Michael Carrick still has an impressive record as Man Utd head coach this season but it is becoming increasingly difficult for teams to stand out.
Paul Scholes didn’t phrase it particularly well and he missed the bigger issue, but he had a point. Manchester United haven’t been great in the last four games.
But they certainly haven’t been as bad as Scholes made out and seven points from a possible 12 in a run that includes away games at West Ham, Everton and Newcastle isn’t exactly disastrous.
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The former United midfielder also picked the wrong target for his criticism. He put the blame on Carrick for United’s struggles, and the problem for Carrick is that others might be reaching for the simplistic conclusion as well.
But that is an issue that goes well beyond the current United head coach. So his side hasn’t been great in the last four games. Which Premier League team has?
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City and Arsenal have managed 10 points from the last four games, but for City that includes a home draw against Nottingham Forest and scrappy, battling wins against Leeds and Newcastle United. Arsenal drew with Wolves four games ago, won a set-piece bore against Chelsea and have just been criticised for their approach in edging past Brighton.
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Liverpool have won three of the last four, but have just lost to Wolves and stole three points from the City Ground against Forest. In short, nobody is playing particularly well this season.
Ruud Gullit said this week he had stopped watching football because he no longer enjoys it and it’s no surprise it was a Premier League game that tipped him over the edge – Arsenal’s win against Chelsea.
The farcical battle for set-piece supremacy this season has dominated headlines recently, but that is only one chapter of a wider story. Every Premier League game has become a battle of duels, with man-to-man marking turning games into 10 individual battles. Win six of them and your chances of winning the game will be stronger.
That makes it difficult for any team to stand out in the Premier League. That only two of the 20 teams are outperforming their xG this season suggests chance creation has been low, and working openings and space from open play has been difficult. United aren’t alone in finding that difficult.
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Too many matches are either being decided by set-pieces or are a war of attrition for 75 to 80 minutes, before players get tired and fresh substitutes influence the game, with space eventually opening up.
United’s recent lack of width is a fair criticism, but the games at West Ham, Everton and Newcastle were notable for a lack of space. United scored when they were throwing men forward at the London Stadium, from a rare counter-attack at the Hill Dickinson and from a set-piece at St James’ Park.
This isn’t an issue solely related to them and to Carrick. There is an argument that they deserve more credit than they got for winning an ugly game at Everton. They had one chance to show their quality, and they delivered with a brilliant move for Benjamin Sesko’s goal.
There are questions Carrick has to answer and he will be under pressure to find some answers against Aston Villa, but it takes a partner to dance, and not many teams in the Premier League this season are keen to tango.
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Instead, games are becoming a mess of bodies and battles, of stoppages and set-pieces. It feels a bit unfair to be too critical of United, when no team in the league is looking like a slick footballing machine this season.
But this is the reality of Carrick’s situation. He has a limited timeframe in which to impress enough to get the job long-term. Even after defeat to Newcastle, he is still in plenty of credit, and if he can win enough games to finish third, that should be enough.
Some will want to look for someone who might deliver a more inspiring style, such as Luis Enrique or Julian Nagelsmann. But they are benefitting from not having to coach in the Premier League this season. Carrick is, and even if his team wins scrappy games, he should probably get more credit for that.
Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has criticised Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes for their ‘negative analysis’ during Michael Carrick’s reign as interim head coach
Patrice Evra has slammed three Manchester United icons for their ‘negative analysis’ throughout Michael Carrick’s spell in charge. The former United defender took aim at Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, with the latter grabbing attention earlier this week.
Following United’s first loss under Carrick – a 2-1 defeat against 10-man Newcastle on Wednesday – Scholes published a brutal Instagram story which he subsequently deleted.
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“Michael has definitely got something special about him,” Scholes wrote. “United have been crap last four games… night.”
Scholes’ remarks left sections of the United faithful bewildered, with many suggesting he’s been excessively harsh on the club for some time, reports the Mirror.
“I hope Paul Scholes’ Instagram story is fake,” Evra told gambling website Stake. “I hope he was hacked.
“To be honest, I’m not surprised at that from Scholesy. He was the quietest player I’ve ever played with in my entire career. Now, in the media, he drops bombshells.
“I really don’t understand the lack of support behind Michael Carrick, he’s one of us and he’s doing very well. There’s been negative analysis from Scholesy, but also from Roy Keane and Gary Neville.
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“It annoys me because we want to be in the top four, and those comments are unnecessary, but this is what you do when you work in TV. You can’t be positive, you have to be negative.”
