DUBAI // Wayne Rooney holds the key to England's World Cup success, according to Matthew Le Tissier, the former international, who is tipping the Manchester United striker to be one of the stars of next month's tournament.
Le Tissier, whose flair and outstanding individual ability enabled him to enjoy a reputation similar to Rooney's as one of the top attractions of the English game, said: "I think Wayne is everybody's shining light. I'm hoping that his injury problems towards the end of the season work in England's favour.
The fact that he hasn't been able to train as much as usual in the past couple of months might make him fresher than he would have been had he gone through the whole season injury free. That's a big factor going into a demanding summer tournament like this one.
"If you are going to win a World Cup you need players who can change a game when things are not looking good and Wayne is certainly one of those," added Le Tissier, who in his heyday as Southampton's shining star was regarded as a having the potential to be a world-class player, only to fall well short of expectations in collecting a meagre haul of eight senior caps.
"He was a worthy Footballer of the Year [elected by the British Football Writers Association] because his form up to his injury was the best of his life. And he was also a worthy winner of the players' award [voted for by the Professional Footballers' Association]."
Fabio Capello, the England manager, is going to have a difficult task whittling down England's provisional squad of 30 players to a travelling party of 23 to be announced on May 30.
"Of the fringe players, I reckon Jamie Carragher [the Liverpool defender] is the least vulnerable," added Le Tissier, who was visiting Dubai to play in last weekend's Big Five-O golf tournament, which raised more than Dh1million for children's charities.
"Cappello would not have persuaded him out of international retirement if he was not going to take him to the finals. I think Tom Huddlestone [one of six Tottenham players selected] will be first on the list of casualties, while Shaun Wright-Phillips [Manchester City] and Darren Bent [Sunderland] are the most likely forwards to miss out.
"One of the left-sided defenders will be surplus to requirements which means there will be no place for either Leighton Baines [Everton] or Stephen Warnock [Aston Villa] while the midfield trimming down is likely to depend on the fitness levels of certain players [Manchester City's Gareth Barry was included despite a serious ankle injury]."
Le Tissier, who suffered his own World Cup disappointment when Glenn Hoddle omitted him from England's 1998 squad, urged Capello to take a chance on the exciting talents of Manchester City's Adam Johnson.
"I have been impressed with his recent form and I hope he gets into the final 23," he said.
@Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
'Nope'
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
%3Cp%3EThe%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Arabic%20Language%20Centre%20will%20mark%20International%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Day%20at%20the%20Bologna%20Children's%20Book%20Fair%20with%20the%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Translation%20Conference.%20Prolific%20Emirati%20author%20Noora%20Al%20Shammari%2C%20who%20has%20written%20eight%20books%20that%20%20feature%20in%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Education's%20curriculum%2C%20will%20appear%20in%20a%20session%20on%20Wednesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20challenges%20women%20face%20in%20getting%20their%20works%20translated.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
AGUERO'S PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD
Apps: 186
Goals: 127
Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33
The%20specs
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Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to avoid crypto fraud
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