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Moyes confirmed as Manchester United manager on six-year contract

By on May 9, 2013
David Moyes will succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United

David Moyes will succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United

Manchester United have confirmed David Moyes has been new appointed manager of the Red Devils on a six-year contract.  Moyes will take over from the retiring Sir Alex Ferguson,  on June 31 after he finishes the current season with Everton.

Moyes’ ability to cope with the pressure of succeeding Ferguson had been questioned, but their is no doubt about the fifty-year-old’s talent.  He took over at Everton in 2002, and has since done wonders with the side on a very tight budget, consistently earning the Toffes’ a top ten finish in the Premier League.  Everton even achieved a top four finish during Moyes’ reign, despite only spending around £131 million during his 11 year spell at Everton, compared to Manchester United’s total of around £393 million during that time.  Although Moyes went without a trophy during his time at Goodison Park, his work their impressed Ferguson enough for the 71-year-old to recommended Moyes to be his successor after the Everton manager had been picked as favorite for the job.

Moyes said of his move to the newly crowned Premier League champions: “It’s a great honor to be asked to be the next manager of Manchester United. I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job.  I have great respect for everything he has done and for the football club.

“I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn’t something that comes around very often and I’m really looking forward to taking up the post next season.

“I have had a terrific job at Everton, with a tremendous chairman and board of directors and a great set of players. Between now and the end of the season, I will do everything in my power to make sure we finish as high as possible in the table.

“Everton’s fantastic fans have played a big part in making my years at Goodison so enjoyable and I thank them wholeheartedly for the support they have given me and the players. Everton will be close to me for the rest of my life.”

Moyes Everton contract ends in the summer, and the Scot’s first official match with United will either be against Manchester City and Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield on August 11 at Wembley.

Ferguson spoke fondly of Moyes after the 50-year-old was appointed his successor.  “When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes we unanimously agreed on David Moyes,” Ferguson said.  “David is a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic.

“I’ve admired his work for a long time and approached him as far back as 1998 to discuss the position of assistant manager here. He was a young man then at the start of his career and has since gone on to do a magnificent job at Everton. There is no question he has all the qualities we expect of a manager at this club.”

Although speculation grew that Moyes would depart with Everton over the season, it did not affect The Toffes’ form, and Moyes’ side are still fighting for a fifth place finish.  The Scot will bow out of Everton with a match against Chelsea on May 19th at Stamford Bridge, after he plays his last home match on Sunday against West Ham United.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.