Ranking the Post-Fergie Man Utd Managers

Manchester United have sacked Michael Carrick after a torrid start to the Premier League season which saw them win just one of their first ten league games. After a promising start at the United helm, Carrick’s reign ended with little more than a whimper.

But where does Carrick fall in our list of the top seven United managers in the post-Fergie era? Fasten your seatbelts – this one is about to get ugly in a hurry.

7. Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim simply wasn’t cut out to manage a club of United’s size. His rigid, my-way-or-the-highway tactical approach might’ve worked wonders at a smaller club, but he was thoroughly unequipped for a challenge of this nature. A point-blank refusal to abandon his system and fitting the squarest of pegs into the roundest of holes defined his tenure.

It’s a shame, in a way, because both their performances and results were beginning to pick up towards the end of Amorim’s reign. Nevertheless, after an explosive conference during which he aimed criticism at the board, he was sacked. Apparently, losing to League Two Grimsby wasn’t enough for him to lose his job, but hurting Jim Ratcliffe’s feelings was. Food for thought.

6. Michael Carrick

Carrick is either bottom of the list or second-from-bottom depending on whether you count the first half of his United reign. He was an interim coach in all but name, having been brought in as a stop-gap until the end of the 2025/26 season, but would ultimately carry on for longer (though not much longer). We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and consider his reign from January to November, rather than August to November.

Still, outside of a few famous wins early on against Manchester City and Arsenal, Carrick has very little to hang his hat on. As we mentioned earlier, he won just a single Premier League game in 2026/27, leaving the Red Devils in the bottom three.

5. David Moyes

David Moyes was in an unenviable position when he joined United, being the first post-Fergie manager at Old Trafford. With an aging squad and a disastrous summer transfer window that failed to address key issues, he was doomed from the get-go.

Yes, he won the Community Shield in his first competitive game in charge of United, but it isn’t much of an achievement when their opposition in that game is considered (Championship club Wigan Athletic). Sacked before the end of his one and only season at Old Trafford, this was a chapter in Moyes’ lengthy managerial career that he’d probably rather forget.

4. Erik ten Hag

An unpopular manager with both the fans and the players, Erik ten Hag barely finishes above Moyes based on his slightly superior win percentage and the pair of major trophy wins he achieved. Still, Ten Hag’s reign was undeniably an hellish era for the Red Devils.

Notably, he led United to their worst campaign in the Premier League era, as they finished 15th at the end of the 2024/25 season. Not only that, they would also lose the Europa League final against Tottenham at the end of the season – he did win the FA Cup, but this did little to paper over the cracks.

3. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s problem wasn’t his personality – he was generally well-liked throughout his reign – it was his primitive tactical approach that saw him fall short. A proponent of the infamous ‘McFred’ partnership, United lacked creativity with the Norwegian at the helm.

He notched up a few famous wins, including an enthralling win in the Champions League over PSG, but would end his tenure with zero trophy wins and a meagre win ratio of just 54%. His win ratio was actually marginally worse than Ten Hag’s, but never finished lower than 6th as United manager – during his two full seasons in charge, he finished 3rd and 2nd, respectively.

2. Louis van Gaal

Louis van Gaal’s style of football might not have been exciting, but it was often effective. His reign featured more than a few hiccups, though, including an infamous 5-2 loss away at Leicester City during his first few games at the wheel.

With 4th and 5th place finishes under his belt, as well as an FA Cup victory, Van Gaal’s tenure was solid if nothing else. He led United to their first trophy-less season in ten years in 2014/15 – described as a ‘new low’ back then, fans had no idea how bad things would go on to become.

1. Jose Mourinho

By far and away the best United manager post-Ferguson, Jose Mourinho still only lasted two-and-a-half years as United boss. If that doesn’t tell you quite how dire it has been for the Red Devils in these last 13 years, nothing will. He wasn’t always popular, but he was perhaps the only worthy successor to Fergie.

Winning an ambiguous treble in his first season (consisting of the Europa League, the League Cup and the Community Shield) and finishing 2nd in the Premier League table the following year, Mourinho’s reign was sadly sullied when his brash personality caused a dressing room implosion in his third season. Who knows how far Mourinho might’ve gone if he wasn’t so good at making people dislike him?