David Moyes may be missing life as a Premier League manager, but he will not be pining for that twice-yearly clash with the two Manchester United stars he fears the most.
The former Old Trafford boss, ten years since his ill-fated, short-lived spell at the start of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, is watching from the sidelines these days after West Ham opted against extending his contract over the summer.
David Moyes did win two of his final three matches against Manchester United when in the claret and blue dugout, however.
And the Scot admits that, while the Red Devils might not be quite the same force of old these days, there were still a couple of names on the Man United team sheet that would keep him up at night.
Pep Guardiola famously called Bruno Fernandes one of the most creative players he had ever come across in football. And Moyes can understand where the Man City boss is coming from. Switch off for a second, blink at the wrong moment, and that is all Bruno needs to produce something unexpected out of so very little.
David Moyes lauds Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes
“I think Bruno was the one you were always worried about,” Moyes admits. “Because he could play a pass through, he could put somebody in.
“We have gone there and found it difficult to win but we have also gone there and thought we have actually played quite well in some of the games. But we are challenging probably a team that were expected to win.”
Moyes, it should be said, did seem to find a way to keep Bruno Fernandes quiet when West Ham went head to head with Manchester United.
In eight meetings with the Hammers, the Portugal international has not scored a single goal while providing only two assists.
It is no secret, meanwhile, that Moyes tried to bring Harry Maguire to West Ham during the summer of 2023 when Man United made their former captain available for transfer. The veteran tactician even admitted that United had ‘accepted’ a rumoured bid of £30 million before the negotiations collapsed.
The manner in which Moyes speaks about Maguire – highlighting the fearsome physical presence he provides at either end of the pitch – goes some way to explaining why West Ham were at the front of the queue when it became apparent that United were willing to cash in.
Moyes opens up on Harry Maguire admiration after failed West Ham move
“Man United defensively, when Harry Maguire was in the team… [It was] really difficult to deal with Maguire at set pieces. He was a monster [in] both boxes,” Moyes adds.
“You were thinking; ‘How are we going to stop Harry Maguire getting on the end of things? Are we going to keep the ball away from him?’
“But we always felt we would have room to play; Old Trafford, big pitch. You could take the ball off United and you would have a chance of playing. I don’t think they really have the best press. Some of the teams in the Premier League have super presses.”
Man United were reportedly ready to let Scott McTominay follow Maguire to West Ham around a year-and-a-half ago, per The Guardian.
One wonders if Erik ten Hag would have hung onto his job for as long as he did had both of those deals been rubber stamped.
Because, in a season in which Man United struggled for goals while enduring a debilitating injury crisis, both McTominay and Maguire silenced their doubters while re-establishing themselves as two of the first names on the Red Devils team sheet.
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