Nani has revealed why Manchester United didn’t succeed under David Moyes, and those same issues remained prevalent until Rúben Amorim’s sacking.
When David Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, the Manchester United fanbase was understandably concerned, as any group of fans would be after losing one of, if not, the greatest manager football has ever seen. But what met them was much worse than what they would’ve expected.
Before the season even began, Paul Scholes retired for the second time, and only one new signing joined the club, Marouane Fellaini. Nothing against Fellaini, but he wouldn’t have been United’s fans’ first choice after links to Cesc Fabregas and Gareth Bale occupied most of the off-season. And then the season began.
Moyes was chosen by Ferguson himself, so removing him would always be a painful task, but it had to be done. United dismissed him from his job after a 2-0 loss to Everton in April, just 10 months after he made the move from Goodison to Old Trafford.
It’s been some time since then, but United are yet to come anywhere close to the success from before Moyes’ stint in charge of the club.
Nani reveals Moyes’ biggest issues
“When Moyes arrived, he came in with a mentality the complete opposite of what United required,” Nani told FourFourTwo. “After Ferguson left, that dressing room needed a manager who understood the club’s culture, someone strong-willed enough to handle players of that stature and used to winning with big teams.
“Moyes wasn’t. He arrived with a small-club mentality and made poor decisions. Above all, it was about bad man management.”
Nani recalls being told he would be a key player for the club before he signed his new contract. But as soon as he put pen to paper, that all changed.
He continued to say: “At first he told me one thing, shortly afterwards he changed completely. You can’t convince a player to stay by telling him he’s fundamental to the team, then behave in the opposite way.
“He repeated that United depended on me, that things didn’t work without me, and that speech convinced me to renew my contract.
“As soon as I signed, his behaviour towards me completely changed. He stopped.”
Moyes issues sound all too familiar
Donny van de Beek and Dean Henderson under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Amad under Erik ten Hag, and Kobbie Mainoo under Rúben Amorim. All of them made promises that weren’t kept. All of them were poorly managed. All of them are exactly like Nani’s situation under David Moyes.
Despite over 10 years between Moyes and Amorim’s sackings, the same issues remain. And the same “small-club mentality” lives on.
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However, under Carrick, every player seems happier, every player appears to be supportive of the manager, and the “small-club mentality” seems to be over.
Now, we are only weeks into Carrick’s tenure as United head coach, but the signs are more than positive. Perhaps he is the right man after all.
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