If Age UK, a charity to help the elderly in Britain, needed a poster boy for a new campaign they could do well to take a look at Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Manchester United manager is not only living proof of age being nothing but a number, but he has also helped numerous players extend their twilight years by a season or two.
Two possible summer arrivals at Old Trafford, according to reports, are Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole.
Lampard, 34, will not be offered a new contract by the London club, while Cole, 32, is likely to join him in leaving having so far failed to agree a deal. The pair have both been told they are surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.
They are both past 30 but neither is ready for the scrap heap just yet. If United do not follow up their interest, numerous high-profile clubs will.
The lure of Old Trafford will be a realistic chance for the players to add to their already trophy-laden mantelpieces, but Ferguson has proved he is adroit at extending players' careers.
Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand (likely to sign a new contract, on less money, to stay at the club) are currently reaping the rewards from Ferguson's elixir, but past beneficiaries include Teddy Sheringham, Laurent Blanc, Henrik Larsson and Edwin van der Sar.
Blanc may have had a few critics but he added a Premier League medal to his trophy cabinet. Sheringham, 30 at the start of his four-year stint under Ferguson, left with three league titles, an FA Cup winners medal and a notable Uefa Champions Leagues win.
Some teams are reluctant to sign veterans, none more so than Sunday's defeated opponents Liverpool, with resale value one of the issues.
Steven Gerrard, the Anfield captain, spoke of his admiration for United's mixture of old and young on the eve of the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. Talking to the Daily Telegraph, he said of Ferguson's decision to keep Scholes and Giggs at United: "If someone of his calibre - someone who's done what he's done in the game and with his knowledge - knows how important it is to keep hold of those players it tells you how important experience and top pros are."
It is an opinion that Liverpool, Chelsea and the like would to well to listen to.
Ferguson signed the 29-year-old Robin van Persie on a four-year deal in the summer, and it is highly unlikely he will be sold, if ever, for more than the £24 million (Dh142.8m) United paid.
But he will repay the club in other ways - by giving younger squad members invaluable influence in training and putting trophies in the cabinet. And that is the value of experience.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
AIR
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Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
New schools in Dubai
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Tentative schedule of 2017/18 Ashes series
1st Test November 23-27, The Gabba, Brisbane
2nd Test December 2-6, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd Test Dcember 14-18, Waca, Perth
4th Test December 26-30, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5th Test January 4-8, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
English Premiership semi-finals
Saracens 57
Wasps 33
Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul