An impressive first summer under Ineos control at Manchester United looks all the more successful when you contextualise it with the mismanagement of the Glazer and Ed Woodward era.
If Sir Jim Ratcliffe had been at the helm back in 2013 – when Sir Alex Ferguson rode off into the sunset and announced David Moyes as his doomed-from-the-start successor – perhaps the Red Devils would not have declined quite so rapidly.
During a disastrous summer, Manchester United targeted such luminaries as Cesc Fabregas, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, Leighton Baines and more but ended up with only Maroune Fellaini, dragged through the door on deadline day.
The Baines saga would, in particular, come to sum up Moyes’ disastrous reign.
Yes, the former Everton boss fell wildly short of expectations in many departments. But, given the bumbling mess presided over by those higher up the Old Trafford hierarchy, the Scot was operating with one hand tied firmly behind his back from day one.
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David Moyes wanted Leighton Baines at Manchester United
Man United famously saw their £12 million bid for Baines labelled ‘derisory’ by Moyes’ former employers at Goodison, per The Guardian.
Furthermore, Ferguson’s replacement did not exactly leave a positive first impression on United’s number one left-back at the time while embarking upon a very public pursuit of his former Stanley Park stalwart.
“He made quite a few mistakes which made the players upset. So there were a few occasions when I went to Sir Alex Ferguson’s house, asking him to speak with Moyes as he was upsetting quite a few of the players,” Patrice Evra recalls, speaking to The Overlap on YouTube.
“When he first became manager, I didn’t have a good relationship with him because there was talk of him wanting to sign Leighton Baines, without even seeing me play properly.”
Evra admits that Moyes would attempt to make amends, holding up his hands and admitting that he maybe went about Baines situation all wrong.
And while Evra would accept his apology – the Frenchman was one of Moyes’ most staunch defenders during a time when the pressure reached almost intolerable levels – this was just one of countless examples of the former Preston boss lacking the nous and the subtlety required to deal with a squad of superstars.
Sir Alex Ferguson exit sparked Red Devils decline
“One day we were in training and he came over to me and apologised for the rumours about Baines,” Evra reveals, insisting that he would have welcomed the rivalry with a man who ranks third among the Premier league full-backs with the most assists to their name.
“I think he was expecting me to be upset with him. But I wasn’t because bringing in competition to Manchester United was a good thing.”
Moyes would famously lose the job he had toiled so hard for just nine months into that eye-watering six-year contract, winning only 27 of his 51 games at the helm.
“When Moyes left the club, I said to the players to stop blaming Moyes for our performances,” Evra explains, arguing that the fear and the influence Sir Alex Ferguson wielded created a squad of players far better than the sum of it’s parts.
“For me, no matter what person came into the club, whether that be the club doctor or the chef, I would fight for him and back him because I am fighting for the badge and for the fans.
“Ultimately, you can have a good relationship with the manager, but you don’t fight for him, you fight for the fans and the badge.”
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