Back in 2005, a Florida-dwelling former watch repairman named Malcolm Glazer bought Manchester United in a leveraged buy-out that pretty much every fan of the venerable club regarded as an affront to English football.

There was, literally, a mini-riot when three of his sons – Joel, Avram and Bryan – arrived to take control at Old Trafford, the club’s stadium and headquarters. Glazer, who died in 2014, apparently never saw the pitch with his own eyes, such was the level of fan hostility.