If nostalgia is a drug, then Manchester United are addicts. Every aspect of the club is consumed with the past. The Old Trafford faithful chant about Andy Cole and Eric Cantona each week, and it has been said that some players are upset that supporters only want to sing about the former greats rather than members of the current squad. Their merchandising department also know that United fans can't get enough of days gone by, recently launching a new range of adidas Originals celebrating George Best, after reissuing the 1991-92 home and away kits with great success.
The players who were a part of United's greatest eras are all too happy to oblige, and media companies roar them on. Amazon Prime made a three-part series about the 1999 treble win this year and Disney is in discussions with the club about making more documentaries about the good old days. Gary Neville and Roy Keane are on the Overlap every week telling well-worn tales from the dressing room and about Sir Alex Ferguson's fiery temper, and the shows are immensely popular (1.3 million views for a recent episode with Peter Schmeichel).
The recruitment department have also binged on nostalgia, getting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back as interim coach in 2018 and then handing him a long-term contract, before signing Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021. They indulged their love for the past again in 2023 by signing Jonny Evans. The arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS was expected to put a stop to this indulgence, but even the new co-owners could not resist and sanctioned Erik ten Hag's appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy as assistant coach.
And now Van Nistelrooy is the club's head coach, albeit only for a few weeks before Ruben Amorim takes charge. With chants of 'Ruud, Ruud, Ruud' echoing around, Old Trafford has been transported back to the mid-00s. And boy does it feel good.