Had the William Reid Stakes remained at Moonee Valley, Jimmysstar was set to begin his autumn there anyway, but Ciaron Maher’s outfit welcomes the move to Caulfield this season.
The million-dollar showdown shifts to Caulfield this Saturday as The Valley undergoes maintenance work.
The Per Incanto six-year-old enters his return off two winning trials, with assistant trainer Jack Turnbull from the Maher stable eager for his weekend engagement.
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“The William Reid is here at Caulfield, which is his favourite track,” Turnbull said.
“He’s had a faultless prep and his trials are obviously there to be seen.
“It would be nice to think he’s come back better – he doesn’t need to – but he tries, he’s very competitive and he’s clearly a very good horse.”
This marks Jimmysstar’s first outing post his third career Group 1 victory in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes; though a leading 1400m performer domestically, Turnbull sees the weight-for-age 1200m as optimal for his fresh assignment.
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“He won the Oakleigh Plate here, but that was as a younger horse and he had no weight,” he said.
“Now as a mature horse, effectively he is a ‘seven furlong’ (1400m) horse, but he’s so brilliant and fresh over six (furlongs) he can really rip.”
With 15 declarations for the William Reid Stakes, Jimmysstar shares the Maher interest with Benedetta.
Benedetta has contested twice this time in, both on Flemington’s straight track—third in the Black Caviar Lightning, then sixth in the Newmarket Handicap—and Turnbull praises her unlucky but competitive showings.
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“She’s been running bold races against some very good horses,” he said.
“She’s obviously going back to weight-for-age, but she deserves her place as well.”
Joining the Maher runners are 10 other Group 1 winners in the mix: Baraqiel, Charm Stone, Devil Night, Jigsaw, Lady Shenandoah (unlikely), Magic Time, Skybird, Tropicus, and Angel Capital as a probable.
The 2026 Valspar Championship begins this week at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Florida. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the PGA Tour’s flagship tournament, including a full Valspar Championship TV schedule, streaming information and complete tee times for the first and second rounds.
How to watch Valspar Championship
The PGA Tour season continues barreling toward the 2026 Masters this week with another long-running Florida event: the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook.
Despite landing directly after the Players Championship on the schedule, plenty of star Tour pros are in the field to take on the fearsome Copperhead Course.
Featured players include two-time major winner Xander Schauffele, fresh off a solo third at TPC Sawgrass. He’ll be competing against the man who finished one spot above him at the Players: Matt Fitzpatrick.
They’ll be fighting for the $1.638 million winner’s share out of the $9 million Valspar purse.
NBC and Golf Channel will provide TV coverage of the 2026 Valspar Championship, while PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will offer streaming coverage and featured group coverage all week long. Peacock will air simulcasts of NBC’s Valspar Championship TV coverage.
You can find complete information about streaming or watching the tournament on TV below.
What: 2026 Valspar Championship Where: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course), Palm Harbor, Fla. When: Thursday-Sunday, March 19-22 Purse: $9.1 million ($1.638 million winner’s share)
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How to watch on TV
NBC and Golf Channel will air TV coverage of the 2026 Valspar Championship this week. Check out the full TV schedule below.
Thursday, March 19: 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Friday, March 20: 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Saturday, March 21: 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC) Sunday, March 22: 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC)
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How to watch online, streaming
You can watch the 2026 Valspar Championship online via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, including exclusive early coverage beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and 7:45 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will also provide featured group and featured hole coverage throughout the round. You can stream NBC’s coverage on Peacock.
Man Utd midfielder Bruno Fernandes has been in sensational form since Ruben Amorim was sacked in January.
When Ruben Amorim was sacked by Manchester United, some fans and pundits believed it was the wrong decision. It hasn’t taken long for that opinion to be proven wrong by Michael Carrick, who has won seven of nine.
United are third in the Premier League, six points clear of fifth position. The bookmakers have priced Carrick’s side as near-certainties to qualify for the Champions League. It was a long shot when Amorim was in charge.
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Carrick and his backroom staff deserve to be lauded for their impact, but the last two months have reflected poorly on Amorim, who was holding the club back with his management.
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Carrick changed formation, relocated Bruno Fernandes to his strongest position and Kobbie Mainoo was reintegrated. The decision to play Fernandes as a deeper midfielder has looked particularly baffling following a string of outstanding performances as an attacking midfielder.
