Ineos should make another Manchester United player untouchable this summer

Manchester United will consider offers for almost all of their squad this summer and Bruno Fernandes has admitted he will consider his future at the end of the season.

That is where the conversation should end. While the club are not looking to force the majority of their players out this summer, it is understood only a small clutch of rising stars are deemed totally indispensable.

Fernandes might be 29, but he is another who the club should refuse to sell in the upcoming transfer window, though there is the uncomfortable situation regarding his longer term future to discuss at some point. The Portugal international two full seasons left on his current contract at Old Trafford, although the club have a one-year extension option that they could trigger to keep him until 2027.

He has often divided opinion and his directness has often been a contradiction to the style of play Erik ten Hag has looked to implement, but the numbers speak for themselves. 79 goals and 64 assists in 230 appearances can't be sniffed at, particularly for a United side still in transition who are lacking leaders.

Fernandes not only wears the captain's armband, he leads by example too. He was effectively the club captain last season as well and his been a valued dressing room voice ever since he joined from Sporting Lisbon.

It has not always been about the numbers either. Many would say last season, in which he 'only' notched 14 goals and 14 assists, was actually his best in a United shirt for the discipline and determination he brought to the United midfield. He also displayed great versatility, with impressive performances both on the wing and when deployed in a deeper role. This season he has even played as a centre-back in the chaotic comeback win over Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Fernandes was such a revelation when he joined the club that he is now judged rather unfairly on those direct goal contributions that he still manages to boast on an annual basis. They are also taken for granted such is his consistency, but the numbers that really shine are his attendance figures.

He has never missed a match through injury and during his time at the club has not taken part in just 12 out of a possible 242 matches. Four because of suspension, four because he was rested altogether in dead-rubbers, three in which he was an unused substitute and one because of illness. That's an availability of 97.94%.

It is understood he has been playing with a broken hand in recent weeks and overcame 'serious injury' to play the entirety of their FA Cup victory over Nottingham Forest, just days after he had been mocked by Fulham for supposedly feigning injury in their Premier League clash.

If it is standards that Ineos are looking to raise this summer, then there is nobody in the squad who showcases the United mentality quite like their current captain.

Further down the line, there might have to be some uncomfortable questions to ask about Fernandes' long-term future and where he fits into the new vision for the club, but for the meantime there is no way a sale should be sanctioned.

The suggestion is that only three United players were certainly guaranteed of their future beyond the summer. It should be four.