There have been calls for Michael Carrick to get the Manchester United job on a permanent basis in the summer with the club aiming for Champions League qualification.

Manchester United are yet to make any decision over who will be the club’s manager come the summer. Michael Carrick was appointed on an interim basis until the end of the season, with the form of the team leading to calls for the appointment to be made permanent.

Of his 10 games in charge, United have won seven, drawn two and lost just one. Those results have seen the side climb up to third place in the Premier League table and put themselves in the driving seat for Champions League qualification.

Sky Sports reports that if United achieve that, then it would be ‘very hard’ for club chiefs to opt for another change in the managerial seat. It is, however, added that chiefs will continue to ignore calls for the appointment to be made permanent until they are ‘convinced’ that it is the right move.

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United are reported to be reluctant to rush into a decision over the next manager while the team are in good form and performing well. As well as Carrick, United continue to be linked with other potential permanent managers.

Current Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann and former Marseille and Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi are among the favourites to take the role behind Carrick.

Sky Sports reports that the club are yet to make contact with any possible candidate and are keen to take their time over the decision.

Despite the impressive results since Carrick has taken over, United legend Roy Keane still wants the club to go in a different direction. When asked if he would give Carrick the role following the recent 3-1 win over Aston Villa, the Irishman said: “No, I think there are better options out there.

“I think the games that he has come in, he has won football matches and done a very good job. He has simplified things, but there has been no jeopardy in those games. They’ve had free weeks to prepare for those matches, it has been good timing for him, and he has done a very good job. I take my hat off to him.

“And if he does get the job in the summer, good luck to him. But I think there are far better options out there for the next manager of Man United.

“If Carrick had been mentioned three months ago as the next United manager you’d have been locked up. He wasn’t even in the reckoning! But with time he has got the opportunity and he has done a very good job. I just think there are better options out there.

“Most players do like a caretaker manager. It’s different when he comes in and has to make a decision about contracts, pre-season and medical staff, transfers and recruitment.

“I think to manage Manchester United, you need someone a lot more experienced in terms of winning trophies, competing in Europe and he hasn’t got that. He might have that in a few years, and he might be in the mix then, but the fact he’s winning football matches at the moment of course gives him a great chance.

“So everyone else can get giddy about Man United being third in the league but I don’t. I’m not one of them. I don’t get all excited for stuff like that. I get excited when teams are winning trophies and competing week in, week out. So, I’m not one to get too giddy.”

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Indian shuttlers Tanvi Sharma and Isharani Baruah bowed out in the women’s singles semifinals after suffering straight-game losses at the Orleans Masters Super 300 badminton tournament here on Saturday.

Unable to rein in her errors, 17-year-old Tanvi, a World Junior Championships silver medallist, went down 9-21 16-21 in 35 minutes to former world champion and fifth seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan.

Later, 22-year-old Isharani went down 12-21 21-23 to Thailand’s Pitchamon Opatniputh, the 2023 World Junior Championships, bringing curtains down on India’s campaign in the USD 250,000 event.

Tanvi had come into the match with confidence, having beaten Okuhara, a 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, at the Syed Modi International last year in a thrilling three-game contest.

Known for her long rallies, Okuhara opened up a 3-0 lead and moved to 6-3 as Tanvi committed a string of unforced errors. The Japanese used her deception effectively, while Tanvi struggled with her length, trailing 6-11 at the interval.

Okuhara constructed her rallies smartly, moving Tanvi around the court and finishing with steep smashes. The Indian looked out of sorts as most of her strokes went wide or long, allowing Okuhara to surge to 19-7.

A cross-court smash briefly kept Tanvi in the contest before Okuhara earned multiple game points and sealed the opening game when the Indian hit long.

After the break, Okuhara again raced to a 3-0 lead as Tanvi’s forehand continued to let her down, with shots going wide, long, or into the net.

The Indian showed brief resistance, producing a fine net shot and smash combination at 4-7 and later clawing back to 12-12 after a series of errors from Okuhara.

However, the Japanese regained control, winning a 25-shot rally at 14-13 and moving ahead with precise placement. A brilliant diving save at 18-14 took her within touching distance of victory.

Tanvi sprayed wide to hand over match points and, despite saving one, succumbed after Okuhara finished with a delicate slice winner.

Isharani vs Opatniputh 
Isharani was level at 4-4 early on but fell behind as Opatniputh took control, opening up a lead and maintaining it to close out the first game comfortably.

The Indian relied on her opponent’s errors at times but struggled to break through the Thai’s solid defence, eventually conceding the game after a series of mistakes.

In the second game, Isharani started strongly, moving to 6-3 and then 9-4 with attacking strokes. However, a string of unforced errors, including a long serve and wayward returns, allowed Opatniputh to claw back and take a narrow lead at the interval.

