The Scot, now Sunderland manager, insists that he was not given a fair crack of the whip at Old Trafford, but maintains that his spell at the club made him better

David Moyes believes he was harshly treated by former club Manchester United as he looks ahead to his tenure with Sunderland.

Fronting the media as Sunderland manager, Moyes opened up on his time at Old Trafford, where he was sacked less than a season into a six-year deal with the Premier League giants.

However, Moyes – who was ultimately replaced by Louis van Gaal ahead of the 2014-15 campaign – has now hit back at his former employers after his move to the Stadium of Light.

“I’ve said all along that I was (unfairly treated). When you sign a six-year contract and you end up there ten months, yeah, I believe I was,” said the Scot.

“But that is life in football. Ultimately the key is to win football matches. I didn’t win enough football matches.

“You must say there were mitigating circumstances. And I think you could say there are maybe things that have gone on since then, that would actually justify that even more so.”

Nevertheless, Moyes believes that his brief spell at United did wonders for his career.

“It gave me an unbelievable idea of what it is at the top,” he added.

“I believe that’s where I can work and that’s where I should be working, and my level is that, because that is what I saw in the time I was there.

“You don’t get offered those jobs, you don’t get offered big jobs, if you’ve not done something. You don’t get offered the Real Madrid job, the Barcelona job, the Manchester United job, if you’ve not had something to suggest that there’s a reason for that job.

“Yeah I am better [as a manager]. I have had several opportunities, big ones, but timing is so positive. The timing for this job at Sunderland was right. It feels good to me.”

After being fired from Old Trafford, Moyes went on to coach Real Sociedad in La Liga, where he was also sacked after a promising start.