David Moyes aims sly dig at Man United by claiming time given to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made a ‘big difference’ in turning club’s fortunes around – after West Ham boss was only given 10 months in the job
- David Moyes has aimed a sly dig at Manchester United over his tenure as boss
- West Ham boss believes Solskjaer is only succeeding at the club because of time
- Despite rocky patches, United have put their faith into the Norwegian manager
- Moyes was sacked just 10 months into his six-year contract while at United
- Moyes’ comments come the day before West Ham face United in the FA Cup
David Moyes has taken a sly dig at his former employers Manchester United by suggesting that the only reason why the club is succeeding is because Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been given time to do so.
Despite a few rocky patches in his two years as United manager, Solskjaer has got his squad singing off the same hymn sheet and they are now arguably at their most competitive since Sir Alex Ferguson retired eight years ago.
Moyes was the man chosen by Ferguson to take over and was subsequently given a huge six-year deal at Old Trafford.
Ex-Manchester United boss David Moyes (left) has suggested that the only reason why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (right) is succeeding at the club is because he was given the chance to do so
However, just 10 months into that contract, United sacked Moyes and instead hired Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho before finally settling with Solskjaer in 2018.
United are currently second in the Premier League under Solskjaer and are now hoping to book their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals if they can overcome Moyes’ West Ham side at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.
And while Moyes was full of praise for his United counterpart, he couldn’t help but point out how much trust the Red Devils have given the Norwegian boss.
‘Given the time that he’s been given, he’s started to mould together a really young, exciting team,’ Moyes stated at his pre-match press conference.
United are currently second in the Premier League and are flying under Solskjaer
‘They’ve had a couple of really good players come through their academy and brought in a couple of players to help their team also.
‘I think they’re building a nice team and the time Ole’s been given to do that has helped.’
Moyes has proved that he is more than capable of turning a team’s fortunes around himself when given the capacity to do so.
This season, the Scot has already managed 39 points from 23 games – the same total he managed the whole of their relegation-threatened campaign last season.
The Hammers surprise form has also seen them rise to a lofty sixth place and are just a point behind champions Liverpool in the last of the Champions League places.
Moyes was given a mammoth six-year contract to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013
However, Moyes was sacked just 10 months into that contract after a poor run of form at United
However, while Moyes is enjoying a brilliant season so far, he insists he’s ‘disappointed with football in general’ in the wake of Tomas Soucek’s red card at Fulham.
Hammers midfielder Soucek was sent off by referee Mike Dean after accidentally catching Aleksandar Mitrovic with his elbow in Saturday’s goalless draw.
Dean went over to the pitchside monitor after consulting VAR Lee Mason and decided the incident merited a straight red.
Moyes was unimpressed by Mitrovic’s reaction – the striker went down clutching his face – but says the referees need to be stronger in their decision making.
Moyes has also said he is ‘disappointed with football’ in the wake of Tomas Soucek’s red card
‘I am disappointing with football in general that the officials would allow these situations to take over from the game,’ he said.
‘I can only see the officials being the people that can stop it by not allowing the players to get away with the actions they are taking, because it is making the referee’s decision so difficult in giving them a decision when there wasn’t one to give.’
On Monday, the FA overturned Soucek’s red card after upholding the Hammers’ claim of wrongful dismissal.
