Manchester United manager David Moyes is looking forward to his debut season in charge at Old Trafford after an eventful summer.
On the face of it, Moyes has endured a tough off-season, having failed to strengthen his midfield with failed pursuits of Thiago Alcantara and Cesc Fabregas, while contending with wantaway striker Wayne Rooney.
Meanwhile, results on the pitch have been far from encouraging. United have recorded just two victories from six pre-season games, against a depleted A League outfit and Hong Kong -based Kitchee FC.
“I just cannot wait to get the season started,” the Scot told Inside United. “As I have said before, I know what it is like to walk out at Old Trafford as the manager of the opposition, so to step out in front of more than 75,000 fans as the Manchester United manager will be a special moment for me.
“Being given the chance to manage a club like this was a dream come true for me and probably more so given that the previous manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, wanted me to be in charge of the club.
“My sole goal is to be successful and have a winning team. I hope that, over the years, we can enjoy plenty of success.
“I’m really looking forward to it.”
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A wish not to have his focus distracted has been cited as one of the reasons why Moyes has elected not to face the media ahead of the Wigan game, even though such pre-Shield conferences were a regular occurrence under Ferguson.
In selling 47,000 tickets, United’s supporters certainly view the Wigan encounter as a meaningful exercise, for which they will have the largest following for a club side at Wembley since it was re-opened in 2007.
The game against Owen Coyle’s Championship outfit also represents an opportunity to get his hands on some silverware, even if the former Everton boss feels the credit will belong to his predecessor.
“I will be trying to make this the first trophy of many,” he stated. “But, if we win, it’s really something that will have been earned by Sir Alex.
“It’s because of his good work in the Premier League last season that we’re in the Community Shield. I’ll do my best to finish off the job but it’s Sir Alex who will deserve a lot of the credit if we’re successful at Wembley.”
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