David Moyes Sacked: 5 Reasons Man Utd Job Was Impossible

4. An Ageing Squad

The reason Moyes needed someone with Gill's experience in transfer negotiations was because Sir Alex left behind a squad whose biggest names were in noticeable decline. In defence, the stalwarts Nemanja Matic and Rio Ferdinand had looked increasingly shaky during Sir Alex's final year, while the club was still relying on veterans Paul Scholes (since retired) and Ryan Giggs in midfield while potential replacements like Tom Cleverley and Darren Fletcher were struggling for form and fitness. United may have won the league by a comfortable eleven points that year, but were undoubtedly assisted by their two biggest competitors, Man City and Chelsea, being in disarray behind the scenes. Having an old hand like Sir Alex at the helm was surely essential in giving the players enough confidence to overcome their defensive frailties, with a devastating attack - 86 goals scored in the Premier League, an average of 2.2 per game - overshadowing the fact they had conceded more goals than any other club in the top four. Without Sir Alex's authority to hold the squad together the following season, United crumbled in confidence as their shortcomings were exposed and opponents became emboldened. Moyes may have enjoyed a reputation as a disciplinarian during his ten years at Everton, but expecting him to command the same respect at a club like United was never a realistic demand. With Ed Woodward failing to bring in the players Moyes needed to inject competition for places and stamp his identity on the team, it was always going to be a struggle to motivate a squad whose key players looked increasingly over the hill.