The League Managers Association has branded Manchester United “unprofessional” for their treatment of David Moyes in the day before his sacking and accused them of betraying their historic values of loyalty and honesty in their handling of his exit.
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Moyes was dismissed on Tuesday and the LMA said the 50-year-old first heard about his departure through media reports on Monday, rather than from the club.
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And LMA chief executive Richard Bevan has criticised United in a strongly-worded denouncement of their conduct.
Bevan said in a statement: “The LMA is very disappointed with the nature of David's departure from Manchester United and to read extensive reports in the press, confirming David's sacking, before David himself had been spoken to officially by the club.
“Throughout his time at United, David, as he always does, has conducted himself with integrity and professionalism, values that he believes in and that have been strongly associated with the club and its rich tradition. It is therefore sad to see the end of David's tenure at United being handled in an unprofessional manner.”
Moyes has been voted Manager of the Year three times by his peers and Bevan predicted he will have a bright future and believes he will succeed elsewhere in the future.
He added: “David is one of the most talented, knowledgeable and dedicated managers in British football. He has a wealth of experience accumulated in a management career that started when he was 35 and already spans 16 years, with over 800 games in the professional game.
“David is a three-time winner of the LMA Manager of the Year Award, and without a doubt, he has a significant future in front of him in football management. He is passionate about the game and I know he possesses the drive and resilience to learn from this chapter of his career and move on to a new challenge in the game.”
However, the Guardian have reported that United have refuted that they were in any way culpable for the reports in the press, as reported by ESPN FC on Tuesday evening.
"We do not accept that it was handled in an unprofessional manner," a United spokesman said.
"The decision was not taken until late Monday night and was communicated face-to-face first thing on Tuesday morning. When reports started emerging on internet news sites on Monday afternoon, no decision had been taken at that time."