David Moyes has once again bemoaned the lack of time he was given to prove himself as Manchester United manager, believing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been given much more leeway than he ever was at Old Trafford.
Moyes takes his West Ham side to Old Trafford on Wednesday night with the Hammers not entirely mathematically safe from relegation, but extremely close.
A draw would guarantee survival as they go into the game three points clear of the drop zone with a significantly better goal difference to those below them.
The Scot is returning to his former home this week, having spent 10 months as Manchester United manager from 2013-14.
Moyes took over from Sir Alex Ferguson, a thankless task, and he ultimately failed in the role, and while he holds no grudges, he certainly still feels that he was not given the time to prove himself at the club, and not when compared to the time current boss Solskjaer has been afforded.
‘It’s a wonderful club and a brilliant place to be, and the biggest club in the world, for me,’ said the Hammers boss. ‘It’s always a special place to go and I’m looking forward to going back.’
‘Ole had a difficult start, but the difference between Ole and me is that he’s being given time. He’s bringing players in from the Academy, which Manchester United has always stood for. They’ve got some really exciting young players of their own now.’
United are looking to bounce back after suffering their first defeat in 19 games on Sunday, losing out to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.
Victory for the Red Devils on Wednesday will see them climb above Leicester and into the top four in the table. While if Chelsea don’t beat Liverpool at Anfield, then United can go third with a win.
Manchester United also remain in the Europa League, to be played to a finish in August, so Solskjaer is confident it can finish as a successful season for his side.
‘We can sit back and see after the League is finished and when the Europa League is done to see how we’ve done and then we can evaluate from where did we start to how did we end up,’ said the Norwegian.
‘Of course at Man United you want to win trophies, that’s a given.
‘But when you lose a semi-final – we’re that close – we’ve come one step further.
‘Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. I would have loved to have a cup final to look forward to in a couple of weeks.’
MORE: Paul Ince identifies key reason behind David de Gea’s blunders for Manchester United
Follow Metro Sport across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
