Sir Alex Ferguson is back on board at Manchester United after the club’s chief executive Richard Arnold turned to the legendary Old Trafford boss for advice.
Arnold has set up a think-tank involving Ferguson, former CEO David Gill, iconic United captain Bryan Robson and current football director John Murtough so he can draw on their experience on all aspects of the club.
It will give Ferguson more influence at Old Trafford than at any time since he stepped down as manager nearly a decade ago.
Tuesday’s lunch meeting at Carrington – which coincided with Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the training ground for talks – is understood to be the first in a series of regular meetings involving the five men.