Moyes officially begins life as Man Utd boss today. Here's a look at the more pressing issues he'll have to deal with over the coming weeks.
Rooney’s Future
The first thing he needs to sort out is obviously Wayne Rooney’s future. There’s been so much speculation on this over the last couple of months that it’s impossible to know where the club or the player actually stand on the matter. Does Rooney want to stay or go? Are United even that fussed about keeping him? It’ll need to be resolved one way or another, and quickly, so everyone can get on with preparing for the new season. It’d be nice to move on to some fresh
transfer nonsense as well.
Central Midfield
Alex Ferguson was brilliant, most people can agree on that, but if he had a blind spot then central midfield would surely be it. Whether it be bringing Paul Scholes out of retirement, tucking Ryan Giggs in there or even the odd cameo from Phil Jones, that area of the pitch at Old Trafford has looked light for a while now. With Scholes retiring for a second time and Darren Fletcher still struggling to get back to full fitness, the need for reinforcements is greater than ever. Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara have been mentioned as potential new signings and both would bring some creativity to the middle of the park. Kevin Strootman has also been linked, and would add a bit of steel to the engine room. When Moyes does dip in to the transfer market, this position needs to be a priority.
Evra or Baines?
The left-back spot looks set to be another area that dominates the gossip columns. A year or so ago Patrice Evra was struggling for form and looked to be on his way out of the club. He managed to come back from that but at 32, he won’t be around forever. Moyes knows all about Leighton Baines from their time together at Everton and the England man has arguably been the best left-back in the league over the last couple of seasons. United have reportedly had a £12m bid rejected with the Toffees holding out for closer to £20m. As good as he is, might that sort of figure put Moyes off? It’d be a big fee for a player who at 28, can’t be considered as a long-term option either. He could just decide to stick with Evra for another couple of years, but it’s a big call to make.
The Wingers
On paper, Nani, Young, Valencia and Zaha, plus Kagawa if you’re so inclined, doesn’t seem a bad set of options to fill the wide berths. Trouble is, Nani remains consistently inconsistent, Valencia’s form dropped off massively last season and Ashley Young’s injury problems have meant he’s struggled to get in to a rhythm. Zaha joins from Crystal Palace after playing a key role in getting them promoted and looks to be a great prospect, though it’s a big step up from the Championship. Moyes will have questions about all these players, and they’ll be answered one way or another during pre-season, or by the end of the transfer window at least. Don’t be surprised to see one or two move on and one or two arrive.