Manchester United have a glorious history thanks to many of the great players to represent the club, and also in large part to their managers.
Manchester United’s managerial history boasts many big names who have helped the club become the worldwide behemoth it is today. But it has not all been plain sailing and glory either.
United have endured some difficult times on the pitch and tragedy off it, to come through as the most successful club in English football history.
Here is a complete run down of the club’s managers from the time as Newton Heath, to the present day, including trophies won.
Note: Outright Charity Shield victories are counted in the totals – but not the occasions where the trophy was shared.
Newton Heath to pre-World War Two
While Newton Heath formed in 1878, it was only in 1892 that Alfred Albut became the club’s first full-time employee, as team secretary, which involved managing the team.
Manchester United were officially born a decade later, and it was Ernest Mangall who led the team to a period of pre-World War One success.
He won the First Division title in 1907/08 and 1910/11, the FA Cup in 1908/09 and the Charity Shield in 1908 and 1911.
Between the World Wars, United experienced a more troubled period, relegated from the top flight on two occasions.
Scott Duncan managed the team to win the second division title in 1935 in between two spells overseen by Walter Crickmer.
Crickmer helped to stabilise the club and see it through World War Two, before he was tragically killed in the 1958 Munich disaster.
Sir Matt Busby to Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Matt Busby transformed Manchester United on and off the pitch, surviving the most tragic circumstances when many key players in his team died in the Munich disaster.
Busby even spent time in hospital himself, with Jimmy Murphy briefly stepping into the dugout, before the great man led Manchester United back to win the European Cup for the first time in 1968.
He became United’s most successful manager and the first man to lead the club for more than 1,000 matches, winning the First Division title five times, and the FA Cup twice.
The post-Busby era was challenging for United, he even returned to the club for a season, and there was a relegation, under Tommy Docherty, who then led the team back to promotion in 1974/75 and won the FA Cup in 1976/77.
Ron Atkinson enjoyed success in the early 80s, winning two FA Cups, before being replaced by Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986.
Ferguson would go on to change Manchester United forever, overtaking Busby in terms of games managed and trophies won.
The highlights were Ferguson breaking the league title drought in 1992/93, winning the club’s first Double in 1993/94, and winning the Champions League in 1999 and 2008, the first as part of the Treble, the first ever English club to do so.
Fergie’s time in charge spanned three great generations of his team, giving stability and consistent reinvented success never seen before, and possibly never on the same scale again.
The post-Fergie era
As Manchester United discovered when trying to replace Sir Matt Busby, finding a successor for Sir Alex Ferguson has been an extremely challenging task.
David Moyes won a Community Shield but was sacked before his first season ended, and there has been a revolving door of managers at the club ever since.
Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho both won silverware, yet could not win over fans with their style of football, and due to the high standards set by Ferguson, patience was thin.
Erik ten Hag ended a spell of six trophyless seasons by winning the League Cup and FA Cup in back to back seasons as manager in his first two campaigns.
Note: Erik ten Hag data correct up until June 11, 2024