Manchester United manager David Moyes hailed the transformation by his players as they bounced back from a Uefa Champions League defeat with a 3-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion.
Goals from Phil Jones, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck eased pressure on the under-fire Moyes as United moved into sixth place in the Premier League on Saturday.
It was the ideal response in United's first game since a chastening 2-0 defeat at Olympiakos in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash on February 25.
“Their attitude was changed completely,” Moyes said. “The players showed their effort and commitment, not just good play. I think it showed in the performance as well.
“What pleased me the most was the goals. The team played very well in all areas.
“There were some very good performances, Marouane Fellaini did really well, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were excellent.
“I thought the two boys up front, Wayne and Robin van Persie were really good with Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj out wide.”
Moyes insisted it was an easy decision to substitute van Persie because the Dutch striker was one mistake away from a red card.
In a week in which Moyes has been forced to field questions over whether van Persie is happy at Old Trafford, the Dutch international stirred the debate over his state of mind when he gave a shake of the head after being substituted.
Having already been cautioned for an ugly tackle from behind on Morgan Amalfitano five minutes into the second half, van Persie risked a second yellow card minutes later for a lunge which grounded Steven Reid.
The former Arsenal star cut a frustrated figure when he was replaced by Welbeck, trudging off the field before returning his manager’s offer of his hand with a limp shake.
“Robin knew exactly what was happening,” Moyes said. “I walked over earlier and told him that I was going to have to take him off but it was the right decision.
“It was a foul, not a second booking, that was for sure.
“It was a foul, but I just felt that one more foul could have led to something else. It made my job easy.
“He played 90 minutes for Holland in midweek and I was never going to play him for another 90 minutes.”
Moyes picked substitute Welbeck out for praise after he converted Rooney’s pass late on to add gloss to the final score.
“It was a great finish,” he said. “I got told when he came on for England he looked good and he is just beginning to look a little bit more sprightly.”
The defeat left West Brom head coach Pepe Mel’s position under growing scrutiny, with the Spaniard without a victory in his seven matches in charge.
West Brom sit perilously placed just above the bottom three and only goal difference is keeping them out of the relegation zone.
What now looks a season-defining quartet of fixtures against Swansea, Hull, Cardiff and Norwich lie in await for the beleaguered Mel and his players.
“I am just focused on working and putting all my energy into making sure West Brom win at Swansea,” Mel said.
“Am I still certain I will keep West Brom up? Yes of course.
“The next four matches are very important for us. Different matches.
“We need 11 men, 11 good professional players and good mentality. The future of West Brom is at stake.
“It is all part of the profession. I hope the players react well to playing under pressure,” said Mel.
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THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
SQUADS
Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed
Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
