Sports
Man United delay Joshua Zirkzee exit decision – sources
Manchester United are set to delay any decision on Joshua Zirkzee‘s future until later in the January window, sources have told ESPN, with Ruben Amorim’s squad stretched due to injuries and Africa Cup of Nations departures.
Amorim’s options have been hit by the loss of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui to AFCON and a growing injury list which includes Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo.
It meant the United boss had to hand senior debuts to 18-year-olds Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey during the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, as well as using defender Lisandro Martínez as an emergency midfielder in the second half.
Zirkzee, who has struggled for consistent game time so far this season, is the subject of interest from West Ham and Roma, among others.
AC Milan also looked at the Dutchman before they turned their attention to West Ham’s German striker Niclas Füllkrug.
Sources have told ESPN that United are yet to receive any club-to-club contact.
Zirkzee — valued at around £30.5 million ($47m) by United — will explore any offers which arrive in January.
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The 24-year-old is conscious that he needs to be playing more regularly to force his way into the Netherlands squad ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
United, however, are concerned that the squad is already thin and have stressed to Zirkzee and his representatives that he remains a key part of Amorim’s squad, if not always the starting XI.
United, meanwhile, remain in the race for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.
The winger has a £65m release clause valid for the first 10 days of the January window.
The 25-year-old also has interest from Manchester City and clubs are waiting for the winger to indicate his preference before making contact with Bournemouth.
Semenyo’s release will become valid again in the summer for a lower fee, but there is a growing feeling he will choose to leave the Vitality Stadium next month.
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The NFL upheld the two-game suspension for Pittsburgh Steelers star DK Metcalf on Wednesday.
The league suspended the wide receiver after he took a swing at a Detroit Lions fan during a game on Sunday.
The NFL said on Monday that Metcalf’s actions violated league policy, which states that “players may not enter the stands or otherwise confront fans at any time on game day and…if a player makes unnecessary physical contact with a fan in any way that constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct or presents crowd-control issues and/or risk of injury, he will be held accountable.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
The seventh in-season edition of the men’s AP Top 25 poll features a notable change at the top.
While Arizona and Michigan retain their positions at No. 1 and 2, respectively, Duke falls from No. 3 to No. 6 after suffering its first loss of the season on Saturday: a 17-point, second-half comeback by Texas Tech. Iowa State, UConn and Purdue each move up a spot as a result, though the top 10 otherwise remains the same week-over-week.
Further down the board, St. John’s and Auburn fall out, while USC and Iowa join the mix.
Let’s run through statistical highlights and the next game for each of the Top 25 teams.
All times Eastern. All stats courtesy of ESPN Research unless otherwise noted.
Previous polls: Preseason | Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Previous ranking: 1
2025-26 record: 11-0
Stat to know: Arizona has won six straight games by 20 or more points, the longest active streak in Division I. This is the seventh time the Wildcats have opened a season 11-0.
What’s next: Monday vs. Bethune-Cookman, 9 p.m., ESPN+
Previous ranking: 2
2025-26 record: 11-0
Stat to know: Michigan’s six 100-point games are the most in Division I this season. Sunday’s 102-50 win over La Salle was the Wolverines’ fifth victory of 40 or more points, tying 1991-92 Indiana and 1988-89 Michigan for the most in Big Ten history (since 1905-06).
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. McNeese, 7 p.m., B1G+
Previous ranking: 4
2025-26 record: 12-0
Stat to know: Iowa State’s 91-60 win over Long Beach State on Sunday was the program’s seventh victory by 25 or more points this season, tied for most in Division I and trailing only Michigan.
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. Houston Christian, 8 p.m., ESPN+
Previous ranking: 5
2025-26 record: 12-1
Stat to know: UConn is off to its best start since 2022-23, when the Huskies opened their national-championship-winning campaign on a 14-0 run. Alex Karaban is making his way up the list of most made 3-pointers in program history, cementing himself at No. 6 with 240 career 3s after Sunday’s 3-for-6 effort against DePaul.
What’s next: Dec. 31 at Xaiver, 5 p.m., Peacock
Previous ranking: 6
2025-26 record: 11-1
Stat to know: Braden Smith leads the Big Ten in point-assist double-doubles after notching his third of the season on Sunday with 11 points and 14 assists in a win over Auburn. He also became the first Purdue player in at least 20 seasons with three straight games of 10-plus assists.
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. Kent State, 7 p.m., B1G+
Previous ranking: 3
2025-26 record: 11-1
Stat to know: Duke suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, allowing Texas Tech to mount a 17-point comeback in an 82-81 win at Madison Square Garden. It was the Blue Devils’ largest blown lead since 2007; it snapped their 69-0 win streak when leading by 15-plus points with Jon Scheyer at the helm (since 2022-23).
What’s next: Dec. 31 vs. Georgia Tech, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Previous ranking: 7
2025-26 record: 12-1
Stat to know: Gonzaga is off to its best start since 2020-21, when it started 31-0 before ultimately losing to Baylor in the national championship. This was the Zags’ ninth game of 90-plus points, tying Akron and Alabama for the most in Division I this season.
What’s next: Sunday at Pepperdine, 8 p.m., ESPN+
Previous ranking: 8
2025-26 record: 11-1
Stat to know: With Saturday’s 94-85 win over Arkansas, Houston improves to 37-0 when it scores 90 or more points under Kelvin Sampson (since 2014-15).
