Tuesday 2 August 2016 15:20, UK
David Moyes insists he was unfairly treated at Manchester United as he begins his new role at Sunderland.
The Scot was sacked less than a season into a six-year contract after succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, with United finishing that 2013-14 campaign outside the European places in seventh.
He then struggled at Spanish side Real Sociedad as well - but saw United make only limited improvements under his successor Louis van Gaal, finishing fourth and then fifth before the Dutchman gave way to Jose Mourinho this summer.
Moyes maintains he was the right man for the job after Ferguson's departure, having led Everton from the lower reaches of the Premier League into European contention.
"You don't get offered those big jobs - Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United - for no reason," he told several national newspapers.
"I've said all along I was unfairly treated there. When you sign a six-year contract and you end up with 10 months ... yeah, I believe I was.
"I didn't win enough football matches but you must say there were mitigating circumstances. And I think you could say there are maybe things which have gone on since then that would actually justify that even more so.
"What my time at Manchester United gave me is an unbelievable idea of what it is at the top. I believe that's where I can work and that's where I should be working, and my level is that."
The experience has not stopped him considering transfer moves for his former United players Marouane Fellaini - who also played under him at Everton - and Adnan Januzaj.
Sunderland have yet to make a single addition to their first-team squad since narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League, with departures and injuries leaving them worryingly light on numbers with less than a fortnight to go before the start of the new season.
