Sabah completed a domestic double under Dambrauskas without losing across 33 matches. Its European run has been equally striking:
Manchester United will bring a far bigger stage and a different level of expectation. Sabah’s challenge will be to remain compact, brave and disciplined when possession becomes difficult to secure.
The manager’s story adds another layer to the occasion. His football education began in England, including an early opportunity at Manchester United Soccer Schools in 2004. He later worked with the academies at Fulham and Brentford before managing semi-professional side Kingsbury London Tigers.
His move to London was funded by prize money from a television quiz show. With limited English and no established football contacts, he combined university study with several jobs before graduating with honours in sports science and coaching.
Since returning to Lithuania in 2010, Dambrauskas has built a reputation as a trophy-winning coach, collecting 13 honours in five countries.
Old Trafford will test whether Sabah’s remarkable domestic run can translate to Europe’s elite stage. For Dambrauskas, the next question is whether the student of English football can outmanoeuvre one of its grandest institutions.