Rio Ferdinand reveals David Moyes’ biggest failing at Man Utd was ‘thinking like an Everton manager’
- The former Red Devils centre-back made 312 appearances for United between 2002 and 2014
- Current West Ham manager Moyes was personally chosen by Sir Alex to succeed him
- Be careful what you wish for Palace fans! Do you want to become a yo-yo club? It all starts
Rio Ferdinand has shed light on what life was like under David Moyes following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from Man United.
The 45-year-old former central defender played 312 games for the Red Devils from 2002 to 2014, scoring seven times.
During his time at the club, Everton manager Moyes succeeded Sir Alex in June 2013, having been personally recommended for the job by the club legend.
However, after United sat in seventh place in the league and failed to qualify for Europe, Moyes was sacked just ten months later.
When asked what he thought of the current West Ham boss at United, Ferdinand told the newspaper Obi One podcast there was a ‘change in mentality’ when he joined.
Rio Ferdinand has shed light on what his experience was like playing under David Moyes
Ferdinand claimed Moyes’ biggest failure was that he still ‘thought like an Everton manager’
“As a professional I wanted him (Moyes) to do well and you certainly give them that time and that opportunity,” he said.
“But there are some things you see that aren’t the same. I think the most important thing for me was that there was always too much attention for our opponents during training. We are Man United, they are supposed to be more concerned about us.
‘What that does to our mentality is that there is an element of fear that trickles down to the team and the young players.
“All we do is talk about what they’re going to do, but it should be about, what are we going to do.
“That element there, I thought there needed to be a bigger shift from thinking like an Everton manager to thinking like a Man United manager. It had to be how champions think.”
The former England international then added: ‘But I still feel sorry for David Moyes because of the shoes he had to fill. Coming from Everton to Man United is a completely different story.
‘Even Mourinho might have struggled to get in after Sir Alex, so it was crazy to think it was an easy run for Moyes.’
Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from Old Trafford left big shoes to fill for subsequent managers
Ferdinand suggested that even Jose Mourinho would have struggled to take over from Sir Alex
Earlier today, Ferdinand revealed that Man City insiders are ‘shocked’ by the news that Omar Berrada is leaving to become CEO of rival Manchester United.
The 46-year-old was appointed to the role on Saturday, with new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffee and his INEOS team leading the move.
But according to Ferdinand, the move could be more important for United’s new owners than bringing in a new player in January.
“I’ve spoken to a few lads at City and they can’t believe we’ve got him,” he told his podcast FIVE on Monday.
“They’re like, ‘Wow.’ He has done so much in the game at different levels. And he is successful. And it is a very good, sharp signing for us.’
‘I think this could possibly be one of our best signings in January. Especially in the current climate we are in now.’
