Manchester United managers: Complete list of coaches in Red Devils' history

Sean Markus Clifford

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Manchester United managers: Complete list of coaches in Red Devils' history image

Manchester United have finally found their permanent solution to the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021, as Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has been announced as the 28th boss of any description in the history of the club. 

Old Trafford has been home to some of the best managers to grace the touchline in football. Figures such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby left a legacy that will never leave the hearts of supporters. 

As Ten Hag gears up to take charge of a club in desperate need of rejuvenation going into 2022/23, The Sporting News rounds up Manchester United's managers in modern times and their track records, alongside other bosses in the club's past and the trophies they won.

Manchester United's managers, years at the club and trophies won

*start of managerial records 1892: includes Newton Heath L&YR F.C. managers until 1902

Name of manager Years spent at Manchester Utd Trophies won at club Employment status (full-time/interim/caretaker
AH Albut 1892-1890 0 Full-time
James West 1900-1903 0 Full-time
Ernest Mangnall 1903-1912 5 Full-time
John Bentley 1912-1914 0 Full-time
Jack Robson 1914-1921 0 Full-time
John Chapman 1921-1926 0 Secretary-manager
Lal Hilditch 1926-1927 0 Player-manager
Herbert Bamlett 1927-1931 0 Full-time
Walter Crickmer 1931-1932 0 Full-time
Scott Duncan 1932-1937 1 Full-time
Walter Crickmer 1937-1945 0 Full-time
Matt Busby 1945-1969 13 Full-time
Jimmy Murphy 1958 0 Caretaker
Wilf McGuinness 1969-1970 0 Full-time
Matt Busby 1970-1971 0 Full-time
Frank O'Farrell 1971-1972 0 Full-time
Tommy Docherty 1972-1977 2 Full-time
Dave Sexton 1977-1981 1 Full-time
Ron Atkinson 1981-1986 3 Full-time
Alex Ferguson 1986-2013 38 Full-time
David Moyes 2013-2014 1 Full-time
Ryan Giggs 2014 0 Caretaker
Louis Van Gaal 2014-2016 1 Full-time
Jose Mourinho 2016-2018 3 Full-time
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 2018-2021 0 Full-time (caretaker 2018/19 until March)
Michael Carrick 2021 0 Caretaker
Ralf Rangnick 2021-present 0 Interim manager
Erik Ten Hag 2022 N/A Full-time

Post-Sir Alex Ferguson managers and trophies won

Delving into more detail, we take an in-depth look at the challenges United have faced after the departure of their ex-manager Ferguson, who won 38 trophies between 1986 and 2013 at the club. 

There have been fleeting moments of success in various competitions in the past nine years. However, sustaining regular silverware since the departure of the club's greatest-ever manager has proved hard to come by at Old Trafford. Undoubtedly, Ten Hag will look to bring the glory days back to Manchester in the coming years.

David Moyes

  • Trophies won: FA Community Shield 2013/14
  • Games: 51
  • Win ratio: 52.94%

On the departed Ferguson's wishes, David Moyes was appointed in May 2013 from Everton on a six-year deal to replace his fellow Scot in the Old Trafford hot seat. 

His time at the footballing giants didn't work out. Things started well for Moyes, with a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in the 2013 FA Community Shield final granting him his first and only trophy in his first competitive fixture in charge of the club.

Soon though, the Reds had lost 4-1 away to Manchester City before an embarrassing 2-1 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion set the tone for a dismal season.

January 2014 proved to be a particularly difficult month for Moyes, with his side exiting the FA Cup at the Third Round stage at home to Swansea City, followed by a devastating Capital One Cup semi-final loss to Sunderland on penalties, denying Moyes a further shot at Wembley silverware. 

Defeats in big games and unconvincing performances, combined with crashing out the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage to Bayern Munich, saw Moyes sacked after 10 months. Lying seventh in the table with four games to go, Ryan Giggs took the reins in caretaker charge until the end of the season. 

Louis Van Gaal

  • Trophies won: FA Cup 2015-16
  • Games: 103
  • Win ratio: 52.43%

In May 2014, Louis Van Gaal was confirmed as the new United boss and would go on to achieve moderate success in charge of the Premier League giants. With regards to the 2014/15 campaign, he managed to restore the Red Devils to the UEFA Champions League, finishing fourth in the table on 70 points, above Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

Cup competitions proved to be not so kind to the Dutch manager that year when he suffered humiliation in a 4-0 loss away to MK Dons in the Second Round of the League Cup.

