Phil Neville has described Manchester United as a "circus" behind the scenes since the tenure of David Moyes, saying the focus at the club has been off the football pitch for more than a decade. Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, the former United defender, who served on Moyes' backroom staff after Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, said he was shocked by what he witnessed.
Neville's account of life under Moyes
"Sir Alex Ferguson left and I was part of the coaching staff with David Moyes. And what I witnessed going back, having been part of the club through the glory years, I witnessed a different type of club," Neville said. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was seeing that the focus wasn't on the football pitch. I was seeing that the manager didn't have the final say. I was seeing that the manager couldn't pick signings. The signings were based on how famous they were, how many followers they had and how much sponsorship they could make. I was shocked. I hated it. I really did."
Neville added that what he experienced in the 10 months with Moyes is no different from what Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Ruben Amorim, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and now Michael Carrick are experiencing. "The club needs sorting out from top to bottom," he said.
United's decline since Ferguson's exit
United are 20-time English champions and have won 13 Premier League titles, which is the number of years since they last claimed the crown. Following Ferguson's departure, the odd trophy has been won, but overall things have been rather bleak. Neville attributed the club's earlier success to the leadership of Ferguson and chief executive David Gill. "They had a manager in Sir Alex Ferguson and a CEO in David Gill who was disciplined. The manager was disciplined. They ran the club from top to bottom. Whatever they said, it happened," he said.
"The year after, a new CEO and a new manager… It just became a circus and that manager lost control. You look at some other clubs and say, 'From top to bottom, there is alignment.' I don't think that happens at Manchester United."
Carrick's current struggles
No manager has lasted more than three years at the wheel, and Carrick, who was given the job in May following a successful interim period, produced a miracle to finish third last season. However, the promise shown in the previous campaign has not carried over to this one. So far, United have won just a single Premier League game, been ousted from the Carabao Cup and were beaten 4-1 by Como in the Champions League. A 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday seemed to have Carrick destined for the sack, but for the time being he has been handed a stay of execution.
Dysfunction is rife at Old Trafford, with Carrick on thin ice, captain Bruno Fernandes caught up in a spat and fans once again demanding that the club be sold. Neville, brother of Gary, made 386 appearances for United as a player between 1994 and 2005, winning 14 major trophies including six league titles. He signed for Everton in 2005, where he played under Moyes. When Neville retired in 2013, Moyes headed to United to replace Ferguson and the ex-United defender followed as a member of the backroom team. Moyes lasted just 10 months in the job, and Neville stayed until the end of the season, helping interim player-manager Ryan Giggs.
