It was in the 72nd minute of Manchester United's humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield last March that Ibrahima Konate's arm brushed Bruno Fernandes on the chest. Fernandes fell to the floor as if he had been shot and covered his face with both hands, the better to inform us where the bullet had struck him down.
Fernandes' cheating did not achieve the desired effect of getting Konate sent off but it did bring him to the attention of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who, slightly inconveniently for the United skipper, is about to seal the purchase of a minority share in the club and assume some responsibility for footballing matters at Old Trafford.