Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount.
Mason Mount will have to step up on the proviso Bruno Fernandes leaves.
are at a cross-roads this summer and their captain knows that feeling all-too well .
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 change.
Mount was imperious as United booked their place in this season's Europa League final with a second-leg win over Athletic Bilbao in their last-four showdown. That eye-catching cameo was enough to see him return to the starting XI for the showpiece - incidentally in Bilbao against Tottenham - not to mention revive expectation around him.
Mount might never step into Fernandes' shoes exactly. He can, though, be a fine United player in his own right, and Ruben Amorim didn't need this month's efforts to recognise it.
"Mason Mount... I have to tell you I love that kid," Amorim said to club media before his first match in November.
"You can look in his eyes that he wants this so bad. And this is the most important thing for me.
"I know he was suffering from injuries, he was not on the pitch, but now he's trying to stay fit, and we hope he can continue to be fit to show all the talent that he's shown, for example, in Chelsea."
Amorim added: "He played in this system [before], so it's perfect for him.
"I have two positions for Mason Mount. So he should be very happy!"
Not too many people are happy at Old Trafford right now, in the sense of how their season has gone, while an exit for Fernandes would only increase the angst, even if that blow is softened by a hefty, nine-figure sum.
But, as they say, as one door closes another one opens. It might well be Mount who's knocking.
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