Manchester United's summer transfer window has been dominated by incomings so far, but there could well be some high-profile departures before the window shuts.
Speculation regarding the future of United midfielder Paul Pogba continues to rumble on, with the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus reported to be interested in the Frenchman this summer.
Over the last few days, rumours have suggested that Real Madrid could offer Spanish midfielder Isco in exchange for Pogba this summer, who fell out of favour under Zinedine Zidane towards the end of last season. It is important to stress that MEN Sport understands United are not prepared to sell Pogba this summer.
Swap deals are notoriously difficult to complete, with a lot of moving parts involved, but United did manage to do a swap deal with Arsenal for Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
So, what could happen if the swap deal between Isco and Pogba went through this summer?
Where would United finish in the Premier League in 2019/20?
We used Football Manager 2019 to have a bit of fun in trying to predict.
Isco - Manchester United
This is Isco's profile in Football Manager 2019.
Current ability: 169/200
Potential ability: 180/200
Positions: AMC/CM/AML/AMR/LM/RM
Best attributes: Vision (19), technique (19), dribbling (18), first touch (18), flair (18), passing (17), balance (17), composure (16), determination (16).
To set up the simulation, we inputted a future transfer of £40 million in July 2019, which saw Pogba move to Real Madrid, with Isco moving in the opposite direction as part of the deal.
Using a fan made editor file, we also updated all the latest transfers, manager changes, promotions and relegations, to make it as realistic as possible, including the likes of Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
We then stopped United signing anyone else in-game, to see how much difference Isco could make on his own.
So how much difference would he make to United's performance in the 2019/20 season?
Here's what happened....
Isco's 2019/20 season for Manchester United
Isco had an incredible debut season for United, making 47 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 times and assisting 12 times.
The Spaniard didn't drop below an average rating of 7 in any competition he played in, which is very impressive indeed.
Get all the latest FIFA, Football Manager and other gaming news here.
Manchester United goals scored in 2019/20
However, despite Isco's contribution, United's goalscoring record was very poor in 2019/20 without Pogba, scoring just 54 goals in 38 games.
To put that number into context, that was three less than Crystal Palace in this season, and 11 less than United scored in 2018/19.
Manchester United goals conceded in 2019/20
Without Pogba, United's defensive record was much better, conceding just 28 goals all season, an incredible 26 less than they did in 2018/19.
Manchester United's best XI in 2019/20
This was the most used United XI in the 2019/20 season, witj Solskjaer preferring an Isco, Lingard and Matic midfield three, with Wan-Bissaka at right-back.
Manchester United's 2018/19 league position: 6th
Manchester United's 2019/20 league position: 6th
After the arrivals of Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James and Isco, United finished in exactly the same position as they did in 2018/19, but they did win six more points overall, as their rivals improved.
Paul Pogba's 2019/20 season for Real Madrid
If United's season was disappointing, Real Madrid's was disastrous.
The Frenchman made 50 appearances for Madrid, scoring 12 goals and registering 12 assists in all competitions, but he could only lead Los Blancos to a fourth place league finish, behind Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia.
So, according to Football Manager 2019, a swap deal with Pogba and Isco wouldn't suit either party and certainly wouldn't improve their fortunes in the league.
But, as we've seen previously, anything can happen in football!
