United seek to crown successor to king Alex

Everton manager David Moyes was last night on the brink of being named successor to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

Thu, 09 May, 2013 - 01:00

Liam Mackey

Ferguson shocked fans by announcing he is to retire at the end of the season, but the club has moved swiftly to replace one of the most successful managers in soccer history. Moyes, long mooted as a future United manager, and Real Madrid boss José Mourinho were instantly installed as the favourites, but sources close to the club said the Portuguese, who has been linked with a return to Chelsea, was never in the running.

There was speculation last night that Moyes would be appointed within 24 hours, and possibly as soon as today, after it emerged he had met with Everton officials in London, seemingly to end his time with the Toffees. His contract is to expire at the end of the season.

United CEO David Gill said the club would move “quickly” to fill the void left by Ferguson, who has won 36 trophies at the club in 26 years, but would not put a deadline on it.

He told the club’s television channel: “The qualities [needed] are the ones that have been inherent in Manchester United for many years. If you look at what has happened with the two most successful eras — Sir Matt Busby and Alex — they are managers who got involved in the whole aspect of the club, whether it be from the youth team up to the first team.

“Those are the sort of things we’ll be looking at. Clearly he has to have the requisite football experience, both in terms of domestic and European experience, so I think it’s a small pool.”

The reference to European experience suggested to many United watchers that Moyes may not be in the frame after all, but others pointed to his track record of developing young talent and taking an interest in running clubs at all levels. Others suggested he would be more interested than Mourinho in staying for the long run, as the former Porto, Chelsea, and Inter boss has rarely stayed at a club for more than a few seasons.

Moyes was silent on the matter yesterday, but has previously voiced his frustration at Everton’s lack of financial clout, which has hampered team investment and limited his ability to reinforce his squad.