Nathaniel Clyne has yet to make his England debut but the right-back is already targeting a regular role in Roy Hodgson’s starting line-up.
A fine start to the campaign with Southampton was rewarded last week by a first call-up to the senior side for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers against San Marino and Estonia.
A starting berth in those matches is not out of the question for the uncapped defender, with the experienced Glen Johnson and Kyle Walker joined on the sidelines by John Stones.
The Everton defender started at right-back in England’s last two matches but withdrew from the squad on Sunday after sustaining an ankle problem, meaning Clyne could be thrown in at the deep end.
“I need to go there and the training sessions and show what I am about and hopefully I will get my chance and start for England,” the Saints right-back said.
“The aim is to take step by step but I am not here for fun and games. I am here to nail my colours to the mast and hopefully I will take that right-back position and make it my own.
“I am not really focused on who is in or who is out, who is injured or not. I am just focusing on myself and if I am doing well then hopefully I will get a chance, like I have done, and play well when I get an opportunity.”
Clyne is the only uncapped player in Hodgson’s squad, although he is unlikely to be overawed due to the number of familiar faces.
He played alongside a number of the squad at England Under-21s level, while he knows the likes of Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Calum Chambers and Fraser Forster from Southampton.
Like them, Clyne wants to show he is “capable of wearing the jersey” after receiving the pleasantly surprising news last week.
“The call up still came as a surprise to me,” he said.
“I am still up and coming in the game and I still need to improve on my game. Hopefully this will be another step for me, to play for England, and hopefully I will improve.
“I am buzzing and I can’t wait to get started and join in with the lads. They are world-class players and to see what they are like in training and hopefully I can match up to that.”
Clyne says the confidence to kick on this campaign has been instilled in him by Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, who recently said he was one of the best right-backs he has ever coached.
Such praise highlights how far the Crystal Palace academy graduate has come in a relatively short period of time, as does a tweet from former teammate Kieron Cadogan saying Clyne used to doubt he would make it at Selhurst Park on the journey to training.
“I have been on a long journey and making it through the Crystal Palace ranks and I was not selected that much for the team,” he said.
“I was fortunate to get into the team and when I did I made my mark and got through and now I am playing for Southampton and doing really well.”
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
THREE
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Race card
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
9.50pm: Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
9.25pm: Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
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
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
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