Fernandes has created nine assists in his last 10 matches in the Premier League, an improvement on the seven assists he recorded in the 17 league games with Amorim in charge this season.
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Who would have thought that playing one of the world’s best creative midfielders in an advanced role would yield better results? Amorim’s decision-making was compromised due to his 3-4-3 formation.
Fernandes was asked to play so deep that he would often drop between the defenders to orchestrate the build-up. Some observers compared him to an NFL quarterback in the first half of the season.
In September, there was a conversation about Fernandes’ form and whether Amorim had to finally concede that playing him in the pivot was not getting the best out of his most talented player.
Amorim has a strong reputation in Portugal after a hugely successful stint with Sporting Lisbon, but even the Portuguese press questioned why Fernandes was playing in that role for United.
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When Fernandes was on international duty with Portugal in October, he was asked about his position in Amorim’s system. “I love playing football, whatever the position,” he diplomatically answered.
Fernandes added: “Everyone has their preferences, but we have to adapt to the coach’s ideas,” which was the closest thing to an admission that he would prefer to play higher up the pitch.
It’s a testament to Fernandes’ quality that he found a way to remain influential in that role – he was superb in November and December – but his performances since playing as a No.10 again prove that he should never have been considered for such a limiting position.
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Fernandes notched two assists in the 3-1 win against Aston Villa last weekend to surpass David Beckham’s club record for assists (Beckham contributed 15 assists in 1999/2000). He is now just four shy of equalling the Premier League assist record shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Fernandes’ numbers are even more impressive when you drill into the data, which was highlighted by a ‘chances created’ graphic on Monday Night Football. The graphic showed players in the Premier League who have created one chance or more this season.
It combined chances from open play and total chances created. “Here is, Bruno Fernandes,” said presenter Dave Jones, pointing to the top right of the graphic, illustrating that he’s in a league of his own.
“If you can control the speed of your brain, then you will be faster than anyone on the pitch,” Henry said. “He doesn’t play football, he thinks it. That’s a different ball game, for me.”
Fernandes’ remarkable rate of chance creation means that he has double the assists of Rayan Cherki, who has the second most in the Premier League this season, with a tally of eight.
The numbers are not a fluke, either. Fernandes is three goals away from reaching double figures for goals and assists for the ninth successive season. That consistency is why he’s world-class.
Fernandes has recorded 15.7 expected assists (xA) in the Premier League, leading to 16 assists. Rivals fans could take away from his achievement if his xA was much lower, which would suggest he’d benefited from clinical finishing, but the data shows he deserves the tally he has.
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xA is a true reflection of a player’s ability to create chances. The metric measures the likelihood that a pass will become an assist. In layman’s terms, xA still rewards players for getting the ball into their teammate, regardless of whether the chance is converted or not.
Fernandes’ chance creation warrants 16 assists in the top-flight this term, but it likely would have been a different story if he’d continued to play in the deeper midfield role. Although Fernandes would have inevitably contributed goals and assists, it’s unlikely he would have reached the level he is currently operating at in his best position.
During Amorim’s United reign, the former head coach admitted he felt “embarrassed” by United’s league position as they threatened to flirt with a relegation battle last season. United’s current league position and the form of Fernandes are arguably even more embarrassing for him.
The Minnesota Vikings stunned their fan base, to an extent, last week when free agency kicked off because the franchise did close to nothing — until it secured Kyler Murray on Thursday evening. And according to NBC Sports, Murray alone fetches the Vikings an ‘A’ grade for free agency out of the gate.
Minnesota did less than most teams and still drew praise.
The Vikings were minimalists, and some national media love it.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray drops back and releases a pass during second-half action against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov 12, 2023. Murray returned to the lineup that season following injury recovery, showcasing his mobility and arm strength while guiding Arizona’s offense late in the 2023 campaign. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports.
NBC Sports: Vikings Get an ‘A’ in Free Agency
Minnesota grabbed Murray for free, and NBC Sports loved it.
Assigning a rare ‘A’ grade, Kyle Dvorchak praised the Vikings, “Minnesota’s offseason comes down to one player: Kyler Murray. The former Cardinal was released by Arizona at the start of the new league year. By that time, enough of the quarterback dominoes had fallen to all but guarantee Minnesota as his landing spot.”
