LONDON: Less than a week into the job as Manchester United manager, David Moyes has already made his presence felt at the club’s newly rebranded Aon training complex in the Greater Manchester village of Carrington.
The task of succeeding the legendary Alex Ferguson has been widely described as an impossible one but Moyes, who officially started work on Monday, appears determined to tackle it head-on.
He has made sweeping changes to the back-room staff, notably releasing Ferguson’s trusted coaches Mike Phelan, Rene Meulensteen and Eric Steele, and replacing them with his own men.
Moyes might have been expected to preserve a coaching set-up that had helped United regain the Premier League title from Manchester City last season – co-chairman Joel Glazer spoke of him “taking up from where Alex is leaving off” – but instead, he tore it down.
Steve Round, Chris Woods and Jimmy Lumsden followed the 50-year-old Scot from Everton and although all three earned Moyes’ trust during his time at Goodison Park, the huge level of expectation at United will be as unfamiliar to them as it is to him.
However, while Moyes and his closest advisors have only limited experience of amassing silverware, he has drafted trophy-winning expertise into the dug-out in the shape of veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs, United’s most decorated player, and former Old Trafford stalwart Phil Neville.
Both men will approach their new roles fuelled by a beginner’s hunger to succeed, but perhaps more importantly, they will also give Moyes’ coaching team a validity that only on-pitch achievement can bring.
With his support staff now in place, Moyes will be expected to show his hand in the transfer market.
He is likely to return with an improved bid for Everton leftback Leighton Baines after an initial offer of £12mil (US$18.3mil) was turned down last week.
Moyes must also address the thorny issue of what to do with unsettled striker Wayne Rooney, who reportedly remains aggrieved at Ferguson’s claim that he has asked to leave the club for a second time.
The new manager took training for the first time on Thursday and although he has less than a week to prepare the squad for their five-game tour of Asia and Australia, he has already given strong indications that he intends to lead the club on his own terms. – AFP
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