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David Moyes has challenged West Ham to try and finish above Manchester United and in the top four as they go into their latest Premier League meeting above them in the table.

Moyes will return to Old Trafford on Saturday, hoping to lead West Ham to a win. His side go into the game two points above his former employers in the league. Although, Man Utd do have a game in hand.

But it is a sign of the ambition West Ham have been showing under Moyes, after also qualifying for Europe by the end of last season.

Now, Moyes wants West Ham to push one step further by making it into the top four. They currently occupy that last Champions League spot.

Ahead of the Man Utd visit, Moyes said: “There are not many managers who go to Old Trafford with their team above them in the league. When you think of Sir Alex as the manager and how hard it was for anybody to get in front of Manchester United…

“I am pleased to be in front of them. But what really matters is us getting three points and that we are ahead of them come the end of the season. And this time of the season it does not really matter that much.”

He added: “Our idea is to try and challenge those top four teams. We don’t necessarily see ourselves as quite there yet. But we want to try and challenge them. We want to try and have a good go at hanging in there.

“We missed it last year by two points. So the challenge to the players was to try and get those extra two points which might make it.

“Let’s be fair, the level of competition for those spots is very strong. Over recent years there have been quite a regular group of teams in there with the likes of Leicester and Tottenham in there at different times as well. So it is not an easy group to break into and we will try and keep hanging in there and see where we end up.”

Whenever Moyes returns to Old Trafford, there is the added element of him taking on a club where he struggled to succeed after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson.

But the West Ham manager has no ill feelings looking back on his time in Manchester. Instead, he is proud to have had the chance.

Only fond memories from Man Utd spell

He said: “When you go to the big clubs you get judged immediately and you have to expect that. I’ve said many times, it is a brilliant club. It was a great, great job to have and I am more disappointed in myself that in my period I couldn’t do a better job.

“Overall, as everybody has seen, Manchester United has had some of the best managers in the world, even in recent years, and it’s a tough job.

“It happens in football that you don’t always get it right. You don’t win all the games you should do at times. But I look back at it with really fond memories. The people I worked with, the players I had there, they were excellent players. I just could not get it to work at the time.”

And Moyes denied there is any extra motivation to prove himself just because his stint with Man Utd was not successful.

He replied: “No, it doesn’t really because not many people get offered the Manchester United job and to be offered it in the first place tells you exactly what you are thought of. At the time when I took the job, I was probably as ready for the job as anybody was.

“Maybe other reasons, like there were a lot of changes going on in the Premier League. Teams were changing teams, teams were evolving. Manchester United were changing and evolving; they just lost one of the best managers of all time and it was going to take a little bit of time to get it right.

“Unfortunately, I was the first one. But I wouldn’t change it. It was a great job and I was really proud to be offered the job.”

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Moyes provides West Ham updates

Turning his attention back to his current job, Moyes gave some availability updates for West Ham.

They may be able to call upon Tomas Soucek again after a recent spell out with coronavirus. Other positive cases and injury issues remain, though.

Moyes said: “We have COVID like everybody else, injuries as well. Tomas is back from COVID but not sure how ready he is so we need to assess that. Hopefully, we are not too bad.”

It would be helpful, hence, for West Ham to strengthen their squad in what remains of the transfer window.

Finding a new striker and a new centre-back are just two of their possible priorities.

Moyes said: “If things go right I am hopeful we will add a couple of players before the window closes.”

And when asked about interest in Liverpool defender Nat Phillips, his response was blunt.

“I don’t know why you would ask me about a player directly because I cannot give you an answer whether I was or I wasn’t. So you can take that as whatever answer you like.”

READ MORE: Moyes targets duo in £40m West Ham double deal to bolster attack and defence

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