Arsenal also eliminated United from the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage, however, on the whole, the season would be deemed as a step in the right direction due to achieving continental qualification. 

Come 2015/16, Van Gaal would agonisingly miss out on Champions League qualification to rivals Manchester City on goal difference. The Reds would also drop out of the 2015/16 Champions League at the group stage, transferring to the Europa League knockouts where they were beaten comfortably by rivals Liverpool in the Round of 16. 

Domestically in the cups, United were dumped out in the League Cup in a shock defeat to Middlesbrough in the Fourth Round on penalties. Nevertheless, there was some consolation for Van Gaal and his side in the form of the FA Cup, defeating Crystal Palace 2-1 in the final courtesy of an extra-time goal by Jesse Lingard. 

Van Gaal's spell will be remembered as one that restored some parity to the United cause, even though they did come up short across all competitions. 

Jose Mourinho

  • Trophies won: FA Community Shield 2016/17, League Cup 2016/17, Europa League 2016/17
  • Games: 144
  • Win ratio: 58.33%

Former Chelsea man Jose Mourinho was brought in to replace Van Gaal at the club in May 2016, with many eyebrows raised over his appointment owing to his strong allegiances with United's Stamford Bridge rivals.

Nevertheless, his 2016/17 campaign represents the most success in a single campaign that United have had since Ferguson left the club. Completing a treble success, Mourinho guided his men to a FA Community Shield, League Cup, and Europa League-winning season. 

Despite finishing a distant sixth in the Premier League, United qualified for the group stages of the Champions League the following year by virtue of beating Ajax 2-0 to claim their first Europa League title.

2015/16 league winners Leicester City were disposed of by a score of 2-1 to win the FA Community Shield, while United defeated Southampton 3-2 in the League Cup courtesy of a double from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a Lingard effort. 

Mourinho failed to win any trophies during the 2017/18 season, though his team did earn a second-place finish in the Premier League – their highest since 2012/13.

Unfortunately, things were soon to fall apart for the Portuguese maverick, as he was relieved of his duties in December 2018. After a disappointing run of results leaving them sixth in the 2018/19 campaign, alongside murmurings of discontent at the club at his failure to develop youth players and his style of football, he was let go in a decision that cost United about £18 million to enact.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

  • Zero trophies won – UEFA Europa League runners-up 2020/21
  • Games: 168
  • Win ratio: 54.17%

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as caretaker manager in 2018, eventually being appointed as full-time manager in March 2019 on a three-year contract after unexpectedly taking United past Paris St-Germain to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, as well as winning 14 from his first 19 games in charge. 

Come 2019/20, the Red Devils made the worst start to a league season in 33 years. However, he managed to turn their fortunes around and secure a third-place finish and UEFA Champions League football for the 2020/21 campaign after going unbeaten in the division from 1 February. The signing of midfielder Bruno Fernandes was an integral part of their transformation. 

Solskjaer also reached the League Cup and FA Cup semi-final stage, only to be beaten by Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.

The following year, United's upward domestic trajectory continued, finishing second in the Premier League behind City by 12 points. They once again suffered the same fate in the League Cup, losing to City in the semi-final. In the FA Cup, they were dumped out at the quarter-finals after a 3-1 defeat away to Leicester. 

Frustratingly, the Norwegian could also only manage a third-place finish in the Champions League group phase, dropping into the Europa League. In Europe's second continental competition, Solskjaer's men rallied to the final, losing in excruciating fashion to Villarreal by means of a penalty shoot-out. 

In 2021/22, after heavy defeats to Liverpool and Watford, Solskjaer was sacked bringing his tenure to an abrupt end in November 2021 being briefly replaced by Michael Carrick. 

Ralf Rangnick (interim manager 2021-present)

  • Zero trophies won
  • Games: 24
  • Win ratio: 41.67%

Ralf Rangnick took over from Carrick in November 2021 as interim manager until the end of the season and was tasked with trying to secure a top-four finish for United in the remainder of 2021/22 of which he has failed to do.

He has endured an indifferent spell as boss, being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup, while his side will now finish either sixth and enter the Europa League or seventh and play in the Europa Conference League next season. Ten Hag steps into his shoes in the summer of 2022.

Sean Markus Clifford