Manchester United may have won on Sunday, defeating Aston Villa to deny them Champions League football, but understandably, no one was in the mood to party at Old Trafford.
Having lost the Europa League final last week, Ruben Amorim stood on a wet Old Trafford turf to apologise to the supporters.
Ruben-Amorim-Man-United
Behind him stood a crop of sorry-looking players. Rather than hiding in the comfort of the dressing room, they were made to stand in front of the fans, longingly wishing for better times.
Amorim suggested that success would return, but the task at hand is colossal, perhaps one of the biggest in elite football right now.
Coincidentally, this all came in a week where one of their former players, a certain Scott McTominay, held aloft the Serie A title.
How Scott McTominay helped Napoli to a historic league title
Almost a year ago now, Man United decided to cash in on homegrown product, McTominay.
The Scot had attracted his fair share of criticism in English football for a heap of inconsistent displays, but he did depart for Naples as their joint-third highest scorer in 2023/24, having bagged ten times, the same number as Alejandro Garnacho.
Well, it's safe to say they have missed the 28-year-old this term, with his £25m fee last summer now looking like a bargain.
In Italy, he's been nothing short of a revelation, now being uttered in the same breath as Napoli club legend, Diego Maradona.
Scott-McTominay-Napoli
Only four Napoli sides have ever been crowned champions of Italy and McTominay had a huge say in their success this term.
The Scotland international was named the division's official MVP for his performances, scoring 12 goals and registering six assists during the league campaign.
Now, United must learn from that mistake. While it's unlikely that too many of this floundering squad will take the eye of other teams, there is a scenario where United head into next season without Bruno Fernandes.
The latest on Bruno Fernandes' future
The United skipper has been somewhat of a one-man band this season considering his form but due to United's horrific plight, he could depart.
It's been no secret in recent weeks that he is attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League, but whether or not he's tempted by the riches in the Middle East remains to be seen.
Remarkably, he could now exit in what would be United's second most expensive departure ever, surpassing Romelu Lukaku but slightly lagging behind the great Cristiano Ronaldo deal to Real Madrid.
Manchester United record sales (timeless)
That's according to reports in Spain, who claimed over the weekend that Al-Hilal are set to step up their pursuit of the Old Trafford captain.
They have already presented what is described as a 'significant' sum to INEOS, lodging a ridiculous €100m (£84m) offer for the attacking midfielder.
They are also prepared to pay an enormous salary to Fernandes that exceeds €77m (£64m) per year. For context, the playmaker currently earns £15.6m-per-year.
Bruno Fernandes @ Manchester United
Season
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
Stats via Transfermarkt.
Despite the fact that United would rake in a fair sum of cash, something that's particularly important given they haven't qualified for Europe in 2025/26, losing the Portuguese sensation this summer would be nothing short of disastrous.
In a bleak old season for Amorim's men, Fernandes has been the rare bright spark, the constant beam of light.
Across 57 games, he scored 19 goals and supplied 20 assists, with 12 of those involvements coming in the club's run to the Europa League final.
Losing those numbers would be horrendous for United. Their highest scorers after that are Garnacho and Amad on 11 each, while their second-highest assister is Garnacho, but he is ten behind his skipper.
With the Argentine winger also looking likely to depart, not even part of the squad on Sunday, the numbers Amorim would be losing from his squad would be hard to stomach.
Fernandes-Man-Utd-Europa-League
McTominay's situation a year ago was very different, of course it was, but they've been left to rue selling him and despite the riches on offer here, selling Fernandes would be a very similar story in terms of regret.
Of everyone in the squad, he is the only true irreplaceable figure. INEOS must keep him at United at all costs.
Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho Related
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With Man Utd's season at an end, all eyes turn toward the summer window and the future of Alejandro Garnacho