Fergie’s wish to go out a winner sealed the fate of Moyes

A certain symmetry. The man who went before — Big Ron — met Alex Ferguson in autumn of 1986 and found him strangely distant. Soon after, the rumours Ron had heard proved correct.

As the tattle was told this week, we heard that David Moyes found Fergie rather aloof recently. Being The Man Who Knows Everything gets a little awkward every now and again.

We tend to remember how United managers faced the sack. Wilf McGuinness’s hair fell out, Frank O’Farrell was drawn into a bitter wrangle, Ron — never likely to drop the brash guard — asked Martin Edwards if he could still use the gym for seven-a-sides on Fridays.