“Even Jose Mourinho May’ve Struggled”- Rio Ferdinand Feels Sorry For David Moyes Over His Manchester United Sacking

Following his departure from Manchester United after a historic stint, Sir Alex Ferguson handpicked the then-Everton boss David Moyes in 2013 as his successor at Old Trafford. However, Moyes struggled to even closely mirror the success he had at Everton with the Red Devils. Subsequently, the Devils showed the door to Moyes before that season ended. The then-Manchester United center-back Rio Ferdinand, however, stated he won’t ever blame Moyes for the lackluster campaign.

In a recent episode of John Obi Mikel’s The Obi One podcast, Rio Ferdinand stated that managing a Manchester United side, previously coached by Ferguson is no walk in the park.

“I still feel sorry for David Moyes. Look at what we said about Sir Alex Ferguson. And then the other manager David Moyes, comes in. He has got a great record and done great things at Everton, but coming to Man United is a totally different ball game after Sir Alex. Even Jose Mourinho may have struggled even then, following the strides of Ferguson. So to think for Moyes to come in and have a free and easy run was crazy,” said Rio Ferdinand. In light of Ferdinand’s claims, let’s explore how Moyes’ season went at Old Trafford.

Series of mishaps that led to David Moyes’ sacking

David Moyes won a trophy in his first competitive match as Manchester United’s coach. However, he would never have thought that would be his only trophy with the Devils. He also started the Premier League season with a landmark win against Swansea City. But what followed was a sheer disaster. Moyes and the Devils lost three matches in a row, namely against Liverpool, Manchester City, and West Bromwich Albion. Later, Manchester United lost against Everton for the first time in 21 years at Old Trafford.

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Following the devastating loss, Moyes’ Devils succumbed to Newcastle United at home, for the first time in 41 years. Towards the end of the season, United’s FA Cup exit coupled with their consecutive home losses saw Moyes’ doom dawn at Old Trafford. The ‘chosen one’ soon became the ‘wrong one,’ inviting tremendous fan fury and scrutiny. The United front office had no option but to sack Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor. Anyhow, this is not just David Moyes’ story. Any manager who succeeded him since then has spectacularly failed to even closely emulate the legendary Ferguson. Hence, Ferdinand’s words about the managers’ struggle to emulate Sir Alex resonates even to this day.

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