Atlanta United have several tough decisions to make this offseason.

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Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months and fined £50,000, the FA has announced. The England international was charged with 262 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules between 25 February 2017 and 23 January 2021. The FA withdrew 30 of the breaches, and he admitted to the remaining 232. His sanctions were imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a hearing. Toney can return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension, starting from 17 September 2023. Brentford issued a statement, saying: “Brentford FC notes the decision of an independent Regulatory Commission to issue an eight-month ban from all football and football-related activity to Ivan Toney with immediate effect.” The 27-year-old, who has scored 20 goals for Brentford in the Premier League this season was charged with breaking FA rule E8, which refers to players being barred from betting on games or sharing information for betting purposes. Newcastle and England defender Kieran Trippier was handed a 10 week ban in December 2020 for giving information out for others to bet on his transfer to Atletico Madrid from Tottenham. More follows Read More Man City brush aside Everton to close in on title as Brighton stun Arsenal Brentford vs West Ham LIVE: Latest Premier League updates James Milner came to Liverpool and won the lot - an era ends with his departure

Arsenal have turned down an approach from Chelsea over Emile Smith Rowe.

Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans has signed a short-term deal with Manchester United and will be in the squad for their upcoming pre-season fixtures. Evans, 35, came through the ranks at United after joining as a youngster, and had been training with the club in recent days while considering his options after leaving relegated Leicester. Speculation had linked the veteran centre-half with Everton, but Evans has now signed a deal which will allow him to take part in United’s pre-season friendly against Lyon in Edinburgh on Wednesday before heading to San Diego with United’s academy while the first-team squad are in New York. Evans, capped 102 times by Northern Ireland, made 198 appearances for United before leaving for West Brom in 2015. During his Old Trafford career, Evans won the Champions League, Club World Cup, three Premier League titles and two League Cups. United have also revealed that Tyrell Malacia and Rhys Bennett have been ruled out of the Lyon match and the United States trip through injury. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Toto Wolff has dampened expectations on Mercedes’ highly-anticipated upgrade for the next race in Imola despite Lewis Hamilton calling for a one-second upgrade after the Miami Grand Prix. After qualifying a lowly 13th, Hamilton finished sixth in Miami on Sunday with team-mate George Russell a respectable fourth - but still way out of Red Bull’s league after another one-two finish for the reigning world champions. COMMENT: Where are Mercedes and Ferrari? Frankly, you don’t want to hear the answer While Hamilton insisted he needed a “second upgrade” worth around one second, Wolff believes the upgrade for Imola may not even be worth half-a-second, instead saying it will be a “good baseline”, adding: “I don’t think we’ll get there and suddenly we’re half a second faster and in the middle of a fight. We won’t.” Elsewhere, Max Verstappen sends a chilling warning to his title rivals, Wolff lambasts Hamilton’s Mercedes car after qualifying and George Russell criticises unusual pre-race introductions. Follow all the latest F1 news and reaction with The Independent Read More Where are Mercedes and Ferrari? Frankly, you don’t want to hear the answer Max Verstappen sends chilling message to rivals after Miami win: ‘I always feel unbeatable’ ‘Nasty piece of work’: Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes slammed by Toto Wolff

