MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 29: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United arrives ahead of a first team training session at Carrington Training Ground on October 29, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)The 2026 FIFA World Cup came to an end on Sunday with Spain reclaiming the title. They won a gritty matchup against Argentina with a 1-0 victory after extra time, and the physicality in the contest led to the early departure of Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez. The Butcher picked up the injury playing his game, an aggressive and fearless approach to defending that sees him cover a lot of ground and make a lot of crunching tackles. His efforts have made him a fan favorite at Old Trafford as one of the few transfer hits from the Erik ten Hag era. His tenure at Old Trafford has not come without bumps and bruises, though, and his absences with bumps and bruises have kept him from playing his best for extended stretches. With his injury, even expected to be minor, there is some concern over Manchester Uniteds depth at the position. Matthijs De Ligt in particular was one fans were worried about after a lengthy absence and operation to fix a back injury. He is expected back in October, but has already had some injury problems hinder his career to this point. He and Martinez both missed a lot of time last season due to injury. The notable absences are papered over somewhat by the enduring presence of Harry Maguire, who somehow rediscovered the confidence and ability that made him one of the clubs most expensive signings in 2019. He too has had his share of knocks and absences, though, and is turning 34 next March. The presence of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven also papered over them. In fact, the immediate answer to the center back depth questions is this: Thats what Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are there for. That isnt an answer that inspires a ton of confidence given the club experienced the reality of multiple injuries shattering the defensive unit in the last two seasons. But if the club is betting on a return to full health for De Ligt and a swift return for Martinez, there isnt a pressing need for a center back. The answer may lie somewhere between Heaven and Johnny Evans, who is now on the coaching staff under Michael Carrick. A shrewd move for a promising young defender or a veteran option who is fine playing in League Cup and emergencies. That sort of player would be useful in a campaign where the Reds transition from playing 40 games total to at least 48 games. Among the free agent options with Premier League experience, John Stones seems unlikely given his history at Manchester City and the wages it would cost. Axel Tuanzebe could be an option, but at 28 he is likely a player looking for regular first-team football. The club has done well in the market by identifying youth players on short or expiring deals, players the original clubs would like to keep. If there is a center back option there or rising in the ranks at Carrington, that seems to be the best option currently.

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Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has already had a professional boxing career spanning more than 20 years and 68 fights. On Wednesday, just days after he turned 36 years old, the Mexican superstar opened up about how much time he believes he still has left in the sport."Maybe three, four more fights for me there, because I have other goals out of boxing too," Alvarez revealed on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," while also announcing a rescheduled date of Oct. 31 for his WBC super middleweight title challenge against Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs), who has been earning eight-figure paydays for more than a decade, explained that money is no longer his principal motivation. At this stage in his career, "Canelo" continues to compete because he has a deep-rooted love for the sport."[Boxing] makes me feel alive," Alvarez said. "I was born for this. I really enjoy it. It's hard to adapt yourself again [and again to different opponents], and the training camps are very hard, but I love that, and I enjoy it a lot."I don't need anything. ... I did everything in boxing already, and I'm good [financially]. But I still love boxing. When I fight, I always break records, and that's the motivation for me. You need to do something in life. You need to keep your mind busy, motivated. Right now, my motivation is boxing."Boxing may be Alvarez's motivation in life at present, but his aging body has a timer on how long that will remain the case. Alvarez required surgery on his elbow this past October and chose to forego his annual May fight so he could have longer to recover. It is the third surgery for Alvarez in seven years, after he required an operation in 2018 for his knee and a medical procedure for his left wrist in 2022. Alvarez claimed he was unable to train properly for his 2022 loss to Dmitry Bivol and has worn a knee brace during multiple fights.In recent years, the decline in Alvarez's performances has become more apparent. He has not scored an inside-the-distance win in almost five years, and his general output is shrinking by the fight. So it comes as little surprise that Alvarez has considered what life will look like for him after boxing."Maybe four fights more," Alvarez reiterated of what he has left in his career. "I'm [still] on it. I'm focused until the end. When I retire, I'm going to still do exercise and boxing and this and that, but I have other things to do, and then I'm going to focus 100% on those things.""It's not about money," he added. "... I've gotten a lot of paydays, but I still love boxing. I don't do it because I get a lot of big paydays. It's because I really still enjoy boxing. I love boxing. But there's nothing out there for me to prove, because I did everything. I accomplished pretty much everything in boxing."Alvarez acknowledges that he will miss the sweet science when he finally hangs up the gloves. He may remain in the sport in some capacity, but one future he doesn't envision for himself is in boxing promotion, where he'd be battling with Dana White's Zuffa Boxing and Eddie Hearn's Matchroom."With everything happening with promoters right now and all the other stuff, I don't want to be involved in that kind of stuff," Alvarez said. "It's not really my goal to be the promoter of something, or fighting with all the promoters. I don't want to be involved in that."

