Soon another batch of teenage Reds will be identified as ideal material for the Antwerp treatment and will tread the same path and have the same experience.
Sir Alex Ferguson and his Academy staff will sit down when United return from South Africa and decide on the names of those young hopefuls who'll become the latest to carve out a career with the joint Belgium and Old Trafford experience as the base.
Former chairman Martin Edwards and his Royal Antwerp counterpart met at a European football get-together in Madrid 11 years ago.
Over a coffee, the pair hatched the idea of the link that would help United's wannabees enjoy a grounding in the Belgium league that would provide a soccer and social education that would stand them in good stead for their careers and life.
It has proved a lasting and successful relationship that has witnessed around 30 United youth and reserve players making the trip to Antwerp for six and 12 month loan spells over the last decade.
"It has been a terrific adventure for us and for more than 90 per cent of the young boys who've come over from Old Trafford they have benefited from the experience," says Royal Antwerp general secretary Paul Bistiaux who has been a major player in the alliance, set up in 1998.
"It started out as a little plant when the two chairmen got together in `97 and it has grown into a decent tree that has borne fruit for both ourselves and United.
"After the plan was put into place 10 years ago, United lined up Higginbotham, Ronnie Wallwork and Jamie Wood to be the first players to come over.
"Danny was actually the first United player to step foot on Belgium soil as part of the link up because he wanted to come over first to have a look at see what we were about before he would commit himself.
"We gave him the red carpet treatment. He trained with our players and had lunch with them and then immediately said yes he wanted to come over for 12 months.
Incident
"I am still in contact with Danny and it has been great to see him make a good senior football career. I am glad he is now doing well at Sunderland and still playing Premiership football."
The alliance almost ended in disaster for Higginbotham and Wallwork with the link getting off to a controversial start.
Midfielder Wallwork was banned for life by a Belgium court for allegedly attacking a referee after an Antwerp play-off game at the end of his campaign. Higginbotham was banned for a season for insulting the same official in the post-match incident.
Wallwork's sentence was eventually reduced to three years, two of which were suspended and the 12-month ban applied only to Belgium and Higginbotham's ban was cut to four months. Both players were allowed to continue with their careers.
But apart from that major early set-back the link has proved a triumph.
United have been so happy with the arrangement that has schooled their prodigies that, although a number of alliances that were made worldwide after the Royal Antwerp breakthrough, only the Belgium link still exists.
"Many clubs around the world are jealous of the link we have and especially in Belgium they are very envious of us having a tie up with United," says Bistiaux. "A few clubs in Belgium have tried to get themselves attached to a Premier League club but none have been successful.
"We are proud of our alliance. It has been a roller-coaster adventure. Not every player has been a success. It hasn't suited everyone. Some haven't lived up to expectations or delivered but that's football and life. It happens everywhere.
"Some players love it and respond to it others don't. But I think the vast majority have loved it and certainly gained form it.
"Even if all haven't enjoyed the experience fully I think the vast majority would say they have developed as players and young men.
"United coach Jimmy Ryan says it is a character building exercise. To move away from home at the age of 18 and 19 and work in a foreign country and learn a new language and culture is a great experience.
"The players who have come over in recent years know what it is all about because they speak to the United players who have already been over.
"It was a bit different in the early days when it was a whole new adventure. I remember Danny's mum, for instance, ringing me up to see if he'd be looked after properly and what would he get to eat!"
Competition
Despite a long list of young Reds who've temporarily moved across to Belgium the list of those who've made it from the 16,500 capacity Bosuilstadion to become an Old Trafford regular is a very short one.
"The competition at United is murderous," added Bistiaux.
"You look at United's first team and it is not impossible to breakthrough but it is very, very hard. But the fact they may come here and then never actually make it at Old Trafford doesn't mean the link is not a success.
"Most of the United players who have come here have made very good careers for themselves back in England. That's the important point and the fact is their experience in Belgium has helped them do that.
"I look at the United squad out in South Africa at the moment and there about six players out there who we've had at Royal Antwerp. That makes us proud.
"It was also a memorable occasion to see John O'Shea at the Euro final in Moscow because he was one of the earlier players who came over.
"While John might not have been a major playing triumph those who you could mark down as big on-field successes were Luke Chadwick and Lee Martin. Most recently we had Fraizer Campbell for a season and the fans absolutely loved him. The whole ground used to chant his name and he responded to it. He was our top scorer in the year he was here.
"He is so talented, a great goalscorer with tremendous pace. I was pleased to see he did so well at Hull City last season on loan and helped them to promotion to the Premier League.
"I think he is going to be a Premiership player and I think he could make it in United's first team.
"The alliance has enabled us to field so many talented young players that would never have come to Royal Antwerp otherwise. Our fans would never have seen a player like Fraizer without the agreement.
"We have made so many friends at United. We feel like part of the family. I cannot thank people at Old Trafford like Sir Alex Ferguson, Les Kershaw (former Academy director), Brian McClair and Jimmy Ryan enough. They have been marvellous to work with.
"It was a magnificent gesture when Sir Alex brought the a full strength team over in 2005 for our 125th anniversary. We are the oldest club in Belgium and that was an anniversary present I will remember for the rest of my life."
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I'm sure going over to Antwerp brings a lot out in an 18-year-old player's character but, otherwise, I wouldn't say the link is 'flourishing'. For Antwerp maybe, but not for United. As the article says, 30 players have gone to Belgium over the years and only John O'Shea has managed to get near the first team. I don't know how good the coaching is at Antwerp but, from the clips of games I've seen, the standard of competitive football seems to be on a par with League Two over here -- even Dong looked like a world-beater when he was playing there (see YouTube if you don't believe me). Does the experience of being in another country REALLY benefit the youngsters that much, or would they be better off being loaned out to the lower-league clubs in England?
I agree with The Trawler - this appears to be a better deal for Antwerp than United by a large margin. It may help English lads to travel to another country and learn another language and culture, but Dong was already getting that by being in England. I think an alliance with a Championship side (Hull, Sunderland, ...) makes far more sense - the only trouble is that our loaned-out players have the inconvenient side effect of helping those teams get promoted to the Premiership, where the loan agreements generally end. Then we have to go in search of another club to partner with.
Trawler, I think you are right that the experience is more useful for the person. That's not just the travel and adapting to a new environment but also the challenge of impressing a new set of coaches, the discipline to work hard to get picked and the necessity of impressing when you do get a chance. The level of football isn't so much higher than the reserves but the challenge is.
The Trawler, I have to disagree with you on that. Whether a young player makes it to the first team at United or not is no yardstick to measure the success of the link. At the end of the day a lot of factors come together to determine whether a youngster makes it as a top rate footballer and at United being premiership quality is just not good enough; at United we've always required world beaters in our 1st eleven. That said, you should also bear in mind that our youth policy's not just to produce players who can make it to our 1st team squad but also to ensure that those who do not make it can make a decent career in pro football. In that respect alone the I'd consider the link a success.
CaptainPark, you are of course right that our duty to these lads is to make them professional footballers first and then the top two or three a decade can become United regulars. The rest need to be prepared by our coaches to play at a lower level but they will have decent professional careers.