From Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Sir Matt Busby, we examine Man Utd's most successful managers and select the greatest in their history.
The history of Manchester United is dominated by two of British football’s greatest managers: Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils have struggled to find the right man for the Old Trafford hotseat since Fergie’s retirement in 2013 although several of his successors appear on our list of the top 10 United managers of all time.
Read on to find out who we rank at No. 1, and make sure to check out our ranking of the greatest Premier League managers ever and our football betting page for the latest Man Utd specials and markets.
Best Man Utd managers ever
10. Dave Sexton
A dramatic 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup final was the most memorable moment of Dave Sexton’s four seasons at Old Trafford.
In 1979-80, his United side finished as runners-up to Liverpool in the First Division, but despite smart signings such as Ray Wilkins and Joe Jordan, they failed to kick on.
Sexton won his final seven games but was sacked in April 1981 with United off the pace in the league and suffering early exits from both domestic cup competitions and the UEFA Cup.
9. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
An iconic figure as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as interim manager after Jose Mourinho was sacked in December 2018.
Positive early results earned Solskjaer a three-year contract and he led United to third place in the league in 2019-20 and second the following season.
An 11-10 penalty shootout defeat to Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final denied the Norwegian a trophy andhe was sacked after a 4-1 league defeat at Watford in November 2021.
8. Louis van Gaal
Former Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal arrived in England with a bigreputation.
Taking over from David Moyes, he led United to back-to-back top-five finishes and his final match in charge was a 2-1 extra-time victory over Crystal Palace in the 2016 FA Cup final.
7. Tommy Docherty
Ex-Scotland manager Tommy Docherty had an eventful five years at United, enduring relegation to the Second Division in 1973-74.
The club kept faith with The Doc and they won the Second Division title in 1974-75 before finishing third in the top flight and reaching the FA Cup final the following year.
They suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to second-tier Southampton at Wembley, but made amends in 1977, beating champions Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final.
6. Erik ten Hag
After winning three Eredivisie titles in four seasons at Ajax, Erik ten Hag had a solid first campaign at Manchester United.
The Red Devils finished third in the Premier League, won the EFL Cup and reached the FA Cup final in 2022-23.
They upset rivals Manchester City in the 2023-24 FA Cup final but finished eighth in the league and their poor form continued into the following campaign, resulting in Ten Hag’s dismissal in October 2024.
5. Jose Mourinho
Former Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho made an instant impact at Old Trafford in 2016-17, winning the League Cup and the Europa League in his first season.
United finished second in the Premier League the following year, losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup final, but Mourinho was sacked after a disappointing first half of the 2018-19 campaign.
4. Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson managed United from 1981 to 1986, leading the Red Devils to top-four finishes in each of his five full seasons at the club.
While overshadowed by the achievements of his successor, Sir Alex Ferguson, Big Ron also won the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985 and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983-84.
3. Ernest Mangnall
Only three managers in Manchester United’s history have won a top-flight title and the first was Ernest Mangnall, who led them to First Division glory in 1907-08 and 1910-11.
One biography of the Bolton-born Mangnall describes him as “the architect of Mancunian football” as he also steered Manchester City to second place in the league in 1920-21.
His time at United yielded promotion from the second division and an FA Cup triumph in 1909, and he also played an important role in the club’s move to Old Trafford.
2. Sir Matt Busby
As a player, Matt Busby starred for Manchester City and Liverpool before the Second World War but he inked his name into football history as Manchester United manager from 1945 to 1969.
His brilliant young team won the First Division title in 1956 and 1957 and the Busby Babes looked set to dominate English football until the Munich air disaster in February 1958.
Busby himself was seriously injured, spending nine weeks in hospital, but he guided the club through the aftermath of the tragedy.
His eye for talent was illustrated by the fact that United stars Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best all claimed the Ballon d’Or between 1964 and 1968.
United won the FA Cup in 1963 and the league in 1965 and 1967 before becoming the first English team to lift the European Cup, beating Benfica 4-1 after extra-time in the 1968 final.
1. Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford with a lofty reputation, having led Aberdeen to three league titles, four Scottish Cups and the 1982-83 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
He had a slow start to his career in England and was rumoured to be on the brink of the sack before winning the FA Cup in 1990.
But Ferguson’s United dominated the first two decades of the Premier League era and, by the time he retired at the end of 2012-13, he had claimed 13 league titles, five FA Cups and four League Cups.
His finest hour was winning the treble in 1998-99 when the Red Devils beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the Champions League final thanks to ‘Fergie-time’ goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
