It’s been ten years since Manchester United last won the Premier League. In the 2012-2013 season, under the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson, the red devils finished 11 points clear of second-place Manchester City, securing the title with four games to spare. It was United’s 20th English league title (and their 13th Premier League crown), extending their advantage over bitter rivals Liverpool, who, at the time, only had 18 titles. Robin van Persie’s hat trick against Aston Villa, a volley from a long-range Rooney pass was enough to end the Ferguson era in style.
The Ferguson Era
Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in premier league history. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and has won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football. During his 26 years with Manchester United, he won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles. He was the longest-serving manager of Manchester United, and after winning the title in 2013 and retiring, many never knew how difficult it would be to replace him. Ferguson asked fans to stand by our new manager in his farewell speech at Old Trafford, reminding supporters of the patience he was afforded in bad times.
I wish the players every success in the future You know how good you are, you know the jersey you’re wearing and you know what it means to everyone here. Don’t ever let yourselves down. The expectation is always there.
David Moyes (2013-2014)
Ferguson recommended that the Red Devils appoint Moyes upon his retirement and was awarded a six-year contract in July 2013. David Moyes was the manager of Everton from 2002 to 2013. Under him, the club managed a fourth-place finish in the league in 2004–05, their highest finish since 1988, and played in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League. He won the League Managers Association Manager of the Year thrice. However, the Scotsman couldn’t perform well, he lost the confidence of the players and the club finished the season without European football for the first time since 1980. He was sacked after 10 months in the job and replaced with Ryan Giggs as the interim manager. The closest Moyes got to a trophy was a semi-final exit in the League Cup.
Louis Van Gaal (2014-2016)
Van Gaal was confirmed to replace David Moyes as the new manager of Manchester United on 19th May 2014. He signed a three-year contract coming into effect after the 2014 World Cup. Van Gaal spent £281.5m over two years. He bought Falcao, Daley Blind, Di Maria, and Depay. Manchester United fans hoped with his wealth of experience as a manager, he would lead the team to glory.
For all the expenditure, many pundits believed Van Gaal’s United played a boring, turgid brand of sideways football. In his first term, Van Gaal steered the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. On 21 May 2016, Van Gaal won his only trophy with Manchester United, the FA Cup when his side defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra time. Winning the FA Cup was not enough to save Van Gaal, though, as United had missed out on Champions League qualification. Woodward sacked him on the same day they celebrated at Wembley.
Van Gaal was the worst coach of my career,I would score, assist and the next day he would show me my misplaced passes”- Angel Di Maria
Jose Mourinho (2016-2018)
Mourinho was appointed as manager of Manchester United ahead of the 2016-17 season. He replaced Louis van Gaal as the Red Devils’ manager. The United fans believed that with his experience in winning league titles in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and England he could bring United back to its glory days. Mourinho could only manage a sixth-place finish in the Premier League so winning the Europa League was considered to be a crucial achievement as it ensured the club returned to the Champions League after failing to qualify for the competition due to a fifth-place finish in 2015-16. United finished second the following season, 19 points behind Pep Guardiola’s Man City. Mourinho still calls this one of his greatest achievements. Mourinho’s dwindling popularity hit rock bottom when his feud with Pogba became public. Mourinho was sacked after a 3-1 defeat at Anfield.
I consider one of the best jobs of my career was to finish second with Man Utd in the Premier League- Jose Mourinho.
Ole Solskjaer (2018-2021)
Manchester United appointed Solskjaer as the caretaker manager. He took over from Jose Mourinho on 28 March 2019. Having won 14 of his 19 matches in charge, Solskjær signed a three-year contract to take over as Manchester United manager on a permanent basis. Solskjaer was the first United manager to establish a clear plan in the transfer market. He sought to create a counter-attacking team with a core of young, British players.
In spite of the growing tensions and the coronavirus pandemic, Solskjaer brought stability to the United. He qualified for the Champions League in every full season but never progressed from the group stages. He reached four semi-finals and a final but never won a trophy. Losing the 2021 Europa League final on penalties to Villarreal was arguably the most painful for the Manchester United legend. He was sacked by the club in November 2021 following a poor string of performances during the 2021–22 season
That was the biggest disappointment of this period, I thought losing that final could cause Ole a problem. He needed a trophy to get over the line. That was a big low.”- Gary Neville.
Erik Ten Hag (2022-present)
So far, Erik Ten Hag is doing well. On 21 April 2022, Ten Hag was appointed as manager of Manchester United. On 26 February, Ten Hag’s side beat Newcastle to lift the Carabao Cup. Will Ten Hag finally bring the Premier League back to Old Trafford? Time will tell.
