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Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed unprecedented levels of success during his 27-year long managerial stint at Manchester United. The club navigated its most successful spell under the legendary Scotsman but it's been all downhill since he left the helm.
Manchester United have since had five managers and two caretaker managers. A few of them were able to lift the spirits of the Old Trafford faithful for a while but none of them could really restore United to their glory days.
Without further ado, let's take a look at how the five managers who took over after Sir Alex Ferguson fared. (Note: Caretaker managers Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick haven't been considered for this list).
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#5 Ralf Rangnick
German coach Ralf Rangnick was appointed as interim manager at Manchester United on December 3, 2021. He was tasked with steadying the ship after the underwhelming lows of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's final days as Manchester United manager.
Rangnick, however, looked out of his depth throughout the season. It could have been due to the fact that he hadn't managed a team in a very long time or maybe the cultural disconnect he faced in England was too much.
Or maybe he just didn't know how to get through to the Manchester United players, most of whom were overpaid and had big egos. Rangnick struggled to hold everything together and managed to win 11 and lost 10 of his 29 games in charge.
There were no real highlights to talk about during his managerial reign. Rangnick was initially expected to continue in a consultancy role. But this plan was dropped recently and the German coach has left to take charge of the Austrian national team.
#4 David Moyes
Sir Alex Ferguson chose David Moyes as his successor but he had no idea just how underprepared his compatriot was for the job. Moyes found the media scrutiny and expectations difficult to navigate and he did not last a full season as Manchester United's manager.
Fans were already in two minds before the season had even started because of Moyes' dubious choices in the transfer market and an apparent lack of pull. The Scotsman ended up coaching Manchester United to 27 wins in 51 games. They lost 15 as well.
The Red Devils' fanbase was furious as the team were the defending Premier League champions that seasn. It was unacceptable to them that they were hitting new lows. Moyes has since improved massively and is currently enjoying a very good run with West Ham United.
#3 Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal is still not completely over his Manchester United sacking. The Dutch coach wanted to start his own revolution at Old Trafford and was ready to take no prisoners in doing so.
In an interview with The Athletic in 2020, legendary Real Madrid midfielder revealed that Louis van Gaal scuppered his move to Manchester United in 2014. Personal terms were agreed and Bayern Munich were ready to sell him to the Red Devils.
But Van Gaal wanted to do things his way and because the transfer was agreed before he took charge, he did not care much for the deal. Van Gaal did not give Kroos a definite answer and thus the German midfielder ended up joining Real Madrid.
Van Gaal tried to implement his 'total football' philosophy at Manchester United and it led to United playing some of the most insipid football we've seen from them. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager also splashed the cash in the transfer market and made quite a few questionable signings.
Van Gaal kept insisting that he needs at least three years to get the project in the air. They finished fourth in the 2014-15 season. The brand of football under Van Gaal continued to frustrate Manchester United fans and an early exit from the Champions League in the 2015-16 season did not help.
LVG reportedly lost the dressing room after a 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in April 2016, as per The Sun (via Bleacher Report). Van Gaal still led Manchester United to FA Cup glory that season but he was given the sack just two days later.
Van Gaal definitely had his ideas and a well-rounded philosophy. But he did not have the personnel required to implement those plans and in the end, he left the club with plenty of deadwood to clear out.
In 103 matches under Van Gaal, Manchester United won 54, lost 25 and drew 24.
#2 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did a very good clean-up job at Manchester United. He got the fans believing in the team again and he also got them to play the exciting, attacking brand of football the fans had been crying out for.
Solskjaer inherited an aging squad from a manager who did not much care about developing young players. The recruitment structure was non-existent and the Red Devils were getting robbed in broad daylight in the transfer market.
Solskjaer showed an incredible level of commitment to the club and loyalty to his players. He backed them all throughout and brought the best out of several players. The Norwegian coach also oversaw some of Manchester United's most memorable outings in recent times.
Overturning a 2-0 deficit at Paris Saint-Germain's home ground in the Round of 16 of the 2018-19 Champions League was a major highlight. Solskjaer led Manchester United to third and second-placed finishes in his two full seasons as their manager.
He also led them to the final of the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League. Under Solskjaer, Manchester United also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the League Cup as well. He coached Manchester United to 91 wins in 168 games, while losing 37.
Solskjaer's Manchester United side capitulated in the first half of the 2021-22 season. His players let him down massively as a number of them underperformed on a consistent basis. It was an era that held a lot of promise but it all withered away as Manchester United fell to embarrassing losses in the Premier League.
Solskjaer was eventually sacked in early December 2021 but he will be revered by the fanbase for restoring their faith in the club. He also focused on bringing in young talent from the academy and that was yet another move that was well-received by the Old Trafford faithful.
#1 Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is the most successful among Manchester United's managers in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. When the 'Special One' was roped in to replace Louis van Gaal in the summer of 2016, it was clear that the club was after immediate success.
Mourinho showed plenty of promise, guiding the side to Europa League and League Cup glory in his first season as manager. He also signed world-class players like Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
All players enjoyed very good spells under Mourinho and the team even got off to a flying start in the 2017-18 Premier League season. But following a surprise exit in the Champions League Round of 16 against Sevilla, things started spiraling for Mourinho.
The Portuguese manager cut a frustrated figure in most of his press conferences and it was clear as day that he wasn't getting along with a lot of his players. Manchester United finished second in the league in the 2017-18 season but did not look anywhere near as dominant as eventual champions Manchester City.
Mourinho wasn't backed in the subsequent transfer window and this led to more frustration. The Portuguese coach kept calling his players out during press conferences and the fans were not happy with his 'pragmatic' style of football either.
Mourinho was finally sacked halfway through the 2018-19 season. Manchester United were already trailing the league leaders by 19 points. Mourinho left a lot of deadwood at the club and caused quite a cultural dilemma as well in terms of the style of football hey wanted to play.
