United hoped they would solve their problems through the hiring of Gary O’Driscoll from Arsenal as their new head of medical 12 months ago.

But it hasn’t happened and Ten Hag knows his side will struggle to fulfil their potential until an answer can be found.

“We need more players available often,” he said. “We all have to work together on this point – the players, the coaching staff and all the other staff.

“We have to do better at that because we know when we have them we are a really tough team to play and we can be really successful.”

United go to London Stadium 12th in the Premier League, and now 21st in the expanded Europa League, after a run of three away draws and a home win over Brentford in the four games since the shambolic home defeat by Tottenham on 29 September that led to intense speculation over Ten Hag’s future.

Because they lost that game, United’s draw with Fenerbahce means they have won once in seven games in all competitions.

Had they been victorious, it would have been an unbeaten run of nine, their longest since the early months of 2023.

The recent sequence of away draws are all creditable given they represent their hardest two Europa League games and a trip to high-flying Aston Villa, when they had a day less to prepare.

Now they face a West Ham side smarting from their London derby defeat at Tottenham, who have had a whole week for manager Julen Lopetegui to sort out their problems.

Ten Hag looks back on that loss to Tottenham, when his side were totally outplayed but only a goal down when Bruno Fernandes was sent off late in the first half – only for the decision to be ruled incorrect and the suspension overturned later by a disciplinary panel – and claimed the circumstances mean it is unfair to judge his players.

“I deny that game,” he said. “I ignore that game against Spurs because we were downsized to 10 and the red card was overturned.

“It is not a fair assessment of the team to take this into consideration because we didn’t have the chance to bounce back. Of course, it was a tough first half, but in that period is also remember some very good chances.

“But you see this team is resilient and determined. Against Brentford and in tough away games, this team has showed character, fighting spirit and determination to win games.”

Dana White is dead-set on finding an alternative methodology to the UFC rankings, so much so that he says he recently reached out to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

In an interview with TNT Sports on Thursday, White kept many of his UFC rankings ideas close to his chest but continued to talk down on the current system of select media outlet representative polling.

“I could go on and on and on but I won’t,” White said. “We literally had meetings this week to work on it. I actually talked to Mark Zuckerberg, too, about AI, so yeah. I’m totally going to fix the rankings. We’re going to make a lot of strong moves here coming into 2025.”

White has become increasingly vocal about his displeasure with the current system, which has been in place since rankings were implemented in February 2013.

Recent gripes have included Renato Moicano staying put after his win over Benoit Saint Denis, Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree’s lack of impact, and Max Holloway being below Justin Gaethje.

White has since indicated that an algorithm-based ranking or alternative system is likely to be installed in the coming months. While White has said he’s having meetings with different groups regarding potential changes, the reference of Zuckerberg marks the first specific name he’s dropped.

New research finds girls’ confidence and enjoyment in physical activity plummets as puberty begins.

New research released on International Day of the Girl by children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust, highlights the deepening crisis of confidence girls face when they hit puberty, and the increasing impact of this on their physical activity levels and wellbeing throughout their teenage years and into adulthood.

Most girls in the UK begin their period at around 12 years of age, the age where their confidence to take part in and enjoyment of PE decline rapidly – according to this year’s Youth Sport Trust Girls Active survey. Meanwhile the same survey has shown boys’ experiences and attitudes remain relatively consistent across all age groups.

The Youth Sport Trust Girls Active survey is funded by Sport England National Lottery Funding and has been running since 2016, and this year received responses from more than 15,000 girls and boys aged between 7 and 18. Key findings from this year’s survey showed:

• The number of girls enjoying PE drops dramatically throughout school life. 86% of girls aged 7 to 8 enjoy PE, compared to 56% of girls aged 14 to 15.
• 46% of girls aged 14-15 report a lack of confidence stops them being physically active compared to 26% of girls aged 7-8.
• PE kit continues to be a contentious issue for girls, particularly around the onset of puberty. Just 23% of girls aged 14 to 15 feel confident in their PE kit, in contrast to 65% of girls aged 7 to 8.
• 61% of girls aged 11 and over worry about leaking in their PE kit and 58% of girls this age would like to have more PE kit options to choose from.

