Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation

David Moyes says Sunderland want Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj

This article is more than 7 years old
Manchester United pair played under Moyes during his spell at Old Trafford
‘They’re excellent players,’ Sunderland manager says. ‘We’re interested’

David Moyes is keen to bring his former Manchester United players Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj to Wearside as he endeavours to break Sunderland’s cycle of annual relegation struggles.

Although Moyes accepts Fellaini – a long-standing, highly versatile favourite whom he signed for Everton in 2008 and took to Manchester United – may prove beyond his new club’s budget, he is more optimistic about Januzaj.

“I’d love to get that level of player, that’s my aim,” he said. “If those good players want to come to the north-east and join me I’ll drive down to Manchester and pick them up. I’d be happy to have them. They’re excellent players. We’re interested but I’m sure loads of other clubs are as well.”

Januzaj appears to be available after being left out of United’s training squad by José Mourinho last week and playing no part in the friendly against Galatasaray on Saturday, in which Fellaini played the second half and scored.

Moyes is also considering the former France midfielder Yann M’Vila and the USA right-back DeAndre Yedlin, who both enjoyed successful loan spells at the Stadium of Light last season, from Rubin Kazan and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.

The former Everton, Manchester United and Real Sociedad manager is relatively undaunted by Sunderland’s failure to make a signing so far this summer. That is partly down to the hiatus brought about by Sam Allardyce’s exit to manage England. The squad are alarmingly skinny with the only outright striker, Jermain Defoe, struggling to shrug off a thigh injury in time for the new season.

“We’ll get signings in,” Moyes said. “I’m confident. If you look at the transfers we had at Everton I think we had the best transfer record of any club in the Premier League. I hope to somehow replicate that.”

He aims to use Everton as a template and transform Sunderland into a top-half team. “I think I’ve got the fourth best winning record in the Premier League of all managers,” he said. “I want to better that record. Hopefully we can do a bit of an Everton. In my last eight years there I never finished outside the top eight.”

More immediately Moyes requires urgent reinforcements. “It’s obvious we need a new right-back, a centre-half and a centre-forward,” he said. “We’ve got to get those players in right away, just to make it work.”

Most viewed

Most viewed