Paul Pogba is “unlikely” to play for Manchester United again this season, says interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

The France midfielder, 29, is out of contract this summer and came off 10 minutes into Tuesday’s 4-0 defeat by Liverpool with a calf injury.

Pogba is set to be out “four weeks minimum”, with United’s last game of the season at Crystal Palace on 22 May.

“It is very unlikely he will play again until the end of the season,” said Rangnick.

Asked if Pogba has played his final game for the club, the German replied: “The doctor told me it will take four weeks minimum for him to recover and the last game is the end of May.

“I don’t think that it is very likely that he will be able to play again.”

He added: “As it seems right now, he will not renew his contract. Maybe the club, or Erik [ten Hag, United’s new manager] will also not want to renew the contract, I don’t know, but it’s most likely he won’t be here anymore next season.”

Pogba came through United’s academy before joining Juventus in 2012 and returned to Old Trafford for a world record fee of 89 m pounds in 2016.

In his second spell with the club, the 2018 World Cup winner has scored 39 goals in 226 appearances, helping them win the League Cup and Europa League in 2017.

Paul Pogba’s Manchester United contract expires this summer

United have five Premier League games left, beginning with Saturday’s trip to Arsenal, when Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Scott McTominay are likely to return.

Portugal forward Ronaldo, 37, scored a hat-trick in last Saturday’s 3-2 win over but missed Tuesday’s game at Liverpool following the death of his baby boy  On Thursday the club announced Ajax coach Erik Ten Hag will become United’s permanent manager  at the end of the season.

“Obviously I told [the club’s board], at least from what I have seen and known from people who had worked with Erik, that I think he would be a good choice,” said Rangnick, who will move into a consultancy role at Old Trafford.

“I still believe that he is a very good choice.”

The Golden State Warriors won 118-113 at the Denver Nuggets to take a 3-0 lead in the first round of the NBA Western Conference play-offs.

Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole each scored 27 points for the Warriors, who are aiming for their first championship in four years.

They will seal the series with another win at the Ball Arena on Sunday.

Nikola Jokic had 37 points for Denver, who have lost seven consecutive play-off games dating back to last season.

The Dallas Mavericks survived a fightback by the Utah Jazz to win 126-118 in Salt Lake City and take a 2-1 lead in their series.

Jalen Brunson with 31 points led seven different Dallas players to reach double digits, which compensated for the absence of Slovenian Luka Doncic, who has yet to play in the series because of a calf strain.

Also in the Western Conference on Thursday, Desmond Bane scored 26 points to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 104-95 win at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Bane sank seven three-pointers as the second-seeded Grizzlies overcame a 26-point deficit in Minneapolis to lead the series 2-1.

Lewis Hamilton said it would be a “dream” to be part of “something great” at Chelsea after backing Sir Martin Broughton’s bid to buy the Premier League club.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has pledged investment into the bid , along with 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams.

“Chelsea is one of the biggest teams in the world,” said Hamilton. “When I heard about the opportunity, I was like wow, this is a great opportunity to be part of something so great.

“Sir Martin took time to speak to me on the phone and explain to me his and his team’s goals if they were to win the bid, which was incredibly exciting and very much aligned with my values.”

On Williams’ involvement, Hamilton added: “We spoke about it. I told her I was going to be involved and she was happy to join.”

The Broughton consortium, which also includes World Athletics president and Chelsea fan Lord Coe, is one of three groups in the running to purchase Chelsea for £2.5bn.

The Premier League club has operated under a special licence from the UK government since owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned for his alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin, following the invasion of Ukraine.

BBC Sport understands that Hamilton and Williams, who would have no say on footballing decisions, have been involved with the Broughton consortium’s bid from the start.

“I have been a football fan since I was a kid. I played in the school team every year in my childhood and I have been to numerous games,” Hamilton said.

“When I was young, I wanted to fit in and all the kids supported different teams. I remember switching between teams and my sister punching me and saying you have to support Arsenal, so then I became a supporter of Arsenal.

“But my uncle Terry is a big Blues fan and I have been to so many games with him to watch Arsenal and Chelsea play.

“I wanted to be the best player I could be and play for a team. I was trying to tryout for Stevenage Borough but I ended up in the racing space. I could only have dreamed of being part of a team – and that for me is the most exciting part.”

Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain might have missed out on the Champions League for another season, but both could celebrate winning their respective leagues this weekend.

Over in Spain, Real Madrid can all but seal La Liga without kicking a ball while it is all still to play for in Italy.

BBC Sport looks at what could happen in Europe’s big four leagues this weekend.

Will Bayern win Der Klassiker and Bundesliga at the same time?

The biggest game in Europe this weekend? Look no further than Germany and Der Klassiker.

Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund is a huge fixture on any occasion. But Saturday’s meeting in Munich (17:30 BST) is colossal in terms of the Bundesliga title.

Bayern are on the brink of a 10th straight title after establishing a nine-point lead over nearest rivals Dortmund with four games left.

Dortmund would love nothing better than to delay Bayern’s title celebrations by winning at the Allianz Arena.

A win for the hosts and Julian Nagelsmann’s team will be celebrating the title. Nagelsmann, who who only took charge this summer revealed last week he had been subjected to online death threats after his team’s surprise Champions League exit to Villarreal.

“I know that the league is a little bit less important in Munich,” Nagelsmann said. “Still, it’s a very good achievement.”

The heavyweight showdown between Germany’s best two clubs comes amid fresh reports that Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland is very close to reaching an agreement to join Manchester City.

Ten up for PSG?

Having finished one point behind champions Lille last season, Paris St-Germain will wrap up a 10th French title with four games to spare if they avoid defeat at home to Lens on Saturday (20:00 BST).

It will be former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino’s first league triumph in France since succeeding Thomas Tuchel as head coach in January 2021.

Pochettino had been linked with Manchester United, who have announced Erik Ten Hag  as their next manager.

“It would be an immense source of joy for me to be involved in winning the club’s 10th league title,” said the Argentine this week.

PSG start the weekend on 77 points from 33 games – 15 ahead of nearest rivals Marseille with five games left.

Lens sit seventh in the table and still have ambitions of securing a top-three finish and a place in the qualifying rounds of next season’s Champions League.

However, Lens supporters will not be allowed to travel to the French capital for the game due to fears of crowd trouble.

Real Madrid on the brink

In Spain, runaway leaders Real Madrid have the weekend off as they prepare for next Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg away to Manchester City.

However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side can take a big step towards securing La Liga without kicking a ball.

Real are 15 points clear of nearest rivals Barcelona, who play their game in hand on Sunday at home to 14th-placed Rayo Vallecano (20:00).

If Barca lose, Real will require just one point from their last five games to wrap up a 35th La Liga title.

“It was a very good match by us, especially the second half,” said Ancelotti after his side continued their march to the title with a 3-1 win at Osasuna in midweek.

“Now we have a week to prepare for Manchester City. I’m very satisfied.”

Gripping race in Serie A

It’s a lot tighter in Italy where AC Milan start the weekend two points clear at the top of Serie A.

However, nearest rivals Inter Milan have one game in hand, while third-placed Napoli are four points off pole position with five matches left.

Inter will go top on Saturday if they win their home game with fifth-placed Roma (17:00) as AC Milan do not play until Sunday away to seventh-placed Lazio (19:45).

“We know that there is a month to go to the finish line and we have many close matches,” said Inter boss Simone Inzaghi.

The last time AC Milan won Serie A was 2010-11.

On Saturday night, Wembley Stadium will host one of the biggest all-British heavyweight dust-ups in history.

WBC and Ring Magazine champion Tyson Fury will look to strengthen his status as the best fighter in the division. Challenger Dillian Whyte will aim to shock the boxing world.

Hype for the clash has only really amped up over the past few days with Whyte – up until fight week – not participating in news conferences or promotional events.

The 34-year-old was aggrieved by his share of the purse, but the topic of who is earning what and the politics involved can now be put to bed, with the focus firmly on who will come out top.

Fury has won 31 bouts, with 22 knockouts, and drawn one as a professional. Whyte has won 28, with 19 stoppages, but has twice tasted defeat.

In a true tussle of the boxer versus the brawler, BBC Sport previews the blockbuster bout by speaking to both fighters, former heavyweight champions David Haye and Joseph Parker and boxing trainer Dave Coldwell.

The biggest all-British heavyweight clash in history?

