When the teams come out of the tunnel at Old Trafford they do so to the crescendo-building strains of The Stone Roses classic, This is the One.
The track is the perfect way to build anticipation, to make it feel like something big is about to happen. As United fan Ian Brown sings 'This is the one she's waited for'.
For years, as Sir Alex Ferguson's various rebuilds dominated English football, it felt like a fitting choice. Everyone was excited about what was to take place, bar the sliver of away fans in the far corner, bracing themselves for another pasting.
Now, however, it feels totally out of place. Nobody is excited. There is no buzz about the place, no anticipation, no belief that what will follow will be worth waiting for.
Indeed, given the current goings on at the Theatre of Dreams, those who select the music may be better off opting for another iconic Manchester band, The Smiths - because heaven knows this is miserable now.
Watching Manchester United in 2018 is not enjoyable and, if the evidence of Tuesday night's banks of empty red seats is anything to go by, patience is wearing thin with Jose Mourinho. Mancunians are used to clouds, but the permanent one that accompanies the Portuguese is now boring a fan base which has remained incredibly patient.
Sources at Carrington say Mourinho does not feel that Manchester United is the club he thought it was. There are gripes about many things which he imagined would have been of a higher standard, befitting such an elite powerhouse.
There are some who take the manager's side, who thrive off his box office pops at pundits who 'touch the dummies on the television' and holiday in Barbados. Who feel he is right when he suggests he has not been backed sufficiently in the transfer market. The jury has to be out on that.
Others may say that the money spent under your watch means you should not be relying on a last-minute punt up the field to the big man and a goal which could have been disallowed for handball to beat one of the worst teams in the competition. That when you are holding up Juventus as some form of unstoppable power who buy all the best players, you appear to have forgotten that you paid a world record fee to nick one of their stars a mere two years ago.
For certain, one thing Mourinho cannot complain about is the backing from the stands. At half-time on Tuesday, those present would have been justified in voicing their displeasure. At other grounds, this would have been expected. Those Premier League giants Wolves, for example, got a few jeers when they had the temerity to go in a goal down to Huddersfield at Molineux on Sunday (little Huddersfield who had won the last three meetings between the two).
But at Old Trafford, after another miserable three quarters of an hour, there was nothing other than silence, broken by a smattering of applause from those who presumably have faith in our politicians to steer us safely through Brexit.
Before the game (in another morale-boosting press conference) Mourinho had warned that those who cannot handle the pressure of playing at Old Trafford should stay at home and watch on television. Pressure? It is hardly a baying mob waiting for the first mistake.
Rather than anger, the mood is fading optimism bordering on gallows humour. The father of one of my friends, Paul, sits close to the press box. On trips to Old Trafford we will often chat. At half-time on Tuesday, however, no words were needed – a simple eye roll was sufficient.
Paul, originally from the Manchester suburb of Moston, is no glory hunter. His reason for supporting Manchester United is not because they are successful, because they provide lives without victory with just that. He is 62 and lived through the often-barren wasteland that was United's 1970s and 80s. While he would not boo, or call for the manager's head, he knows that this is not good enough. There are plenty of others like Paul.
Then there are those who have had enough. United did not announce the attendance on Tuesday. Admittedly, Young Boys are not a big draw. This was a miserable evening and the traffic chaos which has gripped the Manchester area may have guided people to the settee rather than the seat.
But come on. This is Manchester United. To see around 15-20,000 unoccupied seats, to be able to almost read the 'Manchester United' on the far side, is unfamiliar territory.
You have to wonder how this is going down in Florida and in the boardroom. There were reservations about Mourinho, and whether he was the type of personality that would suit United.
Bearing that in mind, what did Sir Bobby Charlton think when he saw the manager of his great club spitefully hurling a drinks crate to the turf after sneaking an injury-time win over a team that had never been in the Champions League group stage before?
Despite all of this, Mourinho remains in post. As he reminded us, that is 14 qualifications for the next stage from 14. The past is his, whether that can be said of the future remains to be seen. If he can turn this around then another Roses song, I am the Resurrection, may be more appropriate for that walk-on moment.