Back in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings did tremendously well when opting for Pittsburgh’s Brian O’Neill in the late 2nd. He has since been a fantastic player who is rightly regarded as a cornerstone player.

Is that soon to change?

Recent seasons have seen the Vikings investing in the offensive line. Last year, the move was to launch a total renovation of the interior offensive line. Welcoming all of LG1 Donovan Jackson (1st Round), C1 Ryan Kelly (FA), and RG1 Will Fries (FA) meant that the front five was going to be formidable. The issue? Some combination of injury, underperformance, and a poor approach to the offense’s play calling.

The crew is now largely similar moving into 2026. Mr. Kelly has been subtracted, stepping away from football altogether due to retirement. Blake Brandel is the leader in the clubhouse for the starting center job as continuity reigns.

Any chance, though, that the upcoming season is the final one for Mr. O’Neill in the Twin Cities?

The Vikings, Brian O’Neill, & The Evolving OL

The veteran can still play. However, Minnesota has made an effort to reinforce the tackle depth.

Back in March, the decision was to opt for Buffalo’s Ryan Van Demark. Doing so signalled the end of Justin Skule as the main backup at offensive tackle. Taken in isolation, the Van Demark deal is about the OT3 spot and little else. Good chance, folks, that that perspective still has plenty of merit.

But then there was the decision to choose OT Caleb Tiernan in the 2026 NFL Draft. Doing so has some importance both now and in the future.

Many draft nerds felt as though Tiernan should have gone much higher than No. 97. Consider what Lance Zierlein had to say in his scouting report: “Highly experienced college tackle who is likely to kick inside due to a lack of length that affects his protection projection. Tiernan is tall but carries the denseness of frame and core strength of a guard. Feet feature good initial quickness and he takes excellent angles on the move. He often finds early positioning advantages as a base blocker but lacks the anchor and play strength to consistently fortify/sustain. Leaky edges in pass pro will be less concerning with smaller spaces to patrol, while his punch timing and lateral quickness provide advantages. ‘Solid’ feels like the ceiling for Tiernan as a guard/swing tackle who can eventually elevate into a starting role.”

Plenty of optimism within that assessment even if there’s some skepticism about how high the rookie’s upside is. Mr. Zierlein knows far more about draft prospects than yours truly, but it’s not hard to see why Minnesota holds the newcomer in high regard.

Tiernan is a 6’8″ monster with impressive athleticism and compete. So, too, is he defiant in his insistence that he can play despite criticisms about his arm length (or lack thereof). Similarly notable is that he has spent plenty of time watching Brian O’Neill as someone who grew up watching NFC North football. Quite possibly, Tiernan will be O’Neill’s replacement in the future.

Rolling into 2026, Brian O’Neill is the locked-in starter at right tackle. His cap charge sits at a beefy $23,115,657 (OTC). Cutting him (not going to happen) means freeing north of $19 million whereas an extension can free beyond $14 million.

Is that extension still going to happen? Many thought the Vikings would do a deal already (myself included), but Brian O’Neill is moving into his final season under contract.

Very little drop off, if any at all, has been evident in O’Neill’s game. What’s worth noting, though, is that he’s going to turn 31 in September and has had some injuries in recent seasons. Partnering those basic ideas with being expensive at least opens the possibility of the Vikings moving on, especially since the roster boasts possible replacements.

The NFL truly is a place where actions speak louder than words. Extending O’Neill would silence a lot of the external chatter. Indeed, that would be a tangible action that clarifies Minnesota’s intention to continue working with the veteran right tackle.

On the other end of things has been the tangible decisions that have been taken. Minnesota made it a priority to bring in Ryan Van Demark, made evident in the aggressive RFA contract. There was then the real decision to draft a young, huge offensive tackle who can sit for a season behind Minnesota’s well-established starters.

Another sneaky detail: Walter Rouse is still in town. He appears to be pretty far down the depth chart after getting scooped up in the 6th of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he’s on the roster competing.

Combined, that’s a trio of OT options who are all pressing on O’Neill.

Of course, there’s the possibility that one of those OTs starts pushing Christian Darrisaw for work, but that’s harder to foresee given the LT1’s youth, upside, and contract that extends for many more years. Indeed, Darrisaw just saw his deal restructured, pushing cap charges into the future. Does it make sense to push money into the future before then cutting him?