Joe Bugner’s narrow victory over the popular Henry Cooper over 15 gruelling rounds at Wembley Arena in 1971 was watched by millions on terrestrial television, while 26,000 fans in Cardiff witnessed champion Lennox Lewis knock out national treasure Frank Bruno in 1993.

Both bouts are solid examples of all-British heavyweight clashes which captured the imagination of the general public but, on numbers alone, Fury-Whyte can stake its claim as the biggest.

A post-war European record of 94,000 fans will fill out Wembley Stadium, while the purse bids are the highest in boxing with Queensbury promoter Frank Warren successfully bidding $41m (£30.6m) to host the fight.

“I’m ready to rock and roll,” Whyte said at Thursday’s media conference. “It means everything to fight in my own country and for the world title.”

Fury, 33, added: “It speaks for itself. It’s the highest selling British fight in the history of our sport.”

Coldwell, who has been in Whyte’s corner in the past, believes Fury-Whyte is a bigger draw than Lewis-Bruno.

“Bruno was a big hero back then, like Tyson Fury is now,” he says. “But the Brits hadn’t yet taken to Lewis at the time of that fight.”

From bad blood to mutual respect

Whyte’s self-imposed silence had impacted the promotion of the fight. He did not appear at last month’s media conference  which enabled Fury – ever the showman – to entertain reporters alone.

The challenger meanwhile kept a low profile while training out in Portugal. He landed in London on Monday and attended the pre-fight media conference on Wednesday.

After years of social media back and forth, it was expected that tempers may flare but Fury and Whyte, surprisingly shared a great deal of mutual respect

“He’s a decent bloke. A decent fella and he’s got good morals,” Fury said. “I’m not going to sit here and slate the fella because I’ve got nothing to slate him on.”

Whyte also did not dwell on any previous bad blood, saying: “He understands warrior code. He treated me with respect and I treated him with respect.”

The fight has been somewhat overshadowed by Fury’s links to Daniel Kinahan, who last week was among seven people hit with worldwide financial sanctions by the United States.

Fury had previously been advised by Kinahan but at the public workout insisted he has absolutely zero  involvement with the Irishman, either in a business or advisory role and dismissed suggestions it has distracted his preparations.

“In my life I’ve got a massive man trying to punch my face in this week and I’ve got to deal with that so anything else is out of my control and nothing to do with me at all,” Fury said.

Will Whyte shock the world?

Whyte is a clear underdog but, as the boxing cliche goes, it only takes one punch in heavyweight boxing; and Whyte’s relentless style and vicious hooks pose danger to any opponent.

“He’s a good fighter,” Fury says. “A good strong solid man. He’s big, small, strong, tough, game. He has good punch with good power, he’s knocked out a lot of men.”

While Fury is undefeated in 32 bouts Whyte lost to Anthomy Joshua im 2015, and was then knocked out by 40 year old Alexander Povetkin  in August 2020, only to avenge the defeat by the Russian seven months later.

But Haye – a former two-weight world champion – says past results have little relevance in heavyweight boxing, referencing Lewis’ losses to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman and Joshua’s shock defeat to Andy Ruiz in in 2019.

“Anything can happen in heavyweight boxing and time to time an anomaly happens,” he says. “The way that Dillian has the best opportunity of winning is to get in close and turn it into a slugfest. I think he stops Fury on his feet late doors at some stage”.

Parker – who was dropped twice before before losing on points to Whyte in 2018 – is acutely aware of how tough ‘The Body Snatcher’ is.

“He has power in both hands and will always come game and ready,” the New Zealand heavyweight says. “We haven’t seen much of him so no-one knows what to expect in terms of approach and what kind of shape he’s in.”

Is Fury just too good?

Outside of the ring, Fury’s comeback story from mental health struggles and weight gain has been well documented. Inside the squared circle, The Gypsy King is considered by many to be one of the most skilful and elusive heavyweight boxers of his generation.

Fury will fight in the United Kingdom for the first time since 2018, with his past five bouts – including the trilogy with Deontay Wilder – taking place in the United States.

Parker says although the champion has become a global superstar in recent years, he is not taking this fight lightly.

“I don’t think there’s any complacency in Team Fury or Tyson himself,” he says. “They’ve put in the best work they can for the fight.

