Moyes investigated over wine bar assault

Ex-Manchester United manager, David Moyes, is being investigated by Lancashire police over allegations he attacked a man outside a wine bar he was drinking in.

The assault is reported to have happened just after 10pm on Wednesday night at the Emporium wine bar in Clitheroe.

Witness said that a young man subjected Moyes to a barrage of taunts about the poor performance of the Premier League side during his tenure, as well as his subsequent sacking a mere nine months after taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson.

The man, so far identified as Joshua Gillibrand, is said to have suffered a bruised shoulder and “lump on the side of the head” in an ensuing scuffle which overturned a table.

Another witness said that Moyes and the small group of men he was with went straight into the bar and ignored the abuse and it was only when one of that group (not Moyes) came back outside that there was a minor altercation.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “Officers attended the bar at about 10pm on Wednesday, 21 May and it was reported that a 23-year-old local man had been assaulted by a 51 year old man. He did not require hospital treatment.

“Inquiries are ongoing and we are speaking to a number of people to try to establish the circumstances. There are a number of differing accounts which we need to work through to try to establish exactly what has happened. No-one has been arrested at this stage.”

Moyes presided over a disappointing season for Manchester United having taken over from Ferguson who had been at the club for just over 20 years.

He has been replaced by Dutchman, Louis van Gaal, who will take over this July.

Ferguson’s wine collection is to be auctioned in Hong Kong this weekend.