Manchester United still have much to play for over the remaining weeks of the campaign, with Erik ten Hag's men hoping to maintain their bid for Champions League qualification, while further silverware for the Carabao Cup winners could also be up for grabs in both the FA Cup and Europa League.
This relentless and breathless run of fixtures across those three fronts will be the priority for the former Ajax boss at present, although attention will soon turn toward next season and just how the United squad will shape up.
One key decision that does need to be made is with regard to 20-year-old sensation, Amad Diallo, with the Ivory Coast international having spent the current campaign on loan at Sunderland in the second tier.
As Manchester Evening News reported earlier this week, the belief is that the former Atalanta man – who was signed by the Red Devils on an initial £19m deal in 2020 – could be part of Ten Hag's squad next season, with the Dutchman 'open' to including the winger as part of his first-team plans.
With the report noting that both Facundo Pellistri and Anthony Elanga could be moved on this summer – either permanently or on loan – there is set to be a position available for someone to challenge £86m man, Antony on the right flank, with young Amad potentially the man for the job.
Who could Amad replace at Man United?
If Ten Hag was to bring the exciting talent back into the fold, it is not just Pellistri and Elanga who could potentially suffer, with misfiring dud Jadon Sancho also set to be a potential victim of that promotion.
As the MEN report revealed, the United boss is said to view Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho as the 'primary options' on the left flank, while Amad could come in to rival Antony on the opposite side, leaving Sancho as something of a spare part.
The England international has arguably been something of a "flop" since his £73m arrival from Borussia Dortmund back in the summer of 2021, according to journalist Jason Soutar, having scored just ten goals and provided only five assists in 68 games across all fronts.
The London-born enigma's tally of seven goal involvements this season is even lower than that of polarising midfielder Fred (11), with it clear to see why Ten Hag is believed to be growing 'increasingly impatient' with the fleet-footed dynamo.
With Sancho – who has also operated in a number ten berth this term – yet to find a settled position of late, the return of Amad for the 2023/24 campaign could be the final nail in the coffin with regard to his time at the club, with the younger man having showcased his class at the Stadium of Light.
The diminutive playmaker has already scored 12 goals and provided three assists in 33 Championship games in what has been a real breakthrough campaign, having "jumped up a level" since the previous campaign, according to ex-United man, Michael Carrick.
That stellar impact has seen the highly-rated superstar hailed as an "amazing footballer" by Black Cats boss, Tony Mowbray, with the former Celtic manager also suggesting that the forward "finds the game too easy sometimes", such is his quality.
With a chance to shine back in the Premier League having been more than warranted for the dynamic "wizard" – as lauded by journalist James Copley – it should well be next season that the three-cap menace is unleashed back at his parent club.
As such, with Ten Hag able to call upon Rashford and Garnacho on one flank and Antony and Amad on the other, it could potentially be curtains for Sancho's Old Trafford career.