SAN FRANCISCO – As long as Christian McCaffrey is on the field, he’s going to show out.

The San Francisco 49ers star running back was the only non-quarterback to be an MVP finalist, and was also in the running for his second Offensive Player of the Year Award in three years after putting up 2,126 scrimmage yards and scoring 17 total touchdowns. 

In most cases, that should surprise nobody, but given McCaffrey’s devastating 2024 season, when he missed 13 games due to Achilles tendinitis and a knee injury, “what if” was in the conversation.

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“Yeah, you know, I think last year was tough. There was a lot of uncertainty for me the whole offseason just working extremely hard day and night to try to come back to where I needed to be,” McCaffrey told Fox News Digital on Radio Row. “I really just thank God. I feel very fortunate that I played in every game. You know, that’s something I don’t take for granted ever anymore. And I feel blessed to be able to come out of the season healthy.”

McCaffrey became just the second player ever to be nominated for MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year in the same season. He was also voted by fans as one of FedEx’s Air & Ground Players of the Year.

“This is a cool award. Voted for by the fans, which makes it really cool, and it’s been going on for 23 years now, so it’s one of the longest NFL awards. So, I’m super thankful,” McCaffrey said. “They’re also giving $15,000 to Feeding America, a local food bank here in San Francisco. So, you know, getting an award, being able to give back a little bit, it’s pretty cool.”

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey celebrates after scoring against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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McCaffrey won the Comeback Player of the Year on Thursday night given last year’s injuries and this year’s rousing success. Given his age, many were worried that it was the beginning of the end.

McCaffrey, too, was admittedly nervous, but that is not exactly a new feeling for him.

“I’ve been worrying since I was in high school. Most of my mindset is just worrying. You know, part of what drives me is just that, you know, that anxiety of not living up to my potential or not being able to play. So, that’s definitely something that’s always in my head transparently,” McCaffrey said. “But I think that’s the beauty of training. Whenever that’s kind of how you start, and then you train and train and train and do all the things you can to get to where you want to be, which will instill confidence that, you know what? I trust my training. I know that I can do this now. I feel good about where I’m at.”

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, right, celebrates his touchdown with offensive tackle Trent Williams during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, in Inglewood, California. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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McCaffrey will be 30 years old by the time he plays meaningful football again, but after nearly another 1,000-1,000 yard season, there’s not much to worry about.

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Pakistan Cricket team captain Sulman Ali Agha has said that the players will try to win all the matches in T20 World Cup.

He said in a press conference in Colombo that Pakistan team has no pressure to go to any event and players will try to win all the matches.

“I don’t remember the 2009 World Cup but it was very small”, he said.

Our preparation is very good and the team’s performance in the last six months was very good, Sulman Agha said.

He said if we implement our plan, we will win all three games and we will play with whoever has the best combination.

He further said Babar and Fakhar played very good cricket for Pakistan.

Apart from cricket, there have been many things going on for some time and we have come here to play cricket, Sulman said.

Death bowling is our problem but the coaches are working on it, he added.

He said Usman Tariq’s action is clear, I don’t understand why it is being talked about and he has also given the test.

Manchester United have a problem. They appointed Michael Carrick as head coach until the end of the season to buy them time, but after three successive victories and a complete transformation of the mood at Old Trafford, the “caretaker” is starting to back United into a corner.

The club has a window in which to decide who, why and when in terms of identifying and hiring their No. 1 candidate as permanent head coach. But by exceeding expectations with his 100% winning start, Carrick is closing that window a little too quickly and it might lead to the United hierarchy having to make a crucial decision sooner than it wants to make it.

The ideal scenario for United would be to wait until the end of the season and assess their options, possibly based on whether they finish in the top four, top six or neither, but that is naive and unrealistic. If United really want to get back to the top, they have to have their new coach lined up within the next four to six weeks, and that’s why Carrick is becoming a problem. A good problem perhaps, but a problem nonetheless.

