Fear factor drives Moyes at Man U

New Manchester United manager David Moyes is motivated by fear as he seeks to make his mark on the Premier League champions. It is not so much a fear of failure for a man who in more than a decade at Everton did not win a trophy, rather the stature of the 20-times English champions and the huge success of his long-serving predecessor Alex Ferguson.

“There has to be an element of fear that comes with managing a club like Manchester United. It keeps you working, it keeps you focused and helps you try not to take your eye off the ball,” British newspapers quoted the Scot as saying.

“You would have doubt if anybody took over this job, but in my own way, I’ve got to say I feel it’s the right job for me at the right time and hopefully I’ll make it work.”

Moyes took up his post at the start of this month and his first games in charge have been on United’s pre-season tour of the Asia-Pacific, where they have lost one match and won the other so far.

The 50-year-old, who was handpicked for the job by Ferguson, has often said he will call on his predecessor for advice but also emphasises that this is a new period for the club.

“It has to be a new era,” he said. “Whatever we say, my job now is to make my history.

“I’m going to follow someone who has made incredible history. I think about Matt Busby’s history and then Alex Ferguson’s history — they could do a film about it.

I have to make sure now that my history and my time is something which the fans and people in the future talk about.”

Moyes’ start to his tenure has been trickier than it might have been as he has grappled with a barrage of questions surrounding the future of striker Wayne Rooney from day one.

Repeating the club’s “he is not for sale” mantra, Moyes has nevertheless steered away from saying the England international has changed his mind about wanting to leave the club.

Rooney’s early departure from the tour because of injury has only fuelled media speculation that he is on his way out, with Chelsea saying they have made a bid for him. — Reuters