The Guardian's man inside the game answers questions posed by readers, ahead of the release of his second book, Tales From the Secret Footballer, which is out on Thursday
Our man on the pitch, TheSecret Footballer, has called up two pals close to Man United's Alex Ferguson – and his successor David Moyes – to get the inside story on him as he retires
The Secret Footballer: No player, even Mario Balotelli, will have been able to ignore the attempts of the Manchester City and United managers to unsettle each other
The Secret Footballer: I know what failing to live up to a big transfer fee feels like, so can empathise – and Liverpool's previous problems with strikers from outside suggest part of the fault lies with their system
The Secret Footballer: Policing social media is a struggle for many clubs who not so long ago felt they could control almost every word that came out of a player's mouth
The Secret Footballer: Officials and players are sometimes complicit in cutting corners when it comes to transfer deals, though in general clubs now offer the best possible treatment for their young charges
The Secret Footballer: Show me a teenager who always makes the right decision and I'll show you 30 millionaire professional footballers, on the move again this summer, who can't tie their own boots
The Secret Footballer: it will be love and hate with the fans, so just accept it