Saturday 24 August 2013 11:45, UK
Manchester United manager David Moyes has claimed he would not have stood in the way of Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini leaving the club if he was still in charge at Everton.
Having so far failed to bring in the expected reinforcements, minds are starting to get focused at Old Trafford. Real Madrid's Mesut Ozil, a one-time target of Ferguson's, is the latest to be linked, whilst Cesc Fabregas has not completely disappeared off the radar, with the Old Trafford hierarchy waiting to see whether the former Arsenal skipper keeps his place at Barcelona. There has also been talk of an attempt to secure Juan Mata in exchange for Wayne Rooney, although United sources have poured cold water on such an idea. Whilst many Red Devils fans would accept the swap willingly, it appears executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward intends to keep Rooney at Old Trafford. The argument is that with both Woodward and Moyes new in their roles, a statement has to be made that players will have no more power than they did in the Ferguson era, and by allowing Rooney to leave, even if it was favourable for United, it would send out the wrong signals. And Moyes feels Rooney still has a significant role to play, which could involve starting against Chelsea on Monday. "Wayne has recovered and has a good chance of starting," said Moyes.