The Indian fought hard, drawing level at 17-17 and even taking the lead after winning a gruelling 31-shot rally.

But in a tense finish, errors at crucial moments proved costly as she failed to convert game points, eventually handing the match to the Thai, who sealed it with a cross-court smash.

The 19-year-old Opatniputh, a runner-up at the Indonesia Masters earlier this year, showed greater composure in the closing stages, while Isharani, a 2025 Odisha Masters Super 100 runner-up, fell just short despite a spirited effort.

File image of Mohsin Naqvi© AFP

Amad was at the centre of a hugely controversial incident against Bournemouth with his Manchester United teammates and pundits discussing the penalty call

Manchester United players and former footballers have had plenty to say on the Amad penalty drama from the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. With United a goal in front, Amad appeared to be fouled by Adrien Truffert in the penalty box, but Stuart Atwell waved appeals away, with Bournemouth going on to equalise moments later.

It was later revealed that the club would be filing a complaint to the PGMOL, with several players angered by the decision. Former Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna was in agreement with those opinions but stressed that lodging an official complaint is pointless.

He said: “Man United should’ve been awarded a penalty. If this foul is committed in the middle of the pitch, there are no doubts about the right decision.

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“There isn’t much point in filing a complaint – the game has been played and there’s no reversing the decision. VAR is good, but the problem lies in how it is used and who uses it.

“If a former player is managing VAR and the replays, they would’ve given that penalty, because they would’ve identified the defender is in an unnatural position and commits a foul. But instead, the referees don’t give the foul.”

United did get a form of response from the Premier League with their official Match Centre account on X explaining why VAR did not intervene.

Their post read: “#BOUMUN – 67’ The referee’s call of no penalty for a challenge by Truffert was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed the contact was not sufficient for a foul.”

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Coming out of the clash, the anger largely stemmed from Harry Maguire conceding a penalty and being sent off for a challenge not too dissimilar. The United defender took to Instagram to make his feelings clear about the two decisions.

He said: “So soft but that’s where football is at atm and I should know better. You would think both decisions would reach the same outcome. We will be back after the break. Safe travel home reds , your support has been unbelievable.”

United captain Bruno Fernandes spoke to Sky Sports after the game and was unsurprisingly asked about the penalty incidents.

He said: “I know it’s difficult for the referee to give two penalties to the same team in one game but I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t get involved in that situation or with Harry [Maguire] because either one is a penalty and so is the other or none of them are,” the Portuguese said after the game.

“I think the other situation is a penalty but I also think the one on Amad is a penalty and that could’ve changed the game.”

Those two big decisions from Atwell also dominated Michael Carrick’s press conference with the 44-year-old left stunned that only one penalty was given.

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United’s interim head coach said: “He’s definitely got one of them wrong because he’s given one penalty for us for the same thing that he’s not given one. There’s a two-arm grab. The Matheus one he gives, the second one on Amad he doesn’t, which I think is almost identical, really.

“If you have two hands on someone in the box and they go over and they’re in control of the ball, for me it’s two penalties. It will be interesting to see which one they acknowledge is wrong: the one we got or the one we didn’t get.

“It’s a huge moment. They don’t give it, they go down the other end and score and then it becomes all of a sudden, ‘oh, it needs to be a bigger penalty to overturn,’ just because they scored, when actually it’s a penalty and it should be a penalty if you’ve already given one.

“It’s baffling really to make sense of that. And because they score, the game flips a little bit and changes. We defended with the 10 men after all that very well. But the penalty one is just astonishing, I have to say. One of them must be wrong.”

The man opposite him in the dugout from Friday evening, Andoni Iraola, revealed his very different opinion after the stalemate.

Speaking on Match of the Day, the Cherries boss said: “Now we have the advantage we can see replays quickly and I didn’t think there was anything in that one [Amad]. I think the Evanilson one and the Matheus Cunha one are both penalties because defenders lose the position and then the Amad one is never a penalty.

“We asked for one in the first half – Harry Maguire with two hands behind his back – but I don’t think that was enough for a penalty either. I don’t think there is much to discuss.”

He also stated in his post-match press conference: “I would add another incident, I think there are four incidents. The two penalties they’ve called are clear penalties, the defenders involved in both situations lose their position and have to commit a foul.

“The Amad penalty I don’t think is a penalty, there is no contact and he goes to the floor very light. We complained also about the first half, two hands behind the back, Maguire on Evanilson, but I don’t think it’s enough in the same way to call a penalty.

“I think the decisions in the four cases are correct. I’ve had time to review them and I think the big decision they have got it right.”

Plenty of ex pros and now pundits were also on hand to share verdicts with United receiving one immediately from their former striker Andy Cole.