Focusing solely on Neville, Evra went on: “Most of these guys get a managerial job and get fired straightaway. I said to Neville, ‘It’s easy to talk on TV. When you were at Valencia, they asked you for paella, and you gave them fish and chips.’
“After three months, they said goodbye. People can’t forget what they have done as a manager. As players, they’re legends, but as managers, they haven’t done a great job. So for them to speak and possibly kill the career of a manager, it’s a little bit too much.”
United enjoyed a brilliant run of form under Carrick, stringing together four consecutive victories before drawing 1-1 with West Ham. The Reds had returned to form with wins over Everton and Crystal Palace prior to Wednesday’s setback.
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Despite the defeat, Carrick’s team sit third in the Premier League standings and remain well-placed to secure Champions League qualification for next season. United’s next fixture comes on Sunday, March 15, when they welcome fourth-placed Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
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Juan Manuel Marquez found it nigh impossible to tackle a top 10 list of Mexican fighters, yet naming the greatest champion his country has ever produced seemed a far more straightforward task.
The Hall of Famer is widely regarded as an all-time top 10 Mexican warrior himself, having claimed world title glory across four weight divisions.
Perhaps most notably, Marquez shared four iconic battles with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao, ending their last encounter in 2012 with a devastating sixth-round finish.
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Elsewhere in his career, ‘Dinamita’ made several successful title defences between feather, super-feather and lightweight, before calling time on his 64-fight campaign in 2014.
But while Marquez is certainly one of the finest fighters his nation has ever produced, a position on the all-time top 10, even for him, remains fiercely competitive.
When discussing Mexican greats, the first name that typically springs to mind is Julio Cesar Chavez, who amassed an astonishing 90-fight unbeaten run before losing to Frankie Randall in 1994.
Along with him, the likes of Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate and Salvador Sanchez equally deserve a mention, while many would also regard Canelo Alvarez as an all-time top 10 Mexican fighter.
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Speaking on an episode of the ProBox TV podcast, Marquez did not give a definitive top 10 but insisted that Chavez is “unquestionably the best”.
“The history of Mexican boxing is very rich. It is difficult [to list a top 10]. [There’s] Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate, Lupe Pintor, Salvador Sanchez, to name a few.
“Because the history of boxing in Mexico is very rich – [Marco Antonio] Barrera, [Erik] Morales, [Julio Cesar] Chavez – I put myself last. Chavez is unquestionably the best… Ricardo Lopez, Humberto Gonzalez.”
Lopez retired with an unbeaten record of 51-0-1 (38 KOs) after becoming a two-weight world champion, while Gonzalez became a three-time world champion at light-flyweight.
Barrera and Morales, of course, are also deserving entries in the consensus top 10, though it is a debate that will rage on for years to come, particularly as the country continues to produce standout talent.
Quordle Answers (March 07, 2026): Struggling to solve today’s Quordle? No worries. We have today’s Quordle hints and answers for you to solve it on your own!
If you’re a fan of word puzzles, you probably already know that Quordle is a more challenging version of Wordle. Instead of guessing just one word, Quordle requires you to guess four five-letter words simultaneously within nine attempts.
We’ll offer a few hints to nudge you in the right direction for solving today’s Quordle (March 07, 2026) on your own. If you’re still struggling, we’ll reveal the Quordle answers as well.
Oh, and yes, we also have today’s answers for Quordle Chill and Quordle Extreme modes. And if you still want more, we have the answers for Quordle Sequence and the Quordle Weekly Challenge.
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Ready to tackle today’s Quordle? Let’s dive in!
WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Only read on if you want to know today’s Quordle answers.
Let’s start with the Daily Quordle. Here are a few hints to help you solve the puzzles:
Daily Quordle Hint 1: How many vowels are in each word?
The first word (top-left) has 2 vowels.
The second word (top-right) has 3 vowels.
The third word (bottom-left) has 2 vowels.
The fourth word (bottom-right) has 3 vowels.
Daily Quordle Hint 2: How many double letters are there in today’s words?
The first word (top-left) has no repeated letters
The second word (top-right) has no repeated letters
The third word (bottom-left) has no repeated letters
The fourth word (bottom-right) has 1 letter repeated twice
Daily Quordle Hint 3: What is the starting letter for each word?
The first word (top-left) starts with “A”.
The second word (top-right) starts with “H”.
The third word (bottom-left) starts with “P”.
The fourth word (bottom-right) starts with “A”.
If you still need help with today’s Quordle Answer, you can try our Wordle Solver. Although it was built for Wordle, it can still help you narrow down the possible answers for Quordle as well.
