04 November 2023 , 09:45
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David Moyes knows all about feeling under pressure as Manchester United manager but the West Ham boss believes Erik ten Hag can turn things around - for as long as he retains the backing of the board at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag takes his United side to Fulham with his team losing half of their opening 10 Premier League games. And despite mitigating factors including a number of key injuries, the critics are turning their volume up.
Yet Moyes, who lasted 18 months at the crisis club having arrived as Sir Alex Ferguson ’s replacement a decade ago, says he has seen some “really good things” from Ten Hag.
Moyes said: “As long as he continues to get good support from the board, which it sounds like he has, it’s only speculation from other people. If you’re Manchester United you have to win games, that’s part of the job.
“It wouldn’t need me to tell anybody that. But it sounds like he’s getting great support from their board and if you’ve got that you’ve got a great chance of improving results, which gives you more time. Let’s see what happens.”
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Wayne Rooney, United’s record goalscorer and now himself under pressure three games into his reign as Birmingham boss, said earlier this week that when results go bad it is the manager who always gets the grief rather than the players.
And Moyes agrees with that sentiment, accepting it is just a hazard of the role. He added: “It’s always been directed at managers. That’s why most of the time you talk about managers losing their jobs, not players losing their jobs. It’s part of the job.
David Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson but did not last until the end of his second season at Old Trafford. (PA)“Ultimately if you manage Manchester United, it’s a pressure job and you’re expected to win with a really good style. Erik ten Hag has done a lot of really good things.”
Should Fulham pile additional misery on Ten Hag, West Ham could jump over them in the table with a win at Brentford. But Moyes must plan without midfield stars Edson Alvarez and Lucas Paqueta because both are serving one-game suspensions.
Captain Kurt Zouma is also in a race to be fit after taking a bang to his knee last week. The centre half has trained in the past two days and Moyes said: “Not sure yet. He’s done a little bit of training. We need to assess him and see how he goes. Let’s hope he’s in with a chance."