New Manchester United manager David Moyes has a few pressing issues to address before the Premier League season.
1 BACKROOM BOYS
Normally when managers leave a club their backroom team follow, but Moyes finds himself having to integrate the coaches he hopes to take from Everton with the existing staff who worked under Sir Alex Ferguson. The fact that Rene Meulensteen met Moyes at the club’s Carrington training base yesterday augurs well for the Dutchman even though Everton’s own first-team coach, Jimmy Lumsden, is expected to join the Scot at Old Trafford.
A chance to return to United is one of several offers open to Phil Neville, who is leaving Everton after eight years. With Ferguson confirming that Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes (pictured) and Nicky Butt will take on coaching roles at Carrington, Moyes has some re-organising to do and he is keen to let staff know where they stand before they go on holiday.
2 ARE ROO IN
OR OUT?
Moyes will inherit a settled squad with the glaring exception of Wayne Rooney (pictured).
Having confirmed that Rooney has asked to leave United for a second time, Ferguson insists it is Moyes’s problem now and the new man must decide whether to try to talk him round or cash in. There is a desire on both sides to reach a decision sooner rather than later, with United’s rivals at home and abroad already working to sign targets like Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani and Robert Lewandowski.
Moyes’s history with Rooney — notably a successful libel action against the publishers of the player’s autobiography in 2008 — will not be an issue, with the two men having put it behind them some time ago. Moyes must also resolve Nani’s future, with United yet to agree terms with the winger over a new contract.
3 HELLO AND
GOOD BUYS
Regardless of Rooney’s future, Moyes is expected to welcome several new signings, with Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha (pictured) already on his way in a deal worth up to £15million.
Central midfield remains an area where United are keen to strengthen, and Moyes may also bring in a goalkeeper to provide better competition for David De Gea. Of the Everton players he leaves behind, Leighton Baines has been linked with United.
4THE YOUNG ONES
A manager who gave Rooney, Victor Anichebe and Jack Rodwell their first-team breaks at Everton will be well aware of the talent coming through the ranks.
However, despite the emergence of Tom Cleverley (pictured) and Danny Welbeck, there are concerns that United’s youth system is not as productive as it once was. Moyes is the kind of man who wants to know his club from top to bottom, and will be keen to get first-hand knowledge of the academy. – Daily Mail