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Grizzlies point guard D'Angelo Russell is not believed to be a long-term piece in Memphis, with both sides expected to work together toward a resolution that would allow the 30-year-old to find a new home at some point this offseason whether via a buyout agreement or a trade sources tell Yahoo Sports.Yahoo! SportsThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Grizzlies, D'Angelo Russell expected to part ways

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Grizzlies point guard DAngelo Russell is not believed to be a long-term piece in Memphis, with both sides expected to work together toward a resolution that would allow the 30-year-old to find a new home at some point this offseason whether via a buyout agreement or a trade sources tell Yahoo Sports.Russell, who appeared in just 25 games last season in Dallas, arrived in Memphis earlier this month as part of an expansive six-team deal involving Milwaukee, Washington, Dallas, the LA Clippers and Detroit. The trade also sent center Isaiah Stewart, guard AJ Johnson, three future second-round picks, a conditional first-round pick and a second-round swap to the Grizzlies.The veteran guard was assumed to be part of a ball-handling group in Dallas last season designed to assist in the development of then-rookie Cooper Flagg, but started just three games seemingly falling out of favor with former head coach Jason Kidd amid options like Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams. Russell, who was later traded to the Wizards at the February trade deadline and opted into the final year of his contract ($6 million) in June, would be potentially joining his fourth team in a span of two years.Russells timeline an experienced player with over 30 playoff games simply doesnt align with a rebuilding Grizzlies franchise seeking young, developmental talent centered around a core of Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and recent No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer. Coward and Boozer impressed in Vegas during summer league, with Coward averaging 19 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds and Boozer finishing the campaign earning first-team honors and with the Grizzlies reaching the championship game. Memphis is also dealing with a roster crunch after an eventful summer, with 21 players currently on the roster (including Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack who are on two-way contracts).The next question for Russell at this stage of the offseason will be finding a situation outside of Memphis where his skill set fits with an already established ecosystem. At a glance, his career stats paint the picture of a more-than-capable floor general 17 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists on .427/.363/.793 splits but his recent inconsistency requires a larger lens. When Russell has dominated the ball, hes been shown to be a quality creator who threads the needle well between usage, playmaking and scoring prowess. The challenge for him, at least over the course of his recent stops with the Lakers, Nets and Mavericks has been dealing with efficiency under the umbrella of shot distribution and overall pecking order along with remaining effective on the defensive end.While there is no exact timetable for a solution, its understood between both parties that an amicable split is best for both entities. Even in what has developed into a journeymans career, the veteran guard is still expected to register some degree of interest around the league due to his combination of on-court IQ, versatility and experience. Russell, who was drafted second overall in 2015 out of Ohio State, has played for 11 seasons across the Lakers, Wolves, Nets, Warriors and Mavericks.

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When New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero took an automatic strike because of an alleged pitch clock violation on Wednesday, he could be heard telling home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott, Youre picking on me.It turns out there might have been something to that claim.Following a benches-clearing incident over Caballeros well-documented gamesmanship against pitchers waiting until the last possible moment to enter the batters box MLB has grown tired enough that it instructed its umpires to ding him for the move without warning, as crew chief Adrian Johnson told pool reporter Brendan Kuty of The Athletic:"He's been warned all season. We were instructed not to warn him. We were instructed to violate him. That's what it is. It's a violation."The incident occurred when Caballero was batting against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski. With an 0-1 count, Caballero was apparently late getting into the box for Wolcotts liking and the umpire hit him with an automatic strike.That triggered an argument in which Wolcott could be heard saying You dont get to do the three or four seconds in the box anymore, you dont get to do it, prompting Caballeros claim that the umps were picking on him.Wolcott denied that was the case.We have another Jos Caballero situation."You don't get to do the 3 or 4 seconds in the box anymore" "You're picking on me!" pic.twitter.com/pOteQjG0GH Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 22, 2026The argument also saw Yankees hitting coach James Rowson ejected for chirping at Johnson. After the significant delay in play, Caballero was called out on strikes to end the sixth inning. Caballero was predictably unhappy after the game, complaining about the leagues alleged lack of communication via Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com:Doesnt make senseIm not trying to trick (anyone), Caballero said after going 0-for-4 in Pittsburghs 5-3 win. I do the same thing over and over, you can checkmy last 100, 150 at-bats.If youre going to make a change in the rule, at least notify us before the game, not (during) the game.Yankees manager Aaron Boone also called the reaction embarrassing for the league.All of this came after a benches-clearing incident in the Yankees previous game, in which Pirates reliever Dennis Santana had choice words for Caballero over his gamesmanship and had to be dragged away.The Yankees have complained that Caballero is operating within the confines of the rulebook, but MLB reportedly has cited a provision in its Pace of Game Procedures that states, Conduct by batters designed to deceive a pitcher into beginning their windup or coming to the set position in violation of these regulations shall be considered circumvention.

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