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“Because of offset language in his Arizona contract, he will be playing for the veteran minimum this year. Murray wasn’t great last year, but he wasn’t terrible either. He ranked 22nd in EPA per play (min. 200 plays), sandwiching him between Justin Herbert and Michael Penix.”
There’s no better deal anywhere in the NFL right now than Murray for $1.3 million. It might even be the best value in sports.
Dvorchak continued, “Murray finished 13th in EPA per play in the previous season. Even as his career has petered out, he has still been an average or above-average quarterback in the spreadsheets.”
‘”Now he goes to a team with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson, plus Kevin O’Connell calling the plays. All for the lowest contract a team can offer?”
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They … Made Two Moves
The astounding part about Vikings free agency? By a sheer number of roster transactions, the club hasn’t done much. In fact, it is by far Minnesota’s quietest free agency since 2020, when the franchise signed interior defensive lineman Michael Pierce and basically called it good.
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski has re-signed players like Jalen Redmond, Eric Wilson, Ivan Pace Jr., Bo Richter, and Zavier Scott, but aside from those in-house moves and the additions of Murray and cornerback James Pierre, that’s it.
The team is cash-strapped due to huge spending sprees in 2024 and 2025, leaving salary cap space to save for the 2027 offseason.
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The Kyler Effect
The cause of the high grade for Minnesota is obvious: it’s not easy to stumble into the first overall pick from a draft for next to nothing. Murray costs the Vikings $1.3 million this season — Arizona is paying the bill — and for a quarterback with a better career EPA+CPOE than Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud, and Daniel Jones, there’s just no better deal in the NFL.
Minnesota won nine games last year with the league’s fifth-worst quarterback play by the numbers, meaning a competent quarterback may be the only thing separating them from the postseason and possibly the Promised Land.
Quarterback Kyler Murray addresses reporters after signing with the Minnesota Vikings during 2026 NFL free agency, speaking with media members in Eagan on Mar 12, 2026. Murray discussed joining the organization, expectations for the upcoming season, and his early impressions of Minnesota’s roster during the introductory press conference. Mandatory Credit: YouTube.
Any team that signed Murray for 1.3 million bucks — any team at all — would be given an ‘A’ grade for the offseason. The value is just off the charts. It’s actually hard to fathom.
Only One Other ‘A’ Grade — The Bears
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One other squad fetched an ‘A’: Chicago.
Dvorchak noted on the Bears’ first week of free agency, “As expected, the Bears primarily addressed defense in free agency, signing safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush to three-year deals worth $40 million and $30 million respectively. Bryant, a former fourth-round pick in Seattle, slowly earned more work every year with the Seahawks.”
“He took the field for 95 percent of their defensive snaps in his 15 games last year. Bush similarly took a while to find his footing in the NFL. He was an abject disaster on his rookie contract in Pittsburgh and things didn’t get much better during his one-year stint in Seattle.”
Chicago’s defense ranked 21st in the league last year per EPA/Play. It makes sense that it would target the defense in free agency, as Ben Johnson’s team featured a Bottom 12 unit, despite winning the NFC North and a Wildcard Round postseason game.
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Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles watches pregame activity before Chicago hosted the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field in Chicago on Aug 17, 2024. Poles has overseen a multi-year roster build in Chicago, managing draft capital and free agency decisions while guiding the franchise’s competitive direction. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports.
Dvorchak added, “Things finally clicked in Cleveland and PFF graded him as their No. 4 linebacker. Bush held the same rank in coverage grade among linebackers, which is a massive improvement over his coverage acumen in previous seasons.”
“It’s possible Bush’s ascendance in Cleveland won’t be replicated in Chicago. At $10 million a year, it’s worth a shot.”
The Vikings will sell training camp as a battle between Murray and J.J. McCarthy, but Murray is expected to win the QB1 title rather handily.
Oleksandr Usyk currently holds three of the four major world titles in the heavyweight ranks, but an upcoming fight against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven has led many to call for him to vacate.
Usyk became undisputed in the sport’s top division for a second time last year, knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium. Months later, he would vacate the WBO belt rather than face mandatory challenger, Fabio Wardley, who was elevated to champion.
In an interview with Casinostugan, Director of Team Usyk, Sergey Lapin, rejected the idea that the Verhoeven fight was more for spectacle than sporting merit.
