Top sport stories from the national newspapers:

THE SUN: Darren Bent’s Tottenham career ended in a bizarre airport drama last night. Also: John Terry has admitted he did consider quitting Chelsea to join Manchester City. Angry Thierry Henry has denied reports saying he told Patrick Vieira to sign for Tottenham.

DAILY MIRROR: Jose Mourinho last night said he wants to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United. Also: Felipe Massa may never race again as fears grow over the eye injury he sustained in his freak 162mph Hungary smash.

DAILY STAR: John Terry is convinced he can lead Chelsea to glory now his future at the club has been settled. Also: Ryan Giggs claims Michael Owen’s move to Manchester United will spur him on to beat Sir Bobby Charlton’s England scoring record.

DAILY MAIL: Andrew Strauss has warned Kevin Pietersen he may not be allowed to cash in on any more lucrative Twenty20 tournaments at the expense of the England team. Also: Australia will change the sporting habit of more than a century today and support England in their bid to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

DAILY EXPRESS: Andrew Strauss is prepared to bowl the fragile Andrew Flintoff for as long as it takes if he scents what could be an Ashes-clinching victory at Edgbaston. Also: Arsenal have told Manchester City that Kolo Toure will not leave on the cheap, after talks over the defender’s proposed move to Eastlands opened yesterday.

THE TIMES: Andrew Strauss has warned that he will have to hold Andrew Flintoff back during the rest of the Ashes series, sparing the all-rounder the “dogsbody overs” to protect his fragile right knee. Also: John Terry has expressed an aspiration to manage Chelsea when his playing days are over.

DAILY TELEGRAPH: Having pledged his future to Chelsea, John Terry has admitted that he was “very flattered” by Manchester City’s interest in him. Also: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez yesterday claimed that the £30million price tag Liverpool have placed on Xabi Alonso “does not correspond to reality”.

THE GUARDIAN: South Africa will today attempt to torpedo England’s chances of hosting the 2015 rugby World Cup by arguing that the bid process was flawed and weighted in Twickenham’s favour. Also: Dave Brailsford reflected yesterday on Britain’s most successful Tour de France and looked ahead 11 months to when the 2010 race should have an even stronger British flavour.

THE INDEPENDENT: With the Ashes at stake, England are prepared to take Andrew Flintoff through hell.