Alongside more flexible kit options, girls also want more empathy and support from teachers, coaches and peers to encourage them to continue participating. 42% of girls aged 11 and over do not feel comfortable at all talking to their PE teacher about their period, despite the impact it is having on their confidence to participate. The Youth Sport Trust’s Girls Active programme aims to tackle the barriers girls experience and helps to build a movement of girls and young women in primary and secondary schools, empowering them to take positive action through influencing, leading, and inspiring their peers. Results show 97% of leaders and 58% of participants across the programme felt more confident to take part in sport and physical activity.

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust said:

‘Sadly we are not currently getting it right for girls in the UK when it comes to providing positive experiences of PE, Sport and Play in schools.

‘We must proactively support girls through puberty, listening to and responding to their needs if we are to build their confidence and capability. Without this support, we know their experiences at school can alienate them from sport and physical activity for life. For too long, society has pressured girls to minimise the effects of puberty and ‘keep calm and carry on’, an attitude which can instil a deep sense of shame, with consequences for how they feel about physical activity and sport.

‘Also amplified by this new research is a message from young women and girls. They want to do more physical activity in school, and are particularly motivated by fun and friendship alongside being fit and healthy.

The Youth Sport Trust is committed to ensuring all children and young people enjoy the life changing benefits that come from play and sport but as the new Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson has rightly stated, “the health benefits of sport and play are obvious, and for girls in particular, focusing on what they can achieve helps them develop.”

The Girls Active programme which has been developed and evolved over two decades offers a blueprint for all schools and we are constantly seeking new partners and funders to help extend the reach of the programme.”

The Youth Sport Trust and LEGO Group are proud to be working together to tackle barriers girls experience, empowering them to make positive change thorough participation in sport and play. After reading the results of the survey, LEGO Team Unstoppable Ambassador and England footballer Lauren Hemp said:

“It’s disappointing to see such a drop in confidence and enjoyment in PE for girls as they go through puberty. What’s equally concerning is that this can affect attitudes to physical activity throughout your life, which can have a huge negative impact on wellbeing, health and quality of life. It’s so important we listen to girls and increase opportunities for them to be active in a way that works for them.”

The Youth Sport Trust is calling upon the government to support schools to improve access to PE, Sport and Play for girls by:

• Listening to girls and empowering them to make choices about the kit they wear and how activities are delivered to build their confidence
• Increasing opportunities for girls to be physically active throughout the school day including through PE, in breakfast and co-curricular sports clubs, and at break times
• Training teachers in tackling gender stereotypes and education around body confidence and female biology.

The anticipated clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at UFC 308 is almost here.

The other fighters at UFC 308 media day gave their opinions on how it will all go down at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon.

Ilia Topuria (15-0) makes his first title defense at the event. Topuria won the belt in his last trip to the Octagon when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round at UFC 298 this past February.

Holloway (26-7) has won four of his last five fights. The former UFC champion is coming off of one of the most iconic performances of his career when he delivered a fifth-round knockout of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 300 main event to win the “BMF” title belt. He earned Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night honors for this memorable clash.

Holloway has had three title shots since he last had the belt at UFC 240, coming up short each time against Volkanovski.

LOS ANGELES — When Juan Soto takes the field before first pitches in the Bronx, he sprints to his position in right field and gets the crowd going. As spectacular an entertainer as he is a disciplined hitter, he raises his arms and implores the home fans sitting directly behind him to bring animated energy. Sometimes he interacts with the crowd by signing baseballs. And after his first ever roll call from the bleacher creatures, he responded by taking a full bow for them. Most days, though, he puts his arms over his head and makes the shape of a heart when he hears his name being chanted.

It’s all love for Soto and the Yankees as they get ready to take on the Dodgers in the World Series. 

