After 24 hours of speculation and waiting for an announcement that was inevitably going to be made, David Moyes has been confirmed as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor at Manchester United after putting pen to paper on a six-year deal.
After a meeting with his current chairman, Bill Kenwright, yesterday evening the speculation that had ensued in the aftermath of Ferguson’s retirement regarding his successor gathered real pace as it seemed David Moyes would be the one taking over at United and earlier today both parties confirmed just that.
The speculation over Ferguson’s successor came to the end of the road as an Everton statement explicitly cited Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as the reason for Moyes’ departure from the club. It was only a matter of time until United did confirm the news but most fans took it for granted that Moyes would land the role as earlier in the day a tweet was leaked by a member of the United press office inviting fans to send their personal congratulations to David Moyes via the Manchester United Facebook page.
Moyes is currently the third longest serving manager in the Premier League and it’s that longevity plus his eye for a shrewd bit of business and tactical awareness that has seemingly seen the Scot beat other rumoured candidates José Mourinho Jurgen Klopp to the post.
The appointment of Moyes echoes sentiments by many of United’s ex-players and authority figures yesterday that Moyes was in their opinion the right man for the job.
Moyes is yet to win a trophy in the top flight however he has earned universal praise and respect for the job he’s done in turning Everton into a genuine European threat on limited funds. One can only wonder what he’ll be able to accomplish once he gets hold of the reins and the purse-strings at Manchester United.