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Manchester United returned to the top four of the Premier League after a dramatic last-minute victory against West Ham United on 22 January.
European football next season is anything but guaranteed for English football's fallen giants, though. Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are well-placed to leapfrog Ralf Rangnick's side when league action resumes in February, having played fewer games than the Red Devils.
After a difficult start to life as United's interim boss, Rangnick looks to be making progress with his star-studded squad. The German tactician reportedly nurses ambitions of managing the club permanently, but it remains to be seen if he is eventually handed the role.
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Manchester United's permanent managers have not fared well recently
Despite having a convincing case for being the greatest club in English football history, the last few years have been remarkably disappointing for United. Next year will mark ten years since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, and it is safe to say the club are still looking for the right man to replace him.
The Red Devils have employed five permanent managers in the 21st century so far, including four in the last nine years. As the search for the English giants' next full-time head coach heats up, we rank the club's last five permanent managers:
#5 David Moyes
Eyebrows were raised when the Red Devils announced former Everton boss David Moyes as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor. While many expected big names such as Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho to succeed the legendary Scot, United named Ferguson's compatriot as the club's full-time manager in 2013.
Although Moyes started on a bright note, winning the 2013 Community Shield, things quickly went downhill for him. Although the squad he inherited had just won the Premier League title the previous season, many of United's key players at the time were past their prime.
The Scot also failed to earn the trust of the Manchester United dressing room, which was filled with stars and veterans. Moyes didn't end his debut season at Old Trafford, and was sacked ten months into his tenure, despite signing a six-year contract at the start of the campaign.
The club were seventh in the league, and had been eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the semi-finals of the League Cup and the third round of the FA Cup at the time of his departure.
Moyes' reign remains the third-shortest tenure of a permanent United boss, and the shortest in the last 82 years. The team won 27 of his 51 games in charge, losing 15 times.
#4 Louis van Gaal
Veteran Dutch manager Louis van Gaal arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 with a stacked CV and a glowing reputation. He was just coming off an excellent showing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where his Netherlands team finished third.
Despite the hype and initial promise, Van Gaal's time at Old Trafford proved to be a huge disappointment. Although the Dutchman had achieved enormous success with Barcelona and Bayern Munich previously, his slow, ponderous and cautious tactics came under immense criticism from the Old Trafford faithful.
The Red Devils appeared blunt and ineffective in front of goal for most of Van Gaal's reign.
He was sacked at the end of the 2015-16 season after leading the club to a win in the 2016 FA Cup final, the only trophy of his Manchester United stint. Over his two-year spell, the team won 54 of 103 games, giving him a win percentage of 52.4, the lowest of any United permanent coach this century.
#3 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Despite improving the mood at Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's three-year stint as Red Devils boss was eventually an underwhelming one.
A bonafide club legend, Solskjaer improved Manchester United's style of play, transfer policy and the mood in the dressing room. He led the Red Devils to a strong second-place finish in 2020-21, which is tied for their best league finish since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.
However, Solskjaer's time at Old Trafford was marred by failure in Europe, which included a glaring group-stage exit in the 2020-21 Champions League. Things were only complicated after a penalty-shootout defeat to Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final.
Solskjaer left the club in November 2021. He is the only Manchester United permanent manager to have failed to win a trophy this century, despite spending over £373 million. The Red Devils came out on top in 91 of their 168 games under Solskjaer, giving him a win percentage of 54.2.
#2 Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is Manchester United's most successful head coach since Sir Alex Ferguson, although that isn't saying much. The Portuguese tactician spent 30 tumultuous months at Old Trafford, and predictably clashed with the club's hierarchy and senior players, and invited the ire of fans.
The Red Devils spent heavily under Mourinho, splurging nearly £364 million on underwhelming players such as Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly. His stint yielded a Community Shield, the 2016 League Cup and the 2016 Europa League, which is the club's only European trophy in the last decade.
Mourinho's penchant for defensive and reactive football did not go down well with the Old Trafford faithful.
He was sacked in December 2018 after a terrible start to the 2017-18 campaign, which saw him lose the dressing room as well. However, his win percentage of 58.3 (84 wins in 144 games) and his team's league points tally of 2017-18 (81 points) are the second-highest among United's coaches this century.
#1 Sir Alex Ferguson
It's no surprise that Manchester United's greatest manager sits at the top of our list. Sir Alex Ferguson's 26 years at Old Trafford yielded 38 trophies, 19 of which came in the 21st century.
From the turn of the millennium till his retirement in 2013, United cemented their status as the most successful club of the Premier League era. He led the club to eight league titles, five Community Shields, three League Cups, an FA Cup, a Champions League title and a Club World Cup during this period.
Ferguson was at the Manchester United helm for 1500 games, with the Red Devils winning 895 of them. He departed with a win percentage of 59.7, the highest in the club's history.
