Former Manchester United star Patrice Evra has revealed the biggest mistake David Moyes made after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson.
In 2013, after guiding Manchester United to their 13th Premier League title, legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson decided to retire. David Moyes, who had done a commendable job at Everton, was chosen as Ferguson’s successor. However, Moyes struggled to win over the United fanbase and was eventually dismissed in April 2014, with Louis van Gaal taking over permanently.
In a recent episode of the Stick to Football podcast by Sky Bet, Patrice Evra discussed Moyes’ tenure at United. Evra revealed, “Moyes’ biggest mistake was his first speech to the squad, where he mentioned that we already knew how to win and needed to help him win trophies, which raised eyebrows among the players.”
Evra also noted, “Moyes made several mistakes that upset the players. I even visited Sir Alex Ferguson, asking him to speak with Moyes because he was causing unrest among the squad.” Additionally, Evra shared that his relationship with Moyes was strained from the start, partly due to Moyes’ interest in signing Leighton Baines without fully assessing Evra’s performance.
The Frenchman continued, “One day during training, Moyes approached me to apologize for the rumors about Leighton Baines. He seemed to expect me to be upset, but I wasn’t. I saw bringing in competition as a positive for Manchester United.”
He added, “When Moyes left, I told the players to stop blaming him for our performances. We weren’t performing well because we were still intimidated by Sir Alex Ferguson.”
Evra emphasized, “Regardless of who came into the club—be it a new doctor or chef—I would support and fight for them because it’s about the badge and the fans. A good relationship with the manager is secondary; my focus was always on the fans and the badge.”
Since Ferguson’s retirement, Manchester United has yet to win another Premier League title, with Erik ten Hag now tasked with restoring the club’s former glory.