“I feel like it’s them. They make it really easy for me,” Soto said Thursday, when asked why he’s fit in so well with the Yankees. “They really welcomed me, really nice, and how they treat me and how they make me feel when I stepped in that clubhouse in spring training. They really make it easy for me. I think they are the big part of this, that’s why I feel really comfortable with where I’m at and how happy I am right now.”

Friday’s Game 1 also happens to be Soto’s 26th birthday, and there’s no other way he’d rather celebrate than by getting a win and a leg up over Los Angeles. Winning is what Soto cherishes to his core, and it will be at the top of his list of priorities when he’s exploring free agency this offseason, too.

In Soto’s best-case scenario, he helps the Yankees win the Fall Classic with more clutch at-bats like the one he had in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series in Cleveland, and he hits the market with his stock peaking. We know he turned down a reported $440 million in 2022 from the Nationals, the team that signed him out of the Dominican Republic and later won a World Series with him, not long before he was traded to the Padres. Entering this season, it was widely believed Soto could command a contract worth at least $500 million. Then he posted career highs in bWAR (8.8) and OPS+ (178) for a full season. 

Don’t be surprised if Soto’s overall contract value surpasses $600 million this winter. 

[RELATED: Full coverage of the World Series]

“I would say Scott [Boras] has been doing a really good job to not make it hard for me,” Soto said. “He’s been taking all the bullets and everything. I’m just focusing on playing baseball right now. That’s what I’ve been doing since day one, just focusing on baseball, and anything that comes up with [free agency], I just let him [handle] it.”

All of which begs the question, what’s the Yankees’ best-case scenario? Of course, they want to win the World Series with Soto in the only season he’s certain to be in pinstripes. But that would hardly make their negotiations with him this winter any simpler. In fact, if he’s wearing a second World Series ring as he tours ballparks and meets with team owners in the offseason, that will only add more zeroes to his asking price. 

One of those team owners is expected to be Mets billionaire Steve Cohen, who has significant money coming off the books this winter and has shown he will go after a coveted free agent if he really wants to. Since winning is what matters most to Soto, the Mets just showed the world that they could block out the noise, put their heads down, and compete all the way to the playoffs — their enchanted season finally finishing in the NLCS against the Dodgers, just two wins shy of reaching the Fall Classic despite no one expecting them to even sniff October baseball. The trifecta of Cohen, top baseball executive David Stearns and promising first-year manager Carlos Mendoza should make Queens an attractive borough for impending free agents, including Soto. 

The left-handed slugger is expected to field several offers this offseason, with big spenders such as the Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers and Giants, and maybe even the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Cardinals all potentially in play as landing spots. But in the end, it could very well come down to a two-team bidding war in New York, and that should unnerve Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner. If Cohen really wants to go after Soto, it’s hard to envision the Yankees beating his offer. Really, the Yankees cannot let it get down to that if they’re resolute on keeping Soto in the Bronx.

The Yankees will have to make an extremely competitive offer to keep Soto long term. This isn’t the time to play games, cross their fingers and hope Soto will stay, just because they traded for him last winter and have experienced a majestic season together. Soto has won before, and he’s been elite everywhere he’s played. Moreover, he reminded all 30 teams this postseason how quickly he can change the game with one at-bat, one swing, and send his team to the World Series. Several owners figure to be willing to bet the house on such a generational superstar and join the Soto sweepstakes this offseason. 

When considering that he’s arguably the second-best young free agent in the history of the sport — behind only Álex Rodríguez — it’s fair to wonder, other than the obvious, what separates Soto from the rest of his peers. It starts with a dedication to his craft that even stands out to fellow generational talent Aaron Judge.

“I think it might have been early May, we were in Minnesota, I think he may have had a couple bad games,” Judge explained. “I saw him in the cage, he showed up early doing work with [Yankees assistant hitting coach] Pat Roessler. And I was talking to him like, ‘Hey, what are you working on? What are you doing?’ And he was like, ‘Ah, I just don’t feel right. This doesn’t feel right. This doesn’t feel right.’ And also, I’m looking up at the scoreboard, and he’s hitting .320, 15 homers. I’m like, ‘I think you’re doing alright.’ 

