Nairobi, Sep 12 (IANS): Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke has asked the club's fans to give new manager David Moyes time to build his own side away from the imposing shadow of retired Sir Alex Ferguson.

Yorke, who is on a three-day visit to Kenya, admitted that the English Premier League champions will struggle without the iconic manager who was in charge of the side for 26-and-half years before calling it a day at the end of last season after leading the Old Trafford outfit to their record 20th league title, reports Xinhua.

"It was always going to be challenging when Sir Alex Ferguson left the football club simply because of the legacy. No manager has been able to achieve how long he stayed there," Yorke said here Wednesday.

"His legacy, his presence and everything about the football club was surrounded by Ferguson. When he left, there was a big gap to be filled. Part of the reason I went to play for Manchester United was because of the man himself even though it was a big club

"Moyes having to fill Ferguson's boots will be big boots to fill and that takes time. He has been on the job for only three months and it is difficult for someone to be judged so quickly," said the Trinidad and Tobago national, who joined United from Aston Villa in a shock 12.5 million pound move in 1998.

He urged the current crop of players at the club, most who were signed by the immediate former manager, to give their all to the former Everton boss who has struggled to impose his methods on the English champions thus far in the season and at his first transfer dealings where Belgian Marounne Fellaini was the only star to arrive at Old Trafford in a late summer move.

"Let's hope the players and fans give him time to embed his ideas and for the whole Manchester United to get used to the David Moyes way. That will take sometime because of what Ferguson has done over the years he was there," said the treble winner with United in his first season at the club in 1999.

Yorke representing United as an ambassador is visiting Kenya to conduct coaching clinics and offer motivational talks under the club's partnership with Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) initiative, now in its third year.