DAVID MOYES has admitted that he was close to rejecting a move back to West Ham in 2019.
The Hammers boss said that he felt “hurt” when the club decided not to renew his contract at the end of the 2017/18 season.
Instead, Manuel Pellegrini took over and remained in charge until he was sacked at the end of 2019.
West Ham approached Moyes to take over once again after Pellegrini’s departure, but the 58-year-old was slightly reluctant due to his previous treatment.
As a result, he was “very, very close” to making a move back to Goodison Park to take over at Everton.
However, he made a triumphant return to the London Stadium and turned things around dramatically.
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In an interview with The Athletic, he said: “It has been a great move for me and I’m really enjoying it — a great group of players, a really good club with huge potential.
“I’m so glad I was given a second chance at West Ham because the first time I was here they didn’t keep me.”
He also revealed that he was shocked when the club did not extend his contract during his first spell.
He added: “I actually thought we’d done a decent job.
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“We’d done enough and I’d started to make plans to prep for the new season and all the things that were going on, so I was surprised — I’ve got to say — that we didn’t.
“But I had no problem with David Sullivan when he picked up the phone and said to me about coming back. I had no problem at all.
“He was big enough to do that. He never said he made a mistake but he was big enough to come back to me and I’ve got to say it’s been a really good chance for me and I’ve been grateful for the opportunity.”
Moyes is now pushing for European success with the Hammers.
His side recently came from behind to defeat Sevilla and progress to the Europa League quarter-finals where they will take on Lyon.
A place in the top four of the Premier League is also not completely off the cards – the club currently sit seventh in the table, just six points away from the Champions League places.