Manchester United have had eight coaches since Sir Alex Ferguson, but three of them were temporary appointments. José Mourinho has been the most successful in terms of trophies, while his win percentage is topped only by Michael Carrick, who had only three games in charge.
Sir Alex Ferguson spent 27 years in charge at Manchester United, but since he left in 2013, the Red Devils have had eight managers – one of whom (Ralf Rangnick) was an interim manager who had 29 games in charge and two of whom (Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs) were caretaker bosses with even less time at the helm.
For the purpose of these rankings of the best bosses, since Ferguson departed, only managers with at least 50 games in charge of Manchester United have been considered, as Rangnick, Carrick and Giggs did not have sufficient time to impact the club.
- José Mourinho (2016-2018)
Mourinho brought a more steady stream of silverware back to Manchester United with an EFL Cup, Community Shield, and Europa League title in his first season.
In 2017-18, he led United to a second-place finish in the Premier League, their highest post-Ferguson finish at the time.
Despite his tenure being turbulent towards the end, Mourinho was the only manager post-Ferguson to win major trophies and simultaneously get United close to challenging for the Premier League title. His pragmatism worked in the short term, giving the club much-needed success after the struggles of previous managers. His win percentage of 58.33% has been topped only by caretaker boss Michael Carrick since Ferguson’s departure.
- Erik Ten Hag (2022-present)
Ten Hag started off well, guiding Manchester United into third place in the 2022/23 Premier League season after their lowly sixth-place finish in the previous campaign and also winning the League Cup that season.
However, United were poor in 2023/24. Despite winning the FA Cup, they finished an embarrassing eighth place in the Premier League. They have started the 2024/25 season off poorly with major signings failing to deliver.
However, Ten Hag’s respectable win percentage of 55.2%, combined with his two cups, means he takes second place.
- Louis van Gaal (2014-2016)
After the ignominy of dropping out of European football in their first season after Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, Manchester United recovered under van Gaal and clinched fourth place in the Premier League in his first season, 2014/15.
In 2015/16, they dropped out of the top four, finishing fifth, but van Gaal steered them to their first major trophy in the post-Ferguson era – the FA Cup.
- Ole Gunnar Solskjær (2018-2021)
The Norwegian former United striker briefly improved the team after Mourinho’s departure in late 2018. At his peak, he led United to second place in the 2020/21 Premier League.
However, United continued to fail to win major trophies. As a result, even though his win percentage of 54.17% was better than van Gaal’s, he did not do enough to claim third place on our list.
- David Moyes (2013-2014)
Moyes’ tenure was brief, lasting less than a full season. He struggled to maintain the standards set by Sir Alex Ferguson, finishing seventh in the Premier League, United’s lowest finish in the Premier League era at that point.
Moyes faced the impossible task of replacing Ferguson but was too quick to undo his fellow Scot’s structures at the club. He was not able to galvanise the squad or implement his own style. United’s performances were often lethargic, and he was sacked before the end of the 2013/14 season due to the rapid decline in form which saw them miss out on UEFA Champions League qualification after having won the Premier League title in Ferguson’s last season in charge.
The Community Shield aside, Moyes did not win major trophies, so there is little he can point to in order to redeem his United legacy.
