Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes could force two Manchester United players to change

Pogba's future and the impact of Fernandes have given Solskjaer questions to answer about United's midfield.

Pogba is back fit ahead of the Premier League's resumption

It feels like so many questions at Manchester United right now rest on Paul Pogba's future.

What would a Pogba departure mean for United's transfer plans, amid interest in

 Jack Grealish 

and James Maddison? If he stays, what does that mean for Bruno Fernandes? And where does Nemanja Matic figure in

 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's midfield 

plans? The Norwegian and his United colleagues have numerous riddles to solve when football resumes and in the summer transfer window that is now likely to come after the matches have finished.

Arguably the most pertinent question, however, surrounds two players who have directly benefitted from Pogba's absence in the past season.

There is no debating how much

 Fred and Scott McTominay 

have improved in the space of one campaign.

Towards the end of the 2018/19 season, they were peripheral, seen as squad players who weren't trusted by their manager to play regular first team roles. Then came the departure of Ander Herrera and an unsuccessful search for a new central midfielder in the summer of 2019, amid interest in Newcastle's Sean Longstaff and West Ham man Declan Rice.

Solskjaer, when asked in a pre-season press conference about who could fill the Herrera void, named McTominay and Andreas Pereira as the chief replacements. Fred then finally proved himself to be the central midfielder Jose Mourinho had wanted when signing the Brazilian. The two have stepped up immeasurably.

In Solskjaer's 4-2-3-1, while Pogba was injured, United appeared to have the perfect balance in midfield. Fred and McTominay playing behind Fernandes provided an excellent blend of skills: Fred with the tackling and passing range, McTominay to add energy and bite, Fernandes providing creativity and goals.

Throwing Pogba back into the United side, in the short-term, is surely the right thing to do. He's too good to leave on the sidelines for too long, though it might take him a while to regain full match fitness. Ankle troubles have prevented him from starting a competitive game since September 30th.

How many roles in the side are available for Fred and McTominay, then?

If it's just one, then they must both turn themselves into genuine defensive midfielders.

When playing together this season that has rather been more a job share, than one player sitting and the other bombing forward. But if anything, McTominay probably suits the more attacking role, using his pace to break into the box and score goals.

 He recently outlined 

his desire to do exactly that, with more regularity, when given the chance.

"For myself, someone who’s quite strong and a good runner, I should be testing teams more than I do,"

 McTominay said.

"I should be breaking lines similar to what Paul does, drive into the box and create chances.

"We always have to have that balance of one goes and one sits, which is so important for a midfield player. Being box-to-box, there’s some amazing examples: [Zinedine] Zidane, Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, driving through the middle of the pitch and were exceptionally good at it."

Fred, meanwhile, has struggled for goals this season - but that doesn't mean he's not contributed. Quite the opposite, in fact, Fred has been remarkably consistent and probably shines most when asked to screen the back four. He presses opponents into making mistakes and recycles possession. He's made that an art form this season.

Perhaps Fred and Matic could share the defensive midfield duties between them, but that would leave McTominay battling with Pogba and Fernandes for a place in the side.

Of course it must be said that Solskjaer needs options in each position - and there's the old truism that competition for places is a positive thing.

But perhaps United need to give clarity to these two players in terms of the roles they play when football resumes.