What value do Irish fans get out of unrequited love affair with Man Utd?

The only ticket hotter these days than a Manchester United game is seeing an old player reminiscing about a decades-old match, writes James McDermott

Ruud van Nistelrooy left Manchester United in 2006, but two decades on tickets for his Cork Opera House show in March start at €80. Picture: Martin Rickett/PA

The oldest joke in football is that most Manchester United fans don’t actually live in the city but this ancient punchline never revealed where they do reside.

However data recently collected from the club by the Mancunian Matters website disclosed that the surprising answer is frequently Ireland, the country with the highest number of Old Trafford season tickets outside of the UK.