Landon Donovan: David Moyes deserved more time at Manchester United

Landon Donovan, right, played for David Moyes at Everton on a pair of loan stints. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Count Landon Donovan among those who feel that

Landon Donovan, right, played for David Moyes at Everton on a pair of loan stints. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Count Landon Donovan among those who feel that David Moyes did not necessarily get a fair shake at Manchester United.

Donovan, who played under Moyes at Everton on a pair of loan spells in 2010 and 2012, said on Tuesday's SI Now that he thought Moyes deserved a bit more time to prove himself at Old Trafford. He was fired Tuesday morning with three games remaining in the Premier League season.

"I love David Moyes," Donovan told SI's Maggie Gray. "Not only as a manager but as a person. He was very good to me, brought me to Everton. I was very hopeful that he would do well at Manchester United. It's sad to see that he didn't get a little more time, but that's the way the world works these days. I'm sure he'll fall on his feet and do well." 

Moyes was given 51 matches in all competitions to try and fill the void left behind by iconic manager Sir Alex Ferguson. United is going to finish the season without a trophy and with its worst league standing in 23 years. Despite reports that the club is willing to spend big this summer to revamp its roster, Moyes won't be around to see that through. Veteran player Ryan Giggs is the interim manager until a permanent successor is named.

WILSON: Moyes unable to adapt in time to fit at Manchester United

"I think it would've been nice to give [Moyes] a little more time," Donovan said. "He inherited a group of players that weren't his own, so that's always difficult. I think over time when he was at Everton he showed that he's capable of putting a winning team on the field, but that's the way it goes, that's life and that's an unfortunate part of coaching.

"It's always going to be a difficult task following Sir Alex and everything he meant to that club. ... It'll be interesting to see what kind of manager they bring in. I think generally speaking when clubs in any sport make a change like this, you tend to go the opposite of what you had. So we'll see what they do. Someone's got some interesting decisions to make."

Donovan's Galaxy will play a Moyes-less Manchester United this summer in a friendly at the Rose Bowl on July 23.

Watch Donovan's full interview below: