Man Utd managers' list: Find out all the people who have ever managed the Red Devils

With nearly 150 years of history, Manchester United, formerly Newton Heath LYR, has acquired a deep and incomparable history. This article dives into the history of managers who have kept the club in the Premier League for 32 years. Discover details of each coach on the Man Utd managers' list and their achievements with the Red Devils.

How many managers has Man Utd had? Sports Brief has used credible data from authoritative sources such as Transfermarkt, the Premier League, and MUFC Info to list all Manchester United managers since 1878.

The Man Utd managers' list

The Manchester United Football Club was formed in 1878 by railway road workers. Before taking on actual managers, the club had five club secretaries who played similar roles. These include A.H. Albut, James West, Ernest Mangnall, T.J. Wallworth, and John Bentley. Have a look at the Man Utd managers' list in order from 1903 to 2024.

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Who are the managers of Manchester United?

Since 1993, the Red Devils have played in 1,229 matches, with 744 wins against 215 losses. This article explores the list of Manchester United managers and their profiles.

23. Ernest Mangnall

• Full name: James Ernest Mangnall
• Date of birth: January 4, 1866
• Date of death: January 13, 1932
• Time in the post (days): 3257
• Matches: 373

In 1903, United appointed Mangnall as club secretary, a position he previously held for Burnley FC and later Manchester City. According to 90Min, the coach who recorded a 54.2% win rate led his team to a First Division promotion in 1906, the First Division title, the Charity Shield Cup, and an FA Cup win.

22. John Bentley

• Full name: John James Bentley
• Date of birth: June 1860
• Date of death: August 1918
• Time in the post (days): 791
• Matches: 91

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T.J. Wallworth, the acting club secretary who took over from Mangnall, oversaw the team for a month before John Bentley took charge. Bentley led the team to 36 wins, 19 draws and 36 losses.

21. Jack Robson

• Full name: Jack Robson
• Date of birth: May 24, 1860
• Date of death: January 11, 1922
• Time in the post (days): 2499
• Matches: 121

Before managing the Red Devils, Robson led Middlesbrough FC, Crystal Palace, and Brighton & Hove Albion. In over 116 Division One and five FA Cup matches he oversaw, his team recorded 38 wins against 47 losses and 36 draws.

20. John Chapman

• Full name: John Albert Chapman
• Date of birth: March 14, 1882
• Date of death: December 31, 1948
• Time in the post (days): 2499
• Matches: 221

Chapman is the first Scottish manager to take over the team's management. During his five-year tenure, United got relegated to Division Two in 1921/22, where it stayed until its promotion in 1924/25.

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19. Lal Hilditch

• Full name: Clarence George Hilditch
• Date of birth: June 2, 1894
• Date of death: October 31, 1977
• Time in the post (days): 182
• Matches: 31

Clarence 'Lal' Hilditch was a player-coach at United. He played in 322 matches, winning 101 games and losing 137 times. He led the team in 31 Domestic Cup and League matches as a coach.

18. Herbert Bamlett

• Full name: Herbert Sydney Bamlett
• Date of birth: March 1, 1882
• Date of death: October 18, 1941
• Time in the post (days): 1461
• Matches: 200

Before he was appointed Red Devils coach on April 1, 1927, Bamlett coached Oldham Athletic, Wigan Borough FC, and Middlesbrough FC. With United, he recorded a win rate between 30.50% and 31.2%. During the last year of his tenure, the team got relegated to Division Two.

17. Scott Duncan

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• Full name: Adam Scott Mattheson Duncan
• Date of birth: November 2, 1888
• Date of death: October 7, 1976
• Time in the post (days): 1825
• Matches: 235

Scott Duncan took over the team's leadership from caretaker manager Walter Crickmer in August 1932. He led the team to 92 wins against 90 losses and 53 draws, winning one of the first league titles in 1935/36.

16. Jimmy Murphy

• Full name: James Patrick Murphy
• Date of birth: August 8, 1910
• Date of death: November 14, 1989
• Time in the post (days): 143
• Matches: 22

Murphy was a caretaker coach who temporarily managed the team after the 1958 Munich Air Disaster before taking on scouting roles in the team's youth ranks. In 22 matches, he recorded two losses for every win and seven draws.

15. Wilf McGuinness

• Full name: Wilfred McGuinness
• Date of birth: October 25, 1937
• Age: 86 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 507
• Matches: 73

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The retired English midfielder took over the club's reigns from Murphy on August 9, 1969. Before his appointment, McGuinness managed the Red Devil's Under-18 team and served as the senior team's technical assistant.

14. Sir Matt Busby

• Full name: Sir Alexander Matthew Busby
• Date of birth: May 26, 1909
• Date of death: January 20, 1994
• Time in the post (days): 8,834
• Matches: 1,140

Sir Matt Busby is one of the most famous Man Utd managers. He had two successful spells at the helm of the club, winning five Division One titles, five Charity Shields, two FA Cups and one European Champion's Cup

13. Frank O'Farrell

• Full name: Francis O'Farrell
• Date of birth: October 9, 1927
• Date of death: March 7, 2022
• Time in the post (days): 560
• Matches: 81

Frank O'Farrell managed Leicester City, Torquay United, and Weymouth FC before joining United. During his tenure of over 18 months, he had a 37% win rate, recording 30 wins, 24 defeats and 27 losses.

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12. Tommy Docherty

• Full name: Thomas Henderson Docherty
• Date of birth: April 24, 1928
• Date of death: December 31, 2020
• Time in the post (days): 1,655
• Matches: 159

Docherty's efforts to return Manchester United to its winning ways paid off in the 1974/75 season, when the club won the Division Two league title and got promoted to Division One. The team also won one FA Cup in the 1976/77 season.

