Pep Guardiola once sat at Old Trafford, turned to a close associate and said: “I could see myself coaching here one day.” So, no pressure there on Ed Woodward.

Keep Guardiola to his word and the fanzines that have, idiotically, been circulating Woodward’s email and office number to incite dissent will instead be sending love letters; watch him go to Manchester City and United’s executive vice-chairman may need to keep changing his contact details on a weekly basis.

The fight for Guardiola simply intensifies the glare on Woodward, who was already wrestling with a bigger job at Old Trafford than he could have imagined. It took United 26 years to recover fully from Sir Matt Busby’s departure. Two and a half years after Sir Alex