Manchester United: Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoys 'celebration of a man living a new reality – if only for a moment'

Under Ten Hag, United never scored four goals in the first half, as they did against Leicester.

But Van Nistelrooy was honest enough to admit that they had created more and better chances at Crystal Palace, Fenerbahce and West Ham this season and had not won any of those games. Sometimes, he admitted, you need “a little bit of luck.”

Leicester coach Steve Cooper noted that he was surprised by the atmosphere at Old Trafford: “It wasn't what we expected. It wasn't intimidating at all. It was good to play in it.”

That's a bit harsh. United fans rallied behind their team and put in a performance.

Van Nistelrooy was clearly focused.

In the opening minutes he was so engrossed in the game that he found himself halfway into Cooper's technical area before being guided back into his own by fourth official Michael Salisbury.

His celebration of Casemiro's opening game was that of a man experiencing a new reality after enjoying so many memorable days at Old Trafford two decades earlier.

He made a point of speaking to Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho as he replaced them in the second half. He will know better than most how valuable confidence is to an attacking player.

His demeanor was characterized by professional pride and a determination to do his job properly and to the best of his ability.

We don't know what Ten Hag thought or what Amorim thought about the win or the quarter-final trip to Tottenham, which he will almost certainly have to achieve by the middle of next month.

Van Nistelrooy cannot know how many more days there will be. But he knows that he did well here – and he enjoyed it.