Everton indebted to Moyes, man of destiny

Few people on the Côte d'Azur last summer can have been lying back and thinking of spending a Sunday afternoon on Merseyside. Yet for Sir Alex Ferguson, he and Manchester United are exactly where he expected them to be today.

For David Moyes and Everton, it is foreign territory. The new Premiership champions stand between them and a return to Europe after a nine-year exile. The date, however, has been ringed in the Everton manager's calendar for 11 long months – because Fergie told him.

"We met on holiday in the South of France last summer," explains Moyes. "Sir Alex's first words were 'We've got you at Goodison on the last day of the season.' It was mid-June and most managers wind down by that time. Possibly they can tell you who they play in the first game of the new season, but he could rhyme off all United's fixtures. Nothing escapes his notice, he's always thinking ahead."

Moyes, of course, could have been the crown prince to Old Trafford's king. Ferguson courted his fellow Scot for the assistant manager's role a few years ago when Moyes was at Preston North End.

The younger man, however, preferred to pursue his own destiny. Everton have been the beneficiaries and there is little doubt that if Fergie had not reclaimed the title from Arsenal to seal the Manager of the Year award, then Moyes would have been a strong contender for the prize.

Last year, he kept them up. Now, in his first full season, Moyes has transformed Everton from perennial relegation flirts to a side that can embrace the Uefa Cup if they win today.

"It's only two weeks ago that we were in the scrap for the last remaining Champions' League place," Moyes says ruefully, recalling painful defeats against Chelsea and Liverpool. "However, I think it's a reflection on how far we've come that our fans are now disappointed to finish the season behind Liverpool.

"This time last year, Liverpool were not even in our league. We have jumped from a side that finished 14th to one that could be in the top six. We have competed with and matched those top teams all season.

"Now we've got one game to do it and we have to beat the new champions. Still, I'd much rather meet them in these circumstances than having them needing to win here to secure the title. It's fitting that we're playing United. There has been so much talk about Everton this season, but Sir Alex still sets the benchmark for us all.

"People were thinking he had his day, but he remains a fantastic manager. The way he turned United around, especially after that day at Maine Road when they lost against City. Arsenal were the best team in the Premiership until two months ago but Fergie has got the best out of his players. It has been a massive achievement for him because of the disappointment in the Champions' League and all the off-the-field stuff.

"It's flattering if people think I've done that good a job. You do the best you can, with what resources you have available to you. However, I am also a believer in the best managers having the best players and we have a few of those at Goodison." None more so than Wayne Rooney. England's most precocious footballer has mirrored his manager's impact on their first season together, but Moyes would prefer the 17-year-old to be heading for the beach next week instead of joining Sven Goran Eriksson's England squad in Durban for the friendly international against South Africa.

"Wayne has had a few games recently where he has not fulfilled his potential but people don't want to to hear that from me," said Moyes. "It's one of the reasons I want to protect him from overuse. His body is still growing. He has had his best impact when coming on as a substitute. I expect him to be better next season and I expect Everton to grow too."

The most expensive red the wine-lover Ferguson will lift this summer is unlikely to be restricted to his cellar, but Moyes knows he will have to settle for Beaujolais nouveau. "We won't be spending wildly on new players but I know what I want."