Today’s Daily Quordle Answers
Spoiler alert: The Daily Quordle answers for today are provided below.
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Are you ready?
Today’s Quordle answers for Saturday, March 07, 2026, are:
If you managed to crack all four, great job! If not, don’t sweat it—there’s always another chance with tomorrow’s puzzles. If you can’t wait till tomorrow, the Quordle game has many modes that you can try today. And yes, we have the answers and hints to help you out here as well.
Today’s Daily Chill Quordle Hints
The Daily: Chill mode gives you 12 tries to get the 4 words. Here are some Quordle hints to help you get started.
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Quordle Chill Hint 1: How many vowels are in each word?
The first word (top-left) has 2 vowels.
The second word (top-right) has 1 vowel.
The third word (bottom-left) has 2 vowels.
The fourth word (bottom-right) has 2 vowels.
Quordle Chill Hint 2: How many double letters are there in today’s words?
The first word (top-left) has 2 letters repeated twice. That surely narrows it down.
The second word (top-right) has no repeated letters
The third word (bottom-left) has no repeated letters
The fourth word (bottom-right) has no repeated letters
Quordle Chill Hint 3: What is the starting letter for each word?
The first word (top-left) starts with “T”.
The second word (top-right) starts with “F”.
The third word (bottom-left) starts with “B”.
The fourth word (bottom-right) starts with “A”.
Those are today’s Quordle hints for the Daily: Chill mode.
Today’s Daily Chill Quordle Answers
If you haven’t solved it yet, we have the Quordle answers for the Chill mode right here.
Today’s Quordle answers for the Daily Chill mode for Saturday, March 07, 2026, are:
Let’s look at the Quordle hints and answers for the Daily Extreme mode next.
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Today’s Daily Extreme Quordle Hints
Let’s look at the Quordle hints for the Extreme mode. Please note that you only have 8 tries!
Quordle Extreme Hint 1: How many vowels are in each word?
The first word (top-left) has 1 vowel.
The second word (top-right) has 1 vowel.
The third word (bottom-left) has 1 vowel.
The fourth word (bottom-right) has 2 vowels.
Quordle Extreme Hint 2: How many double letters are there in today’s words?
The first word (top-left) has 1 letter repeated twice
The second word (top-right) has no repeated letters
The third word (bottom-left) has no repeated letters
The fourth word (bottom-right) has no repeated letters
Quordle Extreme Hint 3: What is the starting letter for each word?
The first word (top-left) starts with “T”.
The second word (top-right) starts with “F”.
The third word (bottom-left) starts with “C”.
The fourth word (bottom-right) starts with “W”.
If you’re still working on it, the Quordle answers for the Extreme mode are the next thing you’ll see.
Today’s Daily Extreme Quordle Answers
If you didn’t get a single answer, I hope you have four turns remaining. You will need them to enter the Quordle Extreme answers that are shared below.
Today’s Quordle answers for the Daily Extreme mode for Saturday, March 07, 2026, are:
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Let’s try to solve the next Quordle challenge that updates daily – the Quordle Sequence.
Today’s Quordle Sequence Hints
You’ve got 10 chances to solve Sequence, but be strategic and don’t waste them all on your first guess. Check out these hints to help you:
Quordle Sequence Hint 1: How many vowels are in each word?
The first word (top-left) has 2 vowels.
The second word (top-right) has 1 vowel.
The third word (bottom-left) has 2 vowels.
The fourth word (bottom-right) has 2 vowels.
Quordle Sequence Hint 2: How many double letters are there in today’s words?
The first word (top-left) has no repeated letters
The second word (top-right) has 1 letter repeated twice
The third word (bottom-left) has 2 letters repeated twice. That surely narrows it down.
The fourth word (bottom-right) has 1 letter repeated twice
Quordle Sequence Hint 3: What is the starting letter for each word?
The first word (top-left) starts with “Y”.
The second word (top-right) starts with “S”.
The third word (bottom-left) starts with “M”.
The fourth word (bottom-right) starts with “S”.
One tip to solving Quordle Sequence is to use 3 words with completely different letters. This will create a base when you try to solve the next word.
Today’s Quordle Sequence Answers
We have today’s Quordle Sequence answers for you right below.
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Today’s Quordle answers for Sequence for Saturday, March 07, 2026, are:
That wraps up all the daily Quordle answers. Let’s try solving the Weekly Challenge next (if you haven’t already).
Today’s Quordle Hints for the Weekly Challenge
The Quordle Weekly Challenge resets every Monday. So if you miss it today, your last chance to solve it is tomorrow.
