At the heart of the revealing passage on Moyes are two themes. United’s players were suspicious of any change conceived by a former Everton manager, and Ferdinand himself was incapable of accepting that his talent was on the wane. Great players often respond this way to their own decline. They take it out on the messenger, especially when the bearer of the bad news lacks the authority to convince them of its accuracy. And we now know for sure that Moyes lacked authority with a group of players who had been used to Ferguson’s winning ways and clarity.