Andy Burnham rose from his seat and turned the tables by asking a question of his inquisitors.
‘So,’ said the Mayor of Greater Manchester and avid Everton fan. ‘Any predictions?’
Burnham had just finished his day job by selling the dream of a brand new Old Trafford, and was about to get the weekend started by watching his team from the directors’ box of the old stadium.
The honest answer is there’s very little you can predict about Manchester United these days.
Even so, the statistics suggested that two things were likely to happen once Burnham took his seat alongside the other VIPs here.