Let’s not leave it for last minute and solve it right now!
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Note: The Weekly challenge gets activated only if you have solved today’s answer for the Daily Quordle Classic mode. If you missed it, you can always try again tomorrow.
Let’s check out the Quordle Hints for the Weekly Challenge.
Quordle Weekly Challenge Hint 1: How many vowels are in each word?
The first word (top-left) has 1 vowel.
The second word (top-right) has 1 vowel.
The third word (bottom-left) has 1 vowel.
The fourth word (bottom-right) has 2 vowels.
Quordle Weekly Challenge Hint 2: How many double letters are there in today’s words?
The first word (top-left) has no repeated letters
The second word (top-right) has 1 letter repeated twice
The third word (bottom-left) has 1 letter repeated twice
The fourth word (bottom-right) has no repeated letters
Quordle Weekly Challenge Hint 3: What is the starting letter for each word?
The first word (top-left) starts with “S”.
The second word (top-right) starts with “M”.
The third word (bottom-left) starts with “A”.
The fourth word (bottom-right) starts with “D”.
That’s the Quordle hints for the Weekly Challenge. If you are still stuck, let’s check out the Quordle answers.
Today’s Answers for the Quordle Weekly Challenge
Today’s Quordle Weekly Challenge Answers for the week of March 2nd to March 8th, are:
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And that’s a wrap! That’s all the Quordle answers for the day.
Previous Quordle Answers
Looking for the answers to the previous Quordle puzzles? Here is a list of answers for Quordle’s Daily: Classic mode for the last 7 days:
If your thirst for word games hasn’t been quenched yet, may I suggest Blossom? It’s available on Merriam-Webster — the same place you’re playing Quordle. If you need help in this game, you can use our Spelling Bee Solver tool. Yes, we made it for a different game but it works for Blossom.
Man City are in FA Cup action on Saturday as they take on Newcastle United at St James’ Park
Manchester City have a break from the drama of the Premier League title race this week as they look to make it into the quarter-final of the FA Cup.
Pep Guardiola‘s side face a tough trip to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle in the third round in Saturday’s late kick-off. City will be looking to use the game to bounce back from the disappointment of the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in their last outing.
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Goals from Antoine Semenyo and Rodri had given them the lead twice in the game, but City found themselves pegged back on both occasions. The result, along with Arsenal’s win, saw the gap to the top of the Premier League table grow by another two points.
For City, eyes will now turn to cup competitions, with the FA Cup clash against the Magpies, followed by the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash against Real Madrid. Guardiola’s side travel to Spain for Wednesday night’s game.
The 20-year-old suffered an ankle injury in the win over Leeds, forcing him to miss the mid-week clash against Nottingham Forest.
What Guardiola has said: “He feels better, we will see today.”
Possible return date: Vs Newcastle (A), Sat 7 Mar (8pm) – FA Cup.
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Max Alleyene
Injury: Knock
The defender picked up an injury in the fourth round FA Cup clash against Salford City, causing him to miss the last three Premier League matches.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Mateo Kovacic
Injury: Ankle
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The midfielder has been missing since November due to an ankle injury.
What Guardiola has said: “We think Mateo will be ready for the World Cup, probably even earlier. It’s a complex injury and treatment; things are monitored daily. Recovery is going well.” (12 Feb)
Possible return date: May.
Josko Gvardiol
Injury: Shin
The defender has been out since January with a fractured leg suffered in the Premier League clash against Chelsea.
What’s been said: In a post to social media, he wrote: “This is a hard moment, but it will never define me. I know who I am and where I come from.
“I’ll fight every day to return stronger. I will rise again, better than ever.”
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Possible return date: Unknown
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President Donald Trump hosted a college sports roundtable Friday to examine solutions to key challenges, including NCAA authority; name, image and likeness (NIL) issues; collective bargaining; and governance concerns.
Athletic officials in attendance included NCAA President Charlie Baker, former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, OutKick founder Clay Travis, New York Yankees President Randy Levine and each of the Power Four commissioners, among others.
“This is the future, I think, beyond college sports. This is the future of colleges,” Trump said to kick off the roundtable. “The amount of money being spent and lost by otherwise very successful schools is astounding just in a short period of time. It’s only going to get worse. We have to save college sports, and, I believe, colleges.
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House in Washington, District of Columbia, on March 6, 2026.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
“Crazy things are happening. … We have a seven-year freshman. We’re seeing things we’ve never seen before. College players not wanting to go pro because they make more money in college,” he added.
Trump said there has been an “inability to set rules,” noting that different states have different NIL laws, prompting another challenge for college sports.
