There will have been plenty of Manchester United fans putting their feet up this week, safe in the knowledge that Marouane Fellaini looked to have started his final game for the club.
The Belgian has been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford in January after a forgettable half-season under José Mourinho, with a Serie A switch thought to be the most likely scenario.
But Fellaini was a surprise inclusion in the team to face Middlesbrough after Michael Carrick was ruled out through illness, and United fans weren’t exactly thrilled.
Ending 2016 doing what I've done for most of the year, drinking cans and telling Marouane Fellaini to fuck off
— OSullivanMUFC (@OSullivanMUFC) December 31, 2016
After hearing the news about Carrick, some decided to do a little digging to see if there was anything they could blame his absence on.
It seemed unlikely, though. After all, you can’t exactly criticise a player for coming down with an illness in the middle of winter.
It’s not as if Carrick was tempting fate by doing anything stupid like eating ice cream in freezing temperatures.
Oh.
Never too cold for ice cream 😉 pic.twitter.com/Xds7ubmdc8
— Michael Carrick (@carras16) December 29, 2016
Now, there’s no suggestion that the illness was a direct consequence of the ice cream.
We said there’s no suggestion that anyone ought to blame one thing for the other.
Ah, it’s too late, they’ve already made a start. Well, we tried.
it was too cold men!!! :'( now we have to get along with @Fellaini
— Juan Pablo (@ElCrackDeRap) December 31, 2016
that ended well..
— – (@MufcVin) December 31, 2016
https://twitter.com/cartierburgundy/status/815204315497426945
and now you're ill, guess it was too cold for ice cream 😉
— Andy Grimshaw (@El_Cinefilo) December 31, 2016