“The first rule of boxing, especially in the heavyweight division, is that you should never underestimate or overestimate your opponent. Rico is a very tough fighter. He’s a strong puncher who can hit with both hands and he has serious physical power.
“Yes, he comes from kickboxing and his footwork will not be the same as top professional boxers, but he works well with his hands. He’s a big athlete, around 120 kilograms, tall and very strong physically. For us this is not some kind of freak show. This is a dangerous opponent and we take him seriously.”
Even so, most in the sport still disagree with the WBC’s decision to allow the Ukrainian to put his world title on the line against an unranked fighter who has just one bout in professional boxing.
It has highlighted an inconsistency in the sanctioning body’s policy, as when Tyson Fury, then WBC champion, faced Francis Ngannou in 2024, he was permitted to retain the belt but it was not up for grabs in the fight. Instead, the Brit took a one-fight break from defending as champion and resumed his traditional campaign after the Ngannou fight. The WBC, keen to still be involved, put a token belt on the line.
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Lapin addressed this decision, as well as saying that he is currently in communication with the WBA and IBF to reach a solution about the status of those titles.
“What do I make of the controversy around the WBC title being on the line? These are working processes that the team is currently dealing with. A decision will be made in the near future. We respect all organizations and their rules, and we are trying to find a solution that will be correct for all parties involved.
“The situation with belts is always complicated because several organizations are involved and each of them has its own rules and obligations. Right now there are discussions taking place. Once everything is finalized, we will communicate it.”
A college basketball season, exciting and action-packed throughout, has come to a close, and that can only mean one thing: March Madness is here! The 68 teams that reached the NCAA Tournament were unveiled on Sunday, and the Big Dance is positioned to consume your lives over the next few weeks. You’re ready, we are ready, and we know you’ll want to print out a March Madness bracket and begin making picks.
Good news: You’ve come to the right place! Bookmark this page, as you can already print a blank bracket ahead of the NCAA Tournament action getting underway this week.
CBS Sports will offer the most extensive coverage of the NCAA Tournament anywhere with previews, picks, advice, stats to know, breaking news and analysis, must-watch video breakdowns, podcasts and much more. Be sure to continue checking in throughout the next three weeks as the blank printable 2026 March Madness bracket is not the only tentpole item you will be able to find on these pages.
It’s time for brackets! Fill yours out today and join our Bracket Challenge to play for a dream trip to the 2027 Final FourⓇ.
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Below is a look at the blank bracket that you can fill out now that the teams have been announced on Selection Sunday. As usual, there will be a variety of methods in which you can view the bracket on the device of your choice. And you absolutely want to make sure you join our Bracket Games, where you can compete against the public or create a bracket group to battle your family, friends and/or co-workers.
2026 NCAA Tournament bracket
Click here to enlarge and print the blank 2026 March Madness bracket.
CBS Sports and TNT Sports will combine to provide live coverage of all 67 games from the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Basketball competition officially tips Tuesday night on truTV with the First Four contested in Dayton, Ohio. The four final tournament seeds will look to play their way into the primary 64-team field with first-round action starting just days later.
Manchester City trail by three goals going into Tuesday’s Champions League second-leg against Real Madrid
Bernardo Silva believes Pep Guardiola shares his frustration for not winning the Champions League more with Manchester City. City’s hopes of progressing are hanging by a thread after Real Madrid ran out 3-0 winners in their Round of 16 leg last week.
The Portuguese international hopes they can expose Los Blancos’ secret to success to move into the quarter-finals. But in doing so, they will need to overcome the three-goal deficit in order to stand a chance of progression.
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Under the guidance of the Catalan tactician, City earned their maiden crown when they completed a famous treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. Guardiola’s side have a mountain to climb against the record holders of the competition on Tuesday. Speaking o Gabriel Clarke ahead of Prime Video’s UEFA Champions League coverage of Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, Silva revealed that he felt they should’ve had more success in Europe.
He said: “I’m not happy so he’s probably not very happy. Of course one is better than zero, and we are very happy with the one we have won, but with the team that we have and the way our team has played in the past, we should have won more.”
Madrid have established themselves as serial winners of the competition in the modern era and on course to their European dominance, they have proved to be knockout experts.
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City and their Premier League rivals, Chelsea, have previously succumbed to Real Madrid in the latter stages of the competition. Liverpool have been beaten twice in the final in the last 10 years to the Spanish giants.
