Sacked Moyes thanks Ferguson

Sacked Manchester United manager David Moyes thanked his predecessor Alex Ferguson on Wednesday for having given him the opportunity to lead the Premier League club.

In a statement issued through the League Manager's Association (LMA), the Scot spoke of his pride at being chosen last July and acknowledged fans had a right to feel frustrated by results since then.

He spoke warmly of the United staff but, perhaps pointedly, not the players.

"I remain proud to have led the team to the quarterfinals of this year's Champions League and I remain grateful to Sir Alex Ferguson for believing in my ability and giving me the chance to manage Manchester United," he said.

Moyes said he was and would always be "incredibly proud" to have been appointed manager of United.

"Taking charge after such a long period of continuous stability and success at the club was inevitably going to be a significant challenge, but it was one which I relished and never had a second thought about taking on," he said.

"The scale of the manager's job at United is immense, but I have never stepped away from hard work and the same applies to my coaching staff. I thank them for their dedication and loyalty throughout the last season."

United have an urgent need to revamp their ageing squad and are expected to ship out several high-profile players once the season is over.

Moyes said he had already been working on that when the owning Glazer family decided to call time, the manager informed of his dismissal on Tuesday after details had been widely leaked to the media.

"We were fully focused and committed to the process of the fundamental rebuilding that is required for the senior squad," he said in his statement.

"This had to be achieved whilst delivering positive results (in the Premier League and Champions League).

However, during this period of transition, performances and results have not been what Manchester United and its fans are used to or expect, and I both understand and share their frustration."