Robin van Persie has taken a holiday following the World Cup that manager Louis van Gaal says will keep him out of Manchester United's season opening match. Phil Noble / Reuters
Robin van Persie has taken a holiday following the World Cup that manager Louis van Gaal says will keep him out of Manchester United's season opening match. Phil Noble / Reuters

Transfer talk: Newcastle bring on Ferreyra on loan; Van Persie to miss United opener



Newcastle United

Argentine striker Facundo Ferreyra on Sunday completed a move to Newcastle United after joining foreign stars who refused to play with Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk because of the country’s conflict.

The English Premier League side said they had signed the 23-year-old on a season long loan.

“I like the Premier League and when I knew that Newcastle were interested in me, it was a very easy decision to make,” Ferreyra said in a Newcastle statement.

Ferreyra was one of six foreign players at Donetsk who had refused to return to the country after a friendly game in France in July.

The other five were Brazilians, and at least one, Douglas Costa, has also been linked to a move to the English Premier League.

Four Argentines playing for Metalist Kharkiv have also refused to go back to their club.

The crash of a Malaysian Airlines jet in eastern Ukraine, where government forces are battling separatist rebels, has heightened fears among foreigners in the country, including the football stars.

Ferreyra had struggled to get a regular first team place at Donetsk after joining from Argentinian side Velez Sarsfeld in 2013.

Hamburg

Hamburg say they have signed Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami.

The 29-year-old player joins the Bundesliga side from Napoli and signed a three-year contract. No details of the deal were released.

Hamburg barely managed to escape relegation last season and are seeking to bolster their ranks.

Manchester United

Dutch striker Robin van Persie is set to miss Manchester United’s opening Premier League match against Swansea City after being given an extended break after the World Cup.

Van Persie, 30, did not travel with United on their pre-season tour of the United States, and will not appear in the final friendly against Valencia at Old Trafford on August 12, four days before their first league match.

Manager Louis van Gaal said his compatriot would resume training on Monday and, having missed much of last season through injury, would not be rushed back into the team before he reached full fitness.

“When a player has been on holiday for three weeks they have to train,” Van Gaal was reported as saying by British media.

“I’m sorry but players have to train and Robin needs a full training regime behind him before he can play again. People can criticise me for my decision but I know what to do with players who have had three weeks’ holiday.

“Hopefully, Robin will get his fitness back very fast but, for now, he won’t play. Robin wants to play every game, I know that, but so do the other 30 players in the squad.”

West Bromwich Albion

Nigeria striker Brown Ideye revealed on Sunday that delays over his visa and work permit have prevented him from linking up with new club West Bromwich Albion.

Ideye, 25, joined the Premier League side from Ukrainians Dynamo Kiev last month for an undisclosed club-record fee, signing a three-year contract with an option for a further year.

However, he has yet to travel to the United Kingdom, meaning he missed a pre-season friendly against Nottingham Forest last week and is also due to miss a fixture with Port Vale on Tuesday.

“Officials at the British High Commission (in Nigeria) are still working on it,” Ideye told the BBC Sport website.

“The club has fulfilled all the necessary requirements, but I have been told that the British High Commission require up to 15 days to sort this, which is preventing my ability to travel.

“The public holiday in Nigeria last week (Eid) slowed things down a little bit on this side.

“I hope to get it sorted in the next couple of days because I can’t wait to join my new teammates in England.”

The striker admitted that he was likely to miss West Brom’s opening Premier League game at home to Sunderland on August 16.

“I need to join the team first then train with the squad in front of the manager (Alan Irvine) and so far I have not been able to do that,” he said.

Ideye scored 34 goals in three seasons with Ukrainian giants Dynamo, having previously played for Sochaux and Neuchatel Xamax after starting his career in his homeland with Ocean Boys.

He has won 24 caps for Nigeria, scoring five times, but was left out of the squad that reached the last-16 at the World Cup.

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If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).

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French Touch

Carla Bruni

(Verve)

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What is a calorie?

A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.

One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.

A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.

Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.

Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram. 

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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

MATCH INFO

Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Match is on BeIN Sports

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

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Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

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Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Race card

5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; 5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; 6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m

7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m

7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m


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