“So, it’s impressive to see, even a guy like him, he looks like he’s got it all figured out, he continues to put in the work, put in the dedication year in and year out. He’s one of the best players in the game, a superstar, and he continues to want to improve and continue to do better.” 

Soto’s iconic 10th inning at-bat in Game 5 of the ALCS in Cleveland had me wondering if he’s the most confident player at the plate in baseball right now, particularly as someone who can deliver in those high-pressure situations — so, I asked Aaron Boone. 

The Yankees manager paused for 10 full seconds before answering whether Soto is the most confident player he’s ever managed, or currently playing in the game. He appeared to search for the best way to answer “yes” without disparaging his other great, potentially Cooperstown-bound sluggers.

“I mean, I don’t know,” Boone chuckled. “I think we have a number of those players that are pretty confident in what they can do. He’s one of the greats that I’ve ever managed, but I’m managing a few of those guys. One of the things that’s certainly been enjoyable for me is getting to know Juan, the person and who he is. And to see his at-bat quality all year. 

“I go back to the first spring training game where there were a lot of eyes on that, and it’s like you became very aware very early that, I’ve described it as, his at-bats are like wars, battles. It’s not too often that you see the crowd feed off of ball one, strike one [like] with Juan, because he creates this theatrical battle between him and the pitcher as much as anyone I’ve ever seen.”

It’s hard to believe there’s a manager out there who would want anyone other than Soto at the plate right now when the game — the season — is on the line. For one, Soto’s elite plate discipline puts him on another playing field. He hardly ever makes mistakes, and when he does, he adjusts his swing decisions within the same at-bat. Although 26 years young, he enters every high-leverage situation believing in his heart of hearts that he’s the best player on the diamond. Soto’s unrelenting temperament gives him the chance to wait for the pitch he knows he can hit. The bigger the moment, the higher the stakes, the more likely he is to seize his golden opportunity. 

All of this has built Soto’s mythology and made him a monumental figure in the history of baseball, already. Just keep in mind that even though he has clearly relished playing for the Yankees and batting in front of Judge, especially now that they’re four wins away from winning the whole damn thing, that doesn’t make his free agency a foregone conclusion. Other front offices are salivating at the thought of adding Soto to their rosters, and if there’s a wide enough gap between those proposals and what the Yankees are offering, Soto’s time in the Bronx could be over next week. 

Unlike his interactions with the fan base on a nightly basis, the decision of where to sign a long-term contract and spend the next decade or more of his career won’t just be about love. 

Oftentimes, the determination to win can be a business. 

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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McLaren’s petition to seek a right of review over Lando Norris’s penalty for overtaking Max Verstappen off track in Austin shows it remains deeply unhappy over what happened last weekend.

And while few would argue against the fact that overtaking off track is not allowed in F1, a deeper understanding of what played out at Turn 12 has opened up a much more complex scenario.

While the focus of the debate in recent days has been on what F1’s Driving Standards Guidelines do and do not allow when it comes to attacking and defending, there is perhaps a fresh element of the Norris/Verstappen incident that has moved into the spotlight.

And it is, that when it comes to determining what Verstappen and Norris were duty bound by the regulations to do, which of them was attacking and which of them was defending.

It is this interpretation that alone can change perceptions of the incidents and decide who was right and who was wrong. After all, if Norris was officially ahead before the braking zone, then how can he have overtaken off track? He would have been simply holding on to his position after being forced wide by an attacker down the inside.

The original stewards’ verdict in Austin was clear that it did not see things that way, as it felt Norris “was overtaking Car 1 on the outside, but was not level with Car 1 at the apex.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battles with Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

This meant that having not been where he needed to be as the cars turned through the corner, Norris had lost the right to be given room on the exit.

So, by being behind him as they went into the corner, then it was obvious it would be a rules breach to overtake him after running wide.

But it was interesting to hear Norris suggest on Thursday in Mexico that the situation is not as clear as that, and that in his view it was actually Verstappen doing the overtaking.

