Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has offered his sympathy to former Red Devils boss David Moyes over his ill-fated tenure at Old Trafford. United legend Bryan Robson however, has questioned the Scot for the decisions he made as the Manchester United manager.
Sunderland boss David Moyes returns to Old Trafford for the first time since being sacked as manager of Manchester United in 2014. His dismissal came less than a year after he was appointed as the Red Devils boss on a six-year contract to succeed the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
The current Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho offered his support to his Sunderland counterpart though, saying that Moyes had a tough challenge on his hands in succeeding Sir Alex, and was unlucky to take charge of the club just as the Premier League was “changing”.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Mourinho said, “There are generations. In a certain period when probably David came, the situation was not so easy to go in that winning direction. At the same time, and I think this is even more important, the Premier League was changing. I think it was just a bad moment in David’s career and he has to do what I did, what we all do, move on — and he did that.”
Meanwhile, former captain and Manchester United legend Bryan Robson has slammed Moyes for making his own job difficult for himself by not retaining experienced coaches like Mike Phelan, Eric Steele and Rene Meulensteen.
Robson told The Sun: “David was walking into the biggest job in the world and replacing the most successful manager in the world but he needed the right help. I don’t want to be seen as hammering David on his return but questions have to asked about his time in charge.
“And, for me, the biggest one is why he got rid of the backroom staff and brought in his own men — none of whom had won a thing as coaches. David made the decisions he thought were right. But staff members under Sir Alex — they are your base. They knew the squad inside out. They understood the heartbeat of the club.”
Taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson after the great Scot retired, Moyes oversaw an abysmal defence of the Premier League title, as Manchester United looked a shadow of the team that won the title the previous season. They ended the campaign in a disappointing seventh place, a massive 22 points behind fierce city rivals and champions Manchester City.
As Manchester United host David Moyes’ Sunderland on Boxing Day, the Old Trafford faithful will be hoping it’s a nightmarish return to the Theatre of Dreams for the former Red Devils boss. A win for Mourinho’s side would see them win a fourth game on the bounce, whereas an unlikely Sunderland victory would see the Black Cats gain momentum in their fight against relegation.
