Erik ten Hag and his players have been drawn against German heavyweights Bayern Munich in Group A and those two will, naturally, take centre stage with FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray out to stop them. It has somehow been almost a decade since United and six-time holders Bayern last met on the grandest stage.
On that occasion, it was the Bundesliga giants – famously defeated late on by United in the 1999 showpiece – that celebrated victory during the 2013/2014 season. Bayern were Champions League holders from the term before and they swept United aside over two legs (4-2) with none other than Pep Guardiola in the dugout.
Here&aposs our look at the starting XI that played for United at the Allianz Arena.
David De Gea: Gone but not forgotten. De Gea made 545 appearances for the club in all competitions before he was replaced by Andre Onana this summer. He remains a free agent, too, despite rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid as injury cover for Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Phil Jones: Deployed at right-back in the return leg. Jones had the unenviable task of marking Franck Ribery! Over 200 games later the 31-year-old was, incidentally, back at Carrington this week.
Chris Smalling: Eventually discarded by Jose Mourinho at United, the centre-back is now thriving under Mourinho at Roma to represent a full circle in his career.
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Nemanja Vidic: The no-nonsense Serb captained United in both games and gave them hope in the first leg with his opening goal. Ten-man Bayern pegged them back through a familiar face in Bastian Schweinsteiger, and it was the Germans who, ultimately, progressed. Vidic left Old Trafford that summer.
Patrice Evra: Similarly to the first leg, it was United who went in front at the Allianz Arena and their opener came from an unfamiliar source. Evra netted before three goals from Mario Mandzukic, Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben turned the tide. The popular Frenchman is a regular pundit and often appears on TV panel shows.
Darren Fletcher: Involved behind the scenes at United as technical director. Fletcher played 342 games during his Old Trafford career before, eventually, stepping upstairs after hanging up his boots. His young sons – twins Jack and Tyler – have signed for the Academy from Manchester City.
Michael Carrick: Fletcher&aposs partner in crime was the current Middlesbrough manager. Carrick spent 12 years at Old Trafford as a player and he moved straight into a coaching role when he retired. He served as assistant manager for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and even had three matches in interim charge when he was sacked.
Antonio Valencia: A popular figure at Old Trafford who, also, served as club captain for a period. Valencia ended his playing career in 2021 and the 38-year-old has gone down a rather alternative path, since then, by founding his very own team. Club Deportivo (AV25) are based in his native Ecuador.
Shinji Kagawa: Kagawa earned rave reviews for his performances at Borussia Dortmund before making his move to Old Trafford in 2012 for 12m plus add-ons. He lasted only two seasons before returning.
Danny Welbeck: The main support for Rooney that night, Academy graduate Welbeck is still strutting his stuff in the Premier League for Brighton, following spells at Arsenal and Watford. The 32-year-old was sold by United after the 2013/2014 campaign with the Gunners paying around 20m for his services.
