Post-Fergie era: Manchester United managers and their mixed fortunes

In the post-Alex Ferguson era, Old Trafford hasn’t been a pleasant place for managers – permanent or interim — hired by Manchester United.

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The latest to join the list is Erik ten Hag, who is under the pump just two games into the 2022/23 season. Sitting at the bottom of the table with no points yet, United’s misery could be compounded unless they put on a much better display against Liverpool on Monday night than what they did in their 0-4 defeat against Brentford a week ago.

Ten Hag is the eighth manager to take charge of Manchester United since Ferguson’s departure at the end of the 2012/13 season, and the Dutchman’s chances of staying on look slim unless results improve drastically.

Contrary to Ferguson’s plea after his final match to “stand by the incoming manager”, Manchester United have tended to chop and change their managers all too often in recent times.

The fans are still turning up in numbers to support the club, but the management’s knee-jerk reactions mean that the club is battling multiple issues at the moment.

Those who have left after troubled stints at Manchester United, though, have found solace at their new abode. David Moyes, hand-picked by Ferguson, was given a six-year contract to steer United into the new era. What followed was a string of setbacks and he couldn’t even last an entire season.

After moderate stints with Real Sociedad in La Liga and Sunderland in England, Moyes has now reinforced his credentials by doing well at West Ham United. Brought in midway through the 2017-18 season with West Ham in the relegation zone, Moyes charted their escape and has turned them into a regular top-10 team since then, just like he had done with Everton during his decade-long reign before joining Manchester United.

There were suggestions that a club of Man United’s stature needed a high-profile manager, so Louis van Gaal came in. Having managed Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the hope was that the Dutchman would be able to plug the gap left by Ferguson. On the field, though, the results were ordinary with Man United finishing fourth and fifth respectively during his two seasons and just a FA Cup crown to show for the heavy investments.

Van Gaal went on a sabbatical after he was sacked at the end of the 2015-16 season and later announced his retirement, but he returned to management for his third stint with the Netherlands in August 2021 and has guided them to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Jose Mourinho followed van Gaal to the hot seat at Manchester United. The Portuguese coach’s arrival was met with a lot of exuberance with fans expecting him to turn around their fortunes. But by the time he came in, United were an unsettled bunch.

He still managed to be their most successful manager in the post-Fergie era, winning the Europa League and League Cup and securing a second-place finish in the Premier League during his two-and-a-half year stint. But he too didn’t last long and was sacked midway through 2018-19 season with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer coming in. Man United were sixth after 17 games when Mourinho was sacked and they finished at the same spot under Solskjaer that season.

After a not-so-impressive stint with Tottehnam, Mourinho moved to AS Roma at the beginning of the 2021/22 season. The Italian club won the European Conference League under Mourinho, his first trophy in 11 years, and is considered capable of doing well in the Serie A this season.

Ryan Giggs served as caretaker when Moyes was sacked before being appointed as assistant to van Gaal. He then took up the responsibility of managing Wales, who produced good results under him before the former United star was arrested under charges of assault.

Ralf Rangnick was appointed interim manager after Solskjaer’s exit last season. He has taken charge of the Austrian national team where he has started with a 3-0 win over Croatia. The task given to him is for the country to qualify for the 2024 European Championships.

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