Dream Day For United Fans

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal greeted a group of fans with life-limiting illnesses as they arrived at the Aon Training Complex to meet their football heroes on Monday.

The latest of the Manchester United Foundation’s biannual Dream Days took place in the glorious spring sunshine, as children and adults from across the country were invited to the Reds' training ground. The guests were thrilled to be given a behind-the-scenes experience as they watched the first-team players train before obtaining their autographs and posing for photos with them.

United manager van Gaal was taking part in his first Foundation Dream Day and proved to be an instant hit with the guests. "The players are role models to the fans and it’s good that they want to get involved," he said. "It's not an obligation for the players, they just do it and I’m very happy that they all came along to support this."

Reds midfielder Ander Herrera was among the many players who attended and said: “It’s great for the team to come here. It’s important as the fans need our support and we are very happy to help.” His fellow countryman, Juan Mata, commented: "The work that the Foundation is doing is amazing, like putting on another Dream Day like this. It’s great for the players to come here and put a smile on the fans' faces.”

Eleven-year-old guest Nathan, who suffers from chronic kidney failure, thoroughly enjoyed the Dream Day experience and said, “It was the best day I’ve ever had. I enjoyed watching training and seeing the players practice their shooting. I also met Juan Mata and Angel Di Maria and they signed my t-shirt and book.”

Nathan’s father, Valdi, added, “Today was a dream come true for Nathan. It’s a different experience watching the players on TV to actually meeting them personally. Nathan has always said he wanted to meet them and he had been looking forward to the day from the moment we found out we were coming.”

Fellow guests echoed Nathan and Valdi's remarks. Paul McKenna said, "I appreciate the generosity of Manchester United and the players. The staff couldn’t do enough and kept giving me gifts." Matthew Leitch added: “Today was a once in a lifetime experience and my favourite part was meeting Wayne Rooney. Not a lot of people are able to say they’ve watched the team train and I’m glad I got to experience it with my boy.”

Geraldine McKiernan, charity relationship executive for the Manchester United Foundation, concluded: “It was a fantastic day and the players have created some very special memories for these fans that will never be forgotten.”