David Moyes opens up on Sheffield Wednesday job approach whilst Preston North End boss | OneFootball

David Moyes has opened up on his time as Preston North End manager

David Moyes has revealed that he turned down an opportunity to join Sheffield Wednesday as their manager during his time at Preston North End.

The Scot is currently out of work after his departure from West Ham at the end of the previous campaign.

The 61-year-old has enjoyed a lengthy career in management, which began with the Lilywhites in 1998, taking over from Gary Peters after previously being his assistant, as well as a player for the Lancashire outfit.

He spent four years in charge at Deepdale before joining Everton in 2002, and has since worked for clubs like Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland.

However, he has now revealed that he also had the opportunity to work elsewhere during his time with the Lancashire outfit prior to his move to Merseyside in March 2002 - a period in which the Scotsman was high in demand.

David Moyes makes Sheffield Wednesday admission

Moyes has revealed that he turned down multiple opportunities during his time with Preston, instead committing himself to the club over the four years before he finally decided to move on to Goodison Park.

He has admitted that Sheffield Wednesday approached him during their time in the Premier League, presumably after the March 2000 departure of Danny Wilson from the Hillsborough dugout.

Moyes also named Southampton and Nottingham Forest as managerial roles he turned down, as well as a chance to become assistant manager to Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United, although that would have been very early in the job he was doing at North End.

“Sheffield Wednesday were a Premier League team, had asked me would I take the job,” said Moyes, via PNE Pod: The Official Preston North End Podcast.

“Southampton had met me.

“Nottingham Forest. It sounds terrible, because it sounds like you’re going behind people’s back but I wasn’t, you know, and in the end I was really loyal [to Preston].

“Nottingham Forest flew me and met me in Nice to become the manager of Nottingham Forest at the time.

“So I was getting lots of opportunities to go into jobs.

“Probably the biggest one was when I was at North End where Sir Alex had asked me to become the number two at that time at Manchester United.

“Well there was only two of us, me and Steve McClaren, and he chose Steve McClaren. But I actually was quite happy because we were doing really well at Preston, going well, team was going well.

“It sounds terrible, the only real disappointment was that year Man United won the European Cup and I’m thinking, my goodness…”

David Moyes’ Preston North End stint

Moyes ended his playing career at Preston before hanging up his boots taking over the first-team squad in 1998.

The club finished 15th in the Second Division (League One) in his first half-campaign in charge, taking over in January to bring them to a mid-table finish.

He enjoyed great success in the years that followed, including bringing the Lilywhites back to the second tier of English football as they won the Division Two title in the 1999-2000 season.

Moyes guided PNE straight into the First Division play-offs in their first year back, but they were comprehensively defeated 3-0 in Cardiff by Bolton Wanderers, and less than a year later, Moyes departed in March 2002 for Everton after 234 games in charge.

Sheffield Wednesday must wonder 'What if?' amid David Moyes revelation

Moyes did an excellent job with Preston, establishing himself as an exciting, young coach, and he deservedly earned a move into the Premier League off the back of his work there.

North End were on the up under Moyes and he went on to further his career, but when Sheffield Wednesday likely approached Moyes, they were staring down the barrel of relegation.

Instead, Paul Jewell was appointed for the 2000-01 season back in the second tier of English football, but it would be a constant few years of decline in South Yorkshire, with Peter Shreeves, Terry Yorath and Chris Turner all having a go at the job, but ultimately in 2003 they would be relegated to the third tier.

Had they managed to convince Moyes to jump ship when he was still a third tier manager, then Wednesday's trajectory could've been a lot different - instead, it was a disappointing few years under a number of different managers who ultimately failed at their jobs.