Manchester United’s greatest-ever manager stood down in 2013 after his trophy-laden stint at Old Trafford and ex-defender Phil Jones insists players knew immediately that the good times were at an end.
Phil Jones has lifted the lid on how Manchester United started to collapse from the moment Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Fergie stood down in 2013, bringing down the curtain on one of the greatest managerial careers of all time. Since then United have failed to win the Premier League or Champions League titles.
David Moyes succeeded Fergie – but lasted just 10 months before getting sacked. And former United star Jones admits the dressing room knew straight away that things wouldn’t work out with Moyes in charge.
Jones told BetMGM: “As a dressing room we sensed it almost straight away, that things weren’t right. It just didn’t have the same feeling as it had done. The likes of Giggsy (Ryan Giggs) and Rio (Ferdinand) were past their peaks, and a few of the others who had been at the core of what had made us so successful were not quite as good as they used to be.
“It just didn’t work. There were certain games where we played well and didn’t get over the line and everything around the club felt very different.
“It’s very hard to put into words but it almost felt like someone wasn’t there anymore and we were struggling to come to terms with that. I think everyone was a bit shocked by how it went. It was a really, really difficult period.
“It was really hard because we were the first squad in Manchester United’s history that wasn’t associated with winning. All of the squads before us won things and won them consistently, so having to come to terms with that was very challenging.
“I remember going to the games and I’d never felt pressure like it. We’d turn up and play a side we’d expect to beat comfortably nine times out of 10 as we’d done in previous seasons and we didn’t.
“Under Sir Alex you’d win most matches before you’d even gone out onto the pitch. You’d be standing in the tunnel literally thinking ‘we’ll beat these’ but that season under David Moyes that feeling just wasn’t there.
“It was fear and anyone who tells you it wasn’t is lying. It’s the fear of making a mistake, it’s the fear of passing the ball back to the goalkeeper and the crowd getting on your back and it’s the fear of not really wanting to receive a pass.
“When you’re playing for the biggest club in the world, you have to get over that fear, take risks and back yourself.
“The best players are the ones that in all honesty don’t care. Jude Bellingham doesn’t care at all if the crowd at the Bernabeu boos him when he gives the ball away, he’ll demand the ball again and show them what he can do.
“The top players have that mindset and unfortunately at that time us at Manchester United were scared of getting it wrong.”
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