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Carrick is doing an excellent job – Ratcliffe

Ben Ramsdale

BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says Michael Carrick is doing an “excellent job” as interim head coach but refused to be drawn on whether he would be appointed permanently.

Former midfielder Carrick, 44, came in after the sacking of Ruben Amorim in January and has overseen a significant upturn in form.

His team have won six of eight matches, with United accruing more points in that period than any other side in the Premier League, including leaders Arsenal.

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United’s resurgence has naturally led to calls for Carrick to be considered for the job on a full-time basis.

But Ratcliffe refused to be drawn on appointing Carrick in a long-term role, saying: “No, not going there.”

United went into the weekend sitting third in the league with nine games left to play, on course for Champions League qualification for the first time since a third-place finish in the 2022-23 season.

“Clearly we are thinking about that [Champions League qualification], but there are still seven or eight games to go, so still a while yet,” said Ratcliffe.

Should Carrick manage to steer United into the Champions League, he will strengthen the case for him to stay in charge beyond this season.

But Ratcliffe and United’s board are acutely aware that they must get their next appointment right.

Ratcliffe opted to given Erik ten Hag a new contract following United’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in 2024 – only to sack him less than three months into the following season.

Replacement Amorim was backed despite United finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham.

After a mixed start to this season, Ratcliffe said in October that he hoped to give the Portuguese coach three years to prove he is the right man at Old Trafford.

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  • Manchester United
  • Football

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Police Refute Claims Broad Shaggi Shot In Ogun

The Ogun State Police Command has denied claims that a popular entertainer, known as Brother Shaggy, was shot within the Ogun State Police Command.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, in a statement issued on Friday, said the command could not confirm the development as such an incident had not been reported or documented in any of its stations across the state.

“I wish to address reports alleging that the entertainer Broda Shaggi was shot within Ogun State. For clarity, the Command cannot confirm that such an incident occurred anywhere within its jurisdiction. Additionally, no such incident has been reported at any Police formation across the State,” he said.

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“In line with the Command’s commitment to professionalism and transparency, investigations have been initiated to ascertain the facts and verify the claim. The Command is actively carrying out necessary investigations to determine the true circumstances of the report.”

He, however, asked residents to rely solely on official police communication while the investigation is ongoing.

Lagos Reintroduces Monthly Environmental Sanitation After 10 Years

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has flagged off the reintroduction of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise put on hold about ten years ago due to a court order on movement restriction.

Speaking at the ceremony, Sanwo-Olu noted that the sanitation exercise will take place between 6.30 am and 8:30 am every last Saturday of the month, to keep the state clean.

He also urged residents not to litter their environment with waste until the day the PSP operator in their locality comes for pickups.

Sanwo-Olu also said movement will not be restricted, but the exercise will be enforced to achieve the desired result, emphasising that the culture of environmental responsibility was once embedded in the life of the people in the state.

“It reinforced a simple but important principle that a clean city depends not only on government systems, but on the discipline and cooperation of its residents.

“Today’s symbolic flag-off is therefore a renewed call to civic responsibility. It is an opportunity to revive the culture of environmental consciousness in our communities, this time driven by awareness, partnership, and voluntary participation.”

READ ALSO: Rising Petrol Prices Global, Not Peculiar To Nigeria, Tinubu’s Aide Knocks Obi Over Critique

Kimi Antonelli becomes youngest F1 driver to take ‌Grand Prix pole position

Italian ⁠teenager Kimi Antonelli said it was “just the beginning” after he set a pole record in China with Mercedes predecessor and seven-times world champion ⁠Lewis Hamilton lavishing praise on him.

At 19 years, six months and 17 days Antonelli became the youngest Formula One driver ever to take pole position for a full Grand Prix on Saturday.

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“A great record. ⁠It’s going to take a while for someone to ever get close to that one,” Ferrari driver Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took in 2025, told a news conference after qualifying third.

The previous record was set by now-retired German driver Sebastian Vettel when he put Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) on ‌pole at the age of 21 and 72 days at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Big question marks hung over Antonelli when he arrived at Mercedes as a rookie alongside George Russell, the current championship leader, after Hamilton shocked the sport by moving to rivals Ferrari.

Pundits questioned whether the then-18-year-old could live up to Hamilton’s legacy, even as Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff consistently touted the Italian as a top-tier talent.

“He took my seat! And he hit ⁠it hard from the get-go, so it’s really great to see him ⁠progressing and he really deserves it,” a beaming Hamilton said while sat next to Antonelli.

The Italian was his country’s first pole sitter since Giancarlo Fisichella for Mercedes-powered Force India, the team that is now Aston Martin, in Belgium in 2009.

“I’m ⁠very happy because at the end, you know, it’s just the beginning,” said Antonelli, who had a sprint pole in Miami last year but ⁠has yet to win a race.

“Obviously there’s a lot more ⁠to come. And, yeah, really looking forward to tomorrow … the car is feeling really good, the car is strong so, yeah, a lot to play for tomorrow.”

Antonelli was helped by Russell having no battery and getting stuck in gear at ‌the start of the final phase and then getting only one flying lap for pole, which he converted into second place on the grid.

“Many said the kid was too young to be ‌in ‌a Mercedes, we should have prepared him otherwise. He did good today,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.

“It’s a shame that George couldn’t do the lap.”

Former champion Max Verstappen was only eighth fastest, continuing an unhappy weekend in a clearly struggling Red Bull.

The battle on the propaganda front intensifies

As the war on Iran enters its third week, the upper hand that the United States and Israel hold militarily is being countered asymmetrically by Iran which has been targeting various economic pressure points outside of its borders.

With censorship and propaganda shaping coverage on all sides, news audiences are having to navigate a confused and often misleading maze of information.

Contributors:
Vali Nasr – Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Michael Omer-Man – Director of Research for Israel-Palestine, DAWN
Matt Duss – Executive Vice President, Center for International Policy (CIP)
Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi – Lecturer, University of St Andrews

On our radar

Israeli media outlets published near-simultaneous reports, citing anonymous officials, claiming Gulf states had attacked Iran. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates quickly denied the allegations, forcing corrections. Critics say that the aim of the coverage was to suggest Gulf support for Israel and pull those states into the conflict. Tariq Nafi looks at how the episode has fuelled anger across the Arab world towards Washington and Tel Aviv.

Battlefield AI: an interview with Matt Mahmoudi

Since the first attacks on Iran, the White House and Pentagon have been eager to test new military technologies. As seen previously in Gaza, AI systems appear to be playing a central role in identifying targets and guiding strikes. This raises serious ethical and accountability questions about how life-and-death decisions are being made on the battlefield.

Amnesty Tech researcher and assistant professor at the University of Cambridge, Matt Mahmoudi joins us to discuss AI-assisted warfare.