5 things David Moyes can do to instantly improve Manchester United's fortunes

Have the guts to take off Rooney when he is not playing well

You know what they say about Rooney, right? When he is good, he is great. But when he is bad, he is awful to watch.

Dropping Wayne Rooney was an issue that Ferguson avoided during his reign, so as to not upset the fan favourite. Even when it was clear that Rooney was having a stinker, Ferguson, as far as possible, tried to keep him on the field in the hopes that Rooney would do something special.

There’s nothing wrong with giving a world-class player like Rooney more game-time even on their bad days, because that’s what world-class players do. They produce moments of magic even when they are playing badly.

But the other side of the story is the impact this has on the other players in the team. If Rooney is untouchable, then the likes of Kagawa and Welbeck have every right to be miffed. If bad performances from Rooney are overlooked time and again, then it sets a bad precedent – no matter how bad Rooney is, he will not be taken off.

That is something that Moyes can correct. Against Southampton, Rooney did not have a great day. In fact, he had a terrible game, constantly losing possession and unable to do anything productive with the ball. But he still lasted 87 minutes before being substituted.

Had Moyes had the courage to remove Rooney sooner and bring on another player, it would have sent a message to the entire squad, along with Rooney – no one is guaranteed a spot, you have to earn it. Even if you have scored 200-odd goals for the club.