For all the talk around Wolves boss Mick McCarthy’s ‘surprising’ team selection for Old Trafford, when he ‘rested’ the entire outfield that won at Spurs on Saturday, the major issue is being overlooked.   Whether Wolves beat Burnley on Sunday, or would have lost 3-0 at Old Trafford anyway, we know McCarthy didn’t throw the game by telling his team not to win. But he did the next worst thing, picking a side he knew wouldn’t win.   McCarthy could, of course, have broken a league regulation, albeit an outdated one. Rule E20 states: “In every League match, each participating Club shall field a full strength team.”

For all the talk around Wolves boss Mick McCarthy’s ‘surprising’ team selection for Old Trafford, when he ‘rested’ the entire outfield that won at Spurs on Saturday, the major issue is being overlooked.

Whether Wolves beat Burnley on Sunday, or would have lost 3-0 at Old Trafford anyway, we know McCarthy didn’t throw the game by telling his team not to win. But he did the next worst thing, picking a side he knew wouldn’t win.

McCarthy could, of course, have broken a league regulation, albeit an outdated one. Rule E20 states: “In every League match, each participating Club shall field a full strength team.”

In the old days, this would have been unequivocal. You had your first-team squad and your Central League/Football Combination “reserves”. These days, if players don’t get a squad number, they’re in big trouble and training with the under-19s or banned from the ground entirely, having turned up at training blotto or smacked the chairman on the nose. Or both.

So we can’t know how “full strength” his Old Trafford selection was until we see his teamsheet for the Burnley game, presumably one he wants to, and thinks his team can, win.

If, as most suspect, there are another slew of changes, McCarthy’s cover will be blown and the full force of the law, whatever that is, should be applied.

However, the cat is out of the bag. You can argue whether McCarthy’s decision will ultimately be in Wolves’ best interests (although claiming that fans who shelled out £40+ to watch Tuesday’s mismatch will forget all about it if Wolves beat Burnley is disgraceful).

But in short, he gave up. And the problem is, he was possibly right to do so, which couldn’t happen in a truly competitive league – a description the EPL no longer fits.