David Moyes set for awkward Michael Carrick reunion as 2018 comments resurface
Michael Carrick once had a subtle dig at now-Everton boss David Moyes over comments he made upon his arrival at Manchester United.
Moyes spent just 10 months in charge at Old Trafford after being hired as Sir Alex Ferguson’s replacement in the summer of 2013.
The Scotsman penned a six-year deal but did not even see out a full season in what was a disastrous tenure, albeit one that does not look quite as bad given the Red Devils’ struggles for over a decade.
Carrick was a leader figure in United’s ranks at the time, but was not fully won over by Moyes’ attempt to gear up the squad.
What did Michael Carrick say about David Moyes’ time at Manchester United?
Plenty of water has passed under the bridge in the near-13 years since Moyes was sacked by Man United.
But comments made by Carrick in his 2018 autobiography Between the Lines have now resurfaced ahead of Everton‘s clash with United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night.
“I got on fine with David,” Carrick wrote. “Never had a bad word with him, never fell out with him. He arrived full of energy and ideas for how to improve us.
“I remember at one of his first meetings, David said to us, ‘I believe I can make you better. I know you won the league last year and I’ve obviously been watching you. I can make you run more.’
“Being fair to David, he was looking for a chink, like what needed improving and where we were weak, so that he could take us to another level. I just think what he said didn’t come across the right way.
“We’d just won the Premier League by 11 points, scored 11 goals more than anybody else, and won a lot of games as well, with scores like 3-0, 4-0.
“Our running stats were never that big anyway but we came from behind to claim 29 points that season so we must have been fairly fit, as well as committed.”
Carrick – and no doubt the rest of the United squad – clearly felt Moyes took the completely wrong approach with what was supposed to be a motivational salvo.
It goes without saying that Moyes never fully won over the dressing room, and that was reflected in the results and his subsequent sacking less than a year into what was supposed to be a long-term tenure.
Carrick knows exactly what to expect from a Moyes team
Carrick was inevitably asked about Moyes in his pre-match press conference last week – as was the case in reverse – and he said he knows exactly what can be expected on Monday.
“There is a lot that goes into a game,” Carrick said. “David’s teams are hard to play against, he is such a good manager and knows what it takes to have success in this league. It is a new challenge for us.
“It is going to take a lot, going away, new stadium, but [this fixture] historically has always been tough, one of the toughest I have played away from home and trying to be the best we can.”
Carrick is right in saying Moyes’ teams – generally speaking – are tough to beat, but Everton’s record at Hill Dickinson Stadium of late does not make for great reading.
There is not exactly a great deal of hype surrounding Everton’s clash with United, but it is a big match for the Toffees – and indeed the Red Devils.
A win would seriously boost Everton’s chances of finishing in a European spot, and nights like these are what Hill Dickinson are all about.
Moyes’ time at Old Trafford did not go to plan, but he has overachieved across his two stints on Merseyside.
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