Jose Mourinho, Erik ten Hag and Man Utd’s post-Sir Alex Ferguson managers – ranked

Manchester United last visited Fenerbahce in November 2016, when the world’s eyes were focused on Donald Trump’s bid to enter the White House. History is repeating itself ahead of the Red Devils’ latest trip to Istanbul on Thursday, with Trump once more vying to be U.S. president.

And the narrative at the Şukru Saracoglu stadium is set to be dominated by a figure almost as divisive and controversial. Jose Mourinho led United to Istanbul back in 2016, and the night before the 2-1 defeat he declared his love for Turkish football and revealed his desire to one day manage Fenerbahce.

He got his wish last summer and will now be facing his former club, who have been through three more managers since parting with the Portuguese in 2018 but are still searching for a way to return to their former glories under Sir Alex Ferguson, a fact best illustrated by the fact they are back in the Europa League.

Mourinho remains the United manager to have obtained the highest points total in a season since 2013 and he is tied with Erik ten Hag on two major trophies. Mourinho and Ten Hag both have a habit of reminding people of how much silverware they have won and of pointing out United’s struggles before they took charge. But how do they rank among the six managers who have taken charge of United in the post Ferguson era?

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  6David Moyes

  ‘The Chosen One’ read the banner showing David Moyes’ face at Old Trafford for Ferguson’s last game in charge, but this Glaswegian proved far less successful than his predecessor. Moyes was highly respected in the English game and by Ferguson, but his decade-long spell with Everton was scant preparation for making such a big step up.

  A sign that he was unaware of United’s magnitude came on the pre-season tour of Australia when he took the players for a stretch on Bondi Beach and they were instantly mobbed by scores of supporters. Rio Ferdinand has also recalled how Moyes, with no hint of irony, declared “this is a really big club” in reaction to the scrutiny he was facing.

  Moyes inherited a team that had won the Premier League title by a landslide under Ferguson, but the squad was on its last legs and needed an overhaul. Moyes had the misfortune that long-time CEO David Gill departed at the same time as Ferguson, leaving the inexperienced Ed Woodward at the helm of the operation.

  Moyes had a disastrous summer transfer window, only signing Marouane Fellaini on deadline day after a farcical pursuit of Ander Herrera. He also made a dreadful start to the season, losing three of his first six league games. The run to the Champions League quarter-finals was the only saving grace of a miserable season in which United finished seventh in the table, with Moyes being sacked in April, just after a thrashing at Everton of all teams.

  The only consolation for Moyes is that every man who came after him has also struggled in their own way. However, he remains the worst manager of the post-Ferguson era.

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    5Ralf Rangnick

    The interim appointment of widely respected sporting director and godfather of ‘gegenpressing’, Ralf Rangnick, to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might have excited pundits and football hipsters, but it left many members of the United squad bemused. Not least Cristiano Ronaldo, who claimed he had never heard of the German.

    Rangnick shook things up and the early signs were positive as United won three of his first four games in charge. But the fact he had not been a coach for several years – he was sporting director at Lokomotiv Moscow when he was recruited by United – soon came back to bite him as he lacked the respect of the dressing room.

    United limped out of the Champions League and FA Cup, and had a dreadful end to their league season, losing five of their final eight games to finish with just 58 points, which remains their lowest total in the Premier League era. Rangnick at least spoke his mind, delivering one of the finest descriptions of the club’s rotten state when he said they needed “open heart surgery”.

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    4Louis van Gaal

    Unlike Moyes, Louis van Gaal had a suitable CV for the United job after successful stints with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as leading a youthful Ajax to Champions League glory. The problem was that his best achievements were a distant memory when he took charge at Old Trafford and his methods were outdated.

    There were some great moments, such as four league wins over Liverpool, a heavy victory at home to City and an FA Cup triumph, plus league finishes of fourth and fifth. But the abiding memory of his two-year tenure was insipid football, high on possession but severely lacking spark or excitement. Things got so bad that there was genuine concern among the club hierarchy that people would not want to renew their season tickets if Van Gaal remained in charge.

