Jose Mourinho officially begins work as Manchester United manager on Monday, but he will take over a team still in considerable flux after two unconvincing years under Louis van Gaal.
Here are five of the most pressing issues the new manager will face at Old Trafford.
1. CHARM DE GEA
It is hard to overestimate the importance of goalkeeper David de Gea to United’s short-term prospects.
He is not only the club’s best player - and possibly their only world-class one - but also a beacon to potential future signings. Holding on to him may be tough without Champions League football, but it would be the best piece of business United could do this summer and it may help that Mourinho and De Gea share an agent - Jorge Mendes.
Mourinho can command fierce commitment among those he values most, though, and if he can make De Gea believe in his cult of personality it could be the trump card the Red Devils need. The early signs are good, with De Gea telling Spanish radio station Cadena Ser in June: “I came to United to win trophies. It is true these last two years we have not been at the level the club deserves. We hope that Mourinho, with his will to win, will make sure United to return to the top.”
2. UNIFY THE CLUB BEHIND HIM
Mourinho pitched to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s replacement three years ago but was overlooked amid suggestions that important voices behind the scenes, including Sir Bobby Charlton, did not see him as a ‘United man’.
After failed experiments with David Moyes and Van Gaal, Mourinho’s wish has come true.
Instead of antagonising those who argued against his appointment, or crowing about the club’s recent struggles, he must work overtime to win round his doubters.
It has been too long since there was a true consensus and the Portuguese may have to play against type to build one.
3. OVERHAUL THE TRANSFER POLICY
Since Ferguson and former chief executive David Gill departed in 2013, United’s transfer business has too often veered between confused, rushed, and incompetent.
They have allowed themselves to become a bargaining chip for agents, missed out on primary targets and been overcharged for others.
The investment in the past three seasons has been sizeable but the returns modest.
Mourinho is forceful enough to take the reins from Gill’s successor Ed Woodward, or at least push him to be more effective. He is not used to seeing his shopping lists unfulfilled and will not want to start now.
4. REVIEW HIS YOUTH POLICY
Arguably the greatest success of Van Gaal’s tenure was the number of academy graduates he blooded in the senior side, whether by design or circumstance.
Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard look ready to play big parts in the future, while Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Timothy Fosu-Mensah have also shown promise.
At Chelsea the most sustained criticism of the ‘Special One’ was his disinclination to promote players from the Blues’ hugely successful under-21 team.
United fans love to see locally developed stars emerge and would not be overjoyed to see Mourinho stunt their progress.
5. IS HE ANTI-MATA?
United’s FA Cup win would not have been possible were it not for Juan Mata’s equalising goal in the 81st minute.
The Spaniard has made plenty of telling contributions in his time at Old Trafford but the feeling remains that he has never been treated as a central pillar of the side.
He would, therefore, be forgiven for thinking the arrival of the man who sold him to United in the first place was not great news.
Mourinho certainly failed to warm to Mata at Chelsea but may need to revise his opinion.
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
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6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
More on Quran memorisation:
