Former West Ham manager David Moyes has hailed under-fire Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez as one of the “very best”.
Moyes believes that managers like Benitez are being told that they are not “modern” enough for today’s game, and that there is always a rush to move managers like the Spaniard on if they are not able to adapt to the changes.
Despite criticism, he has heralded Benitez along with the likes of Steve Bruce, Martin O’Neill and Jose Mourinho, remarking on how the likes of Benitez have been “incredibly successful” for a long time now.
“I look at some of the managers who are being criticised, people like Jose Mourinho, Martin O’Neill, Steve Bruce and Rafa Benitez – I’d say they are up there with the very best,” he said, as quoted by the Telegraph.
“We see this happening to managers all the time when they get to a certain age. But these are managers who have been incredibly successful over a long period of time.”
OPINION
It is no surprise that Moyes has heaped praise on Benitez in the way that he has, as he has been one of the “very best”. Unfortunately, he has not been able to showcase that as much at Newcastle, but we know by now why that is the case. However, achieving what he has with the Magpies demonstrates just how much experience he has. Not many managers would be able to cope with limited transfer funds, but Benitez has made it look extremely easy. Yes, there is no doubting that Benitez is a great manager, but it is obvious that he would have thrived at a better club with better players. His future at United remains uncertain, but one thing is for sure – Newcastle will not be able to get themselves a boss with the same pedigree as Benitez if he leaves. Moyes is right – Benitez has been “incredibly successful”, and Newcastle are very lucky to have him.
