When asked if he can take inspiration or advice from his friend, in terms of preparation and other elements around being a top performer in another sport, our no.24 admitted he does tap in to certain areas of expertise.

“Well, like you said, it’s difficult for me to explain because speaking about them is something good,” he said. “You see how they approach it, before the combat, before the fight. Sometimes, it’s important to look at what they do because we have a different approach.

“But we are all athletes so, for me, when I speak to Ngannou, I ask him, for a big fight, how do you do it? What is your approach? He tries to tell me how he’s doing and you see, at the end of the day, everyone has their own way to do it.

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“We still draw the crowds in and tickets are still very hard to get,” he notes. “The day before the West Ham game, we had a record number of visitors to the museum – 2,500. We’ve never had that many before. It’s becoming more and more attractive each year. When I started as a guide, there was about a dozen of us – we’ve now got 60! It’s just a fantastic job for someone like me, who’s always been a United fan.”

When Bill first saw a match here, on that damp day in 1955, a near-unknown Bobby Charlton was among the youth-team players on show. Now, he sees younger fans enraptured by sitting in the dressing-room seats belonging to Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.

Time moves on, but United’s ability to captivate remains firmly in place, for both staff and fans alike.

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Check out our latest pics from Carrington as the Reds prepare for the Everton game.

Jamie G. (UK): What is your favourite skill move?
“I like combinations with the strikers, and, when I have the ball, I like to give it to the strikers and to come inside.”

Benjamin K. (France): Have you played any futsal or indoor five-a-side?
“Five-a-side or futsal? I’ve never played them in my life, but I think maybe one day I try to play!”

Andrew T. (UK): If you had to pick a five-a-side team from players that you have played with, who would be in it?
“I would take Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, in the past I take [Josip] Ilicic. Defender, I would take Lisandro Martinez. Goalkeeper or no? Goalkeeper I take Andre Onana.”

Hafiswa J. (Uganda): How does it feel to be an African United player, and have fellow African players in the United squad with you?
“It’s good to have African players in the same squad, it’s really important to have players from Africa and to play African Cup together, so it’s very, very important to have the African players from other countries in the same team. It’s very important.”

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Amad’s first selection was Bruno Fernandes, whom he has a good friendship with. The United skipper kept in touch with him during his season-long loan at Sunderland, to offer support and advice, and the midfielder’s boundless energy and creativity makes him an ideal option at the heart of this side.

Marcus Rashford would be charged with firing the bullets in attack, and linking with Bruno in tight areas.

The next choice was Maribor’s Josip Ilicic. The Slovenia forward impressed Amad during his time at Atalanta, as the 36-year-old spent five years there between 2017 and 2022.

When electing for a defender, he plumped for Lisandro Martinez, as he appreciates his attitude and tenacity, even in training.

Feeling that he should have a goalkeeper in nets, Andre Onana got the nod from Amad, with the Cameroon international also being comfortable with the ball at his feet.

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