A birthday is approaching at Manchester United and it will be accompanied by a few questions, one of which might be: does Sir Jim Ratcliffe have enough spare cash to spring for a cake? Another: if he doesn’t, are there any members of staff still minded to splash out on his behalf?
This coming Thursday will mark a year since Ratcliffe finalised the purchase of his stake in the club, but moods turn quickly in these parts. United fans of today are now less drawn to the notion of a white knight so much as the mystery of why Britain’s richest man appears to be riding around on a three-legged horse.