Usually, no-one at Old Trafford looks forward to Southampton away. It’s a horrendous journey, their fans can be deeply unpleasant, and it’s hardly the glamour fixture of our calendar.

Ah well. I did take care to insert a giddy-warning in last week’s column, and it turned out to be well-founded. United’s unexpected spring offensive duly found out that Stamford was indeed A Bridge Too Far.