David Moyes 'disappointed' at Sociedad sacking, turned down summer job offers

The former Manchester United and Everton manager's bid to resurrect his career in Spain ended in failure when Sociedad rescinded his contract following a defeat at Las Palmas which left the Basque club hovering just above the relegation places.

Moyes, 52, who was sacked by United in April 2014, was replaced by former Celta Vigo and Barcelona B coach Eusebio Sacristan with the team in similar dire straits to when the Scot took over a year ago.

In his first public comments since he was dismissed, Moyes said he regretted not being able to see out his contract, which ran until the end of the season.

He said he had "turned down a number of job opportunities in recent months" without specifying what they were.

"When I accepted the job as manager of La Real last November, my remit was to avoid relegation and retain the club's La Liga status," Moyes said in a statement published by the League Managers Association (LMA) on Tuesday.

"We succeeded in attaining that target and finished 12th in the table," he added.

"I feel that we made significant progress last season. Despite some positive performances from our team, results have not gone our way in recent weeks.

"However, I was confident we would finish in a strong position by the end of the season."

Moyes was considered a risky appointment by some in Spain because of his limited knowledge of La Liga and inability to speak the language, and he was criticised for not making more of an effort to learn Spanish.

He said he felt he had learned from working outside England.

"After spending 12 years in the Premier League as manager of Everton and Manchester United, I was keen to take the opportunity to work abroad and have learnt a great deal from the experience," he said.

[STORY: David Moyes sacked by Real Sociedad]

[BLOG: Time for David Moyes to return to England - and prove critics wrong]

On balance, David Moyes can have few real gripes over his sacking. Yes, he achieved last season’s remit of avoiding relegation but this season his side have been struggling badly despite the club investing heavily over the summer, with Asier Illarramendi and Jonathas brought in at considerable cost. They sit 16th in the table with nine points after 11 games and would be in the relegation places were it not for their superior goal difference.

No doubt Moyes did indeed receive offers in the summer; and given his side's performance over the past three months, you might think it would be a little while before his phone would ring once again. But Moyes is reportedly the top target at Leeds United, and with a takeover in the offing it might prove a good fit. Quite how United fans would react to that appointment should it go ahead, however, scarcely bears thinking about: having taken a Premier League-winning side to seventh place in the next season, joining one of United's bitterest rivals would be an extraordinary step.