Manchester United's absence from European competition has been well documented this season – but below first-team level, the club are still making an impact on the continent.
Tuesday's Premier League International Cup tie with Real Madrid at Old Trafford is one of the marquee games left for United's under-21 side, offering the opportunity to join Borussia Dortmund, Real Sociedad and the winner of the remaining last-eight tie between Dinamo Zagreb and Valencia in the semi-finals.
It is a chance for United's academy prospects to show they are ready to take the next step on their pathway to becoming a professional player.
"It's an amazing occasion," said under-21s coach Adam Lawrence.
"You try to be humble, but to be involved in this type of fixture and for the players to experience this type of game at Old Trafford, it's fantastic."
Friday's win at Leeds means United are guaranteed a top-two finish in PL2, which means they will be at home until the final, should they get there, in the 16-team play-offs.
However, the chance to extend their run in Europe offers a different type of challenge, even if the first team's four-day trip to Dublin clashes and United also have to look ahead to forthcoming FA Youth Cup semi-final and Premier League under-18 final matches with Crystal Palace later this month.
"People talk a lot about development versus winning," said Lawrence.
"This is one we want to win but we're also trying to do it in a developmental way and looking at individual players in terms of what they will benefit from most in the programme to then perform.
"If we were to just pick the same players, the rest wouldn't get any exposure.
"But there are players in that middle bracket who you're not quite sure what level they're going to end up at. They would miss out on some of those opportunities."
