David Moyes is a Football Genius

If Manchester United were really that panicked about the short-term they would have gone for Jose Mourinho to replace Sir Alex Ferguson instead of David Moyes.

Many outside Old Trafford may be losing their heads over the club’s troubled first half of the season but the men who matter inside are definitely keeping theirs.

You don’t give someone a six-year contract to replace the most successful boss you have ever had and then throw him overboard after six or even 12 months.

That is why I believe there is no pressure on David Moyes regardless of the club’s league position and yesterday’s cup defeat.

Don’t give me this “Moyes must go” nonsense. Not when the bloke has spent the best part of a decade getting Everton to punch above their weight against much better-resourced rivals in the Premier League.

Yes, losing to Swansea was devastating and five home defeats for Moyes so far is a nightmare start to his reign. With the side struggling in the league, lifting the FA Cup would have been a great riposte to those unaware of what United are trying to do.

If anything, losing to Swansea simply seals the fate of players David has been unsure about since he arrived in May.

United need major surgery. We’ve all known that for some time. But David also wanted to look at what he has, which is what everyone in any industry does when taking a high-profile job.

That surgery should have started last summer. I’ve said before in this column that it would have had David Gill not been replaced by Ed Woodward at the same time as Sir Alex left.

Which business would allow two of its most influential assets to depart together? You need experience. You need know-how. You need someone to help the new man find his feet. That’s another reason why David will be given time. Not all of the problems at the club are his fault.
What he will know now is he needs to ship out a minimum of five players and recruit a similar number of top-class replacements.

He needs a striker, an attacking midfielder and a defensive midfielder for starters.

He isn’t sitting waiting for his scouts to present him with a list.

I know for a fact he is hardly at home. He is flying around Europe taking in matches, assessing players, seeing if they have the character, the temperament and the quality to play for the biggest club in the world.

United will be hurting from yesterday’s result. But it will only serve to inspire them further to bring in the players needed. They will be back – and Moyes will be leading the recovery.