Kyle Walker could not bring himself to watch England’s recent tournament appearances, but he is thrilled by the prospect of starting their Euro 2016 opener against Russia on Saturday.
Walker, 26, is sampling major international competition for the first time, having sat out Euro 2012 with a toe injury before missing the 2014 World Cup due to an abdominal problem.
Named man of the match in last week’s 1-0 win over Portugal, the Tottenham Hotspur right-back is expected to start against Russia in Marseille. If he does, it will be the first England game at a big tournament that he has paid attention to for a while.
“When I’m injured, I can’t watch it. It’s too difficult for me,” Walker said.
Asked how he had occupied himself during the World Cup in Brazil, he said that he had spent time with his eldest son, Roman, who was joined by another little boy, Riaan, earlier this year.
“It was good time to have with my little boy. I went away, chilled out,” he said.
“Sometimes you look at the score, but to watch it for me is going to be too painful. It’s difficult because I want to be out there.”
“When you go into training, day in and day out, and you’re looking out the treatment window, looking at the lads training, it’s hard to take.
“But there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, I believe that. I’m here now and it’s a big light.”
More from Euro 2016:
• Podcast: France to win, Spain to flop, England reach the final — predicting Euro 2016
• Wild cards: Payet, Rashford, El Shaarawy and six Euro 2016 wild-card picks — in pictures
• Group B preview: England, Russia, Slovakia, Wales
Signed from boyhood club Sheffield United by Tottenham in 2009, Walker spent two seasons on loan before exploding onto the scene in the Premier League in 2011-12, earning the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Despite making his England debut as far back as November 2011, coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 friendly win over Spain, injuries and erratic form have restricted him to just 16 caps.
The abdominal injury that kept him out of the World Cup in Brazil sidelined him for nine months, during which time Nathaniel Clyne moved ahead of him in the England reckoning.
Now, though, Walker appears close to reclaiming a starting berth, which would bear out a tattoo on his right arm, inked when he was 18, that reads: ‘To the stars through difficulties’.
“It’s not a sob story,” he said when asked about the tattoo. “Growing up, I didn’t have much, so to come from where I’ve come from to here is credit to my parents, and to myself as well.”
Walker was a member of the Tottenham team who, under the motivational stewardship of manager Mauricio Pochettino, threatened to chase down Leicester City in this season’s Premier League title race, only to fall away and finish third.
He could be one of five Spurs players to start against Russia, along with Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Harry Kane, and he believes it would be an advantage for Roy Hodgson’s side.
“It’s always good to look around and see people that you’re familiar with,” he said.
“You know their weaknesses and strengths and they know yours, so it’s good. But whoever does play will do fantastically well, as they’ve done all season to get here.”
Walker also shone light on the furry lion toy that was carried into England’s team hotel by centre-back Chris Smalling following the squad’s arrival on Monday.
“It’s the mascot that we’ve decided as players we wanted to bring,” Walker said.
“The players nominated who they wanted to carry it and unluckily for Chris, he got it.”
Asked for the animal’s name, he referred reporters to captain Wayne Rooney.
“I think it was Leo, but I’m not 100 per cent sure,” he said. “You’d have to ask Wazza.”
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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.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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