Newcastle United host Manchester United on Saturday night with just one point and one place between them in the Premier League table. Their relative standings might be in close proximity but the two clubs feel worlds apart right now – even as they share a curious overlapping in many factors this season. Both clubs drew in midweek, in Champions League matches with a huge amount resting on the outcomes. The Magpies, of course, earnt the better result but perhaps ended up feeling worse; such is the rollercoaster of emotions within football, holding Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw but conceding in the final minutes to a hotly debated penalty. The Red Devils, meanwhile, threw away a two-goal lead much earlier in the game and still could have won their match, eventually leaving Galatasaray with a 3-3 draw. Neither currently stand to progress in their groups, and both face an uphill battle domestically to regain a top-four place to return and try again among Europe’s elite in 2024-25. It’s the visitors to St. James’ Park who seem to have a host of problems stacked against them: an underperforming, big-money goalkeeper, a manager facing increased scrutiny, a litany of off-field problems this season, an ongoing takeover moving at glacial pace and mutiny among the fanbase towards the current owners, who now look like staying in place. Against that, Newcastle as a club look cohesive and together: a coaching group who have clearly improved the squad, remaining progressive in competitive terms compared to only two years ago and gradually adding to the memorable occasions on home soil. And yet, it’s Man United who come into the game ahead in the table, United who have taken more points across the last four league fixtures and United who have a far shorter injury and absence list to contend with. Such a convoluted mix of truths and perceptions is not uncommon, but this head-to-head in particular looks a potentially defining one in the battle for top-four places. Despite initial appearances, it’s tough to go against Newcastle as being in the better frame of mind to emerge with precious points. Their work rate, team chemistry and near-impeccable home form are all big factors for this fixture in isolation against Ten Hag’s team, who still appear tactically fractured and very brittle mentally when periods of matches go against them. Add in the fact they do not score a shed-load of goals – just 16 is the lowest in the Premier League’s top 12 – and that their away wins this term have all come at teams ranked 14th or lower, and it becomes even more difficult to see the Red Devils pulling off a morale-boosting victory. Looking in more granular detail at the head-to-head battles which might shape the match brings up a wider-lens, longer-term rivalry: players up against each other for places in England’s Euro 2024 squad. With Mason Mount well out of the picture for now, Man United hold perhaps three who would be seen as general certainties under Gareth Southgate: Harry Maguire, now a first-teamer again at club level; Marcus Rashford – woefully out of form and shifted to the right flank recently – and Luke Shaw, just returned from injury at left-back. Maguire appears untouchable, in part due to a lack of elite-level alternative candidates, but arguably the same cannot be said for the other two. Having switched wings, Rashford may now be in direct confrontation with two names of interest to the Three Lions, including one player suggested in some quarters as being so in-form that he cannot be continually overlooked: Anthony Gordon, Newcastle’s left-sided forward, as well as Tino Livramento, nominally a right-back but excellent on the left against PSG. It might be fanciful to suggest Livramento might usurp a senior so quickly and outside his normal role, but with a dearth of consistently available and excellent left-back options around for Southgate, it’s not an impossibility either, particularly if he defends the way he did at the Parc des Princes with regularity. Further forward it’s a different story. By the numbers, Rashford is still having an effect on United’s attack in terms of the basic dribbling and shooting traits he brings, but his end product has been woeful. He takes more shots than Gordon – total number and per 90 league minutes – yet fewer are on target. His decision-making can come into question at times too, with more shots blocked this term than anyone else at Man United has even attempted, Bruno Fernandes aside. And there’s the fact he has tallied just two goals total across all competitions, one a penalty, against Gordon’s five. The Newcastle man has found the finishing touch which had previously been conspicuously lacking, even thriving when asked to lead the line for the team – while Rashford, who has had several stints at the same job at Old Trafford, appears further away than ever at being a regular centre-forward, now even shifted away from his preferred left flank. As considerations for the national team, they overlap in plenty of attributes: ball-carriers at pace, direct runners behind the defence, hard workers defensively and a goal threat in central areas. Form, by its very nature, will ebb and flow. It’s no secret which of the two is nearer their peak right now, and if April and May – a time of trophies and international selections – seems a long way away, one team appears to be far better placed to give their forward a platform to consistently succeed. One game in isolation won’t decide the fate of these clubs, who pushes for a top-four finish or indeed who makes the final 23 for England. But if the game is decided by the in-form Gordon in particular, expect the calls for inclusion to only grow louder – and Rashford is the obvious candidate who would need to make way. Read More Newcastle boss Eddie Howe believes more VAR ‘would ruin the game’ Newcastle did not deserve penalty heartbreak - they were robbed by VAR Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Alan Shearer rages at ‘disgusting’ penalty decision as Newcastle denied famous win Newcastle let down by ‘poor’ penalty call to leave Howe ‘hugely frustrated’ PSG vs Newcastle LIVE: Champions League result and reaction

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Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants failed to reach a deal on a new contract and now the star running back is mulling skipping the 2023 season.It's about to get ugly with Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants. Or, well, even uglier.After failed contract negotiations prior to the Jul...