11. Dave Sexton

• Full name: David James Sexton
• Date of birth: April 6, 1930
• Date of death: November 25, 2012
• Time in the post (days): 1,357
• Matches: 201

The retired Crystal Palace attacker led the Red Devils in 201 matches across all competitions. The team recorded 81 wins, 56 losses, and 64 draws during that period.

10. Ron Atkinson

• Full name: Ronald Frederick Atkinson
• Date of birth: March 18, 1939
• Age: 85 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 1,976
• Matches: 292

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More than his playing and managing days, Big Ron is best remembered for his years as a pundit in English football. His time in the hot seat earned the team one Charity Shield win.

9. Sir Alex Ferguson

• Full name: Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson
• Date of birth: December 31, 1941
• Age: 82 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 9,733
• Matches: 1,500

Sir Alex Ferguson stands out as one of the most successful football managers. In his first manager interview at Old Trafford, Erik Ten Hag spoke on the influence the legendary Man United manager had, saying,

"I know the history of Man United; I know the big times and, the audience, the vibe that can be around Old Trafford. I watched them in their big times, when Sir Alex Ferguson was manager, during the successful times when they won titles and dominated Europe. But also before Sir Alex, Man United was a huge club."

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8. David Moyes

• Full name: David William Moyes
• Date of birth: April 25, 1963
• Age: 61 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 295
• Matches: 51

Sir Alex Ferguson's successor, David Moyes, had relative success at the club compared to his predecessor. This struggle resulted in his sacking nine months after his appointment.

7. Ryan Giggs

• Full name: Ryan Joseph Giggs
• Date of birth: November 29, 1973
• Age: 50 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 361
• Matches: 4

Salford's current sporting director, Ryan Giggs, played successfully throughout his career under Sir Alex Ferguson. He managed the team temporarily as a player-coach, recording two wins against one loss and one draw. Later, he made it onto Man Utd's assistant managers' list under Louis Van Gaal.

6. Louis van Gaal

• Full name: Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal
• Date of birth: August 8, 1951
• Age: 72 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 679
• Matches: 103

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Van Gaal arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 with considerable experience from Ajax, FC Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich, and the Netherlands national football team. He led the team through 103 matches, recording 54 wins, 25 draws and 24 losses.

5. José Mourinho

• Full name: José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho
• Date of birth: January 26, 1963
• Age: 61 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 900
• Matches: 144

With a training resume that began in 1987 and success in previous clubs such as Chelsea, José Mourinho's arrival at Man United in 2016 was well received. In his second year at United, he finished second in the Premier League, the highest since Sir Alex Ferguson's era.

4. Ole Gunnar Solskjær

• Full name: Ole Gunnar Solskjær
• Date of birth: February 26, 1973
• Age: 51 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 1068
• Matches: 168

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Ole Gunnar began his tenure at Old Trafford as a caretaker manager before taking a permanent position on March 28, 2019. During his first 99 days as an acting manager, he oversaw 19 matches and recorded 2.32 points per game.

3. Michael Carrick

• Full name: Michael Carrick
• Date of birth: July 28, 1981
• Age: 42 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 12
• Matches: 3

The former English international joined the team's training staff as a caretaker manager from November 2021 to December 2021. He oversaw three Premier League and UEFA Champions League matches. In July 2018, he left active play at United to assume the assistant manager position at the same team.

2. Ralf Rangnick

• Full name: Ralf Rangnick
• Date of birth: June 29, 1958
• Age: 65 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 179
• Matches: 29

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Rangnick is one of the most accomplished trainers. He started as a player-coach at FC Viktoria Backnang in 1983. Thirty-eight years later, he arrived at Old Trafford as a caretaker manager.

1. Erik Ten Hag

• Full name: Erik Ten Hag
• Date of birth: Feb 2, 1970
• Age: 54 (as of May 2024)
• Time in the post (days): 697
• Matches: 114

Dutch manager Erik Ten Hag is the final manager on Manchester United's list as of May 2024. He began coaching at his former playing team, FC Twente, in July 2002 and brought 22 years of experience to the Red Devils.

Frequently asked questions

The reigning FA Cup champions have had several head trainers throughout their history. Here are some interesting facts about individuals who have been the managers of Manchester United.

1. Who was the longest-serving manager of Manchester United?

Sir Alex Ferguson had the longest tenure, running from 1986 to 2013. He won two World's Best Club Coach and 40 titles with the Red Devils.

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2. Who is the best Man United manager?

For over 26 seasons, Sir Alex Ferguson earned the team numerous trophies. These include English Championship titles (13), English League Cups (4), English FA Cups (5), Charity Shield titles (10), European Cups (2), Champions League titles (2), one Intercontinental Cup, a Europapokal der Pokalsieger Sieger, a UEFA Supercup trophy, and a FIFA Club World Cup.

3. Who was the worst Manchester United manager?

Although José Mourinho put up an impressive performance, leading the Red Devils to one Europa League win, four English League Cups, and an English Super Cup winner, he is regarded as one of the team's worst managers because of his playing style. Other trainers in this list include Dave Sexton and David Moyes.

4. Who is going to be the next manager of Manchester United?

Erik Ten Hag's future at the club remains unclear as some sources speculate the club would part ways with him. Who could be the next Man Utd manager?

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Final word

The complete Man Utd managers' list includes some of the most talented coaches with varying experience levels. The most successful trainers in the

READ ALSO: Who are the top 10 Manchester United managers of all time?

Sports Brief has published an article on the top 10 greatest trainers to lead the Red Devils. Since 1878, nearly thirty club secretaries, managers, player-coaches and caretaker managers have held the sole responsibility of team leadership. Click the link above for the stats and performance details of the team's top 10 best head coaches.