The 1992-93 campaign was a seismic one in both English and continental football.
Not only did it deliver the introduction of the Premier League, it also saw the old European Cup transformed into what we now know as the Champions League.
Manchester United would, of course, go on to enjoy an era of unprecedented success under the guidance of legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils captured the inaugural Premier League crown, before conquering Europe as part of a historic Treble triumph in 1999.
United would also make three finals in the space of four years between 2008 and 2011, seeing off Chelsea on penalties in the first of those showpieces.
Glory
There have been barren runs since then, with Red Devils supporters having to make peace with the fact that arch-enemies such as Liverpool and Manchester City dominate Champions League winners odds in the present.
The football betting tips that United once earned plenty of favour in are now backing 4/1 shots from Anfield to return themselves to the summit of European football.
Since Ferguson retired in 2013, runs to the quarter-finals of the Champions League are as good as it has got for United – with Europa League glory savoured under Jose Mourinho in 2017.
Supposed rebuilds have generated plenty of headlines, with big money invested in trying to recapture former glories.
Ruben Amorim is the latest coach to be charged with the task of delivering on that remit.
The Portuguese has inherited a big job and has already spoken of a “massive club” being on a “long journey” back to the top.
He is, however, aware that success is demanded at the Theatre of Dreams, rather than merely longed for.
Title challenges may form part of a much bigger picture, but top-four finishes and Champions League qualification need to provide the building blocks.
Amorim has said of hitting those targets: “Let’s focus on the performances and not the results, and we’ll see in the end. In the end, I said this many times, I will be judged about the place that we finish.”
Expectations are not lost on Amorim, with the acceptance on his part that United need to be more than also-rans in any given Premier League race.
He does, however, find himself in a position where unwanted history could be made.
Momentum
For all the trials and tribulations at Old Trafford over the last decade or so, United have still never spent more than one season outside the Champions League.
They are not competing at that level in 2024-25, so Amorim must ensure that he is not the man to buck a trend that stretches back to the aforementioned birth of modern-day football.
Like Mourinho before him, there are two paths that lead back to the A-list Champions League party.
If momentum can be established, then a top-four standing may still be within reach.
If not, then the Europa League represents a welcome consolation prize.
Amorim knows what he has to do, but can he ensure that a proud record on the red half of Manchester is maintained?
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