Manchester United abruptly fired its manager, David Moyes, 10 months after he replaced the team’s most successful coach ever, Sir Alex Ferguson, in one of the most closely watched managerial successions in global football.
“The club would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he (Moyes) brought to the role,” Manchester United said in a brief statement. The dismissal followed a meeting with Ed Woodward, the club’s executive vice chairman, at the side’s training ground outside Manchester.
Veteran player-coach Ryan Giggs was named interim manager until the end of the season or until a permanent replacement has been found, Manchester United said.
The club, one of the biggest and most high profile global sports franchises, previously refused to be drawn into commenting on reports in the British press that Moyes, 50, would be forced out before the end of the Premier League season.
Manchester United is currently in seventh place after having won the league last season and for the first time in 19 years, has failed to qualify for next year’s Champions League competition. The club was named by Forbes as the world’s second-most valuable sports team at $3.2 billion behind only Spanish team Real Madrid.
The team’s current stars include England’s Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie of the Netherlands. David Beckham, perhaps the world’s most famous football star of recent times, made his name playing for Manchester United.
Moyes’ predecessor Ferguson retired from the club last year after spending 26 years in charge, during which he won 40 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles. As a manager Ferguson was known as a strict disciplinarian firmly in control of the locker room.
Moyes was handpicked by Ferguson to be his replacement after the former spent 11 years at Everton soccer club, where he was praised for fostering an attacking style of play and where he brought success to the club despite a relative lack of funds to attract top players.
Moyes was given a six-year contract when he took over from Ferguson in July but frustration by supporters of the club has been growing for months with Manchester United on track to see its lowest ever points tally in the Premier League.
Source: USA Today.
