Ranking United’s Post-Fergie Managers

But for whatever reason, INEOS decided to stick with the embattled manager for a little bit longer.  Why?  Is it because INEOS simply weren’t prepared for this eventuality and don’t have another alternative?  Or is this part of some protracted humiliation ritual?  Carrick looks like a husk of a man at the minute, projecting less confidence with every passing minute.

Despite INEOS’ surprising declaration of ‘confidence’ in Carrick, I thought it would still be interesting to go ahead with my ranking.  A Christmas miracle notwithstanding, I don’t see how Carrick can turn this ship around.  So, I will just place Carrick in the ranking with a little Asterix next to him.  Also, I have only included bosses who had 20+ games in charge (so no Giggs, Van Nistelrooy or Fletcher).  Enjoy. 

8. Ruben Amorim (November 2024- January 2026)

Winning %: 38.10

Trophies: 0

Highest League Finish: 6^th (2025/2026- left the club in January)

Steve McClaren- regardless of anything he does in the rest of his footballing career- will forever be known as the ‘Wally in the Brolly’ (a reference to his ignominious end as England manager).  The image of Ruben Amorim refusing to watch United go out on penalties against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup is similarly evocative.  There must have been millions of United fans screaming ‘get that mug out the dugout’.  Probably the worst manager in United’s history, Amorim’s obstinate refusal to deviate away from his doomed 3-4-3 formation was the stuff of madness.  Amorim led the club to a worst Premier League finish of 15^th.  Perhaps even more depressingly, he would go on to lose the Europa League final…..to Spurs!  In Harry Potter terms, that is tantamount to throwing an Unforgivable Curse (he made United Spursy that night). 

7. Ralf Rangnick (December 2021- May 2022)

inning %: 37.93

Trophies: 0

Highest League Finish: 6^th (2021/2022- took over in December 2021)

I remember when the footie hipsters were rejoicing at the news that Ralf Rangnick- the Godfather of Gegenpressing- was coming in as United’s interim manager following Sojskjaer’s termination (and Carrick’s first outing as caretaker manager).  They were in for a surprise.  To be fair, Wreck-it Ralf was given zero support by the United board, who rejected every one of his proposed targets (which included the likes of Haaland and Diaz).  The squad- who were used to playing on the counterattack under Ole- were not cut out for his high-intensity press (just ask CR7).  Regardless, his win percentage was still worse than Amorim.  I know lots of United fans see him as some type of martyr for saying the club needed ‘open-heart surgery’.  I think he was just stating the obvious. 

6. David Moyes (July 2013- April 2014)

Winning %: 52.94

Trophies: 1 (Community Shield)

Highest League Finish: 7^th (2013/2014- was fired in April before the end of the season)

With all the turmoil of recent seasons, it’s easy to forget that Moyesy (said in a harsh Mancunian accent) was the guinea pig for United’s post-Fergie struggles.  Earmarked by Sir Alex to be his successor, David Moyes was really on a hiding to nothing.  It also didn’t help that Moyes inherited an aging squad that had only won the previous season due to Van Persie’s outrageous output (Tom Cleverley was a big part of that title-winning campaign).  Moyes brought a mid-table mentality to an elite club, setting the team up too pragmatically while referring to the likes of Man City and Liverpool as favourites in key clashes.   In many ways, the attitudinal shift under Moyes laid the foundation for the horrors to follow. 

5. Michael Carrick (Two Spells: November 2021- December 2021, January 2026- October 2026) *

Winning %: 48.3

Trophies: 0

Highest League Finish: 3^rd (2025/2026- took over in January this year)

Does anyone really think that Carrick can turn things around?  Letting him continue as United manager feels like some kind of cruel social experiment (like the Hunger Games for failing coaches).  Pep Guardiola could come in with Kane, Mbappe and Yamal and would probably still struggle to get a tune out this club (it’s that broken).  Let’s just take a step back and focus on the positive.  Michael Carrick’s Man United took more points than any other club in the 2^nd half of last season.  He released the club from Amorim’s rigid 3-4-3 fixation, returning United to a more familiar 4-2-3-1 shape that exploited the explosive pace of Mbeumo and Cunha.  He also freed up Bruno to break the all-time assists record.  You could make a compelling argument that the 2^nd half of last season was the best that United have played post-Fergie.  But the house of cards has fallen in dramatic fashion this season, as poor investment and unacceptably poor fitness levels have seen them produce their worst league start in 40 years.  Carrick has been a deer in the headlights, taking far too long to make seemingly obvious in-game changes.  There are just too many problems here for Carrick and he will be out the door if they get slapped by Chelsea. 

