2020, with all its faults and misfortunes, turned out to be a pretty lucrative year for several industries. Companies like

Former SSE Next Generation athlete Georgia Stanway and current Manchester City forward

Demi Stokes may already have picked up winners’ medals aplenty during the last 12 months but the South Shields native is planning on making room for another this summer with England at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017.

Emma Timmis and Emily Pitts already four days into a trek with a difference – skating the 120 miles from Overdinkel on the eastern border with Germany to Ijmuiden on the west coast of the country.

Two best friends from Denton have thrown caution to the wind and decided to roller skate across the Netherlands this May.

Louis van Gaal may be known as a no-nonsense, autocratic football philosopher, but it is his ability to turn players into family members that Manchester United need most.

Dutchman Van Gaal gave his first press conference as United manager on Thursday

Vision, preparation, transparency and delegation are the Dutchman’s key principals which he outlined to an audience of business experts on stage at FC Twente’s stadium in Enschede before he steered the Netherlands to third place at the World Cup.

Germany won the World Cup without any players from Greater Manchester clubs – but how did the Mancunians who were at the tournament shape up?

Van Gaal’s Dutch side will play Argentina in the World Cup last four therefore keeping him in Brazil until the final weekend as United, meanwhile, prepare to embark for their USA tour on the 18th.

Eight different players from Manchester’s big two have netted a combined ten goals as the competition enters the quarter-final stage – add one more goal from Wigan’s Jean Beausejour and Greater Manchester is comfortably the country’s most dominant region.