Ranking Manchester United’s 5 best managers of the 21st century

#3 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021.

Despite improving the mood at Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's three-year stint as Red Devils boss was eventually an underwhelming one.

A bonafide club legend, Solskjaer improved Manchester United's style of play, transfer policy and the mood in the dressing room. He led the Red Devils to a strong second-place finish in 2020-21, which is tied for their best league finish since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.

However, Solskjaer's time at Old Trafford was marred by failure in Europe, which included a glaring group-stage exit in the 2020-21 Champions League. Things were only complicated after a penalty-shootout defeat to Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final.

Solskjaer left the club in November 2021. He is the only Manchester United permanent manager to have failed to win a trophy this century, despite spending over £373 million. The Red Devils came out on top in 91 of their 168 games under Solskjaer, giving him a win percentage of 54.2.

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#2 Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho attends a press conference at Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho is Manchester United's most successful head coach since Sir Alex Ferguson, although that isn't saying much. The Portuguese tactician spent 30 tumultuous months at Old Trafford, and predictably clashed with the club's hierarchy and senior players, and invited the ire of fans.

The Red Devils spent heavily under Mourinho, splurging nearly £364 million on underwhelming players such as Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly. His stint yielded a Community Shield, the 2016 League Cup and the 2016 Europa League, which is the club's only European trophy in the last decade.

Mourinho's penchant for defensive and reactive football did not go down well with the Old Trafford faithful.

He was sacked in December 2018 after a terrible start to the 2017-18 campaign, which saw him lose the dressing room as well. However, his win percentage of 58.3 (84 wins in 144 games) and his team's league points tally of 2017-18 (81 points) are the second-highest among United's coaches this century.

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#1 Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates a league title.

It's no surprise that Manchester United's greatest manager sits at the top of our list. Sir Alex Ferguson's 26 years at Old Trafford yielded 38 trophies, 19 of which came in the 21st century.

From the turn of the millennium till his retirement in 2013, United cemented their status as the most successful club of the Premier League era. He led the club to eight league titles, five Community Shields, three League Cups, an FA Cup, a Champions League title and a Club World Cup during this period.

Ferguson was at the Manchester United helm for 1500 games, with the Red Devils winning 895 of them. He departed with a win percentage of 59.7, the highest in the club's history.