“But I believe Tyson is going to repeatedly hit him with the jab and knock him out between rounds five and nine.”

Fury, modestly and perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek, plays down his own credentials.

“I’ve been bounced off the canvas more times than a bouncy ball,” he says. “I’m not this untouchable boxer that everything thinks I might be. I’m just a normal boxing guy who has got lucky 32 times before.”

Haye – who was set to face Fury in 2013 before withdrawing through injury – has been criticised by Fury’s father for once again predicting a loss for the champion.

John Fury claims Haye would “pick Santa Claus” over his son and has demanded he be removed from the TV broadcast team.

In response to those comments, Haye says: “Just like he’d back his son against King Kong. I just say it like I see it.

“I thought Wladimir Klitschko was going to beat him in 2015, just like everyone did and got it wrong, and I thought Wilder all three times had the ability to knock him out, which he nearly did.”

Will Fury retire? Will Whyte become global star?

A victory for Whyte would not only stun the boxing world, but he will announce himself as one of the biggest draws in heavyweight boxing.

With a win bonus on offer and as a free agent not tied to any promoter, it will catapult him into international boxing stardom.

While Coldwell is edging towards a Fury victory, he says the hard yards Whyte has put in over the years could now pay off.

“He’s chased that WBC mandatory position and while he’s been mandatory for years he’s taken some great fights that have added to his experience, boxing knowledge and ring general-ship,” Coldwell adds.

Fellow Briton Joshua is expected to rematch WBA, WBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk this summer and both Haye and Parker would like to see the winner of Fury-Whyte challenge for the undisputed clash.

“It has to be the undisputed next,” Parker says. Haye adds: “I’m hoping Anthony Joshua claims those belts back and then we will have, without doubt, the biggest all-British title fight of all time.”

But win, lose or draw, Fury says his plans to retire from the sport following this fight and will not be lured in by the prospect of capturing all of the belts.

“This is it. In the capital city. It’s the pinnacle of it all,” Fury says.

“There’s no amount of money or belts I haven’t already won or I haven’t already got that will bring me back.”

Max Verstappen beat Charles Leclerc to pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix sprint race in an incident-packed qualifying session at Imola.

There were five red flags in a rain-affected session and Verstappen ended up 0.8 seconds quicker than Leclerc.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified only 11th and 13th before the rain came down in Mercedes’ least competitive showing of the season.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was third, from Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.

Max Verstappen beat Charles Leclerc to pole position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix sprint race in an incident-packed qualifying session at Imola.

There were five red flags in a rain-affected session and Verstappen ended up 0.8 seconds quicker than Leclerc.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified only 11th and 13th before the rain came down in Mercedes’ least competitive showing of the season.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was third, from Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.

Red Bull’s Verstappen, who retired from two of the first three races of the season, said: “It was tricky out there with the dry/rain. It was very slippery. It was hectic, a long qualifying but of course in the end happy to be here. It is an amazing track and it really punishes you if you make a mistake.

“Our first three races in general didn’t go to plan but we will try to have a good weekend here.”

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz caused one of the stoppages when he crashed at Rivazza early in the second session, and the Spaniard will start 10th.

The other red flags were caused by a brake failure for Williams’ Alexander Albon in the opening minutes of the first session, an off for Magnussen at Acque Minerali, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas pulling off the track and then finally a mistake by Norris when the session resumed for what should have been a final one-lap shootout.

Verstappen’s pole time was set on a lap on which the Dutchman had to back off for Bottas’ stranded car. He was allowed to keep the time because he had slowed sufficiently for the incident.

Before that, Ferrari’s Leclerc had been 0.02secs quicker than Verstappen on their first laps of the final session.

But while Leclerc chose to back off before going for a second lap, Verstappen kept going for another time straight away.

The championship leader admitted he was annoyed and that he had made the “wrong choice”.

Norris said he was “surprised” to be third, McLaren’s best grid position of the season.

“When people have less time to get up to speed, that’s when we look better,” he said. “Shocked. When you have to deliver as a driver, that’s when we manage to do it. The car is good enough that it gives me the confidence to do that, so I’m happy.”

Magnussen’s result was the Haas team’s best qualifying performance and came despite him making an error and going off at Acque Minerali early in the final session.

