Manchester United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson has defended the appointment of David Moyes as his successor and has said that Ryan Giggs could have been at the helm of the club now had he retired early and become an assistant to the Scotsman as reported by the BBC.
Ferguson ended his trophy-laden 26 years at Manchester United in 2013, guiding the side to one last league title before appointing fellow Scot David Moyes as the manager from Everton FC.
Moyes’ reign ended in disaster, with players constantly complaining about the lack of ambition shown by the manager with his tactics and uninspiring team-talks which failed to get the best out of them. At the time of his sacking in April, United were 7th in the table, 13 points adrift of fourth places Arsenal FC – making it certain that they would fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the Premier League era.
Ferguson defends Moyes appointment
.
Ferguson told BBC One in the documentary ‘Secrets of Success’, to be aired on Sunday on BBC One, that they chose the right man in David Moyes given that most other candidates were unavailable to take over.
“We did the best under the circumstances we were in,” the 73-year-old tells the BBC’s Nick Robinson, who presents the documentary.
“We picked the right man. I don’t think we made a mistake at all. I think we chose a good football man. Unfortunately it didn’t work for David.
“Jose Mourinho was going back to Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti was going to Real Madrid, Jurgen Klopp had signed a contract with Dortmund, Louis van Gaal was staying with Holland for the World Cup.”
Giggs, not Moyes, could have been Manchester United manager: Ferguson
Ferguson also went on to add in the documentary that David Moyes would have never become Manchester United manager if former star Ryan Giggs had not extended his playing career until after his 40th birthday.
“If Ryan Giggs had retired at, say, 35, it is quite likely I’d have made him my assistant,” says Ferguson.
“And quite likely he could have moved right into the job as he is doing with Louis van Gaal at the moment.
“But I would never ask a player to quit.”