Manchester United are back in the Champions League next season but on the evidence of their draw at Sunderland they don’t have the squad to challenge on two fronts.

If this was a taster of what could have happened to Manchester United had Michael Carrick not been able to pick a pretty settled team for the past four months, then the head coach will be counting his blessings tonight.

Carrick found a winning formula early on in his interim role and rarely had to change the ingredients too much, but a couple of injuries and a desire to freshen things up saw him change almost half the team at Sunderland. The response was a performance in keeping with the weather.

We’re at the time of the season when teams can be on the beach. United have achieved their objective for the season and could be forgiven for taking their foot off the pedal. There is a beach less than a mile from the Stadium of Light, but this wasn’t a day for building sandcastles.

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The temperature barely crept above zero and it would have been pretty frosty in that away dressing room at full-time. Carrick has already done enough to land this job beyond the end of the season, but a veteran of the Sir Alex Ferguson era who cut his teeth coaching under Jose Mourinho isn’t the type to abide a performance such as this one.

Carrick had said on Thursday that he was aware some players hadn’t played as much as they might have hoped, but we’ll never know how much his selection in the north east was based on remedying that, and how much was due to injuries.

The loss of Casemiro was certainly damaging. Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount are technically sound midfielders, but they lacked the bite required in the centre of the pitch in the Premier League. It was a reminder of why signing the right No.6 this summer is the centrepiece of the transfer window.

Casemiro’s passing is an often underrated weapon and United did struggle to progress the ball between the lines, but they also lacked presence. The five-time Champions League winner will take some replacing, and whether it’s Elliot Anderson, Aurelien Tchouameni or someone else who is tasked with the job, they have big boots to fill.

Mount worked hard defensively and put himself about, but he certainly didn’t look the answer in a deeper role. Neither did Joshua Zirkzee as a No.9. Mount and Zirkzee were making their first starts under Carrick and if these were intended auditions, neither passed, although it is Mount who clearly has the more secure Old Trafford future.

With Champions League football secure, Carrick knows United need a bigger squad, and he will need to use more players next season. This was evidence that, as it stands, this squad isn’t equipped with the depth required to compete on two fronts.

They just couldn’t keep possession in the early stages and their problems were twofold. Sunderland’s aggressive press forced them to regularly cough up the ball in dangerous areas, with Lisandro Martinez struggling to find his radar and the rest of the back four not in the same league when it comes to taking the ball under pressure.

To try and alleviate some of the pressure, Senne Lammens was going long. The Belgian was stung by his first major error with the ball at his feet last weekend and looked keen to avoid a repeat, but Zirkzee lacks the physicality and tenacity to make those passes stick. He was bullied by Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete.

Lammens might not yet be pinging passes between the lines, but he is making saves. He denied Noah Sadiki with a superb stop after Sunderland had cut through United, then flung himself at Brian Brobbey’s feet after the striker had turned Martinez.

Chances at the other end were few and far between. Amad curled a shot just wide and Zirkzee sent a free header over. Even the half-chances were more promising for Sunderland. Sadiki had another shot blocked and Brobbey, who was all over Martinez, dragged a shot wide.

The second half offered little respite. United’s best opportunity came early, when a fortunate deflection sent the ball spinning through to Amad, only for the Sunderland loanee to get his pass into the middle wrong.

Sunderland soon had the whip hand again. Lammens produced an excellent save from Brobbey after a scrappy passage of play in which the hosts’ desire to win the ball was the difference.

Carrick tried to muster a response from the bench, turning to the returning Patrick Dorgu and the dropped Bryan Mbeumo, but it had little effect.

He will at least console himself with the fact that the job is done for this season. But this was the first glimpse of what will be needed next season, when United will play closer to 60 games than 40. It only highlighted how much work there is to do this summer, and that director of football Jason Wilcox and head of recruitment Christopher Vivell have to ensure they equip Carrick with a stronger squad than this.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

It’s almost a matter of time until San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama owns the NBA.

It’s no secret that Wembanyama is one of the game’s fastest rising superstars. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft accepted his first defensive player of the year award and is nominated for the league’s MVP.

Wembanyama’s Spurs finished as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with the second-best record in the NBA, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But Wemby’s performance in Friday night’s Game 3 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves showcased why he’s just different.

Remember, Wemby is still only 22. In Game 1 of this Western Conference Semifinals series, he had a bit of a clunker offensively. The Timberwolves secured a shocking upset over the Spurs because Wembanyama scored just 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting. He was 0-for-8 from deep. The Spurs won Game 2 in blowout fashion, but Wembanyama was only slightly better offensively, scoring 19 points.

It all came together for Wembanyama in Game 3’s takedown of the Timberwolves, where he scored 39 points and was 13-of-18 from the field. He added 15 rebounds and five blocks. The Spurs now have a 2-1 series lead over the Timberwolves and were suffocated by Wembanyama in the latest game.

