Premier League winner, 39, explains why he ended two-year retirement to join ex-England star in far-flung league

ARABIAN FALCONS are on a mission to shake up Emirati football. They may only play in the UAE’s second tier, but club bosses have been open and honest about their goal of playing at the Club World Cup. Danny Simpson helped Leicester win the Premier League in 2015/16 Credit: Getty Images – Getty Jonjo Shelvey, Danny Simpson, Jason Puncheon and Ravel Morrison are all part of the Arabian Falcons set-up Credit: Unknown A collection of names and faces familiar to English football fans have been brought in to that end. Former England international Jonjo Shelvey, 34, is the Falcons’ manager. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! One-time FA Cup final goal-scorer Jason Puncheon, 40, is both the co-owner and the head of football operations. Ex-Manchester United wonderkid Ravel Morrison is the captain. And now, Danny Simpson – Leicester’s right-back in their shock title-winning season – has come out of retirement and moved over to Dubai as a player-coach. Simpson told SunSport: “I was at a tournament with Jonjo and I randomly said to him, as we were getting on, ‘If you ever need any help, you know where I am’. “Two weeks later he rang me and said they’d love to have me helping out with the club.” Aside from fleeting spells at non-league sides Macclesfield and Stretford Paddock – and a few games for star-studded Cheshire Veterans Football League outfit Wythenshawe Vets – Simpson has not played a competitive match since his time at Bristol City was cut short in 2022. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK He continued: “The nerves are around me being 39, can I cope with running around with 20-year-olds? I don’t want to embarrass myself. “When I played in pre-season I was around all these young players who are desperate to be footballers. I’m coaching them from the pitch. “The kids here are desperate to learn and do well. It’s nice to come in and see that every day.” For player-coach Simpson and head coach Shelvey, it is an opportunity to earn their stripes as budding trainers away from the bright lights of English football. Former Manchester United youth product Simpson, who now balances his Falcons duties with a job in luxury Dubai real estate, added: “We’ve played at the top level so we all know what we expect from standards, dedication, commitment. We know what it takes to be winners. “At times we have different opinions but we all want the same thing. “Jonjo has just got his A License, I want to get on that next. “It’s nice to put all that experience into one club. The young players can ask any of us for help. “I’ve got the opportunity to really get my sessions right, the way I want to be, the way I want to deliver them, talk to the players. It’s a good experience to get that under my belt.” Falcons have just launched the UAE’s ‘first Premier League-standard’ academy which they hope will boost the growth of Emirati football. Simpson said: “Coming out of retirement to join this project was about more than playing on – it was about helping build something for the next generation. “I know what it takes to make it in the Premier League, and this academy gives young players in the UAE a real shot at that journey.” Comment now