“If Congress doesn’t take action fast, it could destroy college sports,” Trump said.
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Trump ripped “one judge who knew nothing about sports, knew nothing about football, knew nothing about Olympics, knew nothing about anything, just decided everything was unconstitutional.”
He was likely referring to Judge Claudia Wilken, who ruled in 2019 that the NCAA’s limits on education-related benefits violated antitrust law.
“It’s crazy. Only Congress can deliver a permanent fix,” Trump said.
Trump noted he was not aiming to revert to athletes not being paid.
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“Although, not the worst idea,” he admitted. “But I think a lot of people would overrule me on that.”
Later on, Trump said he wanted to “just go back to what you had, let some judge tell you can’t do it, you appeal, and you win at some point. Because what you had — what a great system. Everybody was happy.”
Saban said helping athletes become more successful on a personal level has become “impossible” in today’s era.
“People, instead of making decisions about creating value for their future, they were making decisions about how much money could they make at whichever school they can go to or transfer to,” Saban said.
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“I think we need to come up with a system, and, obviously, we have to do it with the president’s leadership and also with Congress probably … to allow student-athletes in all sports to enhance their quality of life while going to college but still provide opportunity to advance themselves beyond their athletic career, which is what the philosophy of college athletes and getting a college education has always been about.”
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban is seen before a roundtable discussion about college sports in the East Room of the White House in Washington, District of Columbia, on March 6, 2026.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Trump has been adamant about “saving college sports,” even signing an executive order setting new restrictions on payments to college athletes in July.
The president’s order prohibits athletes from receiving pay-to-play payments from third-party sources. However, the order did not impose any restrictions on NIL payments to college athletes by third-party sources. It also demands that schools account for preserving resources for the non-revenue sports.
The SCORE Act was at the forefront of the roundtable. It was scheduled to be voted on in December but the vote was canceled shortly before. The White House endorsed the act, but three Republicans — Byron Donalds of Florida, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Chip Roy of Texas — voted with Democrats not to bring the act to the floor. Democrats have largely opposed the bill, urging members of the House to vote against it.
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The SCORE Act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools. It prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.
President Donald Trump greets House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, as he arrives at a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House in Washington, District of Columbia, on March 6, 2026.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., said the act “hurts” women’s sports, and strengthening Title IX “has to be part of the SCORE Act.” She also said the SCORE Act “represented a consolidation of what we have today, which is the SEC and the Big Ten” getting a boatload of the money college athletics garners.
Trahan did concur that “maybe the SCORE Act is the right vehicle we continue to tweak,” showing some confidence in it and expressing her desire to work with those at the roundtable to make it successful. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., said that women’s sports would be “protected,” while Jim Phillips, the ACC commissioner, said 56% of the ACC’s athletic scholarships have gone to women since the House case.
Tim Pernetti, commissioner of the American Conference, said the SCORE Act doesn’t fix college athletics’ “economic crisis.” Meyer admitted he did not like how collectives were still included in the SCORE Act, calling it “cheating.”
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“I think if the collective goes away, college sports gets better immediately,” Meyer said.
After deliberations, Trump said he’d write an executive order “based on great common sense.”
“It’s gonna let colleges survive and players survive and let a lot of people be very, very happy,” Trump said.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House on March 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The Trump administration held the roundtable titled “Saving College Sports” with leaders from the Power Four conferences, media executives and former coaches.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A month before Trump’s order, Wilken approved a settlement between the NCAA, its most powerful conferences and lawyers representing all Division I athletes. The deal means the NCAA will pay close to $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to college athletes who competed from 2016 to 2025. The settlement also allows for college programs to pay athletes directly.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Scott McTominay has been linked with a return to the Premier League almost two years after leaving Manchester United
19:09, 06 Mar 2026Updated 19:12, 06 Mar 2026
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Scott McTominay is reportedly expected to sign a new contract with Napoli, which could hand a potential blow to Manchester United. McTominay left United in the summer of 2024 to join the Serie A giants on a permanent deal worth around £25million.
Since leaving Old Trafford, McTominay has played a key role in helping Napoli win the Serie A title last season and has scored 23 goals across 70 appearances for the Italian club.
That form led to frequent speculation about McTominay’s future at Napoli, suggesting that a return to the Premier League could be on the cards. There were even rumours that United could have an interest in re-signing the Scotland international, although that speculation has quietened down in recent weeks.
Amid the rumours, a report in Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport has provided an update on McTominay’s future.
It has been claimed that McTominay is keen to sign a new contract at Napoli, with the terms of his current deal running until the summer of 2028.
