The top item in the new manager’s in-tray at Manchester United will be what to do with Wayne Rooney.
United said on Wednesday the England striker is not for sale, but a person familiar with the situation said Rooney held talks with manager Alex Ferguson in recent weeks and indicated he wanted to leave the club.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm British media reports because he was not authorised to discuss the talks publicly.
Those discussions took place before Ferguson announced he was retiring at the end of the season.
Rooney dropped behind Robin van Persie in the list of strikers at Old Trafford this season, and if Everton manager David Moyes replaces Ferguson, the situation becomes even more delicate.
It was Moyes who reluctantly sold Rooney to United and then launched successful legal action against the striker over allegations in Rooney’s autobiography.