David Moyes has said Jose Mourinho’s difficulties at Manchester United show that his reign was not as bad as it seemed.
Mourinho is already under pressure at United, having spent £150m in the summer yet still only managing to win 4 games so far in the Premier League, and on the verge of a European exit. Louis van Gaal also had an indifferent reign at Manchester United, and the Reds fired him after only two seasons.
David Moyes however, was given even less time after being sacked by United after only 10 months in charge.
Moyes’ failure was in part due to Manchester United’s failure to sign his primary targets, but this has not been the case for Jose Mourinho, who signed every player he demanded, smashing the world record to bring back Paul Pogba from Juventus in a £89m deal.
Moyes feels that van Gaal and Mourinho’s struggles highlight the fact that his reign was perceived rather unfairly, according to The Mirror:
“In some ways it does show that it maybe was not just down to Moyes. Do Mourinho and Van Gaal’s struggles put my reign in context? I am glad you are saying that, because I have always felt that.”
Mourinho already has a worse record than both Moyes and van Gaal after 16 games in charge, but Moyes feels that anyone who takes over at United faces a very difficult task. The Scotsman said that time was essential during his reign, and he has echoed that sentiment again :
“The Manchester United job will be tough for anybody who takes it, because you’re following probably the finest manager in our time. Manchester United need stability, and it’s a football club that has always trusted itself, trusted its managers, believed in their managers, and certainly given their managers time to do the right job.”
Manchester United next face Swansea at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, coming off the back of a 2-1 loss to Fenerbahce, and Mourinho – who will be watching from the sidelines after picking up a touchline ban for abusing a referee – will be hoping for a win to lift some of the pressure off his shoulders.
