Ex-Everton boss David Moyes urges David Unsworth to leave club if he is not given first-team job full-time 

  • David Unsworth takes on David Moyes's West Ham on Wednesday evening
  • Moyes managed former defender Unsworth during his time with Everton 
  • Unsworth has struggled over his seven games as Everton caretaker boss
  • But after his successes with Under 23s, Moyes thinks he needs a first-team post

David Moyes has urged David Unsworth to leave Everton to seek a full-time management position if he is not given the job at the Merseyside club. 

The pair meet on the touchline on Wednesday for the first time - assuming Everton's approach for Sam Allardyce is not completed before the game - with Moyes looking for his first win as West Ham manager.

Unsworth will oversee his eighth match in a disastrous spell as Everton's caretaker boss.

David Moyes has urged David Unsworth to seek out a first-team management job

David Moyes has urged David Unsworth to seek out a first-team management job

Unsworth is not expected to be given the Everton job after a difficult caretaker spell

Unsworth is not expected to be given the Everton job after a difficult caretaker spell

The former Toffees defender, 44, has lost five of seven games in charge since he took over from Ronald Koeman in October. Moyes knows his counter-part well. 


Unsworth played under the Scot for six years and scored 25 seconds into Moyes's first ever match in charge of Everton. After Unsworth left Everton in 2008, he returned four years later to become Under 23 coach, where he was hugely successful.

'I think now if he doesn't take the Everton job I would telling Unsy to go and manage somewhere and earn your corn,' Moyes said. 'If you want to move on go and get a job in the Championship or the first division and see where it takes you. 

'I think there has been a generation of really good players out there who I believe should go and manage and try and come up. I would say earn your stripes first and show you can organise so that you can control the team and show that your training works, all the things that are linked with management and leadership. 

But Moyes believes he can prepare himself for a big job with a spell in the Championship

But Moyes believes he can prepare himself for a big job with a spell in the Championship

'Why don't you go and do that and then get yourself prepared for the big job? But because the way the game has gone now there are a lot of them who don't want to put themselves out and take a job because if this doesn't work then they are done. 

'I still believe the best thing to do is to go out and trust yourself to win a few games wherever you go.' 

Moyes, however, does not believe Unsworth should give up hope of being handed the chance at Everton just yet. 

Everton have been criticised for failing to appoint a successor to Koeman five weeks after he was sacked and Unsworth has made it clear he would love the job on a permanent basis.

Moyes managed former Everton defender Unsworth when he was in charge at Goodison Park

Moyes managed former Everton defender Unsworth when he was in charge at Goodison Park

'I think one way or another David Unsworth will still be hoping he will still be Everton manager, and why should he not be?' Moyes said. 

'He has to do that. But if he doesn't get it, for Unsy he has done a very good job with Everton Under 23s, I think he won the league last year. They are up towards the top of the league and you look at the players Everton are bringing through - the Tom Davies of the world and a few more. 

'Maybe the next step is for Unsy is to try and get a decent job which would give him a chance of getting into the management level and get a few years under his belt.'