Silva highlighted Real’s three key ingredients to success but says they need the tide to turn on Tuesday. He said: “Confidence, character, personality, the little details.
“In this competition, it’s not always about the best team, or who plays better, it’s about all the little things that Madrid are really good at. We have been good in moments, and hopefully tomorrow we can turn the tide and put on a good performance.
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“The higher the level, the finer the margins and those little details make all the difference.”
City are staring down the barrel of a Champions League elimination after reaching at least the quarter-finals in five out of the last six years.
Guardiola’s side will be seeking to avenge their exit in the playoff knockout last season when Madrid beat them 6-3 on aggregate.
Silva, who has become an integral figure in City’s squad since signing from AS Monaco, believes they have to go against Guardiola’s beliefs and make it a chaotic encounter with the La Liga giants.
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The 31-year-old said: “The key is belief, even in minute sixty. In football a lot of things can happen, and we can create a lot, it’s happened in the past where we scored two or three goals in 10-15 minutes so we can do it.
“Sometimes I think we need to do the opposite of what Pep wants – which is a very controlled game – as tomorrow maybe a bit more of a chaotic game is needed, we need to try and create different outcomes as it’s not a normal game.”
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Manchester City have reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16 where they face Real Madrid on March 17. Fans can watch the game for free with an Amazon Prime subscription or 30-day trial.
After being linked to a host of fighters following his world title win, WBC welterweight ruler Ryan Garcia now believes he has been left with just one option for his first defence of his new 147lb title.
As one of the most high-profile, household names in the sport today, but still relatively too unproven to be a possible pound-for-pound consideration, Garcia has subsequently become one of the most in-demand world champions across all weights.
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However, on a n3on Kick stream, Ryan Garcia let slip that he has now been left with only one option for his next bout, with Haney, Stevenson and Benn pursuing alternate fights. Instead, ‘King Ry’ believes that two-division champion Teofimo Lopez is next in store.
“Well, I don’t have really many options, Devin Haney ducked me, Shakur just ducked me, so I got one option … Yeah, Teofimo. I mean, for him to come to 147, is going to be hard for him, but he has said that he is down.”
Ollie Pope has challenged the perception England “weren’t fussed” during their troubled Ashes tour but accepts why it formed.
Ben Stokes’ tourists crashed to a 4-1 series defeat by Australia that is currently being reviewed by the England and Wales Cricket Board, with tour planning, preparation, individual performances and behaviour all under scrutiny.
Apart from being comprehensively outplayed on the field, concerns about the culture of the squad emerged during a break in Noosa, where there were reports of excessive drinking by players, followed by revelations over vice-captain Harry Brook’s altercation with a nightclub bouncer on the pre-Ashes visit to New Zealand.
Pope, however, insists England’s were intent on beating Australia and might have been more successful had they built on a competitive start to the first Test in Perth.
“Going into that series, there was a lot spoken about the preparation of it. As a team, the misconception might be that we weren’t as fussed as it came across,” the 28-year-old said at Surrey’s pre-season media day.
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“The tough thing for everyone in that first game was the nature of it. Had we won that, and we’d done slightly better on day two, the idea is different.
“Of course we want to be a well-liked team, on and off the pitch, and unfortunately our performance didn’t allow that to happen in Australia.
“I can understand why people felt that way, but at the same time the perception that we weren’t fussed was probably the hard thing. All we wanted to do was go and win the Ashes.
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“As individuals, everyone’s trying to manage with the pressures of an Ashes series and trying to get the best out of their performance and doing what they can.
“All anyone wanted to do was to win. And for us at times it was just trying to, in our minds, take the pressure off the actual Test match.”
Among the criticisms made of England was inadequate preparation for an Ashes that consisted of a three-day match against England Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth.
“As we’ve done over the previous years, we tried to treat it like a normal series to get the best out of ourselves. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go to plan,” Pope said.
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“It wasn’t ideal batting at Lilac Hill because then we go and play in Perth and it’s the opposite kind of conditions. But that’s the cards you’re dealt.
“And we did have experiences over previous years where that kind of preparation has worked for us in places like New Zealand, Pakistan and India.
“I know what I need to be as ready as I can be. From a personal point, I felt as ready as I could have been for that first Test.”
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Pope was dropped after the third Test after averaging only 20.83 runs across the first three games but will fight to regain his England place, declaring: “I still feel like my best batting years are to come.”