“What a result,” he said. “It’s great. It feels amazing. I can’t really believe it. The best qualifying Haas have ever done. I went off and lost the car. Managed to keep it going and get back on track. The car was just phenomenal and I can’t believe we’re P4.”

The session decided the grid for Saturday’s sprint race, the results of which set the starting places for the main grand prix on Sunday.

The number of points for the sprint this year have been increased, with eight points for the winner, and all those finishing in the top eight rewarded.

Behind Magnussen in fourth, Alpine’s Fernando Alonso was fifth, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren, the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez, Bottas, Sebastian Vettel in the improved Aston Martin and Sainz.

Leclerc leads the drivers’ standings by 34 points from Russell with Verstappen a further 12 points back in sixth.

What happened to Mercedes?

It was a chastening day for Mercedes, who looked uncompetitive from the start of practice.

The two cars were five and seven seconds off the pace in the rain of first practice and although they were in better shape in qualifying, the team had both cars knocked out in second qualifying for the first time since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.

Mercedes were unlucky with the Sainz red flag as rain started to fall during the pause in the session while the Ferrari was removed from the barriers.

That robbed them of the chance to improve and make it into the top 10 shootout, but it would have been touch and go anyway.

Hamilton said he felt the team had “underperformed” but it is clear Mercedes need to get to the bottom of what is causing the car’s problems quickly if this season is not to be a total write-off.

“It wasn’t a great session. Came here with optimism and everyone is working hard at the factory but it is disappointing,” the Briton said.

“There are things we should have done but we didn’t. We will work as hard as we can to move up in the sprint race.

“It is what it is. Each weekend is a rescue.”

Sainz’s error was his second in as many competitive days, after he crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago.

He said: “It’s a shame. I felt comfortable. I don’t understand because I wasn’t going at full speed. I have no choice but to apologise. The sprint race remains to come back as much as possible.”

Incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag must perform an “open heart operation” rather than fixing “minor cosmetic things”, says interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

Ten Hag take charge at the end pf the season  that has seen United face strong criticism over performances.

Rangnick said it is “vital” they sign the “best possible players” to change the “attitude and energy”.

“We need positive energy for the new team and the new manager,” he said.

“If he gets that, if the right lessons are being learned, this could be one of the few good things about the season we are going through.

“At least you know which kind of screws we need to turn, things we need to change, and, if that happens, why should Erik ten Hag not be able to be as successful as he was at Ajax?

“It’s not the manager’s quality – it’s changing all the other things that have brought the club into a position we are in right now.

“The good thing – one of the few – is it’s crystal clear. You don’t even need glasses to see the problems.

“Now it’s only about how you can solve them. Not minor cosmetic things. This is an open heart operation. If everyone realises this has to happen and works together, it doesn’t need to take years.

“It can happen within one year. Other clubs have shown it’s possible within three transfer windows.”https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.44.14/iframe.htmlHow Ten Hag made Ajax Champions League contenders

‘A lack of Burnley basics’

Rangnick is set to move into a consultancy role at United when Ten Hag takes charge.

The German took interim charge in November after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked, but two wins in their past seven league fixtures have left United sixth in the Premier League – three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal having played one game more.

On Tuesday United were thrashed 4-0 by rivals Liverpool, who won 5-0 at Old Trafford earlier this season.

United have only once suffered a combined heavier defeat in a league season – 11-0 against Sunderland in 1892-93.

“In training we haven’t been on the level I’d like,” said Rangnick. “We are very far away from football I would like to play.

“Even if I watch Burnley and they are fighting to stay in league, the way they defended and didn’t allow Southampton a single chance…

“This is what I mean by basics, and those are things we need to show in the next games.”

Asked if Ten Hag will require patience, Rangnick said: “I would rather say the level of expectations. This has also got to do with patience, yes, but in a club like Manchester United it is difficult to tell people to be patient. It will take time.

“We have to face current situation. We lost on aggregate to Liverpool 9-0, Manchester City 6-1, lost to Watford 4-1 and lost to Everton, who are not full of confidence.

“This is just the sad reality. It makes sense to have sense of reality and not accept but acknowledge it. It would also help Erik ten Hag for the future.”