The hype continues to grow around Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere.
Two man-of-the-match displays from the 17-year-old winger in pre-season earned him lavish praise from manager Arsene Wenger. Now the England coach Fabio Capello has joined in, claiming Wilshere could earn a spot at the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer.
The Italian saw Wilshere, who has only made one substitute appearance in the Premier League, star in the pre-season Emirates Cup tournament, scoring twice against Rangers.
And Capello said: "He surprised me. Really. I saw him last year two times because he played in the Carling Cup and he has improved a lot now. He plays without fear, with confidence. And the other players passed the ball always to him. This is not normal to be so young and so good."
Sven-Goran Eriksson took another Arsenal youngster, Theo Walcott, to the World Cup finals in 2006 before he had played in the Premier League, but Capello, who named his squad for Wednesday's friendly in Holland on Saturday, stressed Wilshere must break into the first team if he is to earn a place in the squad.
He continued: "We have time before we have to decide if he will go to South Africa. It depends a lot on Wenger, if he will play him."
Carlos Tevez made his Manchester City debut on Saturday, almost a month after signing for the club and immediately impressed both his teammates and supporters. The Argentine striker, who has been sidelined with a heel injury, came on as a substitute during the 2-1 friendly win against Celtic and got a standing ovation from the City fans.
Gareth Barry, who scored his first goal for the club with a sweet volley, said: "You could see he's missed a lot of training, but when he's 100 per cent fit you can see it's all going to click together and Carlos is going to be a massive player for us this season. As we have seen in previous years he's got that extra bit of quality.
"He's labelled one of the best strikers in the world and if you see him play and train that's exactly what he is. City are very lucky to have a player like him."
* With agencies
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME
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