Brian O’Neill, 30, stands at 6’7″ and weighs 310 pounds. He remains a rugged, athletic player who is far better than given credit for within league-wide assessments of top tackles. There’s zero debate about his starting job for the upcoming season but there’s plenty of in-house competition thereafter.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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Naoya Inoue defends his undisputed super-bantamweight titles against Junto Nakatani this Saturday at the Tokyo Dome.

The bout headlines a sold-out show of around 55,000 fans and is widely being billed as the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history, with both men featuring on the current pound-for-pound lists and entering the ring undefeated.

Inoue puts all four major belts on the line at 122lbs, while Nakatani steps up for just his second fight in the division. It’s seen as one of the undisputed champion’s toughest tests in years, with Nakatani bringing range, power and momentum into the fight as he looks to become a four-weight world champion and knock ‘The Monster’ off his perch.

Speaking to ESPN ahead of the historic clash, former three-weight world champion Jorge Linares weighed up the advantages for each man.

“Something specific for Nakatani to do should be using his lead jab and left-handed counterpunches a lot more. Nakatani is a southpaw, and Inoue doesn’t really like fighting left-handers … Inoue doesn’t throw that many punches, but the ones he does throw are very powerful. And his timing is impeccable, too. It’s impressive, precise, especially the counterattack.”

When making his prediction, Linares sided with the underdog to become the first man to beat Inoue.

“This is a tough fight to predict – honestly, it’s 50-50 – and the first time I’ve seriously questioned whether Inoue could lose. I think it’s going to be very close, very close. I’ll go with Nakatani.”

After celebrating its 25th anniversary last year, Fusion Lifestyle has called in administrators after a “prolonged period of financial difficulty.”

The trust said it had not been able to identify a viable pathway to ensure its long-term financial stability, despite efforts to restructure and secure investment. 

“The leisure sector has faced sustained financial pressures, including rising operational costs, particularly energy costs, reduced government funding and ongoing post-pandemic recovery challenges,” said a statement from Fusion Lifestyle.

The trust has appointed Nadeem Sweiss and Adam Stephens of S&W Partners LLP to oversee the organisation with the aim of securing a new operator for the leisure centres.

Fusion Lifestyle is telling customers it’s “business as usual”.

A statement on the website said: “One of the advantages of administration is that it allows for the charity to continue trading while the joint administrators work to ensure the continued opening and continuity of the leisure centres.”

Somerset Council has stepped in to protect its five facilities and is looking for a new operator to take over after the interim period. 

South Hams District Council has already awarded Parkwood Leisure a short-term contract to run its four leisure centres in Devon. 

In a statement the council said: “For several years, we’ve repeatedly stepped in to support Fusion to keep these centres open but a few weeks ago, it warned us that it was likely to enter administration, or possibly liquidation if agreement could not be reached over the funding of the period of administration.

“As a result, whilst we worked with Fusion to avoid liquidation and the centres closing, we also started looking for alternatives to ensure that the services could transfer as quickly as possible.”

Parkwood Leisure has also picked up a contract to run two further leisure centres from West Devon Borough Council. 

Charnwood Borough Council in the Midlands, which has three leisure centres, expects to appoint a new operator in the coming months. It is still planning a £2.7 million investment in a new heating system at Loughborough Leisure Centre.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has already appointed Serco Leisure in partnership with Leisure Solutions Community Trust to manage its sports centres going forward. 

Active Lambeth will take over the operation of Brockwell Lido.

Buckinghamshire Council is keeping Wycombe Rye Lido open as it looks at future options.

The City of London Corporation has said that Golden Lane Leisure Centre in London will close on 30 April. A £10.4 million refurbishment is scheduled to start in December and the City Corporation is beginning the process of finding another operator for the facility when it reopens. It is also looking at ways to keep tennis courts open and exploring local alternatives for centre users. 

Fusion Lifestyle’s last set of accounts for the year to end of December 2022 showed income of £50 million, costs of £58 million and losses of around £11 million.

The organisation reported over £86 million of income and £14 million profit in 2019 and lost £13 million in 2021 and £6.9 million in 2022.

Noel Gallagher or Elton John could take centre-stage along with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua when they finally meet for their grudge match, according to Fury’s manager.

The organisers of the eagerly-anticipated bout, which is due to take place before the end of the year, are looking for “an iconic UK act” to entertain fans after it emerged that Dua Lipa, who was wanted by Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh, is unlikely to be involved.

Fury’s manager Spencer Brown told Sky Sports: “I’m sure that British fans will get over it.

“We’d still like to pursue an iconic UK act on the show – someone like Noel Gallagher, Robbie Williams, Manic Street Preachers, Elton John or even Rod Stewart – but that’s entirely up to Turki Alalshikh and Netflix because without them, none of this would be possible.

“I’m sure one of these artists would love to take her place. It’s going to be an iconic night of British boxing, a fantastic spectacle.

“Please be sure the fight will happen on what will be the biggest night and the biggest fight British boxing has ever seen.”

The date and venue for the fight have yet to be fixed, but the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley are reportedly among the possibilities.

Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed earlier this week that the two former world champions would go head-to-head in a contest which has been mooted for almost a decade.

Fury, 37, came out of retirement to beat Arslanbek Makhmudov in London earlier this month, while 36-year-old Joshua, who survived a road accident in which two of his close friends and members of his team were killed in December, is due to face Kristian Prenga on July 25.

The Minnesota Vikings traded Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, April 24th, transforming their top roster strength into a spot that needs a little love. And as a straightforward solution, the club should sign free-agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, and call it good.

Minnesota can patch its EDGE3 problem without overthinking the market.

Free agency is seven weeks old, but Clowney remains there for the taking.

A Veteran Pass Rusher Still Makes Sense for Brian Flores

Do the thing, and secure a veteran EDGE — is our formal recommendation.

The OLB Group without Greenard

Before the draft, Minnesota was all set at outside linebacker. Fans bragged about the room; the depth was sweet. Following Greenard’s exodus, the stakes have changed.

This is the current OLB corps for defensive coordinator Brian Flores:

That is certainly enough human bodies for the regular season roster in four months, but after Batty and Chambliss, it is unclear if Stewart, Botelho, or Walker will be a part of the 53-man fun.

Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski should sign Clowney and plop him at OLB3.

Clowney’s Career Production and Price Tag

Here’s Clowney’s career resume:

For the 2025 Dallas Cowboys, Clowney played 373 defensive snaps while still managing to bank 8.5 sacks. A starting outside linebacker, for example, could play double that count, which, in theory, would plop Clowney firmly over 15 sacks.

Of course, Minnesota doesn’t need Clowney to start — it has Turner and Van Ginkel for that — but the OLB3 production has the potential to be stellar. Clowney’s next contract should pay him between $5 million and $8 million per season. He earned about $5.5 million last year.

Zone Coverage‘s Trevor Ripley on the Clowney-to-MIN scenario: “Clowney is a savvy vet. Despite being a one-year import, he offers far more skill and experience than Minnesota has at rotational edge. Behind Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel, the next two men up would likely be Tyler Batty and Bo Richter, who have combined for 24 tackles and 0 sacks in their short careers.”

“Batty or Richter could develop into impact players. Still, much like Tai Felton’s case, Batty and Richter still have a ways to go before Brian Flores trusts them with meaningful snaps, especially in the event of a serious injury to a starter. Some project that second-round pick Golday could slide down to edge at times. However, for the low, low price of a few million bucks, Clowney still feels more secure.”

Playoff-Contending Teams Need OLB Depth

The Eagles won the Greenard sweepstakes. Why did they want him? The answer is simple: the NFL’s best teams habitually stockpile EDGE rushers to surge toward the playoffs and Super Bowl. It’s just the way it goes. In fact, the Vikings’ willingness to trade Greenard is a little weird in that regard.

Still, there’s a world where Minnesota threads the needle, unable to afford Greenard, but managing to land a semi-big fish like Clowney as a consolation. It would ease the pain of losing Greenard, and truth be told, Clowney somehow plays fewer snaps in 2026 but records 5.5 sacks.

Otherwise, Flores would turn to Richter, Batty, or Stewart, hoping for the best from a player who has never shown sustainable production.

The Non-Clowney Solutions

To be clear, Clowney isn’t the only EDGE option on the wire right now. He’s probably the best, however. After Clowney, the market looks like this:

• Joey Bosa
• Cameron Jordan
• Von Miller
• Kyle Van Noy
• A.J. Epenesa
• Marcus Davenport
• Denico Autry
• Derek Barnett
• Haason Reddick
• Dante Fowler Jr.
• Leonard Floyd
• Michael Danna

Those players should start to find new homes in May, as teams evaluate their pass-rushing depth after the draft. Many didn’t get all they wanted at the EDGE spot; that happens.

Clowney turned 33 this offseason and has played for five different teams since the start of 2020. He knows the lay of the land in the NFL.

The 2026 Preakness Stakes is unfolding under unique circumstances, as this year’s race is set to take place at Laurel Park while Pimlico undergoes renovations. The final field will only be confirmed closer to race day, leaving room for ongoing developments that will shape expectations.

