Within the next two weeks or so Manchester United will push the button on Marcus Rashford's contract, exercising the option to keep him at the club for another year and avoiding the possibility of the forward being able to talk to other suitors from January 1.
United are loathed to lose Rashford and the one-year option they have got on the 25-year-old's deal gives them some security, but the fact it's reaching a point where the club have to use that fall-back, rather than unveiling a new long-term deal isn't ideal.
Taking a one-year option is usually associated with players tipping past 30, who might not get an extension beyond that. When it comes to players of Rashford's calibre and standing, clubs usually want to show how much they value the player by agreeing to a long-term extension, rather than having to take the short-term approach.
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag compares Marcus Rashford to Kylian Mbappe
With Rashford, United are perhaps a little unfortunate, given his fluctuating form and fortunes over the last two years, but now he has rediscovered his best level - with no little help from his club manager - he has a strong negotiating hand. Erik ten Hag compared him to Kylian Mbappe in Spain last week and that might end up being more than a little prescient.
Paris Saint-Germain are admirers of Rashford and have explored the possibility of making a move for him previously. With Mbappe likely to leave Paris in the next year or two, they might see Rashford as the ideal replacement, especially with Ten Hag making comparisons between their games.
"I believe when Marcus's positioning is on the back of the defending line, there is almost no better player in the world," said Ten Hag.
"There is Mbappe in this moment, a type like him. But when he (Rashford)'s getting in that position, he's great and you see he's really improved also out of possession.
"You see the second goal against Wales when he's winning the ball for the team and then it was (Phil) Foden who finished and I see him do that all the time, the first press."
Rashford was certainly unlucky not to start for England in the knockout stages of the World Cup but his performances in Qatar continued the trend he has shown this season, with eight goals in 19 appearances for United.
But he scored just five times in 32 games last season and went a year without playing for his country, such was his dip in form. United can't be blamed for letting his contract run on during that period, when it looked like he might never find the path to his best level again.
The arrival of Ten Hag has got Rashford enjoying his football once more and he is thriving this season, but it's also complicated matters for United. They desperately want him to sign a new deal but the player will be aware his stock is rising, especially after the World Cup. A player previously linked with PSG and Barcelona will have plenty of options come the summer.
That acts as a de-facto deadline for United. They will want to get a new deal for Rashford signed and sealed as soon as possible, but if it drags on to the summer then they will have a decision to make. Risk losing him on a free in 2024, or cash in.
It's unlikely to get there, the feeling remains that Rashford will commit to his boyhood club again. But his form this season has raised the stakes for United and that might make the next few months all the more important.
With the Premier League season resuming in a couple of weeks, they will restart in fifth, three points away from the Champions League places with a game in hand. Getting back into Europe's premier club competition next season might be seen as essential to keeping players such as Rashford happy. It will certainly make coming to an agreement a lot easier.
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