In Manchester, the long shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson still stretches from Old Trafford to the club’s global support. The trophies, the academy tradition and the scale of Manchester United remain intact, but the years since Ferguson’s departure have brought repeated resets rather than a sustained return to the summit.
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Ferguson’s reign ran for 27 years, beginning late in 1986 and ending in May 2013. Over that period, United collected 38 trophies, including 13 English league titles and two UEFA Champions League crowns, turning the club into one of European football’s defining institutions.
His impact was not limited to the silverware. Ferguson oversaw a sporting culture built around a direct route from the youth system to the senior side, recruitment that suited the wider plan, and an ability to refresh the squad before generational change became a crisis. Those elements have proved difficult to replicate after his exit.
David Moyes, another Scot, arrived for the 2013-14 campaign and won the Community Shield, but his tenure ended after 51 matches. Ryan Giggs took charge until the season’s conclusion before Louis van Gaal began the next phase in 2014-15.
Van Gaal’s two seasons brought expensive arrivals and a significant rebuilding of the squad, yet the club moved on again. José Mourinho followed, inheriting a side already shaped by years of decisions made after Ferguson. The Portuguese coach delivered the Europa League in 2016-17, described as United’s most recent major European success, but he too was dismissed.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer then took the role, followed by Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and now Michael Carrick. The recurring pattern has been high expectation at each appointment, followed by disappointing results and seasons without trophies.
A test for Carrick and the ownership
Carrick, a former United midfielder, has offered supporters signs of a different connection between the team and the stands. His football initially restored some optimism around Old Trafford, although the beginning of the current campaign has fallen short of expectations. He still has the opportunity to alter the direction of the season.
The scrutiny, however, reaches far beyond the dugout and dressing room. Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family — Avram, Joel, Bryan, Kevin, Edward and Darcie — are central to criticism of a structure that has struggled to provide continuity.
Former figures including Ralf Rangnick, Cristiano Ronaldo and, more recently, Lisandro Martínez have voiced concerns about the way the club has been run. For United, the challenge is no longer simply finding another manager capable of lifting results; it is rebuilding the sporting foundations that once made change feel planned rather than permanent.
