Kobbie Mainoo was not born when Tom Heaton first stepped onto the Old Trafford pitch and yet the Manchester United academy's two most recent full debutants lined up together against Charlton.
For Heaton, the moment came exactly 7,200 days on from when Heaton lifted the FA Youth Cup, undeniably the longest wait for a full United debut. He crowned it with a clean sheet and has to be in contention for a semi-final selection.
Even in these fallow times, semi-final appearances are frequent for United. There were four under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag has scheduled one at the earliest opportunity for later this month.