The report goes on to say that McTominay’s representatives are jetting in to hold talks with Napoli about the possibility of extending the midfielder’s contract.
If McTominay were to sign a new contract with Napoli, it would force United to wait to receive a potential financial boost.
As part of the deal that saw United sell the 29-year-old, the Reds made sure to include a 10 per cent sell-on clause in the agreement. As a result, a new deal with Napoli would see United have to wait to receive any potential funds from a sale of the midfielder.
McTominay has been linked with a move away from Napoli for the last 12 months. Last month, McTominay responded to rumours about his future and suggestions that he could leave Napoli in the near future.
“My agent has not communicated with anyone regarding my future,” McTominay told Corriere dello Sport last month.
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“He only speaks with me and with the club. He hasn’t said anything to the newspapers. I am extremely happy here and, as far as I am concerned, I am a Napoli player; it is all I think about.
“The future is very important, and I could see myself in Napoli for a long time.”
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.
A clip of Floyd Mayweather assessing Manny Pacquiao’s power has added some contextual significance ahead of their professional rematch on September 19.
The pair will square off in a second encounter at The Sphere, Las Vegas, with Mayweather gearing up for his first sanctioned bout since 2017.
Nevertheless, the five-division world champion temporarily ended his career with an astonishing 50-0 (27 KOs) record, before entering a series of exhibitions and, more recently, announcing his return to a professional ring.
Pacquiao, too, has been involved in several exhibition matches since their first encounter in 2015, while having also amassed eight professional outings.
The most recent of which saw him box to a controversial draw against Mario Barrios, the then-WBC welterweight champion, in July, which followed a near four-year hiatus that came after his defeat to Yordenis Ugas.
Even when he lost a unanimous decision to Mayweather, the Filipino was thought to be well past his prime, or at least a far cry from the formidable puncher that stopped Ricky Hatton in 2009 – one of the 39 knockouts in his 73 bouts.
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It should therefore come as little surprise that Mayweather, while speaking with REVOLT over six years ago, had only a few words of praise for Pacquiao’s punching power.
“Don’t get me wrong; Pacquiao’s obviously got power. He’s solid. It ain’t nothing I’ve never felt before, but he’s solid.
“He felt me too – and that’s why he wasn’t quick to run in there – so we felt each other.”
Entering their rematch at the age of 49 and 47, respectively, Mayweather and ‘Pac Man’ are certainly not the punchers they once were, but seemingly still believe they have what it takes to defeat one another.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) runs the ball past Tennessee Titans linebacker Harold Landry III (58) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024.
NFL free agency gets started on Monday, as teams will be able to agree with free agents on new contracts. Players will be able to sign those contracts on Wednesday.
Last year, Minnesota Vikings free agent quarterback Sam Darnold signed a deal with the Seattle Seahawks that helped win a Super Bowl in Mike Macdonald’s second season as head coach.
The NFL is a copycat league. That means teams are going to be tripping over themselves to find the next Darnold. It’ll create opportunities for quarterbacks to find second or third chances in the NFL after being given up on by their former teams.
Let’s lay out a few predictions of where the top free agent quarterbacks of this class will land.
Malik Willis- Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins released Tyreek Hill and restructured plenty of contracts. They’re determined to not be handcuffed by Tua Tagovailoa’s salary going into next season.
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Willis and new Dolphins head coach Jeff Haffley were both on the Green Bay Packers together. It feels like a no-brainer for the Dolphins to bring in their quarterback of the future via free agency.
Playing down south could be appealing to Willis, who grew up in the Atlanta area. Not to mention, living in Florida means no state income tax on the massive contract that he’ll sign.
Kyler Murray- Cleveland Browns
Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) leaves the field after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
A surprise!
Everyone and their brother are linking Murray to the Minnesota Vikings. But why?
Sure, Kevin O’Connell is the guy that gets credited for reviving Darnold’s career. But really, could that have been Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski? He departed the organization and the offense regressed while Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence had a career-best season.
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In Cleveland, Murray would have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of fellow Oklahoma Sooners Heisman quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was on the doorstep of being a franchise legend when he beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL Playoffs.
Murray’s still a talented quarterback that will throw for double the amount of touchdowns compared to interceptions while rushing for a bunch of yards and scores as well. He’d instantly assume the QB1 role from Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. In Minnesota, there’s a threat that they might still try to develop McCarthy, who was a first-round selection.
New Browns coach Todd Monken helped Lamar Jackson win an MVP in their first season together. Could be a fun fit.