“I think the difference he is denying a goal scoring, just cause of the momentum Harry puts his arm out,” he said on Sky Sports. “I think it’s harsh. It’s a great touch, so I’m not going down, but in today’s game, for me it is a penalty. When we were playing, no chance.

“It’s [a] very physical [challenge] in today’s game. We’ll see with the another penalty in a minute that Harry Maguire gets sent off for, if I’m in that position I’m not going down so I don’t think it is a penalty.”

Even with the clash taking place on Friday evening, the controversial incidents have remained a big talking point over 48 hours on. Gary Lineker has become the latest pundit to disagree with Atwell’s decision.

He said on the Rest is Football podcast: “Manchester United got a point. Let’s discuss [what] came first. They got a point. They look in good shape, really, in third.

“I mean, that twist of, you know, they go one up and then there’s another penalty shout, which did really look like a penalty.

“And then for the team to go to the other end of the pitch and score, it’s like a double whammy against them. And then Maguire gets sent off for something that was quite similar to the one earlier on.”

Co-presenter Alan Shearer added: “I think the referee messed up in that. I mean, if you’re going to give one of those, then you have to give the others as well for me. I think he messed up.”

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Houston Astros star Carlos Correa detailed a harrowing ordeal he and his son faced on a Minnesota lake last summer.

Correa and his 3-year-old son were swimming in Lake Minnetonka when his legs began to cramp up. With his son clinging to him, Correa noticed a buoy a few feet away and swam to it in a last-ditch effort to stay alive.

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Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sept. 12, 2025. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)

He said he turned to God to help him through the strenuous time.

“’Lord, save me,’” he told MLB.com. “‘I promise you that if you save me from this one, I will serve you and I will serve you forever.’”

Correa wasn’t out of the woods yet when he got to the buoy. He slipped and fell under the water. As he struggled to stay above the water, he yelled out to a boat for help. Correa’s father-in-law, who was on the boat, noticed the MLB player struggling and swam out to help him.

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Houston Astros infielder Carlos Correa works during spring training at CACTI Park of The Palm Beaches on Feb. 15, 2026. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)

“I was like, ‘From that moment on, I’m going to serve you,’” Correa said he told God in that moment. “I am going to keep my promise. And from that moment, I’ve been fully devoted.”

Houston acquired Correa in a trade with the Minnesota Twins last July. It ended up being his second stint with the Astros as he continues to be on the team at the start of the 2026 season.

He played 51 games for the Astros in 2025, hitting .290 with six home runs.

Correa played eight years for the Astros from 2015 to 2021 before he signed a deal with the Twins. He was a two-time All-Star in his first run with Houston, won a World Series and was the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year.

Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa warms up for the Texas Rangers game at Daikin Park on Sept. 15, 2025. (Erik Williams/Imagn Images)

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He’s set to be in the lineup once again for opening day. The lineup includes Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez.

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Prominent sprint filly Tempted has a barrier trial lined up this week to ensure she stays primed for her Sydney autumn carnival mission.

The three-year-old filly is entered in a 1000m trial at Hawkesbury come Monday or 1030m at Rosehill Tuesday, trainer Ciaron Maher favouring the latter pending track reports.

Chad Schofield remains her booked rider for whichever she contests.

“I’ll see what the tracks are like, but she will probably go to Rosehill,” Maher said.

Tempted was second to top-rated Ka Ying Rising in The Everest (1200m) during last spring’s campaign, then broke through for Group 1 glory in a tenacious victory in Randwick’s Surround Stakes (1400m) on February 28.

Since that win, she’s been given time to stay fresh, and a trip to Maher’s Bong Bong yard recently confirmed her superb condition.

“I was down at Bong Bong during the week. I pulled her out of the paddock, and I thought, she’s going to jump out of the paddock, so I swiftly put her back away,” he said.

“She’s in great order.”

Her probable next outing is the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) over Randwick on April 11, yet trainer Maher keeps the door ajar for the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) the week before against older rivals.

“Maybe an Arrowfield or TJ. I will see what the other horses are doing,” he said.

Tempted is even money to win the Arrowfield, while offered at $8 in early TJ Smith fields.

Also trialling at Rosehill Tuesday is 2022 Everest champion Giga Kick, who ran a promising fourth behind Generosity in the Challenge Stakes (1000m) for Clayton Douglas.

He targets a rematch in the TJ Smith Stakes after running second to I Wish I Win in the race three years ago.

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Brazil defender Gabriel Magalhaes has become the latest player from title-chasing Arsenal to withdraw from international duty with injury.

Six of the Arsenal first-team squad have now pulled out or been determined to be unavailable to represent their country in the international window that begins this week.

