“Who do you support then?” he asked as he brushed back my hair with a comb. “I’m not telling a Manchester United fan that, not when he has a pair of scissors in his hand!” I replied.

Dave just laughed. He has been going to Old Trafford for more than 40 years now, and had paid close to 1000 pounds to renew his season ticket, near the halfway line between the Stretford End and the South Stand.