David Moyes has blamed Manchester United’s transfer strategy for their debacles in the six years of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
In an interview with Daily Mirror, former Manchester United manager David Moyes has criticised the fallen giants of English football. The Scottish manager has blamed the Red Devils’ poor transfer strategy for their struggles in the six years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
When Sir Alex Ferguson decided to call time on his legendary management career, very few would have envisioned that Manchester United, the dominant team of the Premier League era, would not win even a single league title in the six years following his departure. But, what has transpired over the last half-a-decade and more has been disastrous to say the least.
Manchester United have managed to finish in the top four just twice in the last six years, finishing as low as seventh in the 2013-14 season. And, the manager in that campaign, the first in the post-Fergie era, has come out to criticise the Red Devils heavily in an interview with the Mirror.
“For a while it would be difficult to know what direction United have gone in. Whether they have been signing players for marketing, which they are fantastic at, or whether it has been signing players for on the pitch, I am not quite sure. What Manchester United had was great values and class.”
“Manchester United’s values weren’t always to buy the most expensive players but to do it their way which was bringing in the boys from the academy and picking up the best young players. Now and again there would be a sprinkling of stardust, like an Eric Cantona, or someone who they signed to make the difference, like Robin van Persie. I never thought they were a club who thought it was all about spending the money, but if they needed to, they could.”
Indeed, Manchester United have spent heavily for much of the time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, breaking their club record transfer fee thrice. Among the last two full-time managers, two of the greatest of all time in Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, United have gone on to spend over £620 million.
But, the fact that there has been very little direction in that spending has been a key reason in their struggles. Indeed, some of the problem areas have persisted for years, with the heart of defence and the right wing slot being two of the liability positions.
However, under the tutelage of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they seem to be changing their policy to an extent, targeting young players who could be long-term solutions for the team. The latest such signing saw them bring in Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace.
The Red Devils have also flourished in their pre-season campaign thus far and while the team is far from perfect, it remains to be seen if a change in outlook helps them return to their pomp anytime soon.
