Michael Carrick on the touchline
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Manchester United have appointed seven different permanent managers since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. None of them has been able to deliver the Premier League title.
That may come as a surprise to most because of the size of Manchester United, but only three managers in the club’s history were able to deliver league success. They include Ernest Mangnall, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Big shoes to fill, and perhaps proof that it takes a special character to deliver league success at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick currently holds the position but is under intense pressure, with United winless in their previous eight matches and having won just two of their first 12 games of the 2026/27 season.
In this article, we look back at United’s managerial appointments since Ferguson retired and why they didn’t go as planned. The biggest failure may be the club itself.
Why Sir Alex Ferguson’s hand-picked successor failed
The appointment of David Moyes raised eyebrows in 2013. In his first and only summer transfer window at the club, Ed Woodward showed early signs that he would struggle to secure the best deals for United and that continued for many years under multiple managers. The only player United signed was Marouane Fellaini from Everton, after spending the summer chasing players like Barcelona duo Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara.
This set Moyes up for failure, and he would leave after an underwhelming 10 months in charge, with United sitting seventh in the Premier League. He was trusted with the job because he’d spent years at Everton, stabilising the club and turning them into solid top-flight performers.
Ultimately, Moyes’ inability to cope with bigger expectations led to his failure. He took charge of 51 matches, winning 27, drawing 9, and losing 15. That means the Scot left United with a 52.9% win rate as manager.
United fans still question this appointment to this day, but there is no denying that Moyes could have got more support from those above to make the transition to life at the biggest club in the world easier.
Louis van Gaal’s experience wasn’t the antidote to Man Utd misery
After Moyes in 2014, United hired Louis van Gaal as an experienced coach who, unlike his predecessor, had already enjoyed success at some of Europe’s biggest clubs. The Dutchman endured a difficult second season in charge at Old Trafford as the team failed to finish in the top four.
In that same season, United finished third in their Champions League group to drop into the Europa League. They reached the last 16 of Europe’s secondary competition but lost to eventual finalists Liverpool. Like Moyes, there were many transfer targets Van Gaal missed out on. Many of the players he brought to the club flopped, too, such as Angel Di Maria, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin. Anthony Martial was arguably Van Gaal’s best signing at United.
Despite ending the season with the first piece of silverware (FA Cup after beating Crystal Palace in the final) in the post-Ferguson era, Van Gaal was sent his marching orders. It was a harsh way for the Dutchman to end his reign in charge.
Years after his sacking, Van Gaal slammed the way United were being run, arguing that the club was too driven by commercial success. He told Sky Sports in June 2025: “It is still a commercial club. It is not a football club. I have said that before – and that’s always difficult.
“When [it is] not the manager deciding which player has to come, it’s very difficult. Then you can fire the manager because he’s not getting results. When other people buy the players, then you have a problem. You need to have the knowledge and orientation [of the manager] because he has to train them.”
Jose Mourinho’s reign ended in conflict after winning two trophies
United turned to Jose Mourinho when they sacked Van Gaal. This brought some belief back to the club initially, as Mourinho won league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain.
There was early promise in Mourinho’s first season, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic proving to be an influential signing until his knee injury. United won the Carabao Cup and Europa League, while securing the Champions League despite finishing sixth in the Premier League.
Mourinho’s second season was his best in terms of results, even though there were no pieces of silverware to celebrate. United finished second in the league, 19 points adrift of Man City. The Reds also reached the FA Cup final before losing to Mourinho’s former club Chelsea. This was also the campaign where cracks began to appear amid spats with players, including Paul Pogba. The Champions League run ended with a shock defeat against Sevilla in the last 16.
It was telling ahead of Mourinho’s third season that all wasn’t right between him and the board. He felt that after finishing second behind City, the club should push on and sign players that will help him push for the title. His relationship with the players worsened as he’d publicly criticise them during press conferences.
United’s poor start to the 2018/19 season led to Mourinho being sacked. He delivered two trophies but failed to build a lasting identity or a united dressing room.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s counter-attacking plans turn to mush
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer initially returned to United as an interim manager to try steer the ship in the wake of Mourinho’s dismissal. He brought a sense of improvement and harmony to the dressing room but no trophies.
It ended in a collapse once expectations rose. Solskjaer was building a team with one of the best, most promising attacks in the league. It consisted of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood. This gave United fans reason to be excited and optimistic even though Solskjaer’s form had dipped after getting the job permanently in March 2019.
United finished third in Solskjaer’s first full season (2019/20) and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League. In the follow-up season, United were once again runners-up to City, and reached the Europa League final to Villarreal.
The exciting attack Solskjaer was building turned to mush after the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, which was forced on the manager by the club – not that he objected to it. This changed how United played, especially in attack, and Solskjaer was out of the job by November.
Solskjaer’s sacking came after heavy defeats to Liverpool and Watford, but the team he was building delivered some of the best football of the post-Ferguson era.
Ineos never fancied Erik ten Hag and wanted their own man
Erik ten Hag spent two and a half years at United and brought two trophies, but the Premier League form and squad’s direction kept slipping. It never felt like he had the full backing of Ineos following their investment into the club and Jim Ratcliffe becoming co-owner.
However, Ten Hag was appointed in April 2022, approximately two years before Ineos took control of football operations at United. In that time, Ten Hag won two trophies: the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
If Ten Hag didn’t win the FA Cup in his second season, Ineos wouldn’t have given him a new contract – four months before sacking him. Ratcliffe wanted to introduce his own structure at the club, which included the Dutchman’s status switches from manager to head coach.
Ineos wanted their own manager in charge and turned to Ruben Amorim, a coach who is fixated on a formation (3-4-3) that never brought success to United. He lasted 14 months and lost a Europa League final to Tottenham.
Poor results continue under Michael Carrick
Amorim was sacked in January, only to be replaced by Carrick, who guided the team to a third-place finish and Champions League qualification. This led to the former midfielder signing a permanent deal. Unfortunately, the start of the 2026/27 season has been a disaster. United are winless in eight matches and look more like a relegation contender than a side ready to push for league titles.
It looked like Carrick was on the brink earlier this week, until United decided to give him more time to turn results around. Only time will tell if United remain stuck in a rinse-and-repeat cycle with managers, which the ownership must take responsibility for.
Carrick went into this season without cover at left back or centre forward. Ineos decided to focus on investing in midfield, but that doesn’t help the fact that the head coach is extremely limited for options in other crucial areas of the team.