Things haven't quite worked out for Paul Pogba since his then record-breaking move back to boyhood club Manchester United in 2016.
Gary Neville recently described the World Cup winner as the most likely to win the Ballon d'Or out of the current United squad.
His talent has never been up for debate but his dedication and devotion to the cause have often come into question. Last summer his controversial agent, Mino Raiola, claimed his client wanted a new challenge and Pogba's lengthy injury absence's in the current campaign has seen some fans question his commitment.
Opinion seems to be split over whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be best served cutting his losses, or building his team around the mercurial midfielder.
Fernandes and Pogba, mouthwatering?
The prospect of Bruno Fernandes and Pogba lining up in the same midfield is a mouthwatering proposition for United fans. The engine room has been a problem area for the club for many years often lacking goals and creativity, attributes the proposed pairing would bring in abundance.
Solskjaer has already talked up the potential of the midfield duo saying, "We will find a good connection between them, we have discussed it as a coaching team."
They would certainly banish the memories of Fellaini, Schweinsteiger, and Perreira and United would finally have a midfield to rival their noisy neighbours again.
Former United defender, Jaap Stam, is looking forward to seeing the trio of Scott McTominay, Fernandes, and Pogba all playing together claiming, "Fernandes could play at No.10 and Pogba could play as one of the two sitting midfield players.
“He has the legs to go forward as well so you could play with two attacking midfield players if things are going well, but otherwise he can drop next to McTominay and they could play with just one No.10."
Pogba enters final year of United contract
Pogba's entering the final year of his contract but the club has the option to extend it by an additional year. With the danger of losing their star-man on a free transfer in the near future off the table, United are in a relatively strong position.
If the Frenchman does push for a move, however, clubs may have to be inventive with their offers. As coronavirus is expected to severely damage football financially, at least in the short-term, the number of clubs willing and able to match United's asking price, as well as Pogba's wage demands would be extremely limited.
Does a swap deal with Juventus have any potential?
One option would be to do a swap deal. Adrien Rabiot has been muted as potential bate after failing to establish himself at Pogba's former club Juventus. Pogba's compatriot only moved from Paris Saint-Germain last summer but hasn't settled in Turin and would go some way to filling the gap that United's £90 million pound man would leave.
An unhappy Pogba is an unhappy United
Despite Solskjaer's apparent desire to keep Pogba at the club and the prospect of Fernandes pairing him in midfield getting United fans more excited than the last seven years put together, keeping an unhappy player who has huge influence at the club would be a bad idea.
The Norwegian may be wise to sell Pogba to long-term suitors Real Madrid for as much as possible and reinvest the money in players who want to play for the club. Signings such as Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho would ease the blow somewhat.
At 27 years old it is time for Pogba to start playing to his potential week in, week out. Whether that is at United or not remains to be seen. A committed and dedicated Pogba would be a frightening sight and one Red Devil's fans would love to see but anything less would be a betrayal to the club and to his own talent and something Solskjaer wouldn't stand for.
It feels like Pogba's career is fast approaching a crossroads and his next decision could be career-defining, at least at club level.