Sir Alex Ferguson Way Routes More Pressure to Moyes' Door at Manchester United

If you are not a Manchester United supporter, you might not want to admit it, but one can't but help feel a pang of sympathy for David Moyes at the moment.

The Old Trafford manager was never going to face an easy task following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson after 26 years at the helm of the club.

Now he will have to contend with a new road at Old Trafford named in his successor's honour, as John Scheerhout of the Manchester Evening News reported, while Ferguson has also been given the freedom of Trafford.

Moyes is already sitting in a dugout which faces the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, while a statue of the 71-year-old resides at the front of the same area of the ground (via BBC Sport).

The latest tribute to Ferguson is thoroughly deserved, but the timing of its unveiling can hardly be described as ideal for Moyes.

When Moyes was announced as the man to succeed Ferguson before the end of the last Premier League season, there were plenty of dissenting voices mixing with the calls of support, most notably from the outgoing boss himself.

When Moyes officially took over on July 1, the spotlight became something else altogether.

The issue of Wayne Rooney's future was the hot topic at the time of Moyes' ascension to the United hotseat, but there then followed a disappointing transfer window in which a public chase of Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas and Athletic Club Bilbao's Ander Herrera all fell flat.

The fallout from the lack of transfer activity is still ongoing with Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay outlining the collapse of his move to the Premier League champions in the summer, as Gordon Tynan of The Independent (among others) reported on Monday morning.

Ultimately, Moyes ended up with just Marouane Fellaini added to his squad from former club Everton, and the intensity of the media glare was shared between Moyes and United chief executive Ed Woodward over the lack of new arrivals.

And, of course, United's form on the field was always going to be monitored closely.

A 4-1 opening-day victory at Swansea City augured well for the new regime, but subsequent defeats to Liverpool, Manchester City and then, worst of all, the home loss to West Bromwich Albion left United trailing the title contenders in 12th place in the league.

Adnan Januzaj inspired a 2-1 comeback victory at Sunderland before the international break, which lifted some of the gloom around United supporters and afforded Moyes some breathing space.

However, it is the spectre of Ferguson which is almost certainly the biggest burden Moyes has to deal with in his new role after 11 years at Goodison Park.

The ghosts of success at the Scot's first managerial appointment in Preston had long since left the Deepdale building, even though the legendary Sir Tom Finney sat in the stands regularly as Moyes guided the club to the old Second Division title in 2000 before taking the club to within 90 minutes of the Premier League, when they were beaten by Bolton in the Division One playoff final the following year.

The golden ages of 1970 and the mid-1980s at Goodison were well and truly over when Moyes made the move to Merseyside in March of 2002.

Everton supporters had endured two last-day escapes from relegation between their last title win in 1987 and the former Celtic defender's arrival. They were simply happy for the comfort of mid-table for a season or two.

Moyes excelled at both, but now all roads lead to the inevitable comparisons with Ferguson.

Sir Alex is a living legend at Old Trafford. Nobody could deny that after he shook the club out of its slumber and occasional FA Cup win to build a dynasty which won trophies across domestic and European competition.

But while Ferguson fully deserves the title of living legend and the plaudits which have followed, the naming of a road in his honour merely underlines the shadow he casts at Old Trafford.

Such public relations are a testament to the job done by the former boss since his appointment in 1986, but the timing will not help Moyes as he attempts to steer United on to a another highway to success.