Bruno Fernandes has turned down a second contract offer from Manchester United as his future looks increasingly precarious.
The United talisman's current deal expires at the end of the season, although the club do have a one-year option in their favour which would prevent him from leaving for free. They also have a clause which stops him talking to foreign clubs about a move come January.
The 32-year-old has now twice rejected improved terms, but United remain confident a deal will be agreed for their prized asset. A man who has won the club's Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award a record-breaking five times.
However his refusal to sign on the dotted line does not paint the picture of a player committed to the cause, or one who sees himself long-term in Manchester. Fernandes is well remunerated financially and a new deal would simply be a show of faith about where the club is heading - admittedly that is a tough sell right now.
United are in the relegation zone and their best player is hardly going to see that as a sign the club are tracking in the right direction. The arrival of Mauricio Pochettino could change things quickly, though Fernandes has seen plenty of new managers suggest brighter days are ahead.
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He's been heavily linked with the exit door in the past, turning down offers in Saudi Arabia several summers ago.
But whilst Fernandes has clearly been the outstanding player on the red side of Manchester for years, he is not without his critics. For all he offers on the pitch there are those who see him as a one-man band, someone whose exploits are not always with the team in mind. His attitude and conduct too have been questioned.
So would a Fernandes exit, as United embark on their latest new era, be the worst thing in the world? There would be those who argue both ways - as we will do now.
Keep Fernandes
The bottom line for a lot of onlookers will be, no club has ever sold their best player and seen that as a route to success. The numbers without Fernandes would paint a horrific picture for United.
This is a player who broke the Premier League record for assists in a single season last term. The Portugal star scored double digits goals in each of his first six seasons at the club, a run that was only ended last season, when he scored nine times.
A lot of those have been big goals, and it is Fernandes who has consistently stood up when the chips are down in Manchester. Gary Neville cited him as, by far, the best signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Yes, the competition has been pretty poor, but he's held himself to a standard that few have been able to match.
He's also had to adapt to a host of different systems, and largely still been able to perform. Plenty argue, if he were in a Pep Guardiola Manchester City team, his reputation and standing in the world game would be very different and that may well be true.
Sell Fernandes
So whilst he is an unbelievable individual there's plenty who will ask more pointed questions. How good is he really, when you consider the team he has around him? Would any decent player have been able to make the impact he had in Manchester, given how poor the team were?
Does his quality come at the expense, rather than complement, the overall plan at United? Jamie Carragher recently suggested that Fernandes' one-man band approach might get the crowd on side, when they see him pressing solo, but if he is stepping outside of team structure, is that really productive?
He's often seen running from side to side demanding the ball as he seeks to influence games, but would the team benefit from him excelling in his role, and allowing others to, at least try, and do their job?
Of course there's also the question about his attitude. What some people see as driving standards, others see as toxic. If you watch United regularly then the image of Fernandes throwing his arms up and lamenting his teammates won't be far from your memory.
He also showed that he's not afraid to throw his boss under the bus, as he did with Michael Carrick after the loss at Como. Roy Keane never shied away from speaking publicly - caveat being Fernandes is certainly not Keane - but he did so from a position of power. Criticising your manager's instructions when you're team are on a winless run is also not endearing you to anyone.
The last point being, in a team of assets that have largely devalued since arriving at Old Trafford, Fernandes could still demand top dollar. With the squad needing a major overhaul, Pochettino may see that as cash that can aid a rebuild.