The weeks leading up to the race are critical, as performances, announcements, and market reactions continue to influence perceptions of each contender.

For horse racing enthusiasts, understanding how this buildup affects the odds provides valuable insight into how the second leg of the Triple Crown is shaping up this year.

How the Road to Laurel Park Shapes Early Odds

Tracking Preakness Stakes odds today 2026 during this phase reveals how quickly perceptions can form. Tangible results shape early odds, but those odds also reflect evolving narratives as analysts and bettors interpret each prep race outcome and other factors.

Kentucky Derby Fallout and Its Odds Consequences

Trainer and Owner Statements Influence Market Movement

How New Shooter Buzz Is Influencing the Odds Board

What the Current Odds Trajectory Tells Bettors

A Changing Landscape Ahead of Race Day

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

Since January, the Minnesota Vikings have lacked a clear leader in the building. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired after four years and no replacement has been hired. Rob Brzezinski was named interim GM, set to guide the franchise through the draft, but hasn’t gotten the full-time promotion.

While Brzezinski has had final say, it’s fair to speculate about who has really made the calls in the draft room. The coaching staff was more involved than in most franchises, some suspect.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote an article about the draft and what executives and coaches said about the peers’ classes.

About the Vikings, Fowler wrote, “The Vikings conducted this draft while in a transitional state, with longtime team executive Rob Brzezinski holding the interim GM tag through the draft. While Minnesota improved its defense, some around the league had questions about the overall haul. ‘How much influence did Brian Flores have [on the selections]?’ one AFC exec asked. ‘It felt like a lot. Felt like a coach-heavy draft.’”

The draft board tilted towards the defensive side of the ball early in the event. The first three picks and four of the five selections in rounds 1-3 were reinforcements for Flores’ group.

Flores has certainly earned the benefit of the doubt, as he keeps delivering elite units capable of carrying the operation. Throughout his three-year tenure, the Vikings have had the second-best defense in EPA/Play, only trailing the Cleveland Browns. That includes a 2023 season with a roster that was clearly not built for his scheme.

Conversely, the offense led by head coach Kevin O’Connell ranks 24th in the same span and metric. Quarterback play in 2023 and 2025 surely hurt his rankings.

The defensive coordinator was a coveted man this offseason, adding to his interview tally. He once again failed to land a head coaching job and subsequently extended his contract in the Twin Cities. Perhaps having more say in roster decisions was one of the perks he received in the process.

Either way, the defensive-coded draft could help him remain at or near the top of the league in defensive output.

Fowler added, “The first-round selection of Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks felt risky to some, due to multiple foot surgeries. But his upside is high. Third-round safety Jakobe Thomas (Miami) was considered more of a mid-to-late Day 3 pick to multiple scouts. Scouts lauded the second-round selection of Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday, one of the top off-ball backers in the draft who should be able to contribute right away.”

Banks is widely considered the top interior lineman who lost some attraction due to his second major foot injury. If his foot checks out, he could end up becoming a franchise cornerstone along the defensive line.

Safety Thomas was a massive reach according to various draft analysts, but it’s noteworthy that his skill set resembles that of a player built for a Flores defense. He thrives in the box and in a versatile role near the line of scrimmage. The same can be said about linebacker Golday, who can play on the edge and as an off-ball linebacker. Cincinnati frequently used him in the slot.

We might never know how much influence Flores had in the draft room, but he has earned that luxury. Notably, he started in New England as a scout.

In the meantime, the Vikings have kicked off their search for a new general manager. Ownership has emphasized that they want to keep the past structure of having a GM at the top of the decision-making pyramid, who reports to them. A new strong man in the organization will arrive sooner rather than later, unless Brzezinski gets the promotion after all.

Until then, Flores might continue to have a strong voice.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.

Janik Eckardt is a German sports nerd, who likes numbers and stats. He chose the Vikings to be his … More about Janik Eckardt

Fulham manager Marco Silva hopes his side can capitalise on any potential nerves and anxiety that could spread around the Emirates Stadium during Saturday’s visit to Premier League leaders Arsenal.

The Gunners are currently in pursuit of their first Premier League title in 22 years, and sit three points clear at the top of the table, having played a game more than closest rivals Manchester City.

Fulham manager Silva, whose 10th-placed side harbour their own ambitions of European qualification, vowed his team would battle fiercely to secure a shock result amid what he anticipates could be a tense atmosphere in north London.

