Everton defender Phil Jagielka has expressed his sympathy for Manchester United manager David Moyes.

The England international believes that his former boss was not given sufficient backing in the transfer market when he took over at Old Trafford.

Moyes has found himself under mounting pressure after a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of his former club left United off the pace in the Premier League title race.

"I do feel sorry for him," The Mirror quotes Jagielka as saying. "The transfers in the summer, the people who were making those decisions, didn't help him out one bit.

"The pressure was always going to be high. From being at Everton, where the pressure was not so big initially, he could then grow into the season.

"You can't grow into the season at Manchester United. You need to come out firing on all cylinders, when you look at how Arsenal have started and Chelsea and teams like that. You can't give them too much of a lead."

Jagielka went on to say that Moyes is capable of turning United's fortunes around, and returning the club to its former glory.

"I'm sure he'll roll his sleeves up and get the guys moving in the right direction. I'm more than sure he'll get Manchester United where they need to be. He just needs that little bit more time," he added.

"But sometimes, time seems a hard thing to get when you are at that top level. He has some great players in the squad. He just needs to add a few more players that he wants.

"Once he gets that sorted and he gets more of his team rather than a team he's been given, that's the acid test for him."

Moyes signed Jagielka for Everton from Sheffield United in 2007.