A loan move for next season may be the best move for a young Manchest…

Max Alleyne has almost become the forgotten defender in Manchester City’s squad. The young centre-back was recalled by City in January from Watford, where he had impressed on loan during the first half of this season. Alleyne returned to City when injuries decimated Manchester City’s defense in January. The young defender made seven appearances for City after he returned to the club, and Alleyne showed more than enough to suggest that he has all the makings of a quality centre-back.

Unfortunately for Max Alleyne, he has been starved of opportunities to play for City due to Manchester City’s signing of Marc Guehi and the return of players from injury. Looking further ahead, it is hard to see where Max Alleyne fits into the City squad for next season. Perhaps another loan move is the next logical step in his young career.

It is difficult to find a fit for Max Alleyne in the Manchester City squad when looking ahead to next season.

Looking ahead to what the Manchester City squad may look like for next season, one position that City don’t lack options in is at centre-back. It is likely that Pep Guardiola’s squad will contain Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Josko Gvardiol. All four of those players are exceptional centre-backs. A safe bet would also be that Vitor Reis will return to Manchester City and be the fifth centre-back in the City squad. If that turns out to be the case, it is hard to see where Max Alleyne will fit into the Manchester City first team for next season.

It isn’t a knock on Max Alleyne’s talent to suggest that he would be the sixth centre-back in the City squad for next season if he remains at the club. It is just the reality of the situation that Alleyne would be facing next season. Competition for spots in the heart of the Manchester City defence will be fierce next season. Alleyne will face a battle to play any meaningful minutes at City next season. That is clear to see this season already. At 20 years of age, Alleyne needs to be playing at a high level to further develop as a player. Spending a season on the periphery of the City first team likely won’t do the gifted young defender any good.

A loan move to a Premier League club is probably the best move for Max Alleyne.

Max Alleyne showed at Watford earlier this season and at Manchester City when he returned from his loan spell in the Championship that he is more than capable of playing at the highest level. Perhaps a loan move to another Championship club for next season could be on the cards for Alleyne. However, he does look ready to play in the Premier League on a consistent basis.

A loan move for the 2026/27 season to a Premier League club could be the ideal setting for Max Alleyne to take the next step as a player. He has shown enough to suggest that he is capable of being a consistent Premier League player. He just needs an opportunity to do so. It is likely that opportunity won’t come at Manchester City next season. Perhaps another Premier League club will take a chance on Alleyne and give him the opportunity to play at the highest level.

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A loan move for the 2026/27 season looks to be the logical move for Max Alleyne next season. The young centre-back needs to play to continue his growth and development as a defender. Hopefully, a Premier League takes a chance on Max Alleyne for next season so he show what he is capable of at the elite level of English football.

The Boston Bruins picked up another crucial point, but overtime losses continue to follow them as the season nears its end.

The Bruins (43-26-10) jumped to a lead, fell behind, clawed back in the third period, but lost 6-5 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes (50-22-6) on Tuesday night at the Lenovo Center. Morgan Geekie (37) scored a hat trick, Pavel Zacha (30) hit 30 for the first time in his career, and Hampus Lindholm (5) scored his first goal since January.

Geekie’s three-goal showing comes after having none in the last 17 games.

“It’s always nice, but on days like today, it doesn’t really mean anything, right?” Geekie said about getting on the scoresheet. “Sure, for like, mentally I guess, yeah. It feels like you come in here, it doesn’t matter if you score six goals, you know. It’s just one of those things that, losses like that are tough to swallow, for sure.”

It was Geekie’s second game on a line with David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm, who both assisted his first goal. Pastrnak had another one and directly set up Geekie for his first two goals.

“Oh, 100%. I look for him all the time, obviously. No secret, right?” Pastrnak said after the game. “We have good chemistry. We play together well. He reads off me really well. I need him to score goals. He’s an important teammate for me and linemate.”

Pastrnak has assists on 19 of Geekie’s 37 goals. All but one are primary assists.

Geekie’s firsttwo goals came in the first period, along with Hampus Lindholm’s, which opened the scoring. The Bruins carried a 3-2 lead into the first intermission, but it quickly unraveled.

The Hurricanes scored threegoalsin 3:16 early in the second period, and Jeremy Swayman was pulled. He made 18 saves on the first 23 shots.

“I thought [there were] a couple bad bounces there for [Swayman]. I feel like it just wasn’t his night,” Marco Sturm said after the game. “I needed to spark something. Second period was just, overall, we didn’t protect him. We didn’t protect ourselves, basically. And I just wanted to change something.”

Joonas Korpisalo entered the game and stopped 16 of 17 in relief, including all 12 in the third period.

“Korpi made some crazy, you know, and again, it’s double frustrating not to get the win for him,” Pastrnak said. “That’s two nights. Obviously, my fault last game and today again. Tough, because he deserved better than the outcome.”

Morgan Geekie scored late in the second period to hit the hat trick, and Pavel Zacha tied the game with 7:25 to play in regulation with his 30th goal of the season. The goal marks Zacha’s first 30-goal season in the NHL.

But Jaccob Slavin won the game in overtime, recording the only shot that beat Korpisalo. It was his first goal of the season.

Eight of the last 11 Bruins’ road games have gone to overtime, dating back to March 8. They have lost five of them, including the last two.

The Bruins finish their four-game road trip without a win, going 0-2-2, a reminder of their road struggles earlier in the season. However, they scored more goals on Tuesday (5) than they did in the rest of the trip (3).

“Well, I feel like the legs was there, energy was there. We were a little bit slower, but energy was there,” Pastrnak added. “I mean, it’s tough, tough road trip. Obviously, I’m very frustrated. So, just going to have to look at it at the end of the day. It’s a big point in the standings. You know, we can go home. We are still in the spot, amazing spot that nobody thought about us, and you know, we have to recognize that also. It’s just tough losses in overtime back-to-back.”

Although they picked up two of eight points on the road trip, the Bruins’ playoff odds are up to 98.9%, per MoneyPuck. They have three games remaining, and the magic number is two, according to Hockey Magic Numbers.

The Bruins comfortably sit in the first wild card and trail the Canadiens, Sabres, and Lightning by six points. They have a four-point lead on the Ottawa Senators.

The Bruins are off until Saturday afternoon, when they take on the Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning (48-24-6). That is the first of a back-to-back; they will fly to Ohio on Saturday night for a Sunday evening matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets (39-27-12).

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ONE Championship returns to Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium with another explosive night of martial arts action this Friday, April 10.

Broadcasting live in U.S. primetime, ONE Fight Night 42: Mann vs. Dzhabrailov on Prime Video delivers a stacked card across MMA, Muay Thai, and submission grappling and is just one of three events going down this weekend.

The headliner features a welterweight MMA clash between undefeated Chase Mann and Dzhabir Dzhabrailov, with the winner making a strong case for the next shot at the ONE Welterweight MMA World Title, currently held by two-division king Christian Lee.

In the co-main event, living legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao looks to continue his career resurgence against Moroccan knockout artist Elmehdi “The Sniper” El Jamari in a pivotal strawweight Muay Thai showdown.

The supporting card is loaded with explosive matchups and finishers hungry to make a statement on the global stage. Here are three bouts that could steal the show at ONE Fight Night 42.

#1 Black Panther Vs. Paez

It’s open season in the flyweight Muay Thai division, and both Black Panther and Diego Paez arrive in Bangkok determined to establish themselves as undeniable contenders.

This fight was scheduled for ONE Fight Night 40 in February but fell through when Black Panther pulled out due to illness. Now fans will finally get to see them face off.

The 32-year-old Paez recently displayed his technical mastery and sharp combinations to score a statement upset at ONE Fight Night 32 last June over highly touted Johan “Jojo” Ghazali. He arrives looking to build on that momentum.

Standing in his way is Black Panther, who enters on a four-fight winning streak. Armed with a ferocious killer instinct and heavy kicks, he has consistently proven he can end a night in a flash.

When Paez’s technical boxing meets Black Panther’s raw finishing power, expect a firefight — and with the flyweight Muay Thai throne vacant, one of these men could make a strong case for the next crack at gold.

#2 Suakim Vs. Kuzmin

A clash of styles takes center stage when Suakim Pongsuphan PK squares off against Vladimir Kuzmin in a bantamweight Muay Thai contest.

Suakim is renowned for his relentless forward pressure and slicing elbows. He brings a bruising, old-school approach to the ring, dragging opponents into the trenches and breaking them down.

