Thursday night was not the first time Brandon Williams, James Garner, and Ethan Laird had been inside the Partizan Stadium. Each young player had also, on February 6, 2018, at 3.04pm UK time, stood in solemnity on a pitch that is sadly etched in Manchester United’s history.



It was the last place to bear witness to the Busby Babes before the disaster of Munich and, for the 60th anniversary, United’s under-19s side paid tribute by laying a wreath in the centre circle and remembering those lost with a minute’s silence.



They paused to reflect in the same ground where Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Billy Whelan, and Duncan Edwards had performed six decades earlier, not knowing it would be their last game.



Footage was beamed back to Manchester, where Sir Bobby Charlton, Harry Gregg and Sir Alex Ferguson were among 4,500 gathered to observe a poignant ceremony at Old Trafford.



Coincidence had...