    Van Gaal was hugely entertaining off the pitch, whether it was talking of sex masochism or diving to the floor against Arsenal. His bizarre character, however, alienated several players, especially record signing Angel di Maria. Still, the manner of his departure was unfortunate, learning of his imminent sacking just after winning the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

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    3Erik ten Hag

    Midway through Ten Hag’s first season in charge, it looked like United had finally made the right hire. They had just won the Carabao Cup – a first trophy in six years – and knocked Barcelona out of the Europa League while also riding high in the Premier League, beating all their rivals at home.

    Ten Hag looked very much like the best United manager since Ferguson. But then his side suffered a historic 7-0 humiliation against Liverpool and the wheels slowly began to come off. Eighteen months later, Ten Hag is clinging on for dear life, with one embarrassing result after another.

    They should have kicked on after finishing third in the Premier League, but instead had a horror second campaign under Ten Hag, crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage and posting their lowest league finish since 1990. The saving grace was the surprise FA Cup final win over Manchester City, which ultimately saved the manager from the sack.

    The Dutchman’s third season will make or break his future and it is not going well at all, with United making their worst start to a campaign in Premier League history before easing the pressure on Ten Hag by beating Brentford. He is convinced it will have a happy ending, but no manager since Ferguson has completed three full seasons at Old Trafford.

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    2Jose Mourinho

    Many think Mourinho should have been Ferguson’s immediate successor as he was one of the few figures in football who would not have been intimidated by the legendary Scot’s shadow. Equally, there has always been an unease among United fans about his me-first attitude.

    He finally got the job he craved in 2016 and was soon equipped with some eye-catching signings, as Paul Pogba joined for a world record £89m ($115m) along with the coach’s old chum Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Mourinho’s first campaign was one of contrasts, with inconsistent league form and a sixth-placed finish being set against winning the Carabao Cup and the Europa League.

    With Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic joining the following summer, the stage was set for a proper title charge and United took 81 points, their best total in the post-Ferguson era. The problem was that they were upstaged by Pep Guardiola’s incredible City team, who collected 100.

    A summer of discontent followed as Mourinho felt he was not backed in the transfer market. Subsequently, the team struggled for form at the start of his third season and each negative result was accompanied by a bitter outburst from the manager. The manager’s falling out with Pogba and Luke Shaw created a negative atmosphere around the team and the ugly final few weeks before he was sacked cast a shadow over his other achievements.

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    1Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

    After two giant egos in Van Gaal and Mourinho, United felt they needed to go back to basics and bring in someone who truly understood the club. And who better than Solskjaer, the scorer of United’s most famous goal and who had dedicated his life to the Red Devils?

    The Norwegian was only supposed to be an interim appointment, but he made an incredible start after replacing Mourinho, winning 13 out of his first 15 games in all competitions while overseeing the dramatic Champions League comeback win over Paris Saint-Germain. It could not last, however, and Solskjaer came close to getting sacked early the following season.

    But just like in Paris, he turned it around, guiding United to finish third in the Premier League and then second the following campaign, while also reaching the Europa League final. Solskjaer was mighty unlucky in cup competitions, losing that final to Villarreal on penalties and losing four semi-final ties.

    His fourth campaign promised much, especially after Cristiano Ronaldo returned, but the wheels dramatically came off, suffering an abysmal 5-0 defeat at home to Liverpool before being sacked following a 4-1 thrashing at Watford.

    And yet, looking back on those heady early days, when United fans were singing ‘Ole’s at the wheel’ while the team were winning games playing blistering, counter-attacking football, his tenure seems the happiest of the six managers United have had since Ferguson. Solskjaer is also the only man who has guided the team to consecutive top-four finishes in the last 11 years.