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On the face of it, there are no negatives right now for United following Carrick’s installation as coach last month following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim after 14 turbulent months in charge. By guiding United to those three Premier League wins against Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham, Carrick has put the club in a strong position to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, so the champagne corks should be popping in the boardroom. But by having such an immediate and positive impact, Carrick has muddied the waters of United’s search for a permanent replacement for Amorim. In many ways, he is doing too well.

Carrick’s brief was to steady the ship, bring stability to the squad and steer United toward European qualification while allowing CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox to pinpoint the ideal candidate to take over from Carrick in the summer. Berrada and Wilcox must decide on the profile of the permanent boss — a young head coach or a more experienced manager — and then negotiate with the preferred candidate, agents and possibly his current employers.

All of these things take time, but if Carrick continues to overperform and United keep on winning, the clamor for him to get the job permanently will grow. The club hierarchy will have to decide whether to stick with something that is working, albeit with an unproven coach at the top level, or take the cold-headed approach of discounting Carrick completely to pursue an elite manager such as Thomas Tuchel or Carlo Ancelotti.

Both England manager Tuchel and Brazil boss Ancelotti are under contract until the end of the FIFA World Cup, as is United States coach Mauricio Pochettino. Another potential candidate, Crystal Palace‘s Oliver Glasner, will also be a free agent this summer after announcing last month he will not sign a new contract at Selhurst Park. But United can’t wait until the summer before engaging with any of those coaches, or others who might be in the frame, because they will all likely have other options. Any hesitation on United’s part would put them at risk of missing out on their top target.

At the same time, whoever is destined to take the United job will want to know the club’s plans for recruitment and have an input in terms of who to sign and who to let go. None of these elements can be left until the end of the World Cup in mid-July.

Harry Maguire‘s situation at United is a prime example of an issue that the next coach will want to influence. The 32-year-old defender is out of contract at the end of the season, but one coach might want to retain the England center back’s experience, while another might choose to let him go in order to promote youngsters such as Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven. And Maguire might also want to know who his manager will be next season before deciding whether to stay or leave if a contract offer is placed on the table.

The same applies to Kobbie Mainoo. The 20-year-old midfielder was frozen out by Amorim and looked set to leave United in January, but he has now started all three games under Carrick and appears to be a crucial member of the team again.

The United recruitment team will have their views on Maguire and Mainoo, and they have already decided that midfielder Casemiro will leave when his contract expires in the summer, but a head coach at a club of United’s stature must have a say in the make-up of his squad. And potential signings will also want to know who they will be playing for. Will it be a 3-4-3 coach like Amorim, a 4-3-3 disciple such as Ancelotti, or a more flexible coach like Tuchel? Or will it be Carrick?

Sources have told ESPN that United are considering transfer moves Nottingham Forest‘s Elliot Anderson, Brighton & Hove Albion‘s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton as they attempt to rebuild their midfield, but it is difficult to imagine any of them choosing United without having a clear of idea of who will be in charge of the team and their tactical philosophy.

play

What has Michael Carrick changed at Manchester United?

Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop discuss how United have looked different since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim.

Ten years ago this week, Manchester City announced that Pep Guardiola would become their manager in the summer of 2016. It gave clarity to incoming signings and allowed big decisions to be made ahead of his arrival.

Liverpool took a different approach when replacing Jürgen Klopp with Arne Slot two years ago, confirming the appointment of the Feyenoord coach in mid-May. But despite Slot’s success in winning the Premier League in his first season, his relatively late appointment was followed by a summer transfer window that saw Liverpool miss out on top target Martín Zubimendi (who later joined Arsenal) and end up with just one low-key signing in Federico Chiesa.

United can’t afford a similarly unproductive summer window. Despite the recent revival under Carrick, the club still has much to do off the pitch and need clarity to move forward. So they must make a big a decision quickly. They should either announce that Carrick will take the job permanently or make it clear that he won’t.

If they sit on the fence and delay their decision, United will only be harming themselves.