Moyes looking to rebuild his reputation after Manchester United misery

The 51-year-old Scot has agreed to take over the San Sebastian side in an intriguing move he hopes will restore his damaged reputation

By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer

A missed opportunity. That's how David Moyes described his visit to Anoeta last November when Robin van Persie hit the post with a penalty and Javier Hernandez squandered another clear chance in a goalless game against Real Sociedad in the Champions League.

Moyes' troublesome 10-month spell at Old Trafford could also be labelled a missed opportunity as the Scot failed to meet the expectations of a club fed spectacular success in 26 years under Sir Alex Ferguson. But back in the Basque Country, a new opportunity now awaits.

United chose Moyes to succeed Ferguson because they wanted continuity. In more than a decade at Everton, the Glaswegian coach had worked wonders on a tight budget as the Toffees regularly punched above their weight in the Premier League.

Many clubs watched in admiration and Real Sociedad were one of them. Moyes made a good impression on officials during his visit with United last season in the Champions League and when the Basque outfit sacked Jagoba Arrasate earlier this month, president Jokin Aperribay made the Scot his top target.

"Moyes fits the bill," a source at the Spanish side told Goal last week. "His characteristics fit well with the current playing squad and he impressed with the work he did at Everton. Here, he will be expected to operate in similar circumstances - to get the best out of the squad and bring players through the youth system."

But why Real Sociedad? "I have always had the hope of being a coach abroad," Moyes told France Football while still at Everton in 2012 and in an interview with The Telegraph earlier this year he said: "Picking my next job is vitally important, I'm well aware of that. If it's in the Premier League or the UK that's fine. But if it's abroad then I'm okay with that. I have always been an advocate of players and managers going abroad if that's the right opportunity."

Moyes is unable to go into detail on his time at Manchester United due to the non-disclosure deal he signed when he left Old Trafford, but the Scot is desperate to prove he was hard done by and eager to show what he can do in his next job. "I was devastated to lose the job because it was something I felt I could make a real success of," he said in an interview with The Daily Mail back in August. "We knew it was going to take time to make the necessary changes. It was going to take time to evolve. But we were in the process of making other important changes. In the end, I don't feel I was given time to succeed or fail."

United made moves for Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas during his time at the club, but none of those players arrived and Moyes made do with Marouane Fellaini instead for an inflated €32.4m. "It's been well documented that we wanted Fabregas, Bale and Ronaldo," Moyes said in the summer. "We were close to getting a couple of major names."

There will be no such names linked to Real Sociedad over the next season and a half, but Moyes will be given the time and space to get on with his work without the pressure of succeeding one of the most successful managers in history. At United, he had to win titles. At Real Sociedad, expectations will be similar to what they were at Everton - and that will suit Moyes just fine.

The Scot held talks with Galatasaray in June and admitted he had received "one or two tempting offers" over the summer. He has also recently been linked to the likes of Inter and Schalke. In Real Sociedad, Moyes joins an exciting club with a competitive squad still among the top six or eight sides in Spain.

He will get the chance to pit his wits against Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga while living in one of the country's most agreeable cities, far away from the brutal British press pack. So even though there will be difficulties in adjusting to language and culture, the move makes sense as the 51-year-old seeks to rebuild his reputation just like former England manager Steve McLaren did at FC Twente in the Netherlands.

"You look at how well Terry Venables did in Spain and how well Bobby Robson did," Moyes said earlier this year. "They are up there with the great managers and both had periods working in Europe."

And after what happened at Manchester United, Moyes is desperate to prove that he too can be remembered as one of those great managers.