The day Sir Alex Ferguson retired, football changed forever.
Manchester United would not be the same again.
The Scotsman conquered England for 26 years from 1986 to 2013.
Just 11 years after his retirement, United have had eight different managers, hoping to replicate just a shade of the legendary coach’s success.
None have got close so far. Not one Premier League or Champions League title between them.
Failing at United can be career defining. The pinnacle. But others have had success since.
So where are these eight managers now?
2013-2014: David Moyes
The impossible job.
Moyes entered Manchester upon the recommendation of Ferguson. If the pressure wasn’t already high, it was ramped up that little bit more.
He’d excelled at Everton, but didn’t have any title winning experience.
This proved costly as the Scottish coach was sacked after just 10 months.
It did give us this classic moment after a 3-0 loss to Manchester City though.
Real Sociedad
Just under seven months on from his sacking, Moyes moved to Spain. He joined Real Sociedad.
He guided them to a 12th placed finish in his first season but was sacked in November 2015 with the club just above relegation on goal difference.
Sunderland
In July 2016, Moyes returned to management. He took the Sunderland job.
The misery continued for the Scottish manager, as his stint in the north east of England was just as bad, if not worse than his time at Sociedad and United.
The Black Cats finished rock bottom of the Premier League.
They haven’t made it to the top division since this, falling even as low as League One.
He was subsequently sacked.
West Ham
With his reputation in shambles, Moyes needed success in his next job.
He initially joined The Hammers in the November of the 2017/18 season.
He led The Irons to a 13th placed finish.
Moyes left at the end of the season though, as he was only on a temporary contract.
Just over 18 months later, he was re-appointed at West Ham following the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini.
He went on to lead The Irons to two consecutive top seven finishes and to win the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022/23. This was the club’s first piece of silverware in 43 years!
Moyes left the club at the end of the 2023/24 season.
He’s not returned to management since.
2014-2014: Ryan Giggs
Giggs was part of Moyes’ coaching staff as a player/coach.
He took over as a player/manager upon the sacking of the Scotsman.
He managed the last four games of the season.
This era sparked a classic United fan moment.
With Louis van Gaal’s arrival, Giggs retired from football completely and became the Dutch coach’s assistant manager.
In June 2016, he left United after 29 years at the club to become a manager himself.
Wales
Just over 18 months later, he did just this. Giggs became the manager of his home country Wales.
He led his side to qualification for the 2020 Euros but couldn’t manage at the tournament as he was arrested on suspicion of assault.
He resigned in June 2022.
Giggs hasn’t gone back into management since, despite his charges being dropped.
2014-2016: Louis van Gaal
Van Gaal joined United with an illustrious pedigree having won the Champions League at Ajax and won titles at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
He couldn’t continue this success though, as he was sacked after just two years having won only an FA Cup.
Netherlands
Having managed the Netherlands before arriving in Manchester, Van Gaal returned to the Dutch national team after he was sacked by United.
This was his third time managing the Netherlands.
He’d originally announced his retirement from management in 2019, but in 2021 he returned.
Van Gaal led the Netherlands to the quarter finals of the 2022 World Cup but they lost to Argentina on penalties.
He left the national team after the World Cup.
Van Gaal hasn’t returned to management since, now acting as an Advisor for former team Ajax, since October 2023.
2016-2018: Jose Mourinho
The ‘special one’ arrived in Manchester with the expectation of restoring the club to its former glories. Although trophies did come, Mourinho didn’t have the impact he’d have hoped.
He won one Europa League, one League Cup and one Community Shield at United.
But toxicity spread among the ranks and he was sacked in his third season.
Tottenham
11 months later, Mourinho returned to management. He stayed in England but moved down to north London. He became the Tottenham Hotspur manager.
This only lasted just under 18 months before Daniel Levy pulled the plug and the Portuguese manager was sacked again.
His removal came just the week before their League Cup final against Manchester City.
AS Roma
That summer, Mourinho became the manager of AS Roma.
This was his first time in Italian football.
Mourinho got back to winning ways here though, as he guided Roma to Europa Conference League glory. This was the Italian sides first trophy in 14 years and their first continental title since 1961.
His league form left much to be desired however, as Roma failed to qualify for the Champions League, finishing sixth in two consecutive seasons.
Mourinho was sacked in the January of his third season.
Fenerbache
In the summer of 2024, Mourinho moved to Turkey to take on the Super Lig.
He is currently sat second in the table, five points off huge rivals Galatasaray.
2018-2021: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The hero of 99 made his historic return to United as a caretaker manager after the sacking of Mourinho.
He brought excitement and joy back to the club but failed to secure silverware with several agonising semi final defeats and a Europa League final loss to Villareal on penalties.
The baby-faced assassin has since been working with UEFA as a match analyst.
He hasn’t returned to management.
2021-2021: Michael Carrick
Upon retiring, Carrick started out as Mourinho’s assistant manager and was then taken on by Solskjaer in the same role. After the sacking of the Norwegian, he became caretaker manager for three games, before they found a replacement. Of the three games, he won two and drew one.
Middlesbrough
After United hired Ralf Rangnick as a caretaker manager, Carrick left.
He joined Middlesbrough in October 2022.
They were sitting 21st in the Championship after 16 games played, and Carrick was able to craw them back into the play-offs, with a remarkable fourth placed finish.
They lost the play-off semi-final to Coventry City.
In his second season he got Middlesbrough to a League Cup semi-final against Chelsea. They won the first leg 1-0 but lost the second leg 6-1.
He finished eighth in the league.
After six games played in his third season, Middlesbrough sit 12th in the table.
2021-2022: Ralf Rangnick
Rangnick’s time at United was troubled to say the least.
He’ll be remembered for his famous ‘open heart surgery’ rant.
While he wasn’t a great manager for United, he was right about the huge need for change.
He was replaced by Erik ten Hag at the end of his season long contract.
Austria
Upon leaving United, Rangnick immediately went back into management for the Austrian national team.
Having failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, Rangnick guided Austria to a strong qualification for the 2024 Euros.
At the Euros they remarkably topped their group ahead of the Netherlands and France. They were knocked out by Turkey in the round of 16 though.
2022- Present: Erik ten Hag
Ten Hag joined United at an incredibly turbulent time.
With the chaos of Solskjaer’s reign ending and the mess of Rangnick’s tenure, he didn’t have an easy job.
He secured silverware in his very first season winning the League Cup in 2022 beating Newcastle in the final. This was United’s first trophy in six years.
The following year, Ten Hag led United to FA Cup glory beating Manchester City in the final.
His league form was poor though, finishing eighth in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
Despite this, new co-owners INEOS have put faith in the Dutch coach. He’s been given another season to prove himself.
United sit 11th in the table after five games.