Man Utd face Bruno Fernandes dilemma with Al Hilal's £100m offer hanging over their heads

Bruno Fernandes has often been relied upon as Manchester United's saviour - so it is fitting his parting gift could end up being one last rescue act.

United always knew sales would be required this summer to create enough financial flexibility to reshape the squad for Ruben Amorim. Selling Fernandes was not part of that plan, the captain's future a widely presumed certainty until Al Hilal came to the table.

Despite the Saudis' willingness to pay £100m for a player turning 31 in September, United and Amorim want to keep Fernandes. The United boss believes the midfielder wants to stay, though he could not guarantee he would. But can the club afford to turn this down?

Such an offer is unlikely to come again given Fernandes' age. The windfall would be transformative for United ahead of a summer when the budget is pinched, and an overhaul is so dearly required. Fernandes' sale could kick-start a new chapter for the club.

This rationale only holds up under the assumption that the funds would be spent wisely and, for a club with such a poor record in recruitment, it would be a huge gamble. No wonder there is scepticism. Go backwards again and relegation looms.

Old Trafford has become a graveyard for stars over the last decade - Fernandes one of the few shining exceptions - and although INEOS are not to blame for that legacy, it highlights how tricky it would be to replace the club's best signing since Robin van Persie.

We all know Fernandes is a production machine, but he has also become a leader. Imperfect, certainly. United's captain tends to try too hard when things go wrong - to his and the team's detriment. But where would they be without him?

Well, United have not won a Premier League match without Fernandes since March 2022. The sample size is small, yet the record is telling. Six matches, five defeats and one draw. In a squad lacking in character and quality, Fernandes brings both in abundance.

Fernandes' departure would rid United of their one elite player and surely make Old Trafford an even less attractive destination. Liam Delap has already chosen Chelsea over United. Finding adequate replacements is hard enough without Champions League.

Emotionally, in a summer when academy graduates Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho appear set for the chop, on the back of hundreds of redundancies and the worst season for decades, the loss of Fernandes could bring the fanbase to its knees.

In the context of the past year - and the past decade - when the club has been accused of losing touch with its identity, losing Fernandes would make United nearly unrecognisable heading into a summer that could become make or break for INEOS.

If this were another club, it would be easier to predict how they might handle a similar scenario without such a glum outlook. The Philippe Coutinho comparison - although flawed - is an example of how a well-run club can sell a star to improve the collective.

Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker were signed by Liverpool using the £146m fee paid by Barcelona. Their additions proved transformational for Jurgen Klopp, who would win the Champions League and Premier League in the next three years.

Liverpool were further along in their rebuild, but the example offers a blueprint for how United could enjoy a similar transformation if Fernandes leaves. With a goalkeeper, central midfielder and striker dearly needed, £100m could fund a new spine for the team.

Matheus Cunha, undeterred by the lack of European football, is already through the door. If others share his faith in the project remains to be seen, though the signing, sealed on day one of the window, suggests INEOS might be starting to figure things out.

They will hope that is true after spending £200m in their first summer and taking the club from eighth in the table to 15th. Erik ten Hag was still in charge then though and the window had his fingerprints all over it with two more former Ajax players recruited.

Now INEOS have another year under their belt and Amorim in place with a system that he has made clear will not change, the conditions certainly appear more conducive to a better window and the early signs are good.

Cunha, 26, is one of a handful of Premier League-proven players United have signed while in their prime in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era - and if this is a sign of things to come, then INEOS are at least working to right the wrongs of the past.

But funding moves for such players does not come cheap and could be difficult if Fernandes is not sold. Cunha, for instance, was £62.5m. Reports suggest that is more than half of the budget gone without any sales.

If Fernandes stayed, risks would have to be taken on unknown quantities that suit Amorim's system, or he would have to put up with the current crop for longer. For a coach that could quickly come under pressure next season, neither sounds too appealing.

But nor does losing Fernandes, and therein lies the dilemma. United want him to stay, so too does Amorim. The final decision, it seems, lies with Fernandes, who no one could blame for leaving after all he has put up with.

United cannot afford to sell their captain but nor can they afford to turn down Al Hilal's offer.