Tyrell Warren is the former Manchester United Academy star who has tightened the best friends with Marcus Rashford and his craft under Jose Mourinho.
But that didn't matter when he brought his old team to Grimsby in their embarrassing Carabao Cup exit on Wednesday evening to the Zwaard.
Warren, 26, scored Grimsby's second goal while they stacked even more misery – and pressure – on the failing Red Devils of Ruben Amorim.
While he also kicked his place with confidence when Grimsby insured their place in the third round after the late Vechtback from United to force a shootout on 2-2.
It was a complete circle moment for the defender, who spent his childhood on the books at Man Utd, alongside Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay.
Warren left the club in 2019 after he was released and joined Salford City to start his career in the lower competitions, which eventually led him to Grimsby.
Although it did not work for him at Old Trafford, Warren still remembers what it was like to work among top managers – including being part of the first training session of Jose Mourinho in the club of just 17 years old.
Speaking with the news from Manchester Evening, he said: “It was crazy to be honest, it was crazy.
“I didn't really expect it. I came back from the summer and (Academy Head) Nicky Butt said that I was with the first team, which I was a bit surprised.
“But I just had to go out and train and show what I can do.”
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Warren claims that he learned a lot from Mourinho, despite the fact that he never appeared a first team.
He added: “I learned a lot from Mourinho and the players, the pace of training, how hard you train.
“And I just took that back to the youth team and tried to do that in the training sessions with them.”
Unfortunately for Warren he was never able to make that breakthrough in the first team fold, but many of the players he played next to the youth team did make it.
They include Rashford, Mctominay, Axel Tuanzebe, Dean Henderson and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson.
Rashford, now on loan in Barcelona, ​​has since remained close to Warren.
In fact, the couple was actually brought together for the new campaign and even in a number of private preparations for the season when Rashford was prepared for his husband Utd-Exit.
Mancunian Warren said: “At the time, there were clearly some of us, all the same ages, all from Manchester, from the same area in Manchester, who played for the same local teams in that area and district.
“So it was easy to join each other and get to know each other.
“He (Rashford) has been to a few of my games with the rest of my friends and it is interesting to see that he will still come and watch his friends.
“He has not forgotten about friendship and it's all about friendship.”
Warren thinks that Pal Rashford will “certainly” find his fine form of old in Spain.
Many will think that Amorim could have done with the English international while he returned to the game on Wednesday evening.
Instead, Warren was the only graduate of Carrington who could keep their heads high, who did an excellent performance both defensively and ahead.