Separated by seventeen years yet, under the new regime, they could still be the future of Manchester United. Well, if only for a season or, at a push, maybe two.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Anthony Elanga, the great and the precocious, the legend and the learner. When they embraced, it looked like a mentor and his pupil.
And when Erik ten Hag draws up his master plan, surely, in the short term at least, he has to find a way to harness the talents of Ronaldo and Elanga. As, from a penalty he earned, Ronaldo scored his 18th Premier League goal of the season, the contention that he might actually be a big part of the problem has surely now been crushed.
But, at 37, he obviously only has a finite amount of time left. And amidst the protests, the walkouts, the testimonial feel, the long-term cause for optimism came from Elanga.
Young, hungry, quick, one of the few who look as though they would meet the elite fitness standards of Manchester City and Liverpool, Elanga is still raw. But he is the sort of player who can become the identikit modern-day, elite Premier League operator.
When he pairs his pace with perception, he can make a real impact, just as he did when chasing down a Diogo Dalot pass and sending over an invitation for Bruno Fernandes to volley home the opener.
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Out of kilter with his recent form, Fernandes accepted with considerable volleyed aplomb. Elanga brings an energy that has been so often lacking in this United side, giving purpose to a team that specialises in the ponderous.
He will, though, face many tests far sterner than attacking a Brentford side that were pleasant to watch but were hardly pushing themselves to the limit.
Christian Eriksen casually went through his repertoire of long passes and Ivan Toney caused a few issues - heading one inviting first half chance into the crowd - but this was not a Thomas Frank team at full tilt.
In fact, nothing about this game was full tilt. At times, it felt a bit like a benefit match for Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic, both playing their final games at Old Trafford in a red jersey and both enjoying the leisurely pace of proceedings.
In patches, Brentford showed why they will be staying in the Premier League but their intensity level was a notch or two short of the required standard.
And their defending was pretty appalling, Rico Henry’s madcap challenge, just after the hour mark, allowing Ronaldo to double the lead from the spot before Rafael Varane found himself able to meet a corner-kick with his right boot for the third. But by then, not many really cared about the outcome.
There was a walkout with 17 minutes left, anger vented at the Glazers and some farewell applause for those players who had kicked their final ball at Old Trafford in a United jersey. But amidst it all, in the performances of Ronaldo and Elanga, old and new, at least there was hope.
