The next preseason tour will be used by Erik ten Hag to scout the most talented young players at his disposal.
When Manchester United's team travels to the United States next month, the manager will expect to have a few new faces to show off, and they might be accompanied by a few young players as well.
United's youth players and returning loanees will have the chance to impress the manager of the first team, but it might not be enough to influence their plans for the upcoming season.
Following successful loan periods away from the club during which both Amad and Alvaro Fernandez were awarded Young Player of the Year at their respective teams, both players will be given an opportunity to play in the senior lineup.
The Ivorian winger nearly helped his team secure a return to the Premier League by being a driving force behind Sunderland's comeback in the second half of the season.
Unfortunately for the Spanish full-back, Preston's terrible season ended with them being winless in their final five games, causing them to miss out on the play-off spots. Even though Fernandez's club didn't have a successful season, he gained invaluable experience and got his first genuine taste of men's football during that time.
The 20-year-old will return this summer a more developed player with a better knowledge of his duties as a wing-back, according to United, who believe that a season in the Championship will benefit him going ahead.
But given the battle for positions, regardless of how well he performs during the preseason schedule, he faces the difficult task of ever upending the current structure.
Fernandez is essentially the third-choice candidate for the job given that Alex Telles is expected to be sold this summer. On the left side of the defense, Luke Shaw is undoubtedly the favored option, and Tyrell Malacia's signing a year ago effectively ended any hopes of taking Tyrell Shaw's place as the backup there.
Ten Hag loves the Dutch full-back, who was also the team's first acquisition. Only David de Gea and Fred were included in more of United's 62 matchday squads last season than Malacia, who was called to 61 of them.
Diogo Dalot's ability to play there further reduces Fernandez's chances of breaking through on the left, and in the worst case situation, Lisandro Martinez may also be moved there.
The former Real Madrid teenager will undoubtedly leave on another loan, and Preston have already made it clearly plain that they would have no qualms about taking him back.
There would be no worries about him joining the club and not getting the regular football he needs at such a young age because they have previously demonstrated that they can be trusted with his talents.
However, that doesn't guarantee he will. The opposing position is that he needs a new challenge and ought to look to join a team even farther up the football food chain, whether that is a Championship rival or even a loan to a Premier League team.
He could play in either of those positions in the United first team in the future, but he could also go back to his native Spain to obtain additional experience in a top-tier European league.
Fernandez must build on the strong foundations he has already laid and understand that it will not be in his best interest to remain at United for the upcoming season.
While he is undoubtedly in a much better position now to contribute to the first team if given the opportunity, the chances of that happening is slim given the number of other senior players standing in his way.
Fernandez is a player for the future but not the upcoming season.
However, Preston North End's director has publicly admitted that the Lillywhites are pushing for a second loan deal with Manchester United for Alvaro Fernández.
Speaking to to BBC Radio Lancashire, Ridsdale said: “I don’t think I could find anybody who could say they wouldn’t (want Fernandez to rejoin) - of course we would. He was a massive hit and the frustration sometimes, which is life, is that you go into the loan market and if it works, people criticise us because we have to go back."
“And if it doesn't work, they forget that actually it meant there was a short-term investment to have a look. Both in Tom [Cannon, Everton loanee] and Alvaro’s case I think everybody would say that they were massive hits for PNE last year and of course we’d love to see them back."
“That, to some extent, is out of our hands but I did speak to Manchester United about him on Saturday [at the FA Cup final] and you never say never. Let’s see what happens.”