It was always going to be a tough act to follow after 13 league titles, two Champions League triumphs, and nine domestic cup successes. However, Erik ten Hag is now the fifth permanent full-time manager at Man Utd since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013. Last Word on Football looks at each manager’s reign and grades their time at Old Trafford based on the level of success they achieved.
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Grading Manchester United Managers Post-Ferguson
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David Moyes – E
The first man appointed after Ferguson left the club team a league title in 2013. He was the first choice of the departing legend and had enjoyed relative success with Everton on a tight budget. The current West Ham boss seemed to struggle with the demands of running the biggest football team in the country at the time and the season he spent in charge ended after 51 games in April 2013.
Despite relatively positive results in the opening four months of the campaign, a heavy defeat to Man City and a home defeat to West Brom aside, three successive defeats at the turn of the new year ended their chances of major silverware. It was not acceptable at that time to be knocked out of competitions by lower mid-table sides Sunderland and Swansea.
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Four defeats in nine games including 3-0 home defeats to Liverpool and in the Manchester derby, and a Champions League quarter-final elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich left his position at the helm untenable. It was almost written in the stars that his final game as United manager would be a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park, the side he had just left to take on this new role. A community shield victory over Wigan was the only winning medal Moyes could take with him.
Louis van Gaal – D +
The Dutchman left his role as the national team manager for the job in the summer of 2014. He was an absolute character at times and did bring in some exciting players in his first season. The likes of Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera, and 18-year-old talented left-back Luke Shaw were drafted in for big money at the time.
His first campaign started horrifically. A home defeat to Swansea started the league season and just one win from seven in all competitions made it unlikely he would see out the entire term. A 4-0 defeat against MK Dons in the League Cup was a particular low. Results improved barring three consecutive defeats in April/May and there was a league double over Liverpool to celebrate. Qualification for the Champions League was ensured with a fourth-place finish.
The obvious highlight was the 2016 FA Cup success against Crystal Palace and Anthony Martial’s debut goal against Liverpool but this turned out to be Van Gaal’s final season in charge. There was a Champions League group-stage elimination and a severe lack of goals in league action meant that the Red Devils missed out on the Champions League football with a fifth-place finish. He will be ranked higher than David Moyes as he brought the first major trophy to Manchester since 2013.
Jose Mourinho – C+
This one had the potential to be either a disaster or the type of appointment that would bring the team back to winning major trophies consistently. The signing of Paul Pogba for a then world-record fee was a statement as was the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, United fans never really took to their manager, who was undoubtedly beginning the decline of his illustrious managerial career.
The fact that two major trophies were brought home in the 2016/17 season in the form of the League Cup and the Europa League glossed over the fact that the squad were miles off the pace in the Premier League and ended up with a sixth-placed finish. 37 wins from 64 matches in all competitions was a decent return in a very long and tough year for the Red Devils.
There is still debate around the 2017/18 campaign and whether finishing second, the highest finish since Ferguson’s departure should be considered acceptable for a Manchester United manager. It was losing the UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup Final, to Sevilla in the Champions League last 16 and a League Cup quarter-final to Bristol City that set Mourinho on his way to leaving Old Trafford. The former Real Madrid manager was sacked in December 2018 after 900 days in charge.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – C
Club legend Solskjaer played under Ferguson so he was well accustomed to the expectations at Old Trafford. After a very successful interim spell as manager, he was handed the reigns largely in part due to that incredible Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain. The reaction from Rio Ferdinand post-game was the view of many inside the club after one of the most memorable European nights in recent history. There was to be just one win from nine after his full-time appointment in March 2019.
Yessss Ole is officially at The Wheel… Signed, Sealed, Delivered! Manager of @ManUtd! 🙌🏽 I hope my Thank You is in post Ole 🤣📝❤️ #MUFC #Ole pic.twitter.com/lUUel4f6zw
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) March 28, 2019
Ole was never really comfortable in his role and struggled to build excitement among the fanbase but did manage a third-place finish in the 2019/20 Premier League. The team reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, League Cup and the FA Cup. The 2020/21 term brought a second-placed league finish, matching Mourinho’s best. This team almost picked up another European trophy but lost a mammoth penalty shootout Europa League final to Villareal.
It seemed that at the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign, it was make or break for Solskjaer and his team to compete for the league crown and three wins from four to open the campaign indicated a potential title charge. However, five home defeats up to November 2021 signalled the end of yet another reign. There was no coming back from a 5-0 home defeat against arch-rivals Liverpool and a 4-1 defeat at Watford. Failing to win a major trophy is the main reason for this mark.
Erik ten Hag
The jury is still out with the former Ajax manager under pressure after a less-than-impressive start to the 2023/24 campaign. However, his first season brought League Cup success, an FA Cup final and a third-placed finish. The 53-year-old has a higher point-per-game record than any of his predecessors on this list and has set the foundation for a successful spell in charge.
Fans will be hoping that last season was not a false start to a period of success. It has been slim pickings in over ten years since the great Ferguson departed as manager.
