The 4 Best Managers in Manchester United History

If you’re a fan of sports betting online, particularly on soccer games, you’ll know just how important it is for a team to have a good manager. For the best part of the last few years, Manchester United have boasted some of the best managers around. Between them, they’ve led the Red Devils to European trophies and scores of league titles and domestic cups.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at the very best managers in Manchester United’s history. Let’s start with arguably one of the greatest managers, not just of United history, but of all time.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson finished his illustrious career with Manchester United, having managed the team through exactly 1,500 matches. He won 895 of those games, giving him an impressive 59.7%-win percentage. He also won an incredible 38 trophies and titles.

Of those 38 trophies, thirteen were Premier League titles, five were FA Cups, and four were League Cups, and he also won the greatest prize in club football three times—the Champions League.

Sir Alex took over Man United back in 1986. The club was in dire straits. They were second to bottom of the league and had no prospects of success. During his 27 years in charge, he instilled a winning mentality. He could get the most out of average players. But he also had a great knack for spotting talent.

He managed some of the greatest players to ever play, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes. He also managed club legends like Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, and Gary Neville.

Ferguson has undoubtedly left his mark on the sport and helped build the club into the world name it is today.

Ron Atkinson

Ron Atkinson isn’t a name that first jumps to mind when you think about the greatest managers in Manchester United history. “Big Ron”, as he was known, was sacked to make way for Alex Ferguson.

But Atkinson managed United for five years, between 1981 and 1986. In that time, he steered the team through 292 matches, winning 146. He also led the team to three cups—two FA Cups and a Charity Shield.

“Big Ron” took over when the club was struggling under Dave Sexton. The team responded well to his appointment, finishing third in the league and qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Atkinson also brought in some quality players, notably Bryan Robson who went on to be club captain.

Though he never won a league title, United enjoyed a consistent spell under Atkinson until the wheels began to fall off, leading to his dismissal.

Jose Mourinho

Though he alienated many Red Devils fans, iconic manager Jose Mourinho did a better job than many people think. He managed the team for just a couple of years, between 2016 and 2018 when United were still searching for a permanent successor to Fergie.

He managed the team for 144 games in all and won 84 of them. After a barren spell since Ferguson’s departure, Mourinho was the first manager to bring the feel-good factor back to Old Trafford. In his first year, he led the team to the Carabao Cup title and then the Europa League the following year.

He managed some legendary players, notably Wayne Rooney, David De Gea, Paul Pogba, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and he was responsible for giving Marcus Rashford his early break.

He left the club in a furor of controversy, but also with a win percentage of 58.33%, a record only bettered by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Sir Matt Busby

Joining on as manager right after the Second World War in 1945, Busby managed the club up until 1969 and rejoined in 1970 until 1971.

During this time, he led the team for 1,141 matches, winning 576 of them and claiming 13 pieces of silverware.

In his first few years in charge, Busby led the Red Devils to consistent second-place finishes, as well as claiming the FA Cup. He went on to win a total of five league titles, another FA Cup, and an illustrious European Cup.

Busby was also the brains behind some of the world’s best footballers of the time, such as George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton. The team was affectionately known as the Busby Babes, but tragically some of that team died in a plane crash in Munich.