MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has invited Paul Scholes to his house to speak face-to-face after being mocked by the club great before his excellent performance in the derby win over Manchester City.
Speaking on a podcast ahead of the derby on Saturday, Scholes and fellow former United player Nicky Butt took shots at Martinez for how they perceived he would be overpowered by City striker Erling Haaland.
Butt said Haaland would “pick Martinez up and run with him” and act like a “dad after school running down the road with a little toddler.” Scholes said the Norway international would “throw him (Martinez) in the net” after scoring.
As it transpired, United beat City 2-0 and restricted its fierce rival to just one shot on target.
When Scholes’ comment was put to Martinez after the match, the Argentina defender said: “No, honestly, he can say whatever he wants. I told him already if he wants to say something to me, he can come to wherever he wants. To my house, wherever. I don’t care.
“And I think, for me, I respect the relations when they want to help the club because everyone can talk on the television, but when you see (them) here face-to-face, no one says anything in your face."
Asked if the pre-match comments give him extra motivation, Martinez said: “No, no, nothing. It doesn’t give me anything. My motivation is my family. That’s it.”
On Sunday, Scholes responded to Martinez's comments by posting on Instagram Stories: “Someone’s had a good game, was really happy for you. Tea, no sugar please ... @lisandromartinezzz.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez, left, heads the ball ahead of Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez, left, challenges for the ball with Manchester City's Erling Haaland during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez, left, challenges for the ball with Manchester City's Erling Haaland during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
DENVER (AP) — Bo Nix broke his right ankle late in overtime of the Denver Broncos' divisional-round victory over Buffalo on Saturday and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.
Coach Sean Payton delivered the stunning news about his second-year quarterback in the aftermath of Denver's biggest win in a decade. Backup Jarrett Stidham, who is 1-3 as a starter in six seasons, will start the AFC championship game next weekend.
“Stiddy’s ready,” Payton said after returning to the postgame lectern to discuss the injury following Denver's 33-30 victory over Josh Allen and the Bills.
Payton said Nix got hurt on a keeper where he lost 2 yards and was tackled by safety Cole Bishop. Nix was limping after the play, but there was no indication that he suffered such a serious injury.
On the next play, Nix threw a deep pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that drew a 30-yard pass-interference flag and got the Broncos well into field-goal range. Nix then took a knee to center the ball for Wil Lutz's game-ending 23-yard field goal.
Payton said Nix will have surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
“He's such a strong, faith-based guy,” Payton said. “He's sitting in the hallway with his family and coming over and we're all talking to him. He knows that God's got a plan for him and he said he had (a broken ankle) in high school and then he said he had one at Auburn.
“And I said I didn't realize that. I said if I had known that I wouldn't have drafted you,” Payton cracked.
Nix said nothing about being hurt during a postgame interview with CBS, and he sounded like he was looking forward to the next game.
“It’s great to have home-field advantage in a situation like this. It’s exciting. This is why you play the game, this is why you compete. You get to playoff football, and good things happen,” Nix said.
The locker room had cleared out and reporters were waiting in an interview room for Nix when Payton returned and delivered the news.
Nix, the 12th overall pick out of Oregon in the 2024 NFL draft, tied Russell Wilson's NFL record with two dozen victories in his first two seasons. Saturday's victory was his first in the playoffs. The Broncos lost last year at Buffalo, but Nix led Denver to the AFC's top seed this season.
“He's a tough cookie,” Payton said. “And this team all year has lost key players and will rise up for the next challenge.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix leaves the field after an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix celebrates after a touchdown during the second half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) greets Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) after an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix celebrates after an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