Kuzmin is a master of distance and precision. The Russian uses his length and rapid-fire combinations with superb footwork to dismantle forward-moving fighters, reading their rhythm to land counter-shots before pivoting out of danger.

He is the near-perfect counter to Suakim’s pressure-heavy offense, which makes this one of the most compelling technical matchups on the card.

#3 Perreira Vs. Nakatani

A flyweight MMA clash rounds out the must-watch trio at ONE Fight Night 42, as Joshua “Flyin Hawaiian” Perreira and Gilbert Nakatani look to climb the divisional ladder.

Perreira returns to ONE after overcoming a career-threatening injury and a defeat in his promotional debut against Banma Duoji at ONE Fight Night 29 in March 2025. He brings an aggressive, all-action style and arrives with plenty to prove.

Nakatani looks to build on his own momentum. After testing himself against future — and now reigning — ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, he enters looking to use his well-rounded grappling and heavy hands to derail Perreira’s comeback and score a statement win.

Both men are hunting a victory that shakes up the flyweight MMA ranks. This collision could be a candidate for Fight of the Night before the curtain closes.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — There were five Angels on Tuesday night to record a hit, with Jo Adell the only one to get two, but some may argue that Jorge Soler had the most on the team.

After a first-pitch 97 miles per hour fastball by Reynaldo López sailed by the head of Soler in the fifth inning, Soler charged the mound and squared up with López, and the two traded off real punches, which is a rare sight in baseball fights.

Once the dust settled and both Soler and López were ejected from the game, things picked up right where they left off, and the Angels' (6-6) bats failed to scratch runs across in a 7-2 loss to the Braves (7-5).

Soler’s first big swing of the game came in the first inning, when he took López deep for a two-run home run. That homer put Soler 14-for-23 with five home runs in his career against López.

And it appears López wasn’t a fan of that.

In Soler’s next at-bat, he was hit up and in with a 96 miles per hour fastball. In the next one, that first-pitch fastball that zipped by Soler’s head started a staring match, which then led to words being exchanged, which then led to punches being exchanged.

“He didn't miss with the other hitters like that, like he missed to me, so I think it was intentional,” Soler said.

López was surprised enough at Soler charging that he didn’t even take his glove off, or even drop the baseball in his other hand, and just threw punches with what he had.

After a series of punches thrown, Soler was tackled to the ground by three Braves players, and the brawl settled down after some shoving.

"(Solers') got good numbers off López and hits a homer his first at-bat, gets drilled up high in the wrist his second at-bat and then the third one throws one head high," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. "I don't blame (Soler) one bit. He went out there and I guess his words were exchanged. Anytime you get thrown at your head, you have a family, your career, it's dangerous. I know it's part of the game, I know it happens, but you ask any hitter, a ball gets thrown near their head, especially after hitting a homer, it's not good."

The Angels now lead all of baseball with 11 hit by pitches as an offense. Although this incident is isolated to just Soler and López, the Angels are also just tired of being hit.

“It is part of the game, but there’s gonna come a time where enough’s enough," Suzuki said. "You don't want to get hit by pitches.”

Soler’s two-run home run in the first inning were the only runs the Angels could muster while collecting six hits and striking out 14 times.

On the other side of the ball, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi struggled again with keeping a low pitch count. He tossed five innings, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight batters. He threw a total of 97 pitches.

"We'd like to have his pitch count down and have him go deeper in games with the stuff that he has," Suzuki said. "I know he's working on it and he'll do it but the pitch count ran up there high tonight, fast."

A 31-pitch second inning and a 28-pitch fourth inning were the killers for Kikuchi.

In the second, he may have only faced five batters, but four of them went to three-ball counts that lasted longer than six pitches apiece. Kikuchi gave up a two-strike single to Matt Olson, who then scored on a two-strike double by Eli White.

In the fourth, things unwraveled for Kikuchi.

A leadoff walk to Olson was followed by a two-strike single by Austin Riley and a double by Mauricio Dubón. White hit a sacrifice fly and Jonah Heim singled in the third and final run of the inning before Kikuchi could stop the bleeding.

The Angels have another chance to win the series in the finale at 1:07 p.m. on Wednesday.