The low chant of ‘Ruud’ sounded out across Old Trafford and the man in question stood in front of the Stretford End, arms aloft, discovering the swansong that had always been denied him.
It was fitting that the League Cup should have provided it. The night of October 30, 2024, allowed Ruud van Nistelrooy to erase the memory of February 26, 2006, when his absence from what was then the Carling Cup final – amid his escalating dispute with Sir Alex Ferguson - signalled the end of an extraordinary five years at the club.