The fallout continues following Manchester United's dismal defeat away to Sevilla in the Europa League on Thursday evening, with rumours abound that manager Erik ten Hag is plotting a major clearout at Old Trafford this summer.
The Red Devils have little time to dwell on that Spanish capitulation, however, with the Carabao Cup winners set to continue their bid for further silverware against Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.
That semi-final showdown at Wembley will provide yet another stern test for the top-four hopefuls against a side who have regularly got the better of them of late, the Seagulls notably running out 2-1 winners during Ten Hag's first game in charge back in August.
A major boost for the Dutchman heading into tomorrow's meeting with Roberto De Zerbi's men will be the return of Bruno Fernandes from suspension, with the Portugal international having been sorely missed after sitting out the trip to Andalusia.
As BBC pundit Clinton Morrison noted, United missed the influential playmaker "massively" against the La Liga outfit, with the former Sporting CP ace a player who truly "leads by example" with his quality both in and out of possession.
The £240k-per-week man's return could come as part of a midfield shake-up against the south coast side, with it perhaps time for polarising enigma, Fred, to be welcomed back into the starting XI.
Will Fred start against Brighton?
It is fair to say that the midfield trio of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Marcel Sabitzer simply underwhelmed last time out, with the three experienced figures having been "schooled" on the day, as per Manchester Evening News journalist Tyrone Marshall.
Eriksen, in particular, seemingly had an evening to forget despite previously shining against Nottingham Forest last weekend, with it set to be time for the Danish star – who has only recently returned from injury – to make way for the aforementioned Fred.
The latter man was only a late substitute in Thursday's shambolic performance away in Seville, having been somewhat on the periphery since the 7-0 defeat at Anfield at the start of last month.
Since that shock drubbing, the 30-year-old has failed to start a single Premier League game and was also only a late substitute in the previous round of the FA Cup against Fulham.
Even so, the Brazil international – who could be among those to depart this summer – would certainly provide a fresh injection of energy and enthusiasm to Ten Hag's midfield, having been hailed as a "mosquito" by the Ajax boss for his pest-like display against Barcelona back in February.
The £18m-rated machine has also previously been described as a "team player" who "puts in every effort that he has", as per interim boss Ralf Rangnick, with such effort and work ethic having seemingly been lacking as United merely "wilted" in midweek – in the words of The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell.
Although the speculation that the former Shakhtar Donetsk man could be sold would suggest that he is not the long-term midfield solution for Ten Hag, he could well represent the answer in the short-term at least, starting against Brighton tomorrow.