“Let’s hope we can use that,” Silva stated during a press conference, referring to the potential for tension.

“That depends on us, it depends on them, and it depends on many things. Whether the environment is tense or not depends on how we play and whether we are good enough to make it happen. Simple as that.”

There has been an edgy atmosphere at the Emirates in recent times, with Arsenal losing to Bournemouth just under three weeks ago before picking up an unconvincing 1-0 win over Newcastle last weekend.

Despite their recent struggles with finding their best form, Silva is still expecting a formidable challenge as he acknowledged Arsenal’s quality.

“Arsenal are a top side, a side that are title contenders, that play to win all of their games, but are also the most solid team in the league,” he said.

“They are a team, that even if they are not playing at their best level, they have other ways to punish the opposition.”

Nevertheless, the Portuguese coach was resolute that his team would not be intimidated by the task at hand.

“We just have to look at ourselves and be competitive to fight for the three points. Three points to fight for – and we will fight.”

This is a purposeful piggyback on my colleague Joel Blank’s post from a couple of days ago. He asked the question, when it is time to pull the plug on Dana Brown and Joe Espada? I usually don’t write entire essays in response to another article, but Joel asked a serious question and it deserves a serious answer. I can flush out my thoughts better in this format than in a simple reply to the article itself.

There comes a time when you just run out of runway. That time has come for Dana Brown. My normal course on these little essays is to first admit my own culpability. I was a James Click fan, but I also believed in Jim Crane. Granted, I probably shouldn’t have had faith in the immediate aftermath of an off-season that saw him, Jeff Bagwell, and Reggie Jackson sign Jose Abreu and Rafael Montero. However, this is a guy that had hired Jeff Luhnow, A.J. Hinch, Dusty Baker, and Click.

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All of them had been integral to the success of the club up to that point. I certainly had differences with all of them at certain points, but it is hard to argue with the results. So, when Brown was announced I was on board. Based on what we’d heard, he was good at the scouting end and he was going to bring in the philosophy of locking up our young core.

Right or wrong, the results don’t lie. Admittedly, he has been on the job since 2023, so you could argue that it isn’t enough to accurately to judge his efforts to rebuild the farm system. However, only one significant prospect has graduated to the big leagues in Brice Mathews and the results have been mixed at best. He has signed only one significant extension with Cristian Javier and that deal has turned out to be a disaster.

It’s at this point that Brown apologists will stand up and defend him. I’d agree that the efficacy of decisions should not be based on the results. They should be based on the evidence at the time of the decision. However, if every major decision ends up going against you then it becomes difficult to justify keeping you around. Perhaps, any long-term deal for a pitcher is a bad decision in this day and age. Perhaps we should have seen something beforehand. Perhaps there are other issues there we can touch on here.

The decision to move on from Brown sooner rather than later is based on the evidence available and some very real world ramifications. In terms of the evidence, it would be hard to argue that any significant offseason move worked out this year. Obviously, Jim Crane was already teetering towards not retaining him since he did not want to extend him. So, if this season is a referendum on his fitness for the job then it is hard to argue for him to stick around.

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The chief problem has been the injuries. This is where the apologists want to defend him. I get it on a certain level. Injuries (on a surface level) seem like an arbitrary thing that can’t be controlled. We can almost imagine God or fate pointing his finger and zapping an Astro with a hamstring injury or an arm injury. Yet, when you stop and really examine that line of thinking, it collapses under careful scrutiny. The Astros have been among the most injured or THE most injured roster three years in a row.

I suppose there is always a chance that is just lightning striking the same team three times in a row. The more likely explanation is that there is something going wrong. It could be in the player evaluation process. Maybe the Astros select more injury prone players that are destined to break down. It could also be training and health procedures that are not preventing those injuries that could be prevented through proper training and health protocols. Both of those things fall on the general manager.

You also have the Tatsuya Imai problem that is beginning to look like a huge gaffe. We can certainly look at the whys and what fors. Maybe it was a massive talent misevaluation. Maybe they fumbled the ball at the goal line when it came to preparing him for the season. Maybe it is a problem with providing him with the proper day to day support in acclimating him to the rigors of MLB. It is likely a combination of all of those and it should be noted that the book has not been completely written. He could potentially return in May or June and become the pitcher they thought he would be. That would still mean six to eight weeks of zero production because the ball was fumbled somewhere along the way.