Geno Smith- Minnesota Vikings
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Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws in the third quarter against the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Vikings could bring in Smith to compete with McCarthy.
Smith’s tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders was a massive flop, leading to his release. But the Raiders also didn’t have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The Vikings do.
At 35, Smith could be a veteran bridge to the future for the Vikings, whether McCarthy is part of that equation or not is to be determined.
Russell Wilson- Atlanta Falcons
Last offseason, former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski met with Wilson about quarterbacking in Cleveland. Now in Atlanta, Wilson could provide Stefanski some veteran insurance if Michael Penix Jr. can’t stay healthy or just isn’t any good.
Kirk Cousins- New York Jets
File this one under, “why the hell not!”
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The Jets need a quarterback. But they probably won’t draft their franchise quarterback until 2027. New York gives Cousins one last chance to start in the NFL while keeping Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson happy enough in the interim.
Aaron Rodgers- Pittsburgh Steelers
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) audibles during the second half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
It really felt like a small reason why the Steelers even hired Mike McCarthy as their head coach was to entice Rodgers back.
The 42-year-old quarterback claims that he hasn’t made a decision, but it would be a surprise if he retired and went quietly into the shadows. The Steelers and Rodgers are a match made in hell as they’re both two egotistical parties too prideful to embrace the reality that their glory days are over.
For the New York Islanders and Utah Mammoth, becoming 2026 trade deadline winners was rooted — at least partially — in decisions made one year ago ahead of the 2025 NHL swap shutoff.
As we approached this year’s 3 p.m. ET / noon PT deadline on Friday, the Islanders struck out and acquired Brayden Schenn from the St. Louis Blues. This has been a surprisingly strong season on Long Island in the first year under GM Mathieu Darche’s stewardship and the spell of rookie Matthew Schaefer’s incredible play.
Now Schenn arrives to provide some more playoff experience to a club that already acquired Ondrej Palat — like Schenn, a Cup winner — from the New Jersey Devils before the Olympic break.
One of the pieces used to acquire Schenn was the first-round pick the Isles got last year when they moved franchise mainstay Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche. New York was actually only four points out of a playoff spot when it made that deal — executed by former GM Lou Lamoriello — one day ahead of the 2025 deadline, but the hard decision to move on from Nelson was the right one given it netted that pick and prospect Calum Ritchie.
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Now, with his team’s own first-rounder still in hand, Darche felt comfortable putting that extra pick in play to help this year’s edition of the squad become a team that could not only make the playoffs, but perhaps win a first-round series. Let’s face it, dealing away a first-rounder is always more palatable when it wasn’t yours to begin with, especially if the team it comes from — in this case, the league-leading Avs — could make it the 31st overall pick by advancing to the Final or the 32nd selection by winning the Cup.
As for Utah, the Mammoth swung a huge swap for defenceman MacKenzie Weegar on Wednesday for, among other things, three second-round picks. (This is a good time to note that every year, for the purpose of our winners and losers piece, we consider not only what happened on deadline day itself, but the trade deadline season that’s essentially a six-week run-up to the actual final day of dealing.)
The pieces for that swap were the result of asset-building when the Mammoth were still the Arizona Coyotes. That said, Utah GM Bill Armstrong also drew an important line in the sand last year when he signed pending-UFA Karel Vejmelka to an extension two days before the deadline.
Like the Islanders, Utah was right on the edge of a playoff spot — closer, even, at three points out — but instead of gathering yet more future assets by flipping Vejmelka — who could have returned something tasty in an always-thin goalie market — Armstrong arrived at a pressure point and opted to keep a valuable player.
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Now, Weegar — one of the best players to move in the 2026 deadline season — arrives on a Utah squad that could secure home-ice advantage thanks in large part to Vejmelka’s league-best 29 wins.
The Mammoth and Islanders must be happy with where their teams sit today relative to 12 months ago. With that in mind, here are some other winners — and a few losers — from trade deadline season, 2026.
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They made us wait for it, but the long-rumoured reunion with Nazem Kadri finally happened and Colorado ultimately convinced the Flames to retain some of the player’s salary for the next three seasons. You win Cups with strength down the middle and the Avalanche are now rocking Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy at centre for at least this season and next.
For all the names we bandied about leading up to the deadline, very few people imagined veteran John Carlson being moved by the Washington Capitals. However, after 1,143 games in D.C. — and a franchise-best 771 points by a D-man — Carlson is headed west to the Ducks.
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Anaheim’s power play ranks 23rd in the NHL right now and Carlson, even at 36 years old, can certainly help with that. The right-shot blue-liner can become a UFA on July 1.
