PERHAPS that's why Gary Neville stayed away… because he knew the old Class of 92 would get a hard lesson from Pep Guardiola's prodigies.
Perhaps there is no need to ponder after all why Salford City's gobbiest owner felt the biggest match in its history was not worth a skiing holiday. What a shame.
After all, he would have seen a Salford hero – just one wearing sky blue, in local boy James McAtee leading City's own crop of rookie talent during an FA Cup turkey shoot.
McAtee, dubbed the Salford Silva by his own fans, scored a hat-trick, while fellow youngsters Divin Mubama and Nico O'Reilly were also in action.
Neville will be glad he missed it.
Mind you, his co-owners from that golden Fergie generation were here to brief him.
Ryan Giggs in the visiting dugout alongside manager Karl Robinson, while Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt watch from the director's box.
They watched with their fingers crossed that they would get a firsthand glimpse of the romance of the Cup.
City's own group of kids made it seem more like the irony of the cup.
Although Gary, in that you love him “I know best” way about him, would no doubt have found a way for his League Two high flyers to stop Pep's pups had he been in town.
Mind you, given the way Manchester City effortlessly avoided this banana peel third round, that's highly unlikely.
Some of Guardiola's old guard joined Marcel and stayed away. Although in their case, because of the manager's call.
What's most surprising of all is that he, as captain Kyle Walker, isn't even on the bench, needing games more than anyone else in a sky blue shirt.
Yet this wasn't a night to discuss fading stars – more of a tribute to rising stars.
Those young kids in the area already suggest a bright future for City.
Of the four young players Guardiola included in his line-up against Salford, three were on the scoresheet. And considering the other is a centre-back, that's as good as it gets.
Although nevertheless it was the established 'old hands' who laid the foundation and opened the floodgates after just ten minutes.
After Hakeeb Adelakun had the ball cleared from him, Matheus Nunes fed Jack Grealish, and as he moved it further to the left, Jeremy Doku finished with a low drive via the post.
City were two up when Nunes whipped over a cross and Mubama, a 19-year-old who joined from West Ham in a £2million fee in the summer, couldn't miss from a yard out.
Two minutes before half-time, O'Reilly – a boy Pep raved about in preparation for the season's trip to America – showed why the Spaniard rates him so highly with the most clinical finish.
The second half had barely started when Mubama was back in action, although this was more due to Salford's kamikaze team at the back.
Liam Shephard and then Ossama Ashley combined to give the ball away to the City boy, upsetting Doku as he went in, and Grealish buried the penalty.
So it was time for McAtee to step up… and he didn't exactly, with a magnificent poked volley from the Frenchman's low cross.
It was starting to get embarrassing.
Even more so when Doku in turn collected a penalty prize when Curtis Tilt blocked with his arm.
Salford were now on their knees, but McAtee was far from done in terms of his own scoring; he was actually just getting started.
His second goal was actually the result of a shot from substitute Phil Foden – a player he could use from the bench – which he controlled and finished himself.
And the treble came to the fore when Grealish picked him out with a cross and McAtee took a different route to goal.
Even some home fans started to feel sorry for Salford, who were just happy to see it end as an eighth campaign.
If only Gary had been here to see it…there's still always a copy of the DVD.
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