Manchester United saw a glimpse of the future when their most potent partnership finally combined

It's been a long time coming but finally, Manchester United's most creative player has set up a goal for the man signed to lead their attack for years to come. Having been starved of service in recent weeks, Rasmus Hojlund's eyes almost popped out of his head when Bruno Fernandes laid one on a plate for him on Wednesday.

It was Hojlund's 14th goal for United but it was the first time he had received an assist from Fernandes, the captain and heartbeat of this team. Fernandes scored two goals himself and now has 26 goals and assists this season.

The prospect of where United would pay without their Portuguese talisman is a frightening one. He is still yet to miss a game through injury in his four years and three months at the club and is up to 143 goals and assists in 229 games. It is a stunning record for someone who has already played under three different managers and in a team that has too often struggled.

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United can't continue to rely on the consistent quality of Fernandes to save them and while Marcus Rashford came good last season, his 30-goal return turned out to be a shooting star of a season. The goalscoring burden has to be passed around.

That is happening this season and the hope is that Hojlund is the long-term solution at centre-forward. Anthony Martial has never convinced as United's No. 9 and although the return of Cristiano Ronaldo delivered goals for himself, it wasn't a move with an eye to the future and it upset the balance of the team.

In Hojlund, United have a player whose best years are ahead of him. The 21-year-old has