Sir Alex Ferguson left David Moyes an unenviable Man United squad... but spare a thought for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal successor who could be without Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil

• e-mail

When Sir Alex Ferguson handed David Moyes the keys to Old Trafford, he did so with Manchester United as the champions of England.

Moyes inherited a squad that was said to be unenviable – one that had only Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie as players who would get into any other side's starting XI at the time.

Brian Clough lasted 44 days when he was brought in to Leeds United and asked to defend the English league title won by Don Revie in 1974. Moyes lasted 348.

David Moyes only had Robin Van Persie (left) and Wayne Rooney as his star men at Man United

Moyes endured a torrid time at Old Trafford after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson in the dugout

In his first competitive match in charge, Moyes won the Community Shield, which would turn out to be his only silverware with the club. Among those who starred in their 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic at Wembley was Tom Cleverley, Anderson, Adnan Januzaj, Wilfried Zaha and Shinji Kagawa.

Louis van Gaal later described the United squad as 'broken' and there were soon banners labelling Moyes 'The Wrong One' as unhappy supporters called for his head.

Similar banners have become the norm at Arsenal – sometimes cropping up at their training ground too.

Should Arsene Wenger leave when his contract expires at the end of next season, or even this summer if all does not go according to plan, then what will his successor have at his disposal?

If the squad Moyes inherited was poor, then spare a thought for the next man at Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger's successor could inherit a squad without Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil

Star men Sanchez (right) and Ozil could leave the Emirates for nothing next summer

While Tottenham Hotspur regularly hand out extensions to ensure their players rarely enter the final years of their contracts, that is not the way it tends to work at Arsenal.

Their two stand-out stars, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, could leave for nothing next summer as their contracts expire at the end of this season.

The same goes for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, who is continuing his comeback from injury.

Olivier Giroud could leave if unhappy with Alexandre Lacazette being ahead of him, while several others will have only a year left on their contracts next summer too, leaving Arsenal vulnerable to losing them. That includes Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck.

With Sanchez tipped to be worth £50million, Arsenal are set to take a hefty hit in the next two summers if they cannot convince their stars to sign new contracts. As Wenger says, he is happy to let their deals run down.

With little money coming in, will there be much more going out? Arsenal are known to be a club that like to balance the books rather than to spend big.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (right) and Jack Wilshere (centre) could leave for free next summer

When asked this week whether he will be making any additions, Wenger said: 'I expect to sell players first.'

Arsenal were constantly linked with top coaches in the summer amid the confusion over whether Wenger was staying or going.

Yet as it stands, they risk leaving their next appointment high and dry, as Moyes was said to have been by Manchester United.

One of the world's top coaches could be brought in by Arsenal, such as Diego Simeone, but he will then be tasked with challenging for the title with a squad that could have no Sanchez's or Ozil's.

This summer has seen Arsenal sign Lacazette for £53m and Sead Kolasinac for free as they aim to break back into the Premier League's top four.

Wenger may stay in charge of Arsenal until 2019, but there are plenty of uncertainties when it comes to their players ahead of then.

The Gunners have brought in £53m signing Alexandre Lacazette in the transfer window