Manchester United face a big three months as they look to clinch Champions League qualification under Michael Carrick

Manchester United are currently enjoying a two-week break due to their third round exit from the FA Cup but will need to quickly get back up to speed. By the time Monday’s game at Everton rolls around, some 13 days will have passed since Benjamin Sesko secured United a point at West Ham.

That doesn’t mean we’ve been free from headlines about United, though, with much of the chatter focusing on what’s to come this summer. A decision will need to be made regarding Michael Carrick’s future as manager, with 12 matches of the season left for him to make his case even more strongly, while some transfer activity is inevitable regardless of who occupies the dugout.

United have already confirmed Casemiro won’t be at Old Trafford next season, with the Brazilian international aiming to leave on a high note. Things aren’t set in stone when it comes Marcus Rashford, who is currently on loan at Barcelona and could well still move to Camp Nou permanently.

We have an update on another of United’s loanees, as well as a separate Barca battle. Here are our latest discussion points from around Old Trafford.

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Lausanne decision causes Kone concern

The winter transfer window wasn’t the busiest for Manchester United but it did see Sekou Kone loaned out to Lausanne-Sport in early February. However, the Malian midfielder’s move hasn’t quite gone according to plan – at least not for his first few weeks in Switzerland.

Kone made his debut coming off the bench against Thun in a league defeat. However, he has remained an unused substitute in Lausanne’s other two February fixtures, and has now been left out of the club’s Conference League squad.

United highlighted possible European involvement as justification for loaning Kone to Switzerland. Now, according to The Mail, the latest development has caused concern

Lausanne secured ninth position in the Conference League table before Christmas, suffering just one defeat in their six league phase fixtures. This means they’re seeded for the play-off round, where they face Czech outfit Sigma Olomouc.

Double battle with Barca

Manchester United could see their transfer plans derailed by Barcelona not once but twice, according to reports from Germany. Borussia Dortmund right-back Julian Ryerson is one of two reported United targets also eyed by the Catalan club, as well as young German midfielder Kennert Eichhorn.

According to BILD (via Sport Witness), Eichhorn has attracted attention from several major clubs with his performances for Hertha Berlin. Bundesliga sides Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig have been mentioned as possible destinations, along with Barcelona, Real Madrid and United.

The wonderkid only celebrated his 16th birthday in July but established himself in Hertha’s first team before sustaining an ankle injury which has sidelined him for the last three matches. He has featured in 12 of his side’s 2. Bundesliga games this season as Stefan Leitl’s team occupy sixth place in the standings.

The defensive midfielder reportedly has a release clause around £10million. It’s anticipated that he will make a move this summer, even if Hertha manage to secure promotion back to the top tier.

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Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.

With three wins in only four starts, the lightly raced three-year-old Decorum has emerged as a prospect for the Group One Rosehill Guineas.

Trained by Michael Freedman and jumping at $1.65 in betting, the colt capitalised on his recent first-up score at Warwick Farm by grinding out victory in Wednesday’s Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1600m) at the same course, wearing down Lancelot Du Lac ($2.80) by a narrow half-length margin.

As the full brother to 2024 Coolmore Stud Stakes champion Switzerland, Decorum demonstrates a preference for stamina-testing distances over his brother’s sprint prowess, and victorious jockey Tommy Berry agrees on his bright outlook.

“I just can’t wait to get him to 2000 (metres). He feels like he’s looking for that sort of ground,” Berry said.

“There is definitely a good race in him. I’m just not sure which one it is.”

Entries are in place for Decorum in multiple autumn carnival majors, including the Randwick Guineas and Rosehill Guineas.

Among the frontrunners for those is Spring Champion Stakes graduate Attica, resuming Saturday in Randwick’s Hobartville Stakes, whom Berry likens to Decorum.

Specifically, Attica had to dig deep to defeat Decorum in their joint debut at Warwick Farm last season, en route to Group 1 success three starts beyond.

“Not that I’ve ridden Attica, but I’ve seen plenty of him, he reminds me a little bit of him a ‘prep’ ago, so he’s a prep behind him,” Berry said.

“He’s one of those horses, he’s a real working class horse and when the penny drops, which probably won’t be until the spring, he’s just going to keep going the way he’s going.

“The Randwick Guineas might be a little bit sharp for him, but you’ve probably got to go there on your way to a Rosehill Guineas.”

Decorum arguably posted the day’s top result, yet Nash Rawiller dominated the riding stakes with three winners from the opening trio of races.

He piloted late addition Satirically for Tulloch Lodge to win first-up, before striking again with Wolf Gap from Anthony and Sam Freedman and Straand Beauty for John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.

Head to the betting sites for competitive racing betting markets on the Rosehill Guineas.