4. Louis Van Gaal (July 2014- May 2016)

Winning %: 52.43

Trophies: 1 (FA Cup)

Highest League Finish: 4^th (2014/2015)

Louis van Gaal’s arch-pragmatism was never going to sit well at a club that has feasted on the likes of Best, Cantona and Ronaldo.  But boy, what most United fans wouldn’t give for a bit of boring old Van Gaal right now.  Van Gaal’s extremely cautious, possession-based style brought Premier League finishes of 4^th and 5^th.  He also broke a 12-year FA Cup drought when he guided the Red Devils to cup glory in 2016.  I just don’t think his style was ever going to work at a club that loves its mavericks.  Van Gaal once said, ‘I do not want players to be intuitive’.  Those are blasphemous words in Theatre of Dreams. 

3. Erik ten Hag (May 2022- October 2024)

Winning %: 54.69

Trophies: 2 (1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)

Highest League Finish: 3^rd (2022/2023)

Erik ten Hag’s eventual failure was proof that the United job was truly cursed.  Experienced campaigners such as Van Gaal and Mourinho had been axed.  The chosen British successor- Moyes- had failed.  Even a former club legend- Solsjkaer- would go down with the ship.  Ten Hag- and later Amorim- would prove that even Europe’s hottest young managers weren’t immune to United’s toxicity.  Ten Hag enjoyed a stellar first season, guiding the Red Devils to 3^rd in the league while adding silverware in the League Cup.  But tactical stubbornness and poor recruitment led to a sharp decline in his 2^nd season.  Ten Hag publicly fell out with CR7, resulting in that repellent interview with Piers Morgan that amounted to little more than bullying.  His overreliance on Ajax talent led to the disastrous signings of Antony and Onana.  That 2023/2024 FA Cup triumph over Man City papered over the cracks.  Still, a 3^rd place finish and multiple trophies must mean something. 

2. Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer (December 2018- November 2021)

Winning %: 54.17

Trophies: 0

Highest League Finish: 2^nd (2020/2021)

All he needed was one trophy.  Honestly, I think one trophy could have been the difference in Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s stint as Manchester United boss.  The Norwegian brought a genuine feelgood factor back to the Stretford End, picking up 3^rd and 2^nd place finishes in his first two full seasons in charge.  He alleviated some of the post-Jose toxicity and fostered a positive team culture.  He cultivated a breathtaking counterattacking style in the big games, beating Guardiola’s City three times in one season while memorably taking down PSG in Paris.  He just lacked a killer instinct in some of the defining cup games, losing his first four semifinals across three different competitions.  He won his 5^th semifinal, beating Roma in the 2020/2021 Europa League semifinals.  He unfortunately couldn’t parlay that into a trophy, memorably losing on penalties to Villarreal.  I think the trajectory of his stewardship would have been different had he won one or two of those early cup competitions.  Still, he gets top marks for bringing the vibes.    

1. Jose Mourinho (May 2016- December 2018)

Winning %: 58.33

Trophies: 3 (1 Europa League, 1 League Cup, 1 Community Shield)

Highest League Finish: 2^nd (2017/2018)

People scoffed at Mourinho when he stated that finishing 2^nd in the 2017/2018 Premier League season (a full 19 points behind City) was the greatest achievement in his managerial career.  He cryptically said that ‘people didn’t understand what was going on behind the scenes’.  Was that a critique of his club or perhaps a minor revelation of City’s villainy?  You be the judge.  In any event, Mourinho enjoyed the greatest debut season for any United manager, becoming the first United boss to win two major trophies in their debut campaign (he won EFL Cup and Europa League to go with the Community Shield).  He then produced that runner-up finish in the 2017/2018 season.  Then things took on an all-too familiar pattern, as the ego-driven manager fell out with key players and helped facilitate a toxic work environment.  The football was sterile and he didn’t seem overly interested in nurturing the younger talent.  Still, three trophies and a runner-up finish in little over two years; that would earn you a statue right now.  Also, Man City’s recent guilty verdict introduces the remote possibility that he could very well claim that 2017/2018 Premier League title.