If Manchester United fans are a little worried about the appointment of David Moyes on a six-year contract, perhaps they should have a trawl through the history books of their neighbours to the West and fierce rivals, Liverpool. Moyes is arriving at Old Trafford with a limited amount of European experience, and off the back of an 11-year job working on a shoestring budget at Everton. But history, and in particular Liverpool's, should give fans food for thought.

When the popular Liverpool manager Bill Shankly (famous for his phenomenal quote "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that") stepped down as manager of the club in 1974, the club promoted from within, giving the less-brash Bob Paisley the run of Anfield. Paisley at this point had never even managed a football team, and had been the club's physiotherapist at one point (Nigel Adkins, anyone?) 

However, Paisley went onto achieve even greater success with Liverpool than Shankly was able, and to date remains the only manager ever to have won three European Cups. United may not have promoted from within as Liverpool have, but they have promoted from the same school as Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby: the Glaswegian Academy of Winners. Moyes shares many of the same traits as Ferguson; he likes to promote youth, he has an insatiable desire to win, and he is a firm believer in making smart transfers. Given the way he dealt in the transfer market on a meagre budget at Everton, afforded the comparative Aladdin's cave of treasure at United, Moyes should in theory become an even worthier adversary for his Premier League peers to deal with.

Although, if history gives reasons for United fans to be positive, the Liverpool story also contains a footnote that United will have to be wary of during this transitional management period. Shankly never could be at peace with his decision to leave Anfield. Stories of him turning up at the training ground to try and have his say on the team suggest he was never quite happy to sit idly by whilst his team were taken to greater heights by Paisley.

After trying to gain a seat on the Board of Directors at Anfield (which was never going to work; another of his famous quotes was, "At a football club, there's a holy trinity – the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques"), Shankly finally left Paisley to his business, and the rest is history.

Obviously, Ferguson will remain a prominent figure in the United family for a few more years yet. The worry is how much influence, if any, he will attempt to exert over Moyes. The man will remain a goldmine of knowledge for Moyes to tap; but ultimately, the team decisions will rest with the new man. 

Time will tell whether Moyes has what it takes to emulate Paisley; or even Ferguson. And if that happens, it won't need to be this managerial appointment United fans need to worry about; it will be the one after Moyes.

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