Not many NBA teams have a solution for Wembanyama. At the end of the day, the world doesn’t have too many 7-foot-4 aliens who can run and jump with extreme fluidity.

It’s crazy to think that he’s already an MVP candidate while still developing. Defensively, there’s no better player in the entire NBA. Offensively, Wembanyama is still developing consistency. But Friday night offered a glimpse into what the future could look like once he puts it all together offensively – and it’s pretty damn scary.

Forget about his underrated ability to handle the basketball, drive to the basket, and take practically anything he wants around the rim. In Game 3’s victory, Wembanyama was 3-of-5 from deep. How can anybody realistically expect to guard that?

And the Spurs needed Wemby to be that dominant offensively on Friday. It was a narrow 115-108 victory. Already, Wembanyama is figuring out how to impact winning. The NBA has plenty of stars that could pour in 39 points and look somewhat efficient while doing so. But a lot of those players are “empty stats guys” like James Harden who aren’t necessarily making a winning impact, despite having the ability to pour in a lot of points.

The Spurs have a 22% chance of winning the NBA Finals on Kalshi, a popular prediction market that allows users to trade on the outcome of real-world events. That’s the second-best probability behind the Thunder. Wembanyama’s team is one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship, and he’s not even at the height of his powers yet.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka said players could consider boycotting a Grand Slam in the future amid the ongoing dispute over prize money and revenue-sharing at tennis majors.

Speaking ahead of the Italian Open in Rome, Sabalenka said players may eventually need stronger action to push for what they believe are fairer financial terms.

While several leading players backed calls for increased prize money, opinions remained divided on the possibility of a boycott. Iga Swiatek preferred further discussions with governing bodies, while Emma Raducanu said she would not support skipping the sport’s biggest tournaments.

Players seek bigger share of revenue

The debate over prize money intensified after leading men’s and women’s players expressed disappointment with the financial package for this year’s French Open. Players are demanding a larger percentage of revenue generated by the four Grand Slams, along with improved benefit contributions and greater involvement in decisions related to scheduling and tournament operations.

Gauff open to collective action

World number four America’s Coco Gauff said a boycott could become possible if players acted together as one group. Gauff indicated that a stronger player organisation may be necessary to achieve significant changes in the sport.

World number two Elena Rybakina also suggested she would support a boycott if it became the majority position among players.

Swiatek prefers negotiations

Iga Swiatek supported calls for higher prize money but described a boycott as an extreme step. The Polish player said discussions and negotiations with governing bodies should continue before considering stronger measures.

She added that individual competition in tennis makes collective action more complicated compared to team sports.

Raducanu rules herself out

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu said Grand Slam tournaments remain the most important events in tennis and stated she would not take part in a boycott. The British player said the value of competing at the majors goes beyond financial rewards.

Meanwhile, world number five Jessica Pegula reiterated support for improved player compensation but had previously indicated that players were unlikely to strike against the Grand Slams.

Having previously shared four rounds of sparring with Conor Benn, former world champion Shawn Porter has considered how the Brit might fare against Ryan Garcia.

‘The Destroyer’ comes off a comfortable 10-round points victory over Regis Prograis, featuring on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov last month.

In doing so, he remained in the win column at a catchweight of 150lbs after exacting his revenge over Chris Eubank Jr in their middleweight rematch last November.

As the WBC’s highest-ranked welterweight contender, though, Benn is set to drop back down to 147lbs in pursuit of a showdown with Ryan Garcia.

The American claimed his WBC world title in February, dethroning Mario Barrios with a one-sided points victory after flooring his man in the opening round.

As a result, Garcia secured his first victory since scoring an eighth-round finish over Oscar Duarte in 2023, which was followed by a no-contest against Devin Haney and a unanimous decision loss to Rolando Romero.

Hoping for a more consistent run of form, the 27-year-old is set to defend his title later this year, perhaps in the summer, with mandatory challenger Benn having emerged as a likely opponent.

But while crediting Benn for his “versatility”, Porter has told Boxing King Media that he believes the speed of Garcia could potentially lead to a dramatic finish.

“Based on how Ryan Garcia looked in his last fight, it looks like he beats Conor Benn.

“The style clash favours Ryan Garcia because of his speed – because of his power from the outside – so it’s definitely a tough fight for Conor Benn.

“I would say 60/40 [that] Ryan Garcia wins that fight, possibly [by] KO. But Conor is very tough. That’s what I already knew about him, but I got to see it first-hand when we sparred.

“He’s much more versatile than [what] we saw in the first fight with Eubank. He comes back in the rematch against Eubank and we see the versatility, we see the speed, the foot movement and things of that nature.

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“Those were the things I saw when I sparred him for four easy rounds.”

Despite their related history of failing doping tests, or perhaps partly because of it, a clash between Garcia and Benn is likely to attract considerable attention.