The Surrey batsman was speaking after the ECB reversed plans to stop its Ashes players speaking to the media ahead of the new county season while it conducts its review.
Stephen Torpey has spoken out in an interview with external media after his appointment as Man Utd’s academy chief.
12:00, 17 Mar 2026Updated 12:09, 17 Mar 2026
When Sir Jim Ratcliffe singled out the Manchester United academy as having “slipped” with some of his customary direct feedback in October, he highlighted the appointment of Stephen Torpey as evidence of change.
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Torpey is the latest Old Trafford recruit from the Manchester City blueprint Ratcliffe so admires, and that introduction from the United co-owner was pretty clear.
“The academy has really slipped at Manchester United,” Ratcliffe said. “You need the academy to be producing talent all the time. It helps you financially. That’s not a light switch. You don’t solve the academy problem overnight. It takes time.”
United’s first team will play just 40 games this season. An unusually sparse schedule at first team level has led to heightened interest in the club’s academy, as has the emergence of young talents like JJ Gabriel.
Torpey wants to develop some of the country’s best young players at Carrington. Gabriel, who has scored 23 goals in 25 appearances for the U18s this season, fits that billing.
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The 15-year-old has starred in the youth set-up and has already trained with the first team on several occasions. Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada were involved in a meeting last summer to ensure Gabriel remained at Old Trafford.
“I’ve got to be careful that I don’t put unnecessary pressure on anyone from the academy,” Torpey said in response to a question about Gabriel. “I think it’s well documented with the number of players that are out there, and they’re performing really well, and they’re doing extremely well.
“I suppose when you look at those types of players, they give you these moments of magic and these bits that get you off your seat, and sometimes that’s a really good tackle, sometimes that’s a goal line clearance.
“The other times, it’s a great bit of skill on the edge of the box, like we saw last weekend when he wrapped it in the top corner. You see these things, but there’s a lot that can go on. We have some special talents right now in our groups, and JJ is one of those, for sure.”
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Torpey wants United’s academy to be the best in the world and knows how crucial a clear plan will be. “There are things we can improve, they are areas where we can be better, but that’s evolution, that’s just common in every single organisation,” he said.
“We don’t want to be complacent. I don’t work like that. I’m always thinking about what’s next. It’s the same with some of the staff, really, when we do something good, it’s like great, what’s next?
“I want to help us be the greatest academy in the world and do it in a way that we can be proud of, which is with clear processes, a method about the way we do things, with the best people.”
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Torpey continued: “I’m looking for players to do things that are above their year group. I’m not necessarily looking for consistency in youth, I think, because I need to see capability, and we also need to see mistakes, because they need to fail in order to be equipped upon arrival to the first team.
“So we are excited by a number of players, for sure, but I’m looking for those standout moments, and for the player you named [Gabriel], he’s showing those things, which is great.
“But we’ve also got to make sure he’s doing the responsible non-negotiable parts of the game as well, which is the other side of it. Is he tracking back? Is he working for the team? Is he making good decisions? He does make fantastic decisions a lot of the time.
“It’s not for us to create robots here, it’s for us to allow individuals to flourish the way they want to flourish and therefore express themselves in a way they want to express themselves.”
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Torpey was reluctant to discuss individual players, but politely answered when asked whether he was excited about Gabriel. “We’re all excited. I think the whole club’s excited by the talent that we’re seeing right now, and we’ve got to handle it with care,” he said.
“It’s easier to spoil talent than it is to help it flourish.”
Torpey was born in Merseyside and came through Liverpool’s academy as a teenager. After retiring from playing, he pursued a coaching career and ended up at Manchester City, so he hasn’t taken an orthodox route to working for United.
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Torpey “loves” his new job as head of United’s academy, though. “I’m really excited about coming into work every day. Being here is really inspiring for me. I feel really happy about it. I think that it’s the sort of pinnacle of youth football in terms of the role I’m currently holding, which is something I’ve worked a long, long time for.”
In June, the MEN were the first outlet to report that United were considering appointingTorpey to replace Nick Cox. A month earlier, United had announced that Cox was set to leave the academy after nine years of service to become Everton’s technical director, creating the vacancy at United.
Cox played a pivotal role in the United academy’s renaissance, securing top youth signings and overseeing an FA Youth Cup triumph in 2021/22, setting the bar for his successor.
