Daniel was attacked and left for dead in the ginnel after spending Christmas Day with his new girlfriend Megan Walsh and the Driscolls at the Rovers Return. He’d been putting the bins out at Number 1 when a ruthless assailant took the opportunity to strike.

Follow-up scenes on Boxing Day saw Daniel rushed to hospital after being found by a horrified Evelyn Plummer. Daniel was unable to name his attacker, who’d surprised him from behind.

At the Rovers Return, Maggie Driscoll appeared to miraculously crack the case as she quizzed her grandson Will on whether he was hiding something. Fans know that Will is being groomed by Megan, who works as his athletics coach, so he’s jealous over Daniel’s new relationship with her.

Although covering his true motive, Will admitted to Maggie: “I wanted to kill him. I don’t know what I was thinking – I just lunged at him from behind and for a minute I thought he’d croaked it.”

When quizzed about his reasons, Will added: “[Daniel] hates me. And I shouldn’t have got a fail on that mock. And the way he spoke down to you yesterday – I just wasn’t having that.”

Fortunately for Will, he was already in the clear. A homeless man was blamed for committing the assault, as he was found with Daniel’s wallet and watch.

Manipulative Maggie suggested that the guy in question must have found Daniel unconscious and stolen his belongings, but a flashback showed what really happened…

After witnessing Will’s violence from an upstairs window at the Rovers Return, Maggie had rushed downstairs on a mission to protect him. She stole from Daniel at the scene, hoping to pin the blame on someone else.

Although Will has no idea over the extent of Maggie’s involvement, she now expects his loyalty in return for concealing his secret: starting with encouraging his father Ben to let her live at The Rovers again.

Maggie’s in the bad books after her cruel scheme to humiliate Ben’s partner Eva Price on Christmas Day, but will the alliance between her and Will change that?