Despite turning Everton into perennial Premier League overachievers, despite being hand-picked to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, winning European silverware with West Ham United remains David Moyes’ proudest moment in management.

Moyes danced a joyous jig on that wonderful Prague night back in 2023; masterminding a 2-1 Europa League Conference victory over Fiorentina and securing West Ham United their first piece of continental glory in 58 years.

Former West Ham United manager David Moyes wins FWA award

Moyes was honoured in Manchester on Monday evening. After over 1,200 games across nearly 30 years in charge of six different clubs, the 63-year-old Glaswegian took home the northern equivalent of a trophy which counts West Ham icons Ron Greenwood and Trevor Brooking among its past recipients.

“I’m really grateful to the North West sports writers for the award. I don’t know if it makes you know you’re getting old when you get to this stage and that’s the award you get, but I have to say, throughout my career I’ve always enjoyed working up here,” Moyes said, broadcast via the Football Writers’ Association YouTube channel.

“But probably my best moment came when I was down in London with West Ham and winning a European trophy.”

Despite sitting four points above the relegation zone after eight matches, Moyes is a man under pressure among the Everton supporters. Not for the first time in recent times, questions are being asked about his pragmatic style of football and an apparent reluctance to take a chance on the young talent at his disposal.

Of course, West Ham know all too well what life post-Moyes can look like; from Conference League champions to the Championship in three years. The phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ comes to mind, even if criticism of Moyes’ often risk-averse tactics and team selection are understandable.

And though the lack of minutes afforded to Hayden Hackney, Tyler Dibbling and co remains a cause of consternation among some sections of the Everton fans, it was Moyes who gave Declan Rice his big break at the London Stadium, not to mention Wayne Rooney at Everton.

Moyes looks back on Declan Rice’s West Ham rise

“Wayne was just an incredible talent. I remember taking over the job from Walter Smith, and Walter Smith saying to me, ‘You’ll be very lucky. You’ve got a boy in the academy who’s very good’,” Moyes recalls, Rooney now Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer and Rice the captain of his Conference League-winning team.

“Quite often as managers you hear that a lot and you go, ‘Yeah, heard that before, you’ve got somebody…’ But I have to say Wayne was an incredible player from such a young age.

“And then I was really fortunate when I went to West Ham. Declan was on the way through, probably playing a bit more at centre-half than midfield at the time. He’s gone on to develop into an incredible player for both team and country.

“Sometimes as a manager you need a good bit of luck, because you need good players sometimes to make it work. I’ve been really fortunate that the three you named were very much part of either playing with or managing.”