards 13 minutes from time to end England’s hopes. After the match McClaren declared he would not be stepping down, but the Football Association took the decision out of his hands by sacking him after just 18 games, making him the shortest-serving permanent England boss in history at the time. McClaren’s reign heralded just nine wins and ended with the team conceding three goals on home soil for the first time in 35 years. “I feel I have let the fans down and the country down,” said McClaren. “I knew that if we didn’t qualify that would put the board in a difficult position. “I can understand the decision, the reaction and the criticism. It hurts and disappoints me, but that is football and it will make me stronger in the future.” England turned next to Fabio Capello, while McClaren rebuilt his reputation by leading Dutch side FC Twente to the Eredivisie title in 2010 and had further spells at Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Derby, Newcastle and QPR and is now on the coaching staff at Manchester United. Read More Jalen Hurts grabs double as Philadelphia Eagles avenge Super Bowl loss Gareth Southgate hails Rico Lewis after strong England debut in North Macedonia Michael O’Neill calls Northern Ireland win over Denmark step in right direction

The Seattle Seahawks signed veteran offensive tackle Jason Peters with the team having concerns about the health of both of their starting tackles