By Solomon Wise
October, 2024
Sir. Alex Ferguson is one of the most successful managers to coach a Premier League team and we are yet to see if any other manager can beat his success, he was the second longest-tenured manager in the Premier League managing Man United for almost 27 years. Sir. Alex led the team in winning 13 Premier League titles, five Football Association (FA) cups, and two UEFA Champions League titles including other domestic and international victories. Since the departure of the famous manager, ten years down the line Manchester United has employed six various managers, two caretakers and one interim manager. Still, none of them were able to achieve the succession of Ferguson. Sir. Alex led the team in 1,500 matches and he won 895 of the matches and lost 267 games, the fans can relate to Fergie’s time where at around the 82nd minute the United players could do anything in the name of winning the game especially if they were losing. Below is a list of the managers who have managed the team for a span of 11 seasons since Sir’s departure.
- DAVID MOYES – JULY 2013 to APRIL 2014
Manchester have never finished below the top three position in the Premier League under Sir. Alex regime, but the Scottish manager led the team to finish seventh which was considered as the worst season for the club since 1990. Moyes was recommended by Ferguson himself and United employed him for a six-year contract but Moyes did not even last for the whole season as he was sacked after 10 months of being in charge of the team and Ryan Giggs was appointed as the caretaker manager.
- RYAN GIGGS (CARETAKER) – APRIL to MAY 2014
The United legend spent his entire professional career as a Manchester United player winning 13 Premier League titles. He took over as a caretaker manager after the sacking of David Moyes, he only managed four games at Old Trafford. Giggs was both a substitute and a caretaker manager at the time but failed to secure a spot in the Champions League the following season for the first time in 25 years because they finished seventh in the League.
- LOUIS VAN GAAL – JULY 2014 to MAY 2018
The Dutch manager, when he took over there were lots of high expectations from him in restoring the Manchester United team. Van Gaal had his ideas and strategies for the team which helped the team qualify for the Champions League after finishing fourth in the 2014/15 season but later were knocked out in the early stages of the Champions League the following season even though United had big name signings the likes of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao. Van Gaal was sacked immediately after winning the FA Cup at Wembley to pave the way for Jose Mourinho.
- JOSE MOURINHO – MAY 2016 to DECEMBER 2018
The special one was one of the most successful managers since Ferguson’s departure, in his first season he won the Carabao Cup and the Europa League. Although they finished sixth in the 2016/17 Premier League season they qualified for the UEFA Champions League due to the Europa League victory, the signings of Paul Pogba, Henrik Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic made Mourinho shine as the Red Devils boss. During his second season at Old Trafford, things started going south for Mourinho as he was beaten by Sevilla in the Champions League round of 16 and was knocked out. Manchester United were second in the Premier League table 19 points behind leaders Manchester City and the Portuguese coach was sacked halfway through the season.
- OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER – DECEMBER 2018 to NOVEMBER 2021
The former Manchester United player tried to bring hope to the fans after a 4-0 win over Chelsea at the start of the 2019/20 season, he led to an iconic comeback in the Champions League when they beat PSG in their away fixture when fans started describing him as ‘Ole on the wheels’. The Red Devils lost to Sevilla in the Europa League semi-finals and were later knocked out by Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, they also failed to clinch the Europa League Cup in the 2021 finals when they lost to Villarreal on penalties. The Norwegian coach was criticized and was sacked and Michael Carrick took over as a caretaker manager.
- MICHAEL CARRICK (CARETAKER) – NOVEMBER to DECEMBER 2021
The former Red Devils player took charge as the caretaker manager at Old Trafford for only three games before moving to Middlesbrough as a full-time manager. Although Carrick was unbeaten in the three matches earning wins over Villarreal and Arsenal and a draw against Chelsea, he left his caretaker role to look for greener pastures.
- RALF RANGNICK (INTERIM) – DECEMBER 2021 to MAY 2022
The German took over after Solskjaer departed from Old Trafford and it was not an easy task for him as the interim manager, out of the 29 matches in charge he managed to win 11 and lost 10. Ralf led United to finishing sixth in the League, he wanted to continue being at United in a consultancy role but that was not the case by the United’s board and he left to take charge of the Australian national team.
- ERIK TEN HAAG – MAY 2022 to date……..
The current Manchester United boss is facing a lot of criticism due to a poor start to the 2024/25 season where they sit at number 14 in the League with only two wins in their first seven opening fixtures, they have not won any game in their two Europa League fixtures also. The return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the theatre of dreams was very welcoming to the fans but his surprising departure was also shocking due to some disagreements and misunderstandings with his boss. The Dutch manager helped United lift the Carabao Cup for the first time in five years and the FA Cup against Manchester City on 25 May 2024. Though his contract is supposed to end in 2026, we will wait and see if he will hold on to his role without being sacked.
What is your take on the current Manchester United form?
Solomon Wise is a videographer with over 7 years of experience. When not writing on Respbet he works for various projects in graphics design and videography
