Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's second coming took another enchanting twist as the Champions League conjured a return to Barcelona to mark the 20th anniversary of his goal to clinch the Treble for Manchester United in the Nou Camp.
Manchester City and Tottenham were pitched into an all-Premier League quarter-final and Liverpool were paired with Porto, a team they beat 5-0 on the way to last year's final.
Not for the first time since he seized control at Old Trafford, however, Solskjaer produced the storyline as United were drawn against the Spanish champions and La Liga leaders, complete with the little genius that is Lionel Messi and arch-villain Luis Suarez.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will return to the Nou Camp 20 years on from the famous 1999 final
Manchester United have drawn Barcelona in the quarter finals, evoking fond memories
It is a prestigious fixture and rich in nostalgia, which will serve up painful reminders of the lost finals of 2009 and 2011 and the lesson at the hands of Hristo Stoichkov and Romario in 1994, along with fonder memories of a Paul Scholes goal to win a semi-final in 2008 and a European Cup-Winners' Cup final in 1991.
But the image summoned by the prospect of Manchester United at the Nou Camp comes from 1999, with their Norwegian striker in his No 20 shirt, sliding on his knees to celebrate the winner, deep in stoppage time, to complete the most astonishing comeback in the final against Bayern Munich.
'It had to be,' smiled Solskjaer, who has done little wrong since he was appointed caretaker manager in December, losing only once in 13 Premier League games and reaching the FA Cup quarter-final and the last eight of the Champions League with a staggering 3-1 win at Paris Saint-Germain.
Paul Scholes scored the winner when the two sides met in semi-finals of 2008 tournament
'I've had so many texts from friends saying this year is going to be the year we get through because of my number 20 and it being 20 years ago. We're off to the Nou Camp again.
'It was
