Paul Pogba's latest comments about his future have left Ed Woodward and Manchester United with a headache they did not need this summer.
Standard Sport understands that Pogba convinced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he wanted to be part of his United revolution before publicly declaring his intention to leave.
Now Solskaer must decide if he can rebuild trust with the £89million midfielder - or give Ed Woodward the go-ahead to open transfer negotiations with Real Madrid.
Should United opt to sell Pogba, they will have to find a player who can lead the team both on and off the pitch, with the World Cup winner's commercial value also an important consideation for Woodward.
Here are six players who could replace Pogba at Old Trafford...
The Tottenham playmaker ticks almost all of the boxes and is a player United have maintained interest in for some time.
A creator and a goal-scorer, he is Premier League proven and the type of marquee name to appease fans and investors.
With a year to run on his contract, the Dane is expected to leave Spurs this summer, with Real among those targeting him.
But should Pogba head to the Bernabeu, United may find themselves in pole position.
His outstanding form for Leicester while on loan last season caught Solskjaer’s eye.
United have expressed an interest and the Belgium international represents the type of player Solskjaer hopes could develop into a star at Old Trafford, rather than a readymade product.
One of the finds of last season, the England under 21 international is being tracked by United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Spurs.
He ticks the box of being an emerging domestic talent – and without Pogba to stand in his way, Solskjaer could offer him the first team football he demands.
By no means a like-for-like replacement, but the Benfica starlet is seen as one of the finest young players in world football and has the potential to have commercial appeal of a Pogba or Cristiano Ronaldo in the future.
United have been reluctant to spend over £100m on the 19-year-old – but they will be in for a windfall well in excess of that if Pogba goes.
They’ll have to be quick, with Atletico Madrid believed to be leading the race.
A name that has continued to be linked to Old Trafford on account of his troubles at Barcelona.
United are one of the few clubs who could give Barca anything close to a decent return on the £142m they paid Liverpool for him 18 months ago.
The fact that he’s a former Liverpool player is another matter entirely.
United are among a host of clubs to register interest in the free-scoring Sporting Lisbon midfielder.
While they have been exploring other targets as well this summer, he may just provide the goals they would lose from Pogba’s departure.
