Updated: 12 May 2026 16:34 BST |
4 min read
Manchester United are the most successful club in the Premier League era, but the Red Devils have not won the top flight since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
The Scotsman is arguably the greatest manager in football history and his departure from Old Trafford has left a gigantic hole at the club.
Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag brought some silverware back to the red side of Manchester with success in FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League, but Man Utd’s overall fortunes have been bleak.
They have fallen well short of challenging for the major honours of the Premier League and Champions League since Ferguson’s departure, despite the occasional false dawn, particularly under Mourinho and Ten Hag.
The latter was sacked as Man Utd manager in October 2024 with a win percentage of 54.7%, which, despite his struggles, still gave the Dutchman the third-best win rate in the club’s history. Only Ferguson’s 59.7% and Jose Mourinho’s 58% better the win record of Ten Hag.
Ten Hag was replaced by Ruben Amorim in November 2024, but he struggled to improve the team despite being given hundreds of millions of pounds to spend in the transfer market. In his first term in charge, Man Utd suffered their worst-ever Premier League finish down in 15th.
In January of 2026, the Portuguese was sacked as head coach with a win percentage of just 38.71%. Michael Carrick is currently at the wheel on an interim basis after a brief caretaker spell from former teammate Darren Fletcher.
Surprisingly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, David Moyes and the aforementioned Van Gaal all bettered Sir Matt Busby’s win percentage during their respective time as Man Utd manager.
In total, Man Utd have had 24 different permanent managers during the club’s history, with Busby and Walter Crickmer both enjoying two spells in charge.
Man Utd managers list
Record of every Man Utd manager
| Manager | From – To | Win % |
| Sir Alex Ferguson | Nov 1986 – May 2013 | 59.7% |
| Jose Mourinho | May 2016 – Dec 2018 | 58% |
| Erik ten Hag | May 2022 – Oct 2024 | 54.7% |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | Nov 2018 – Nov 2021 | 54% |
| Ernest Mangall | Oct 1903 – Sep 1912 | 54% |
| David Moyes | Jul 2013 – Apr 2014 | 53% |
| Louis van Gaal | Jul 2014 – May 2016 | 52% |
| Sir Matt Busby | Dec 1970 – Jun 1971 | 52% |
| Sir Matt Busby | Oct 1945 – Jun 1969 | 52% |
| Ron Atkinson | Jun 1981 – Nov 1986 | 50% |
| Tommy Docherty | Dec 1872 – Jul 1977 | 47% |
| Alfred Hubert Albut | 1889 – May 1900 | 44% |
| John Bentley | Oct 1912 – Dec 1914 | 44% |
| James West | May 1900 – Sep 1903 | 41% |
| Dave Sexton | Jul 1977 – Apr 1981 | 40% |
| Walter Crickmer | Nov 1931 – Jul 1932 | 40% |
| Walter Crickmer | Nov 1937 – Feb 1945 | 39% |
| Scott Duncan | Jul 1932 – Nov 1937 | 39% |
| John Chapman | Oct 1921 – Oct 1926 | 39% |
| Ruben Amorim | Nov 24 – Jan 26 | 38% |
| Frank O’Farrell | Jun 1971 – Dec 1972 | 37% |
| Wilf McGuinness | Jun 1969 – Dec 1970 | 37% |
| Herbert Bamlett | Apr 1972 – Nov 1931 | 31% |
| Jack Robson | Dec 1914 – Oct 1921 | 30% |
Who is the current Man Utd manager?
Man Utd are again looking for a new manager following Amorim’s dismissal in January. U18s boss Fletcher took charge of two games in January before being replaced by ex-Middlesbrough head coach Carrick.
The former Man Utd midfielder is only officially in interim charge until the end of 2025-26, but he has given himself a great chance at securing the job permanently after some impressive results and Champions League qualification.
