Marcus Rashford may have been missing but all Manchester United's familiar failings were on show as they were thrashed 3-0 at home by Bournemouth on Sunday.
Goals from Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo inflicted another damaging defeat on Ruben Amorim's side. It was the second time in two seasons the Cherries have won 3-0 at Old Trafford.
All the chatter before kick-off was about Rashford being dropped from the Portuguese manager's match-day squad for the third game in a row.
During the week, the England forward, 27, revealed that he is “ready for a new challenge” away from his boyhood club and his omission on Sunday could signal the end of his spell at Old Trafford after nine seasons.
But Amorim, who has stressed that the team must come before the individual, has far greater headaches than merely the fate of his inconsistent forward.
His team were easily dismantled by Andoni Iraola's high-flying Bournemouth.
Following his arrival to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag, Amorim has struggled to find a system that produces consistent results.
His side have now lost their third Premier League match in four and are languishing in 13th place in the table.
In contrast, Bournemouth are fifth and are pushing hard for European football next season.
United fell behind in the 29th minute as Bournemouth exploited their recurring frailty at set-pieces.
The Red Devils shipped two goals from corners against Arsenal, another in their defeat against Nottingham Forest and conceded from a Son Hueng-min free kick as they were dumped out of the League Cup on Thursday.
Whatever drills United's set-piece coach Carlos Fernandes is putting in place on the training ground, they are clearly not paying off as the visitors took the lead through 19-year-old Spain youth international Huijsen, who was left unmarked at Ryan Christie's free-kick to score with a glancing header.
In the 61st minute, Kluivert was brought down in the box by Noussair Mazraoui and sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the spot to make it 2-0.
And two minutes later Semenyo was unmarked as he swept home Dango Ouattara's cross after Kobbie Mainoo had given away possession inside his own half.
United did create chances. On-loan Cherries goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga frustrated Bruno Fernandes with an excellent first-half save and substitute Leny Yoro was also denied late on.
But it was another sobering afternoon for United and Amorim as the result was greeted by boos from the Old Trafford stands.
After the game, Amorim said: “It's hard to push for two, three wins and we are trying. This game was hard on us. We suffered again on set-pieces and we were a bit nervous, I felt it in the stadium.
“The penalty and another goal are really hard here. We tried to score some goals but it was a tough match so let's move on.
“If you look at the game, we were not conceding anything before the first goal, we had opportunities. If we manage to score the first goal then the game should be different. We want to score but we are too nervous. We have to fight this.
“After the penalty, we need to control the game better because we know this situation is really hard. We have to control better this moment.
“We have to focus on the job and not what you feel in the stadium. It's the only way I know how to focus my players. We have to suffer again but we will try to win. We will do it until the end.”
Bournemouth manager Iraola said: “It's an important win for us. We won 3-0 but it was more difficult than it looks when you see 3-0. I think we've been quite solid, it was a mature performance. Kepa's performance has helped us this year.
“He [Kepa] has been very good in possession and with positions. He is confident and in a very young defensive line, we need players with experience.
“I am happy that we were more clinical today. We scored from a set play. I think it was a solid performance. Not amazing, but it was solid. We kept playing the same way and pushing until the end. After half-time we regrouped and we were better in the second half.
“I value the 28 points. I think the amount of points we have is good. At Christmas, it is a good amount.”
And Cherries goalscorer Kluivert said: “It's a massive win, back-to-back winning here at this beautiful stadium is amazing. It's unreal. We've been working hard and we were building last year. It's amazing with this coach.”
On his side scoring in their last 10 games, he added: “It's our philosophy, it's what the manager wants from us and that's why we score every game. We need to keep cruising like this. There's always something after a goal so you have to be sharp and we scored the second.”
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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.”
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
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