New Real Sociedad coach David Moyes has compared his management style to that of Jose Mourinho, while saying his new challenge is similar to that faced when he took over at Everton in 2002.
Moyes has returned to football with the Liga side eight months after being fired by Manchester United less than a year into his contract at Old Trafford.
The Scot takes over the Basque club with the team 15th in the Primera Division table, having won just two of their first 11 domestic games, while they were dumped out of the Europa League by FC Krasnodar in the qualifying stages.
Moyes was asked at his unveiling on Thursday whether his style of management was closer to that of ex-Real Madrid boss Mourinho or former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.
He responded by saying that his "tough" approach made him more similar to the current Chelsea manager, and also took the opportunity to compare his new challenge to the one he faced when arriving at Goodison Park over a decade ago with Everton struggling in the Premier League.
"Probably more like Mourinho," Moyes said with a smile. "I am tough with them [the players], I like to work hard. It is a great challenge but I have also had that in the past.
"I was at Everton for 11 years. They were in a situation similar to [Real Sociedad today], but we improved and today Everton is a club which is competing at all levels in the Premier League in England. I am hoping that I can do the exact same here. And all the vibes, all the messages I am getting, I do not see any reason why I cannot do that."
At the same event Txuri-urdin president Jokin Aperribay explained that first contact had been made with Moyes before predecessor Jagoba Arrasate was sacked on Nov. 2, but he rejected a reporter's suggestion that the Scot had taken a surprisingly long time to accept the job.
"The first time I saw him was on Oct. 30," Aperribay said. "[Usually] 10 days or a week is the minimum you can give for a coach with Moyes' prestige, who is coming from coaching a huge club like Manchester [United]. That conversation took us to two more conversations last week.
"I do not believe it was a long time, there were not debates, but many conversations about the club and the future and the Spanish league. It is normal that, between two people who do not know each other, that it takes time, so I do not think the negotiations were long or tough."
With reports claiming Moyes' salary is around six million euros [4.5 million pounds] a year, Aperribay said he would not reveal any financial details, while adding that such issues were not a big part of their conversations.
"I will not say what are the figures of the operation or his contract," he said. "But I will say they are within La Real's parameters. Financial issues were not the principal subject of the talks."
Moyes was chosen as he was seen as someone with the experience to get La Real's talented but currently underachieving squad competing with La Liga's big boys, according to Aperribay.
"We understood that this was the moment to demand more of ourselves, and for that we thought of someone on an international level, who knows football at the top level," he said. "We looked for that point of competitiveness. It is not a coincidence to beat [Real] Madrid and Atletico [Madrid this season]. La Real must compete and try to be up at the top of La Liga."