When Middlesbrough and Birmingham meet in the Championship on Saturday, there will be 35 trophies and 154 England caps in the respective dugouts.
Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick were two constants of a golden era for Manchester United, who swept all before them in the domestic game. Now both are trying to build similar reputations as managers.
Both were prodigies. Sporting a Newcastle shirt, the 13-year-old Carrick was interviewed on the BBC by Andi Peters in 1995, labelled ‘one of England’s future footballing stars.’
Rooney had been talked about in such glowing terms during childhood that when – at just 16 – he scored an iconic goal for Everton against Arsenal in October 2002, it was barely even a surprise.