“I was completely ahead of Max,” he said. “I was over a car length ahead of him so I was no longer the attacking car. He was.

“I was ahead of Max, I was having to defend, he was the one attacking me and effectively he has gone in too hard and overtaken off the track. I just maintained my position so it is something I am sure we will discuss, as it has been a big talking point since last weekend.”

New video released

The viewpoint of Norris being ahead has most likely crystallised over the past few days with more detailed video onboard footage of the incident being released by F1 Management.

As part of the way that footage is captured, each car during the race is only able to broadcast a single feed. In Norris’s car, it was the forward-facing onboard, while Verstappen’s live camera was looking back towards the rear wing.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battles with Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

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This meant judging the relative position of the two cars against each other from the drivers’ perspective was pretty hard. Plus the only other camera angles that the international feed showed of the build-up to the incident were a helicopter cam view and a camera inside Turn 12, neither of which made the relative position of the two cars crystal clear.

On Tuesday this week, however, downloaded footage from onboard cameras did offer some fresh perspective of the incident.

And while there is still no sign of Verstappen’s forward-facing onboard, 360-degree camera views from both cars showed the McLaren did get well in front of the Red Bull on the straight – before they entered the braking zone.

So from Norris’s perspective, the verdict should be based on Verstappen attacking him down the inside under braking, rather than him being viewed as the one trying to go around the outside.

The Driving Guidelines do not make reference to at what point one car is deemed to be ahead of another, but if it is ruled that Norris was actually ahead then Verstappen would have needed to fulfil some key criteria for the pass to be allowed.

They are that his car must:

• Have its front axle AT LEAST ALONGSIDE of the mirror of the other car no later than the apex of the corner
• Be driven in a safe and controlled manner throughout the manoeuvre (entry, apex and exit).
• Without (deliberately) forcing the other car off the track at the exit. This includes leaving an acceptable width for the car being overtaken from the apex to the exit of the corner
• Be able to make the corner within the track limits.

Based on how the incident played out, Verstappen fulfilled the first point, and he would argue that he ticked off point two. However, he would fail on the third and fourth elements.

The new evidence issue

Should McLaren be pursuing this route that the Norris penalty was wrong because he was not the overtaking car, then before it can even plead its case on that front it first of all has to convince the stewards that it has found a new, relevant and significant element.

With the stewards having had access to telemetry, the live television feeds and GPS car positioning data on Sunday afternoon in Austin, it is likely that the fresh evidence will include the new video camera angles – and potentially the testimony of the drivers.

The use of a fresh video feed is similar to what happened after the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix when Mercedes lodged a right of review request over Verstappen’s defensive driving against Lewis Hamilton in that race.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, battles with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

This footage was of Verstappen’s onboard camera, which offered a better insight into his viewpoint and steering input during a Turn 4 incident.

At the time, the stewards who were reconvened to look at the matter accepted that the onboard angle was new and that it was relevant as it “allowed the overall position of the cars, the steering inputs of the driver of Car 33, the heading of the cars and the proximity of the cars to be analysed together”

However, they denied that the new onboard footage passed the “significant’ test as it showed “nothing exceptional that is particularly different from the other angles that were available to them at the time, or that particularly changes their decision that was based on the originally available footage.”

If McLaren is indeed submitting fresh video footage to try to help its case, then it too may struggle to convince the stewards that the 360-degree cameras do tell a different story of the incident.

However, one notable difference between the Brazil 2021 case and the current matter is that back then, there was no hard decision to review, as the stewards had let Verstappen’s antics go.

They said at the time this was “the motor racing equivalent of  ‘Play-On’ in other sports.”

In a statement where they rejected the Mercedes request, they said they did not feel that the Right of Review element of the International Sporting Code should be used for “such discretionary decisions that do not follow on from a formal inquiry by the Stewards and do not result in a published document.”

This time around, there was a formal inquiry over Norris’ driving and a published document that can be reviewed.

The key now though is whether the Right of Review hearing will even get that far, or will be thrown out at the first hurdle because the new evidence is not good enough.