Sir Alex Ferguson was known to be "upset" when David Moyes was sacked – but he was also furious at "nonsense" claims alleging he left his fellow Scotsman with a declining Manchester United side.
When Ferguson retired from management in 2013, he urged the club to appoint Moyes as his long-term successor at Old Trafford. But after beating Swansea City 4-1 in his first Premier League match, things went downhill quickly for the now Everton manager.
He would only last 10 months at Old Trafford before he was sacked with the club languishing in seventh place. But while Ferguson had sympathy for Moyes, the 13-time Premier League winner refused to accept any blame for the squad he had left behind.
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While speaking at a charity dinner, Ferguson previously admitted Moyes' dismissal was "upsetting, the way it came out". There was much unsettling speculation at the time around Moyes' position, especially after United had lost 2-0 at Everton. And ultimately, following a meeting with Ed Woodward, he was dismissed – with Ryan Giggs taking over on an interim basis until the end of the season.
In addition, in his book 'My Autobiography', Ferguson responded to claims that he left a dud squad for Moyes, saying: "There appears to be an accepted view out there that there was no process. Nonsense. We feel we did everything the right way: quietly, thoroughly, professionally.”
With every defeat Moyes suffered, Ferguson knew the pressure on his shoulders was only increasing. And the legendary United manager added: "As the results deteriorated, each defeat was a hammer blow to him. I could see that in his demeanour.
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"In January we bought Juan Mata and that gave everyone a lift but I could see the walls squeezing in, leaving David with less and less room to breathe.
"I know that feeling from 1989, when we went through a terrible spell. You feel you are being crushed. The results gnawed away at David. Nobody could dispute how disappointing the season was. And it cost a man his job.”
Nearly 11 years since his abrupt departure, Moyes is back at Everton and will be looking to pile the pressure on Ruben Amorim when the Red Devils travel to Goodison Park on Saturday (today). If anything, Amorim would quickly accept Moyes' final league position at Old Trafford were he offered it right now.
While Moyes was dismissed with United in seventh, Amorim's Red Devils are currently 15th with only 29 points. The Portuguese boss' win percentage is currently 29%, a stark difference to Moyes' final record of 52.9%.
Given the form of both sides, Everton are the favourites going into the contest, having won four and drawn one of their last five Premier League matches under Moyes. Meanwhile, Amorim's Red Devils have lost eight of the 14 Premier League games the ex-Sporting Lisbon boss has overseen.
