Moyes: No more long-term planning at United

The Scot says he has "moved on" from his sacking but says the days of forward planning at Old Trafford could be gone, and insisted he always had the support of Sir Alex Ferguson

David Moyes says that the days of long-term planning at Manchester United are gone, having broken his silence following his sacking in April.

The Scot was dismissed following a turbulent reign at Old Trafford which saw United slip from top of the Premier League to seventh, with the club missing out on European qualification.

And Moyes has now claimed it was "unfortunate" that he was not given more time to make his mark on the United squad, and believes his sacking could signal the end of long-term projects at the club, with 62-year-old Louis van Gaal installed as his successor.

Writing in the Sunday Times he also took time to thank the United fans, saying: "I never had the chance to thank the Manchester United supporters for the backing they gave me during my time as manager. I wish them every success in the future.

"They now appreciate, I am sure, that things are changing at their club and it could well be that gone are the days of long-term planning. They were fully aware of the task I had. It was unfortunate I wasn’t given more time to succeed."

Moyes, however, claims to have "moved on" from his sacking, though he is undecided as to whether he will look to take up a new job elsewhere or go on holiday.

"Since leaving, I have received some very good offers and am tempted by one or two of them," he added. "I have not closed the door on anything and am open-minded about my next step in management, and whether it will be in the UK or abroad.

"Another possibility is that I may choose to have a break and enjoy watching and observing football throughout the world. What I do know for sure is that I have moved on."

And Moyes also praised Sir Alex Ferguson for the support he offered, claiming he tried to implement his advice as best he could, but insists "it was never going to all come together in a few weeks, or months."

He added: "I have spoken to Sir Alex Ferguson on several occasions and we met recently at a dinner in London. I believe I had nothing but support from him.

"He advised me of some changes that had to be made. I took his advice and started to implement the necessary changes. I became aware of other changes that had to be made and put plans in place."