Football Season Guide

Manchester United start a new era this season with Sir Alex Ferguson behind the scenes now and not there to lead his troops for yet another campaign. He decided that it is the right time to stop at the end of last season, when he delivered the 20th league title for the club. It came as a surprise but it had to happen at some point and these first few months will be both painful and strange for United as they adapt to life without a man that symbolised the club for the past quarter of a century. David Moyes was the man chosen and he will face a massive challenge in filling the gap left b y Ferguson on the dugout. He is a thin-skinned character who has the capabilities to do so but this is a challenge that will overawe almost anyone in the football world and how he actually copes with all the weight of expectations is one of the fascinating stories of the season. In all honesty, it has been a properly abject summer for United in terms of improving a squad that needs enhancement despite being clearly the best one in the country last year. The central midfield is a pertinent issue and the spectacularly failed moves for Thiago Alcantara and Cesc Fabregas came back to smack United in the face. The embarrassingly public chase of the latter was a particularly unedifying episode in the recent Manchester United history and Moyes and the new CEO, Ed Woodward, will need to up their game in the coming weeks and months if they are to maintain the status of the Red Devils as an elite club. There have no major signings at all during the summer and at least one signing in that area is expected before the end of August with former Moyes disciple Marouane Fellaini the man most likely to come in. On the top of that, the issue of Wayne Rooney and his desire to leave continues to sting and draw unwanted attention. Moyes has done well so far with that issue but the forward is highly unlikely to reach the heights he is capable of when he is kept against his wish at the club. It is not clear whether United will eventually give in and sell him to Chelsea but they are certainly in a tough spot at the moment. On the bring side, Wilfred Zaha has been a revelation in pre-season and has not been out of his depth while Robin van Persie is also already firing on all cylinders having scored a brace in the Community Shield final on Sunday. This may not be enough to keep United ahead of the pack though and with improving Chelsea and Manchester City, they face an almighty struggle to retain the title even with a new midfielder added to the squad.