Manchester United appears to be becoming a higher-profile, better funded version of Everton.

Following hot on the heels of new manager David Moyes, a host of new faces from Everton are soon to arrive at Old Trafford, to replace the men who worked successfully under Alex Ferguson.

Phil Neville, who played nearly 400 games for United, will not become the new manager at Everton. Instead, he is set to become first-team coach at United, replacing highly-respected Dutchman Rene Meulensteen, who has declined the offer of another job at the club.

Three other members of Ferguson’s backroom staff have also left: assistant manager, Mike Phelan, Eric Steele, the goalkeeping coach, and Martin Ferguson, Fergie’s brother an ex-chief scout for the Red Devils.

Steve Round, who has been Moyes’ assistant manager at Everton since 2008, will take the same job at Old Trafford. And a goalkeeping coach and scout from Goodison Park will also be taking up residence at United.

It remains to be seen if former Everton boy, Wayne Rooney, can be convinced to stay now that a host of familiar faces from his first club are at United, or whether a player exodus from Goodison to the Theatre of Dreams accompanies the exodus of coaches.

United were already the giants of English football that many opposition fans loved to hate, and to those people, the retirement of Fergie was met with equal amounts of relief and mirth.

Many pundits already believe that United will struggle to maintain the incredible momentum generated purely by Fergie’s strength of character, now that he is gone.

And those same pundits will wonder if transplanting the Everton brains trust into United is an exercise in mediocrity and futility.

Others will suggest however, that Moyes and his team punched well above their weight for the Toffees, and that given the backing of juggernaut United, they are primed to succeed.