Manchester United already know ideal Bruno Fernandes replacement - and Ruben Amorim loves him

Manchester United are at a cross-roads this summer and their captain Bruno Fernandes knows that feeling all-too well as he puts serious consideration into his own future at Old Trafford.

Naturally, this is a really worrying time for anyone connected with United, be they his teammates, staff, supporters and key figures behind-the-scenes. At face value, the much-loved playmaker - now 30 - is irreplaceable.

The chips are not exactly on the table, but they might as well be. Al-Hilal are armed with up to £100million and the equation is simple; do United cash-in on their best player and hope that gamble pays off?

Not exactly a straight yes or no, granted, while what Fernandes wants must also be factored in, given his service - and return - on the back of his £67.7million switch to Old Trafford from Sporting CP in January 2020. Beyond that, there is little recent evidence to suggest United would actually be able to reinvest any would-be windfall from the 78-cap Portuguese sufficiently anyway.

Getting someone in to match Fernandes' quality is a non-starter, especially without Champions League football on offer to boost Ineos' sales pitch. United, though, might just have one candidate to replace him in-house.

Step forward Mason Mount, who is at a tricky juncture in his own United career this summer.

By and large, things have not exactly gone to plan for the former Chelsea player since Erik ten Hag and key figures upstairs were convinced enough to pay £65million for his signature. So much faith and trust was put in Mount that handing him the club's iconic No.7 shirt was also a major part in negotiations before his high-profile arrival.

Not a blessing, as yet, the No.7 curse continues at Old Trafford, but there is hope that can