Cole Palmer can fill Bruno’s boots at Man Utd in deal to suit all with any sway…

Maybe it doesn’t have to be a complete disaster if Bruno Fernandes really does want to leave Manchester United this summer…

Reports of late suggest the captain has finally grown tired of United’s sh*t and, after six-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, he will seek a new challenge at the end of the season.

You could hardly blame him if that is his stance. Fernandes has given his best years to United and continues to bear most of the load in carrying the Red Devils to wherever it is they might be going.

Never mind Saudi; if Fernandes goes, it should be to an elite European club. Assuming he maintains the standards we’ve come to expect of him, there isn’t one he wouldn’t improve.

Of course, United have a say in all this even if, from the outside at least, they seem all too calm about the prospect of losing one of the continent’s most creative influences.

Finding a new Fernandes could be trickier than finding the right man to be their new manager. We’ve covered that. But perhaps the stars are aligning and it’s all coming up Wilcox.

There are very few characters who could fill Fernandes’ boots – but Cole Palmer is one of them. And the chances of United signing him to fulfil that brief might not be as remote as we would have expected.

There are whispers that Palmer, Manchester born and apparently red, fancies a return to the north-west. Some reports suggest he’s ‘homesick’, with The Sun claiming that the 23-year-old is ‘not particularly enjoying life down south’.

MEDIAWATCH: Man Utd have ‘free hit’ on Cole Palmer because of geography and stuff

Take that with a fistful of salt. But if it is true that Palmer is minded to return closer to his roots, it is not far-fetched to view a move back to Manchester as a feasible prospect.

United, if they sell Fernandes, need a world-class playmaker. Proven, not potential. Palmer is one of the few who fits that bill…

It is difficult to judge Palmer on this current campaign since he’s rarely appeared to be fully fit, but his output last season was almost identical to Fernandes’ since the start of last season, the Chelsea star’s 0.65 goals or assists per 90 compared to the United skipper’s 0.66.

Looking at the two graphs from football analysis experts Gradient Sports tell a story.

Neither Palmer nor Fernandes are players we should judge too heavily on stats; we don’t need numbers to know that both belong in the seemingly diminishing group of stars who make things happen and excite. Without Fernandes, United suddenly get a lot worse but also far less interesting. They will need a replacement ready to come in and light up Old Trafford and Palmer is one of very few we would fancy to thrive in that spotlight.

That being true, why would Chelsea sell?

Because Chelsea are Chelsea. They chase trades as hard as trophies. Arguably, football is the side hustle to Clearlake’s investment portfolio.

They signed Palmer for £40million in 2023. If they could triple their money or more, they would. Especially if they could insist that Liam Rosenior justifies the transaction from a football perspective.

Selling Palmer might spare the new manager a tricky decision. Because Chelsea can cope without Palmer far better than United without Fernandes.

Does Palmer even get in Rosenior’s best team right now? Ludicrous question though it may seem, in the new manager’s preferred shape, there is room for only one attacking midfielder ahead of a double-pivot. Which pits Palmer against Enzo Fernandes for the no.10 position.

Palmer has played off the right flank for Chelsea but, unquestionably, he is best used centrally. The same is true, though, of the Blues’ £107million Argentinian investment. And Rosenior is unlikely to grant Palmer the freedom to roam off the right that Mauricio Pochettino afforded him in 2023/24.

Not only could United offer Palmer his Manchester home comforts – assuming that is as relevant as some are suggesting – but if Fernandes is not long for Old Trafford, the no.10 position would be his.

If United can pony up for Palmer, it could be a deal that gives everyone – at least, anyone with a say in it – what they really want.