Jammu and Kashmir’s players celebrate after the team’s victory in Ranji Trophy semifinal against Bengal. (PTI Photo)

KALYANI: History had barely settled in when the phone rang. A familiar face flashed up on a video call. Minutes after Jammu and Kashmir sealed a spot in the Ranji Trophy final, the team heard from BCCI president Mithun Manhas, a former head of the J&K cricket’s ad-hoc committee. It was fitting. J&K first entered the Ranji Trophy in the 1959-60 season. For decades they were treated as plucky participants, rarely as genuine threats. The transformation into a side that now talks — and plays — like title contenders has had Manhas’ imprint on it.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“We have done it, Mithun,” J&K coach Ajay Sharma shouted out on the phone, “Mithun and I go back a long way. He made his debut for Delhi under me. I know how hard he had worked for this.”There is a fairy-tale quality to J&K’s rise as a cricketing power: overcoming odds, brushing aside doubts, and learning the most important skill of all — self-belief. But this isn’t a story built on romance alone. It has also been shaped by method, patience and the hard labour of building a culture.

Former Delhi player Sharma himself admits he struggled to get a grip when he first took charge before the 2022-23 season. “When I joined for the first time, I was handling 38 boys. I was alone then,” Sharma said.The set-up looks very different now. J&K have a bowling coach in P Krishnakumar and Dishant Yagnik as their fielding coach. These are small additions on paper, significant ones in a dressing room trying to grow into a winning unit.“Initially it was challenging because it was a very different culture in J&K. It took me around two years to understand these kids. It took time to bond with them,” he said. “I was hard on them initially. But today they see me as an elder brother.”The first shift, Sharma believes, had to happen in the mind. “These boys only think about white-ball cricket and the IPL. We have players from the state in the IPL. But Mithun, as J&K cricket administrator, had a vision and that is to win the Ranji trophy. Ranji trophy still remains the country’s premier tournament. If you do well here your name goes ahead,” Sharma said.From there, the work became more deliberate: identify a core and keep backing it. A group of 24-25 boys began to take shape — some, like left-arm pacer Sunil Kumar, emerging through talent-hunt competitions. “It’s the same bunch which has developed as we kept giving them confidence,” Sharma stated.Alongside confidence came ambition — not the loud, throwaway kind, but some-thing planted carefully and watered over seasons. “I slowly made them understand that you are all talented guys and you are all around 19-20 years of age. You have the game in you so if you apply a little, you can play for India,” he said.Infrastructure, too, mattered. J&K’s push included pitch preparation, with Sharma noting the state now has both black and red soil pitches, a rare advantage for a side looking to be versatile at home and resilient away.Preparation became a season-defining theme. “Pre-season is very important and we started playing the Buchi Babu (in Chennai) for the last two-three years,” Sharma pointed out. Facing bigger sides there, and surviving those examinations, helped the group believe it could beat anyone.“J&K has become a team to reckon with. Everybody is scared of playing J&K now,” Sharma thundered. “We have all bases covered having both quality fast bowlers and spinners. We have won both the knockout matches away from home.”

Champions League Match of the Day pundit Guillem Balague, who attended Real Madrid’s match at Benfica on Tuesday, explains the aftermath of the alleged racist incident between Vinicius Jr and Gianluca Prestianni.

READ MORE: Vinicius: Eight years at Real Madrid, 20 cases of alleged racist abuse

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Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard has praised Super Eagles midfielder Frank Onyeka after his strong debut for Coventry City.

The 28-year-old joined Coventry from Brentford in the January transfer window but missed their previous match against Oxford United because his wife was about to give birth. He returned to action in their crucial clash against Middlesbrough and was named in the starting line-up.

Onyeka played 75 minutes at the Coventry Building Society Arena, winning duels, pressing high and helping his team stay organised in midfield.

After the game, Lampard expressed his delight with the Nigerian midfielder’s performance, saying his energy and ball-winning ability were key reasons he was signed.

“He was outstanding – the energy, the ball winning,” Lampard said. “He was so visible with his pressing, break-up play and quality on the ball. He reads the game quickly, covers a lot of ground and can play as well.”

Lampard added that Onyeka’s experience in the Premier League and with the national team gave the squad a boost.

“When you bring in a player of that level, it gives everybody a lift. It’s not easy to come into a game at this level, but it looked like it was there,” he said.

Onyeka played alongside Matt Grimes in midfield, and the pair helped Coventry look more solid in the centre of the pitch. Lampard said Onyeka brought a different profile to the team and had already impressed in training.

“He was tired and cramping up, that’s why he had to come off, but he will get fitter. His impact was high, and I’m very pleased with him,” Lampard added.

Coventry’s win over Middlesbrough moved them to the top of the EFL Championship table, although only by a single point.