Moyes has already talked about dismantling this team if matters don’t improve drastically, which, allied to his statement about how his contract delay was because he wanted assurances about always being the sole authority on footballing matters, has given rise to increased speculation regarding an impending takeover of the club.

Details have been thin on the ground though: we know that Keith Harris is looking for a new owner for the club, as well as half the Premier League it would seem, and that any prospective investors are almost certainly to be from overseas.

After that, it all seems quite mysterious, and the manager’s rather enigmatic statements are only adding to the sense of uncertainty.

What we do know though, is that even if the ownership of the club changes hands in the next few weeks and the new people in charge are richer than God himself, no changes can be made to the squad until January.

If he’s got the cash, Moyes can do all the dismantling he likes when the transfer window opens, but in the next couple of months he’s going to need to get the best out of his current charges, whether they’ve been found out or not.

He really needs to go back to basics and get this present squad working for each other and playing the fast-paced, aggressive style that was once the hallmark of his teams.

Granted, it often irked the purists, but at least it was effective, and at the moment his team are neither entertaining nor efficient.

If there isn’t a change soon, there is a real danger of Manchester United teaching us some very harsh lessons on Saturday.