Torpey joined from Brentford and officially started work in September. “The brief for me, so to speak, is just that we want to be the best, we want to be the greatest academy around, we want to be the greatest football club in the world. That’s not changed,” he explained.
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“I think Manchester United can say over the years, certainly in the UK, that we’ve got the conveyor belt of talent, we’ve got the production line that would suggest we are up there with the greatest.
“And my remit is to make sure that we can all look in the mirror, hand on heart, and say that we feel we’re really challenging for that status. And my view really is that we’ve just got to think critically about what we do, we’ve got to innovate where we can, and we’ve got to do this with the best possible people.
“We’ve got some unbelievable people. You arrive to a real warm welcome with people who are good at what they do, experienced at what they do. But ultimately, there are things we can improve, there are areas where we can be better, but that’s evolution, that’s just common in every single organisation.”
Torpey was asked about Ratcliffe’s comment on the academy, suggesting the co-owner was referring to the facilities rather than the academy itself. “Ultimately, I think that was based on things like facilities,” he said. “You’re sitting in this beautiful [first-team] building right now, and it’s like decorating your home for me.
“You do one room, and maybe you feel like one of the other rooms does not feel the same as the rest of the house. We’ve got to do the academy and there’s a plan in place now for us to refurbish and regenerate.
“We need to do a lot of work around the academy facilities as well. So I think those kinds of comments are based around that because I think it’s clear that you could say that the academy building isn’t as advanced as where the first team is right now, but there’s a phase into that.”
Torpey said improving the academy’s facilities was the natural next step for him as the new academy boss. United spent £50million to refurbish the first-team building, and the club is planning to bring academy facilities in line with the ‘leading standards’ they have for the main facility.
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There will be upheaval when the academy building is redeveloped, meaning the Under-21s and Under-18s will use the modular building, a two-storey block behind the main building. The women’s team used the same set-up during the £10m redevelopment of their facilities at Carrington.
The modular building is already equipped to house an elite team and staff, but it will be further developed for specific academy needs to ensure minimal disruption for the U21s and U18s.
Cooling expectations around Gabriel will be another challenge for Torpey. The youngster has a huge following on social media, and Bryan Mbeumo described him as “something special” during an interview on a YouTube channel last week.
“That’s the modern era,” said Torpey of dealing with the spotlight on young players. “I think at most clubs now there’s some kind of media coverage of the youth players. There’s also the fact that the boys who play now in the U18s have never known a life without social media.
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“That’s not the world I grew up in when I was playing. We are currently looking at our comms strategy and what we should do, you know, to try to prevent certain things and also protect certain things. We’ve got young people who, because of society, are craving clicks and followers.
“We have to embrace that a little bit, it’s not necessarily something I’m comfortable with, but maybe we have to embrace that for the future, maybe create our own version of how we can give them that stimulus.”
Darren Fletcher returned to manage the U18s after serving as first-team caretaker, and Torpey has enjoyed working with him. “I’ve known Darren for years,” he explained. “I’ve known him through the family, working with the boys [Jack and Tyler Fletcher] previously.
“He’s always come across as a really amazing guy, a really clever guy, studious in terms of football, obviously passionate about football and Manchester United in particular. So, to arrive at the club with Darren here is quite warm for me, it’s familiar in terms of seeing Darren.
“He’s a leader, that’s the one thing I would say, he leads by example. He’s a real leader here at the club. He knows what it means to be at Manchester United. I think the boys look up to him.”
Carrick has shown support for the academy by attending the majority of youth matches since his appointment. The 44-year-old even made a 300-mile round trip to watch the U18s against Oxford recently.
“That says everything about him as an individual, but I also think it’s what Manchester United people do,” Torpey said of the interim first-team head coach. “It’s what they know about, it’s what they feel. It’s gone down extremely well. It’s not been done for a gimmick, it’s done because it’s genuine.”
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Last month, academy staff held a meeting and the department heads were asked to share success stories from their teams. “Michael turned up, and he took it upon himself to come,” Torpey said.
The academy is being transformed, but the likes of Carrick and Fletcher will do their best to help retain traditional values. Torpey seems on board as the academy drives into the future.
George Parros, the NHL’s senior vice president of player safety, will hold a press conference with media gathered in Florida for the annual general manager meetings.
You can watch the press conference live on Sportsnet.ca beginning at 8 a.m. ET/ 5 a.m. PT.
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