Moyes to replace Ferguson

Everton boss David Moyes is set to be appointed as the new Manchester United manager, following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.



An announcement could be made on Thursday.



Ferguson, 71, revealed his decision to step down after nearly 27 years at Old Trafford on Wednesday.



Fellow Scot Moyes, 50, who has been in charge at Goodison Park since 2002, held talks with Toffees chairman Bill Kenwright on Wednesday evening.



Moyes is expected to tell the Everton players and staff of his decision to join United at a training ground meeting on Thursday morning.



He could still lead Everton out at Goodison Park against West Ham on Sunday for what would be his final home game in charge.



The former Preston boss was installed as bookmakers' favourite to become the next United boss following a rush of bets over the weekend, even before speculation mounted about Ferguson's retirement.



"He's cut from the same cloth," said former United captain Steve Bruce.



"It wouldn't surprise me if he got the job and I'm sure he would be very successful.



"He's not had huge finances but he has still managed to put an Everton team together that comfortably finishes in the top 10."



Former United assistant manager Steve McClaren also believes Moyes is the right man for the job.



"He's a winner and has a work ethic similar to Sir Alex," the ex-England manager told BBC Radio 5 live. "He's also built a dynasty and legacy at Everton.



"He's waited many years for this opportunity and I hope he gets it."



Former England striker Gary Lineker, who presents the BBC's Match of the Day programme, said Moyes would be a "sensible" appointment.



"It is a great choice for United, but not a great choice for Everton because he will be a great loss to them. It makes the transition easier to get another British and Scottish manager in," said the ex-Toffees forward.



"He (Moyes) is hugely respected within the game and he will instantly get the respect of the players but it's the biggest pair of shoes you can follow. It's intensely difficult and I think the best job at Manchester United is the one after the one after Sir Alex Ferguson because expectations will be so tough.



"It is going to be extraordinarily difficult for the next boss of Manchester United because if it goes wrong the fans will let him know they are missing Sir Alex.



"He will always be judged against someone with phenomenal success, but he will know that anyway. However, you can still see the allure of the job. It is one of the three biggest clubs in the world, so it will always get big names wanting that job."



Former United defender Gary Neville also backed Moyes as a potential successor to Ferguson.



"I don't know if he's going to be appointed, but I would welcome it - it makes sense," Neville, who won eight league titles at United, told Sky Sports.



But former England striker Alan Shearer believes the appointment of Moyes could be a gamble as he has not won a trophy during 11 years in charge at Everton.



"Anyone who has worked with David Moyes says great things about his man-management and his coaching," Shearer told BBC Sport.



"The only thing you would say is that he has not won a trophy at Everton.



"But I suppose anyone who goes into Manchester United is a big gamble because it is going to be one heck of a big pair of shoes to fill."



And former United manager Tommy Docherty said he would "feel sorry" for Moyes should he be appointed.



"If it is David Moyes then I congratulate him and feel sorry for him. How can you follow the impossible?"

Moyes the frontrunner

Everton boss David Moyes is in pole position to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

United confirmed in a statement on Wednesday morning that Ferguson would retire this summer after more than 26 years in charge.

Moyes has long been tipped as a possible replacement for English football's most successful manager but the Scot is now in pole position to take the Old Trafford helm, with an announcement expected in the next 48 hours.

The 50-year-old's Everton contract runs out in the summer and no agreement has been reached over a new deal.

He has previously said that he wants to wait until the end of this campaign before deciding whether to extend his time at Goodison Park into a 12th year.

Moyes has brought stability and consistency on a relatively small budget to the Merseysiders and is viewed by United chiefs as a man who, like his outgoing compatriot, values youth development and longevity.

Everton have yet to comment on the speculation.

Jose Mourinho, widely expeced to replace Rafa Benitez at Chelsea, and Jurgen Klopp, who has led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final, are also leading the market with Sky Bet, who make Moyes odd-on for the post, while former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also in the running.


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Moyes keen to keep Jelavic

Out of form striker Nikica Jelavic will not be going anywhere according to Everton manager David Moyes.



Jelavic has netted just one goal in his past 18 Barclays Premier League games for the Toffees but Moyes is confident the Croatia international has the strength of character to bounce back.

“His effort has never been in question and we’d want him here next year,” Moyes said.



“It’s been a difficult season – maybe a bit of second-season syndrome.



“He’s found it a little harder to get the goals and the opportunities.



“We kept trying to play him to give him the chance to score but in the end we had to take him out. As it is, Victor Anichebe has come to light in the last month or so which has given us a wee bit of something else.”

Moyes added: “His confidence has taken a bit of a knock. If you’ve not scored and not played as well that’s natural.

“He’s a good lad and he’s the first one to accept he’s not doing well enough.



“When you work with boys like that it makes it a lot easier because they know they have got to get better.”

Moyes hopes to keep Fellaini

Everton manager David Moyes hopes Marouane Fellaini will still be at Goodison Park next season, amid more speculation over the big Belgian's future.

Fellaini's future at Everton has been the subject of speculation with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United credited with an interest in the midfield powerhouse.



Everton could face a fight to keep hold of the influential midfielder this summer after another impressive campaign on Merseyside.



However, Moyes sees Fellaini as a big part of his plans and wants to see him stay at Everton.



"He is a big part of our squad not only because of his size but also because of how important he is to us and he is someone that we will be more than happy to see here again next year at Goodison," Moyes told Yahoo Sport.



Meanwhile, Moyes admits Everton will find it hard to replace Phil Neville when he quits the club at the end of the season and he expects the Toffees captain to move into coaching at some point in his career.



"He has been really influential," added Moyes. "He has been a great captain and a great player since he joined us eight years ago and will be missed. He has been someone that I can rely on both on and off the pitch.



"I have got no doubt that he will go on to work in football and he is someone who we will miss. It will be a hard position to fill because the way he has captained the team has been excellent over the years.



"Phil will be a success in whatever he does in life because he conducts himself well and is very articulate but if I was a betting man I would say that his next step after playing would be coaching."

Moyes wants perfect finish

Everton manager David Moyes admits his side need to win all of their five remaining Premier League fixtures to have any chance of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

The Toffees claimed a point from a battling 0-0 draw with fellow top-four hopefuls Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night to remain sixth in the table.

Everton are now two points adrift of Tottenham in fifth and Chelsea in fourth, but have played a game more than Spurs and two more than the Stamford Bridge side.

Moyes' men finish the campaign with games against Sunderland, Fulham, Liverpool, West Ham and Chelsea, with the Scot feeling only maximum points will see them secure a place among Europe's elite next term.

He told : "We probably need to win all our games to have any chance but the players are playing well, we've had a couple of really hard away games and we keep picking up points.

"I thought it was a really good game, it was end to end, we played some good stuff and we had to defend well.

"It was never going to be easy for us but I'm not going to be too despondent with a point even though I wanted to win it.

"We got a little bit fortunate and there were a couple of bits of fantastic defending to make sure we didn't concede a goal.



"We didn't have as many chances as we would have liked in the second half, but any manager who comes here knows that you're not going to get loads of opportunities."