When Walsall's Joe Riley rubbed shoulders with Zlatan & Co
Millions of young children dream of playing for Manchester United. Millions of those dreams are never achieved.
Joe Riley is a rare exception. The Walsall man lived out his fantasy at the Theatre of Dreams during a fairytale week back in February 2016.
It all started when he was introduced as a substitute for fellow academy graduate Cameron Borthwick-Jackson in a 3-0 win at Shrewsbury Town.
His first 45 minutes in a United shirt were in the bag, but a stroke of luck would present him with a night to remember under the lights at Old Trafford four days later.
Chris Smalling had picked up an injury in the build-up to United’s Europa League round of 32 tie against FC Midtjylland, and Riley was elevated into the starting XI in his absence.
“That was many moons ago now. That was a dream come true – I was at Man United from when I was six,” Riley remembers with a proud smile. “Stepping in front of over 70,000 people at Old Trafford was simply incredible.