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. Middle Tennessee, 8 p.m., ESPN+
Previous ranking: 9
2025-26 record: 11-1
Stat to know: Jaxon Kohler became the first Michigan State player to record three straight double-doubles since Xavier Tillman in 2019-20 with his 13 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Oakland.
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. Cornell, 7 p.m., FS1
Previous ranking: 10
2025-26 record: 11-1
Stat to know: AJ Dybantsa had a career-high 35 points against Abilene Christian on Friday, the second-most single-game points by a freshman in BYU history. Danny Ainge had 36 points in 1977-78 against Idaho State.
What’s next: Monday vs. Eastern Washington, 9 p.m., ESPN+
Previous ranking: 13
2025-26 record: 12-0
Stat to know: Vanderbilt is on its longest win streak to start a season since opening the 2007-08 campaign on a 16-0 run.
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. New Haven, 6 p.m.
Previous ranking: 12
2025-26 record: 11-1
Stat to know: North Carolina is off to its best start since 2008-09, when the Tar Heels opened their season 13-0 before eventually winning the national title.
What’s next: Monday vs. East Carolina, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Previous ranking: 15
2025-26 record: 12-0
Stat to know: Nebraska is off to its best start in program history. Its 16-game win streak dating back to last season is also the longest win streak in school history.
What’s next: Dec. 30 vs. New Hampshire, 9 p.m., Big Ten Network
Previous ranking: 16
2025-26 record: 9-3
Stat to know: Alabama recorded its ninth game of 90 or more points with Sunday’s 92-81 win over Kennesaw State, tying Kent State and Gonzaga with the most in Division I this season.
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. Yale, 8 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 19
2025-26 record: 9-3
Stat to know: Texas Tech mounted the largest comeback win by any team against an AP top-three team since 2017-18 with Saturday’s 17-point come-from-behind victory over a previously unbeaten Duke.
What’s next: Sunday vs. Winthrop, 2 p.m., TNT
Previous ranking: 11
2025-26 record: 10-2
Stat to know: Louisville improves to 8-0 against unranked opponents with Saturday’s 94-54 win over Montana — the Cardinals’ fourth win by 40 or more points, tied with Michigan and Kentucky for the most in Division I this season.
What’s next: Dec. 30 at Cal, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Previous ranking: 17
2025-26 record: 9-3
Stat to know: Flory Bidunga posted his fifth double-double this season, tied for most in the Big 12, with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Towson last week.
What’s next: Monday vs. Davidson, 8 p.m., ESPN+
Previous ranking: 14
2025-26 record: 9-3
Stat to know: Darius Acuff Jr. became the first Arkansas freshman with three straight 20-point games in at least the past 20 seasons with his career-high 27 points in Saturday’s loss to Houston.
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. James Madison, 8 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 20
2025-26 record: 9-3
Stat to know: Tennessee is on a 43-game nonconference home winning streak, tying a program record.
What’s next: Dec. 30 vs. South Carolina State, 8 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 18
2025-26 record: 8-3
Stat to know: Illinois hasn’t played since suffering its first home loss of the season on Dec. 13 to Nebraska. All three of its losses have come against ranked opponents (Alabama and UConn).
What’s next: Monday at Missouri, 8 p.m., FS1
Previous ranking: 24
2025-26 record: 10-1
Stat to know: Virginia reached 80 points for the 10th time this season with Saturday’s win over Maryland, the most for any Cavaliers team over an entire season since 2007-08 (11) and the most in the program’s first 11 games since joining the ACC in 1953-54.
What’s next: Monday vs. American University, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Previous ranking: 23
2025-26 record: 8-4
Stat to know: Rueben Chinyelu recorded his sixth double-double of the season with Sunday’s 16-point, 12-rebound performance against Colgate — the most among SEC players this season.
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. Dartmouth, 6 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 25
2025-26 record: 10-1
Stat to know: Georgia had its fifth 100-point game of the season with last Thursday’s 112-82 win over Western Carolina, tied for the second most in Division I.
What’s next: Monday vs. West Georgia, 2 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: Unranked
2025-26 record: 12-1
Stat to know: Four USC players finished in double-figure scoring en route to Sunday’s win over UC Santa Cruz: Gabe Dynes (16), Ezra Ausar (15), Chad Baker-Mazara (15) and Jacob Cofie (14).
What’s next: Jan. 2 at Michigan, 7 p.m., Peacock
Previous ranking: Unranked
2025-26 record: 10-2
Stat to know: Alvaro Folgueiras came off the bench to score 15 of his 17 points before halftime of Iowa’s 94-39 win over Bucknell on Saturday.
What’s next: Dec. 29 vs. UMass Lowell, 5 p.m., Big Ten Network
Lyon have announced the loan signing of Real Madrid teenager Endrick until the end of the season.
The deal was reported by ESPN on Monday.
The Brazil international moved to the Santiago Bernabéu from Palmeiras when he turned 18 in July 2024 after a deal was struck for the transfer 18 months earlier.
Endrick made 22 LaLiga appearances during his first season in Spain but the forward has only appeared three times in all competitions this term for Xabi Alonso’s Madrid.
The 19-year-old has now joined Lyon in search of regular football, with the French club agreeing to pay a loan fee of up €1 million ($1.2m).
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Endrick’s deal lasts until June 30 and sees him join the club lying fifth in Ligue 1, which Paulo Fonseca’s side resume after the winter break at AS Monaco on Jan. 3.
Lyon side head into 2026 atop the Europa League‘s league phase having picked up 15 points from six matches.
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