“I got a few text messages from friends saying, ‘What about you?’,” Van der Sar said. “I’m quite happy at the moment. There’s no doubt in my mind. I was at Carrington and he was watching a training session and I said, ‘So, how do you like it?’. He said, ‘Not really. I miss it’. He was still there doing his work as an assistant coach with the reserve team so it was probably a little bit easier to get back in.”

“I know my phone will be packed with texts from United,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of mates there and I’m closest to Jonny and Wazza. I’m sure there will be a few calls from them. But I’m just delighted to get my first goal. I was a bit frustrated in the last few games because I didn’t really manage many shots, but I’m buzzing about it. I’m an Everton player now but it does mean that little bit more to score against City, aye — although really I’m just glad we got the three points.”

With about half an hour left to go in last night’s game against Stoke, a roar came from the Stretford End, followed by a loud chorus of “the city is yours, the city is yours, 20,000 empty seats, are you fucking sure?”

It was clear that Everton had taken the lead. When moments later a chant of “one Darron Gibson, there’s only one Darron Gibson” started up, followed by “Fergie, Fergie, sign him up!”

United are now on level points with City at the top of the table thanks to Darron Gibson’s winner against them last night. He joined Everton a fortnight ago after almost seven years with United.

Well done Gibbo!

Cole scored at Anfield in our 3-1 win in the 1996-1997 season, scored two there the following season, and again in 1999.

“When I was in the team I used to love playing at Anfield,” he told the official site. “I was very fortunate that the manager always used to play me against Liverpool because I always seemed to get myself a goal there. I don’t know what it was. It’s a special arena that always used to bring the best out of me.”

United knocked out Liverpool on the way to claiming our historic Treble in 1999, after Michael Owen took the lead for the opposition after three minutes. An 88th minute equaliser from Dwight Yorke followed by an injury time winner from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer secured our place in the next round.

“That year we were in the ascendancy, we feared no-one,” he continued. “We always believed that whoever we played against, we could always knock them over. Even if we were a goal behind going into the last few minutes, we’d still beat teams. That’s how it was when we beat Liverpool in the Cup that year. We were knocking on the door for 85 minutes and then finally the goals came and we won the game. If you’re going to win the Cup then you’re going to have to knock out the tough teams. If you do that in the earlier rounds, hopefully it won’t be as tough if you reach the final.”

“It’s a great club with great fans and hopefully I can improve Everton,” he said. “I think I’m a goalscoring midfielder and hopefully I can get a few goals. I’ve scored a few long-range shots — I don’t think I’ve scored one inside the box to be honest — and if I score goals it’s a bonus for me. I’m just looking to do as well as I can for the team.”

STR: You joined United when you were a kid. How confident were you of making it for the first team then?

LM: I was never confident I was ever good enough to play in United’s first team.

STR: Who were the best players in your age group?

LM: Probably Gary Walsh and a player called Dennis Cronin.

STR: How much did you have to do with Ferguson when you were in the youth team?

LM: Sir Alex always took a lot of time to watch and be involved with youth team.

STR: How many times a week do people want to reminisce with you about your FA Cup final goal? Does it ever get irritating?

LM: Most weeks somebody asks me about FA cup goal, it will never get boring.

STR: What are your other favourite memories from your time at United?

LM: Making my debut against QPR was a great memory but I have loads of great memories.

STR: Who was the biggest joker at the club then?

LM: Probably Paul Ince.

STR: How did you feel at United in your last full season when you weren’t playing much but United ended the 26 year wait for the title?

LM: I’v always been a United fan so winning league was pretty special for me because I played a small part of that success.

STR: Do you still get to see United much?

LM: I work at Old Trafford on matchdays now so I’m at every home game.

STR: What is your favourite United moment since you left the club?

LM: It has to be winning treble. The way the season ended priceless.

STR: How do you rate our chances this season?

LM: We haven’t really played well since first month but are still only 2 points behind. Stronger in new year. We’ve got quite a lot of injuries but it will be close come May. Sir Alex doesn’t get it wrong very often.

STR: What are you up to these days?

LM: I am working for a training company in Chester working with teenagers. Also matchday hospitality, MUTV and a lot of travelling, playing games with ex-players team.

STR: Cheers Lee.

—–
Follow Lee Martin on Twitter.

Ahead of returning to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving for Newcastle, Gabriel Obertan has claimed his friend and former team mate, Patrice Evra, is going to be in for a difficult afternoon.

“You always want to go back to your old club and prove to the gaffer that you are a better player,” Obertan said. “I feel like I’ve improved since arriving here, and I hope the manager is quite pleased with what I’ve done so far. I will try to play my best game, but the most important thing is the points, obviously, and what the team does. We are just trying to focus on this one and we know it is going to be a tough one. I’ve still got some really good friends there – I call Patrice Evra regularly – so I think it is going to be great to go back there, feel the atmosphere and play against him too. I’ve already told him that it’s going to be hard against me – he is in for a difficult game!”

Simpson, who is from Salford, admits to still being a United fan but insists it will be strictly professional on Saturday.

“I can’t wait. It’s the first time I’ve been back in three-and-a-half years but I am not just going there for a day out with my family, I am looking to take points and close the gap,” he said. “I think I’ll always have something to prove to Sir Alex Ferguson. I was there from the age of 11 but I had a good time and I’m a Red at heart. But I’m at a good team, playing well and at the back of my mind is maybe showing him and proving a point and hopefully taking some points.”

“I’ve started my badges now and am getting the hours in,” Butt said. “I’ll get assessed in the next five or six months. I go to Carrington a lot and just watch, I don’t really take any of the sessions. I watch what the coaches are doing and how they speak to the kids. Ask any player and the knowledge is in their head. The difficult part is getting the point across and doing it clearly. That is what I’ve got to learn.”

Aside from going to the training ground to learn his trade, Butt has stayed on the books of the club in other roles.

“I’m still doing some of the ambassador work for United, going to places all around the world with the club’s commercial partners,” he said. “I’m also working for MUTV, spending a lot of time with my family and learning to ski – I was not able to do that before when I was a player. There are a lot of things I’m able to do now but my ultimate aim is to be a manager. That’s what I want to do, whenever that happens, but I don’t want to just jump into a job, take it on and not be able to do it. I want to slowly get there and be ready for it.”

“It’ll be good. I’m really looking forward to going back to Old Trafford,” said Brown. “Obviously I had only ever previously been at Manchester United so it will be special to go back. I will enjoy the day but I’m going back there to try and win as a Sunderland player and hopefully we can do that. It will be nice to catch up with a few people I’ve not seen for a while before and after the game but during those 90 minutes I’ll be fully focused on hopefully getting a good result for Sunderland.”