While the Blues didn’t ultimately deal any of their prime assets — namely Robert Thomas, Colton Parayko and Jordan Kyrou — they returned two 2026 first-round picks by parting with captain Brayden Schenn and defenceman Justin Faulk. Some sort of page-turning had to happen in St. Louis and this was a good start.
The Blues can now re-visit talks for Thomas, Parayko and Kyrou around the NHL Draft, assuming they want to keep going down that path. They’ll also have the flexibility of spending two additional first-rounders how they see fit, whether that’s taking home-run swings on talented prospects or possibly packaging those picks to target a young player.
Sometimes it’s more about the overall feel of things than the granular details of a deal. If you’re a Wings fan, you’re just happy to see the organization back in a place where it can justify spending a first-round pick on a needle-moving defenceman like righty Justin Faulk.
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Faulk has another season left on his deal and gives coach Todd McLellan another puck-mover after the top pair anchored by stud Moritz Seider.
It’s a real tough day in Washington, as Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson acknowledged. That said, credit GM Chris Patrick for leaning in during a season where his club — one year after finishing with the top record in the East — is likely to miss the playoffs. Making the hard decision to send John Carlson to Anaheim for a first (assuming the Ducks make the playoffs) one day after netting a second-rounder from Vegas for fourth-line centre Nic Dowd is pretty tidy work.
Washington can regroup in the summer and, in all likelihood, re-invest some of that draft capital into making the squad better for next September.
Going to chase a Cup with your little bro in Minny? Who made out better than Nick Foligno today?
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Asking on behalf of NHL fans and media everywhere: How long does it take and how many lawyers do we need to immediately re-insert a clause in the CBA that allows for double-retention?
The late Kadri bomb couldn’t save what was undeniably a dull deadline day. The new CBA constraints — a playoff salary cap, the inability for middle-man teams to step in an absorb some salary for a sweetener — definitely took some of the starch out of squads’ big-swap dreams.
We get the playoff cap, but why stop teams willing to step in as a third party and eat some money?
It’s not that the Leafs utterly face-planted. It just feels painfully poignant that, one year after giving up a first-rounder and decent prospect for Scott Laughton, all Toronto could re-coup for the centre — who, granted, is now only four months from free agency — was a conditional third-rounder from L.A. That pick becomes a second if the Kings make the playoffs, which is skewing unlikely at the moment.
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It’s going to be fascinating to see what unfolds with this club in the next four months, but you already knew that.
Let’s be clear, you could adopt a point of view where the Sabres are winners based on how quickly GM Jarmo Kekalainen pivoted out of the disappointment of Colton Parayko nixing a trade to Western New York on Wednesday and into a move for back-end defence help with big bodies Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from Winnipeg. (By the way, we’re intrigued by the Isak Rosen get for the Jets in that swap).
There’s nary a bad vibe to be found in Buffalo these days, but it still had to be disappointing to think an Olympic-calibre defenceman in Parayko was coming your way, only to find out you were going to be Luke Schenn’s 10th NHL team.
The way the Sabres are going, they’ll just use this as more fuel to keep ripping through the league.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior says striker Joao Pedro belongs in the same “category” as world‑class forwards Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.
The 24‑year‑old Brazil international scored a hat‑trick in Wednesday’s 4-1 win at Aston Villa, taking his tally to 17 goals in all competitions this season.
None of his 14 Premier League goals this season have come from the penalty spot and only Haaland, with 19, has scored more non‑penalty goals in England’s top flight this season, while across Europe’s top five leagues Kane leads the way on that basis with 20 for Bayern Munich, and Mbappe has 15 for Real Madrid.
Asked whether Joao Pedro is operating at such a level, Rosenior told reporters: “Joao is in that category now. In the two months I’ve been here, he has consistently shown he is a world‑class striker.
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“I talk about my players; it’s disrespectful to Erling to compare them. I don’t know Erling very well, but from the outside he looks a magnificent, world‑class striker.
“I wouldn’t swap Joao for anyone at this moment – he is showing all the qualities and attributes I want to see.
“The great thing for Joao is his age – he can still improve, and I’ve already noticed several areas where he can get better. But the level he’s operating at now is world class, and it’s my job, the club’s job and his job to keep him there.”
Chelsea, who face Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, are looking for Joao Pedro to become their first out-and-out striker to reach 20 goals in a season since Diego Costa in 2016-17.
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They have had two players reach that tally in the intervening years, with deep-lying forward Cole Palmer scoring 25 in the 2023-24 season, five years after Eden Hazard hit 21 as a winger.
