Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will keep trying to persuade Edinson Cavani to stay after the veteran's man-of-the-match display against Roma put Manchester United on the brink of the Europa League final.
Having fallen at the semi-final stage of various competitions on four occasions over the last two seasons, the Red Devils took a giant stride towards the Gdansk showpiece by winning a 6-2 thriller on Thursday evening.
Roma had gone into half-time of the first leg ahead after Bruno Fernandes' fine opener was cancelled out by a Lorenzo Pellegrini penalty, before ex-Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko bundled them into the lead.
But Cavani fired home a stunning leveller early in the second half, before tapping home from close range.
The 34-year-old was then taken down for the penalty scored by Fernandes and, after Paul Pogba headed home, provided a superb pass for substitute Mason Greenwood to make it six.
"We want to go through, of course," Solskjaer said. "Good reaction at half-time
"I thought we played some good stuff in the first half as well but we forgot you have to run back as well and you have to run back quick.
"The second half we did that part better and of course that creates more opportunities to attack.
"Edinson was excellent, as a centre forward should be playing - running the channels, being a focal point, creating chances for others, scoring goals, missing a couple of chances as well. Absolutely delighted with him."
Cavani's future is subject of widespread speculation as the Uruguay internationals considers returning to South America after a challenging first season at Old Trafford.
The former Paris Saint-German striker signed on a one-season deal in October with an option for a further year, which Solskjaer has not given up on him taking up just yet.
"He was out for seven months and he'd not been playing football for a long, long time before he came to us," Solskjaer said.
"He's had his couple of injuries and he's now worked really hard to get back fit and he shows his qualities.
"He knows my feelings. He knows that I'd love to him for another year.
"We have spoken about it. I understand this year has been very difficult but I've promised him that Old Trafford and Manchester is a different place with our fans in the stadium.
"He must try to get that feeling, to be on our side. Manchester is a fantastic place to live.
"I'm doing my best so let's see. Of course nights like this, hopefully we can get to the final and hopefully he can see himself being here for another year."
Roma left the pitch crestfallen after their almighty collapse at Old Trafford, where their three first-half injuries took their toll in a dramatic first leg.
Head coach Paulo Fonseca said: "It's a heavy defeat. We had a good first half but we didn't exist in the second.
"It's difficult to explain how the same team that did so well in the first half had that kind of second half.
"It's hard to play against a side like United without having the substitutions (to make in the second half)."
Fonseca also felt the decision to award the penalty that made it 4-2 was key, claiming Solskjaer agreed that ex-United defender Chris Smalling's challenge on Cavani did not warrant a spot-kick.
"Even the Manchester United coach was very honest and didn't think it was a penalty either," the Roma boss said. "I really didn't think it as a penalty.
"It was a decisive moment in the game and it was tough to take."
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Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
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Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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.”
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
