What does it mean to be Manchester United? That's a question the club has hopelessly wrestled with over the last decade.
United have obviously lost their way since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. The club has equalled its longest trophy drought for 40 years this season and joy has been absent from Carrington and Old Trafford, which looked sparse on Thursday against Chelsea.
There has only been one positive this season: United's academy. United have a rich history of developing talent and that's crucially one aspect of their identity they've managed to hold on to. Sir Matt Busby laid those foundations and they've been maintained, even during the last 10 years, which has seen little first-team success. United have won just three trophies since 2013.
The importance of the FA Youth Cup for United has never been a secret. United have won the Youth Cup (10) more than other club and former academy graduates have admitted the significance of the competition was drilled into them from the very start in the youth set-up. The Youth Cup is the pinnacle of academy football and only the best U18 teams make the final.
United's U18s have done exactly that this season. United last made the Youth Cup final in 2011 - Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Ravel Morrison featured in that side - and it's been a long wait for the club's pupils to make another final in the competition.
Travis Binnion's side are bidding to make more history for the club. United's U18s ruthlessly beat Wolves 3-0 in dominant fashion thanks to goals from Charlie McNeill and Alejandro Garnacho in March to progress to the final, where they'll play Nottingham Forest.
Garnacho made his United debut against Chelsea on Thursday and he received that call up on the back of his talismanic performances in the Youth Cup. Garnacho has five goals in the Youth Cup and that includes a sensational solo effort against Everton.
Every United U18 side that has reached a Youth Cup final seems to have a talismanic figure and Garnacho is this current group's driving force in attack. Although the youngster is raw, his potential seems vast and he's set to line up in the final in two weeks' time.
Chelsea have had a monopoly on the Youth Cup over the last few years and they're closing (9) on United's record (10) of wins in the competition. They were expected to make the final this season but they were stunned in the semi-final last month.
The London club were leading 1-0 against Nottingham Forest, who are managed by former United youth coach Warren Joyce, with just 10 minutes to go in the semi-final, however, they dramatically capitulated, conceding three goals in the closing stages.
That means Forest defied the odds and progressed to the final. United have the good fortune of welcoming Forest to Old Trafford in the final and the fixture will be played on Wednesday, 11 May. It will be an occasion United's U18s will never forget.
United fans haven't had much to celebrate this season and that perhaps explains why they're so keen to get right behind this exciting U18 side. Ahead of the match, the club's box office has confirmed that more tickets have already been sold than the current attendance record and that means Old Trafford is set to record the biggest attendance in Youth Cup history.
United have already sold more tickets than the current record Youth Cup attendance of 38,137, which dates back to 2007, and that level of support deserves to be lauded. United fans are set to turn out in their droves to support the U18s.
Fans have shown their class again with that tremendous support, although their support has never been in question.
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