Manchester United moved to fourth place in the Premier League table over the weekend after securing their eighth league win in nine games under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Given how poorly the Old Trafford outfit started 2018-19, their recent form and brilliant run is impressive and massive, but it pales in comparison to the performances of city rivals Manchester City who are currently top of the table.
The gulf between both sides have widened since Sir Alex Ferguson left the Theatre of Dreams, but former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel believes holding on to David Moyes much longer might have made the club better than they currently are.
“If we should have any regrets as Manchester United, that’s that we only gave David Moyes seven months,” the Dane told biEN SPORTS.
“I think we should have given him more time, accepted that results weren’t going to be the way we hoped they would be… The playing would have been a little different, I believe he would have grown into that role, he has the personality, he had so many things he needed to learn, he didn’t have anybody to learn it from, he was left basically to run the football department on his own.
“…I don’t think he wanted somebody there who had worked with Sir Alex, I can understand that, when you look back maybe that was a mistake. From the club’s perspective, we should never ever have dismissed him, because that led us into making rash decisions. So we bring in a name, and that went completely wrong.”
"If we should have any regrets as #MUFC that is that we only gave David Moyes 7 months! He would've grown into that role. From the club's perspective we should never ever have dismissed him."#beINPL pic.twitter.com/C3dBwEu6Z2
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) February 10, 2019
Moyes took over from Ferguson following the Scot’s recommendation, but he lasted just 10 months in the job despite signing a six-year deal.
The 2013-14 season saw United fail to finish in the Champions League spots for the first time since 96, as the former Everton boss could only lead them to a seventh-place finish, 15 points adrift fourth and 22 points off eventual title winners Manchester City.
We would never have known what would have happened if the club were patient with Moyes, but that results and the club’s entertaining style were both missing during his reign didn’t help his cause.
The 55-year-old has since managed Real Sociedad, Sunderland and West Ham United, but he didn’t particularly impress, and maybe United were right to let him go in the first place.