This brings us to the second consideration of real world ramifications. This club is in the same position it was in 2006. Their competitive window was closing with an aging Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte. Coming into 2007 they had a hard choice. They could continue to run the course with enough talent to compete, but not enough talent to win. They could have sold off enough minor pieces to rebuild the farm system and compete in 2008 or 2009. They could have also spent their way out of the problem. They chose option one and it set the Astros franchise back five seasons at least.

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This Astros team is in the exact same position. Certainly, Crane COULD explode the budget to 300 million and load up the roster with enough talent to dominate the AL West. I think we know that is not happening. So, in the absence of that you can continue to limp down the road and hope to eat around the margins or you can start building the next great Astros team. The question comes down to who you want at the wheel for that decision?

The problem with keeping Brown through the season is that now is the time to strike. There might not be baseball next year with labor strife. This deadline is the time to get while the getting is good. You have the likes of Hunter Brown, Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Jake Meyers, and Yordan Alvarez that are not likely to be a part of that next great Astros team. You could throw in Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader if they get back healthy and/or effective. I’m sure some of them can and will stick around. Which ones should they be and who gets to make that call?

Dana Brown is scrambling for his job. This isn’t an attack on him. I’d be of the same mindset in the exact same situation. His best chance of keeping his job is for the team to make a miraculous comeback and sneak into the playoffs. That’s not happening with a tear down. Yet, a tear down would put the Astros in the best position to win in 2028 and 2029. It only makes sense. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa will be two years older then. They will be less likely to be productive players, so that production will have to come from others likely not yet on the roster.

In the last calendar year, not many things have gone right for Dana Brown. Even if he were looking ahead to 2028 or 2029, would you trust him to make the right trades to put this Astros team in better position? You are talking about potential moves that would shape this team for the next five to ten seasons. Obviously, the question of who you want making that call is a murky one and one that I have a hard time answering. I just know that I don’t want it to be Dana Brown.

Michael Carrick was over the moon to see Kobbie Mainoo commit his future to Manchester United and hopes to give him the platform to thrive in Sunday’s “standout” clash with rivals Liverpool.

The talented 21-year-old this week signed a new and improved contract to keep him at his boyhood club until 2031 having enjoyed a marked turnaround in circumstances since the turn of the year.

Mainoo’s United future looked up in the air having fallen down the pecking order under former boss Ruben Amorim, with an August request to leave on loan rejected before speculation ramped up in January.

But Carrick’s appointment changed the course for a player that director of football Jason Wilcox rates as “one of the most naturally gifted young footballers in the world”.

“I’ve been hugely impressed with Kobbie since I’ve been here,” the United head coach said. “I’ve known him quite some time in different capacities, but I’ve certainly been aware of him for a long time.

“He epitomises this football club – young players coming through the academy, living and breathing the club and coming through with real talent.

“The last couple of games particularly he’s been fantastic. The natural thing and evolution is to obviously sign a new contract, so everyone’s over the moon with that, including me because I think he deserves it.”

Mainoo’s development after a stunning breakthrough was stunted under Amorim, whose unwillingness to use him meant a first Premier League start of the season only arrived in January.

That was Carrick’s first game in charge and the head coach has played him wherever possible since then, putting the midfielder in with a great chance of going to the World Cup with England.

“Like with all the players, it’s about trying to get that connection and understanding, building relationships,” Carrick said.

“Certainly understanding what it had looked like for Kobbie over the last two, three years – the ups and the downs, and the big highs and some challenging times – and letting him thrive, just giving him that platform to be himself.

“I think he’s evolved, he’s improving all the time. I think you can see that.

“The more responsibility, the more confidence and the more belief he keeps adding to his game and he’s certainly done that.

“Just giving him that platform and opportunity to go and be the best version.

“He’s done fantastic but there’s more to come, there’s loads more to come. I keep saying that because he’s a such a young man but he’s in a great spot at the moment.”

Mainoo’s form and new contract is a boost heading into Sunday’s match against Liverpool, who are a place and three points behind third-placed United.

It is a great chance for Carrick to further his case for the job beyond this season and victory would guarantee Champions League qualification with three games to spare.

“It’s certainly one of my favourite games, without doubt,” the former United midfielder said. “It’s a standout game.

“I think there’s obviously big games and big rivalries that we have with other teams but certainly this one is right up there.

“The history, the ups and downs that past has produced in these type of game, and the excitement, entertainment and emotion, which is a huge part of it, makes it a really special game.”

United will assess Matheus Cunha before facing Liverpool, but Lisandro Martinez is suspended and Matthijs de Ligt remains absent.