Where would Manchester United be without Bruno Fernandes? It is a frequently asked question, but one that feels somewhat more pertinent this season, given the club captain's displays and how close he came to leaving last summer.

Fernandes has 16 Premier League assists to his name so far and needs only four in the final seven matches to equal the record held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. He is in the running to claim various player of the year accolades. But had circumstances unfolded a little differently after last season's Europa League final, he could be achieving all of this in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Hilal were prepared to make United an offer of around £100million last summer, and were also willing to pay Fernandes a reported £700,000-a-week salary. After a couple of weeks of consideration, Fernandes decided to reject the payday and remain at Old Trafford, but clearly the issue left a lasting impression.

Fernandes revealed in a December interview in Portugal that United "wanted me to leave" and implied he was kept in the dark regarding the club's actual intentions, an assessment not challenged by...