Harbinger Of Glory

The stands were almost entirely red, with red scarves raised and red flags moving above the supporters as the Manchester United anthem rolled around the ground.

The fans sang along as the players made their way forward, the noise becoming more than just sound.

Tucked away in a corner of the stadium, the Wigan supporters answered, not letting the home advantage play out that early!

There were only a few thousand of them compared with the home crowd, but they made themselves heard.

Their voices rose above the noise around them as their players lined up with their opponents at the respective sides of the match officials!

Pitchside, the broadcast cameras swept across the pitch, finding the players one by one and then the familiar voice came through the stadium feed.

"Good evening and welcome to the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford here in good old Manchester, and this is as exciting as it gets."

Peter Drury’s voice carried into the broadcast as the noise emanating from the crowd filled the gaps in silence on the broadcast!

"Tonight, Manchester United welcome a Wigan Athletic side who have arrived here carrying eleven consecutive Premier League victories, but there is far more at stake than three points."

The camera settled briefly on Leo as Drury went on!

"For one man in particular, this is a return to a place that once represented his future, and there are a lot of eyes on this game!"

"I’m Peter Drury, alongside former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, and we will be with you through this game," Drury said as Carragher came in.

"It’s difficult to ignore Leo Calderon tonight. He’s been one of the stories of this Premier League season, and now he gets the chance to play at Old Trafford against the club that once had him in their academy."

"And United will be hoping," Drury added, "that tonight is about their future rather than his past."

The cameras returned to the pitch where the pleasantries were finishing.

Whatmough, who had just gone for the toss, beckoned his mates towards another side of the pitch before the players began slipping into their respective positions!

Manchester United would attack from right to left from one television angle, with Wigan going the other way.

On the pitch, of course, it depended on where you were watching from.

Sitting in the centre of midfield, Leo tugged at the hem of his undersleeves, pulling them farther over his hands as the match threatened to begin.

Wigan had lost the toss, and so Jake stood over the ball at the centre circle ready to kick off.

Michael Oliver stepped away briefly to check something with one of the officials on the sidelines, and while he did so, that gave Drury time to run through the lineups on the broadcast!

"Not much time, and so we have to go through this quickly!

Manchester United begin with André Onana in goal and sitting right ahead of him is the back four, involving Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf, Diogo Dalot and Sergio Reguilón."

The camera picked out each player as he was mentioned, and soon Drury moved on!

"Scott McTominay sits at the base of midfield with Christian Eriksen alongside him, and operating ahead is the Portuguese maestro, Bruno Fernandes!’

"That is a decent midfield according to Manchester United’s standards, especially as they are dealing with a few injuries!" Carragher inputted as Drury nodded beside him and then went on!

"In attack, Garnacho starts from the left, Marcus Rashford on the right, and Rasmus Højlund through the middle."

Carragher nodded.

"A 4-2-1-3 for Erik ten Hag. There’s plenty of pace in that front three, and Bruno will be the player United rely on to connect everything."

Drury turned his attention to the visitor and said, "Wigan, meanwhile, have made a notable change."

The camera shifted, finding the Wigan players!

"It’s a different theme though for Shaun Dawson’s men as the young Wigan coach goes with a back three tonight.

Jack Whatmough, Liam Tilt and James O’Shea sit across the defensive line with Ben Amos keeping his spot on the goal line!"

"James McClean and Femi Seriki take up the wing-back positions, with Leo Calderon alongside Reyes in central midfield."

A brief shot of found Leo at his mention before the commentary went on!

"In Wigan’s attack, Carlo starts from the left as always, with Ezra from the right, and leading the line is Jake Sulley, who has been one of the most prolific players in the league this season!"

Carragher added: "It’s an interesting change from Dawson. That midfield pairing could be crucial because United have Bruno playing between the lines. If Wigan can get control there, they’ll give themselves a real chance."

"Their attack is also stacked with the front three having a combined goal contribution total of 19 goals in 11 games. It’s a very good tally for a team in its first season in the Premier League in ten years, and that completes Wigan’s 3-4-3 formation for this game!"

Back on the pitch, Michael Oliver returned to the centre circle, his last checks of the game complete as the players watched him slip right beside Jake!

In the gantry, Drury looked over the pitch for the last time as Michael Oliver finally brought the whistle to his lips!

"Two sides with plenty to prove. One trying to climb back toward the top six, the other trying to keep a remarkable run and form alive!"

The referee checked his watch as Jake looked around at his teammates.

The noise rose again and then, "Old Trafford is ready," Drury said on the broadcast.

"Manchester United against Wigan Athletic and here we go!"

The moment he finished saying that, the whistle went, the shrill sound invading the calm of the pitch as the players awaiting the start began to move right as Jake tapped the ball forward.

The game was on!

.....

"Finally," Jonas muttered, breathing almost nervously onto his hand as he watched the ball ping around the pitch from the executive box!

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