Former Manchester United David Moyes has revealed that he had planned moves for both Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas during his sole season in charge at Old Trafford.

The former Evertonian took up the United job in the summer of 2013 after Sir Alex Ferguson called time on his 26-year reign.

The 54-year-old, however, could not make much of his time at United after he was sacked in less than 10 months with the club placed seventh on the Premier League table. Speaking to The Mirror, the Scot admitted that he was at fault for the club's dismal performance, but things could have been different, had he been able to land his prime targets.

He said: "We were in for Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas. They were genuine targets, but for one reason or another we didn’t get them over the line. Getting them would have been the perfect start in terms of reshaping the squad I inherited. I accept totally that when you are manager of Manchester United, you have to win. I didn’t win enough. But I don’t think there is a manager out there who would have been able to do something better or quicker in the time I was given. It was all about small margins."

Moyes has since endured difficult periods in management with both Real Sociedad and Sunderland but insists that he holds no regrets over exiting Everton in the first place. The Merseyside club have endured an indifferent spell since Moyes' departure, and they are currently lingering in the bottom half of the table under coach Ronald Koeman.

On the other hand, Manchester United have grown step-by-step after Moyes' exit, and they are currently back to their near best with Jose Mourinho transforming the squad with the financial backing. The Red Devils are on 19 points after just seven games into the season, and they are just cross-town rivals Manchester City, who lead the standings on goal difference.