The Brazil Football Federation (CBF) said that Gabriel will miss the friendlies against France and Croatia, which will take place in the United States, because of “pain in his right knee”.

The CBF says that imaging tests confirmed the 28-year-old’s injury.

Gabriel played the full 90 minutes as Arsenal lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

His fellow Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has withdrawn from the France squad, with Les Bleus also travelling to the US for their friendly matches against Brazil and Colombia.

England midfielder Eberechi Eze was called up to Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan but withdrew with a calf problem.

He suffered that blow in Arsenal‘s 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League last-16 second leg and missed the Wembley defeat on Sunday.

Arsenal team-mate Ben White has since been called up by Tuchel to fortify the England squad.

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed the club are waiting for Eze to undergo another scan to find out the severity of his injury.

Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard is out of the Belgium squad for their matches against the USA and Mexico because of an injury issue.

Club captain Martin Odegaard was already ruled out of Norway duty because of a knee injury, while Dutch defender Jurrien Timber is also out of action at the moment.

Arsenal are competing to win their first Premier League title for 22 years and lead second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand, by nine points.

They are next in action when they take on Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4, before they play the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting on April 7.

The Gunners resume their league campaign on April 11 when they play Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium.

Foden has now collected 18 trophies since breaking through into the first-team as a teenager and was called up to the expanded England squad for the forthcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

But there are question marks as to whether he will make the cut for this summer’s World Cup, while he failed to make it off the bench in last week’s Champions League last-16 second leg tie against Real Madrid, with City suffering a 5-1 loss on aggregate.

Speaking on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show, the former Manchester United forward said: “I felt sad for him but not sad because he is coming on in a cup final.

“There was a game a few days ago when he didn’t even get on the pitch. If that was Max Dowman coming on at the end, you would think good experience. But to see Phil Foden coming on in a cup final, it felt like a charity sub to get him on the pitch.

“I don’t know what has happened, he is a top player. It feels strange he can’t get anywhere near the team. It feels like something has gone on there.

“I thought Foden was in good form but all of a sudden we haven’t seen him get any minutes. Firstly he will be pleased they won the cup but from a selfish point of view, he would have wanted to be out there and having an influence.

“That will be a tough one for him.”

Arthur Fils delivered one of the most dominant performances of the tournament, crushing Stefanos Tsitsipas 6–0, 6–1 at the Miami Open 2026.

From the first point to the last, it was complete control. Tsitsipas had no answers as Fils dictated everything.

The win continues a remarkable trend. Fils is now 5–0 against Tsitsipas.

Even more impressive, this is only his fifth tournament since returning from injury, yet he’s already:
into his second Miami Round of 16
won 9 of his last 11 matches

After the match, Fils didn’t hold back:

“That was the best match I ever played I think in my life. I played some great matches before, but this level was insane, man. I don’t know what to say. I’m very happy with the performance and hopefully I can keep this level til the end of the week.”

Asked if he’s fully back, his answer was simple:

“Oh man, I’m fully back. It’s like I never left ”

On the other side, Tsitsipas was visibly frustrated, even directing complaints toward the umpire about the conditions:

“You should be ashamed of yourself. Have you ever seen me serve and miss a forehand for 5 hours in a row? It doesn’t happen. I cannot see the ball. I don’t know how he sees the ball.”

John O’Shea says he is confident the Republic of Ireland can carry the momentum gained in November into Thursday’s World Cup play-off semi-final against the Czech Republic (19:45 GMT).

In danger of missing out, the Republic of Ireland pulled off stunning victories over Portugal and Hungary to reach this stage.

The 3-2 win in Budapest was a rare success on the road for the Republic of Ireland, but O’Shea has faith that the players can replicate that heroic performance and keep alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

“Without a doubt, but you have to reinforce that [idea of momentum] straightaway,” said O’Shea.

“The boss [Heimir Hallgrimsson] had a meeting with the boys this morning and we’ll reinforce that in the training sessions and video meetings we’ll have over the next couple of days to transport themselves back to that moment in Hungary, but then fast forward to what’s ahead of us in Prague, tough opposition but one we can have success against.”

The Republic of Ireland will set up a play-off final at home to Denmark or North Macedonia on 31 March with victory in Prague.

There are no fresh injury concerns from the weekend’s club action following Hallgrimsson’s squad announcement on Thursday.

“The boys are in a good place,” added O’Shea, who won 118 Republic of Ireland caps but was not included in the 2002 World Cup squad.

“Training today was almost reminding me of that cup final scenario. Everyone’s wanting to get into the team, the intensity, the noise and the atmosphere around the boys is brilliant.

“There’s a quiet confidence in the group growing together, it’s great to see but we know there’s a lot of hard work to come.”