Manchester United have confirmed that David Moyes will take over as manager from Alex Ferguson on July 1st. He has been appointed thanks to the recommendation of Ferguson and will sign a six year contract to take charge at Old Trafford.
Announcing his successor, Alex Ferguson said: “When we discussed the candidates that we felt had the right attributes we unanimously agreed on David Moyes. 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.”
David Moyes said: “It’s a great honour 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.”
Bobby Charlton said: “I have always said that we wanted the next manager to be a genuine Manchester United man. In David Moyes, we have someone who understands the things that make this such a special club. We have secured a man who is committed to the long-term and will build teams for the future as well as now. Stability breeds success.
“David has tremendous strength of character and recognises the importance of bringing young players through and developing them alongside world class talent. At United, I think David will be able to express himself. I’m delighted he has accepted and I’m
Everton had early confirmed that David Moyes will leave the club at the end of the season after 11 years as manager.
Moyes currently earns £4m a-year at Everton, making him better paid than any of his players and he can expect to receive a sizeable increase in these terms at United.
United prematurely welcomed Moyes as their new manager on their Facebook site and then took the link down again.
Moyes went through the formalities of his departure at the club’s Finch Farm training base on Thursday morning, having returned from Merseyside after watching Chelsea draw 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge.
Everton confirmed Moyes had told the chairman Bill Kenwright of his desire to succeed Ferguson at United when he retires at the end of the season and that he would not be extending his contract with the Goodison Park club. “The chairman, on behalf of the club, would like to place on record his thanks to David for the massive contribution he has made to Everton since his arrival in March 2002,” the club said. “He has been an outstanding manager.”
The statement then paid tribute to Moyes, who will remain in post for the rest of the season, before confirming the search for a successor would start now.
“During his tenure at Goodison Park, David has taken charge of the team on over 500 occasions including four European campaigns. His final two games as Everton manager will be the remaining Premier League matches against West Ham United and Chelsea. Everton officials will start the search for a replacement manager immediately.”
Moyes leaves Everton having never won a trophy since taking over in 2002. But he stabilised the club and in more than a decade Everton finished outside the top 10 twice, qualified for the Champions League once, and reached an FA Cup final.
Moyes will officially take charge of United on 1 July, the day after his contract with Everton expires though he will take an active part in his new club’s summer recruitment strategy.
One of Moyes’ first tasks will be to address Wayne Rooney’s disquiet. Two weeks ago the striker had a meeting at the club in which Rooney asked Ferguson if he could leave United in the close season due to his desire to have a fresh start. The outgoing manager told him this was not an option and that he still saw Rooney’s future at United. Rooney’s spokesman declined to comment on Thursday morning.
While United stated publicly on Wednesday evening that Rooney is not for sale, whether Moyes's impending arrival will change his mind is yet to be seen. The Liverpudlian is unhappy following an uneven season in which he has been played out of position in midfield and dropped for United's biggest match, the Champions League last-16 second leg meeting with Real Madrid at Old Trafford in February.
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