Man Utd have spent €50m on dud managers after Sir Alex
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 4 Mar 2022 15:08 GMT
- 4 min read
Manchester United have been largely bereft of success since the days of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
During his 27-year tenure with the Red Devils, he won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, and five FA Cups, solidifying a legacy that sees him recognised as one of the greatest managers, if not the greatest manager football has ever seen.
In May of 2013, it was announced that Ferguson would retire from management duties at Man Utd, with him stepping into an ambassadorial role with the club.
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He was a key figure in the decision to announce Everton manager David Moyes as his successor.
However, Moyes, and subsequent bosses, have been unable to bring that kind of success to Old Trafford that Ferguson enjoyed.
And, that has been costly.
Since Ferguson was in charge, Man Utd have had Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as permanent managers who have subsequently been sacked.
The compensation costs for sacking all of those men and their backroom staff is reported to be around £42 million (€50m).
Ralf Rangnick is currently in charge on a temporary basis before a new, permanent manager is appointed this summer.
David Moyes: £4.89m compensation
Moyes had the almost impossible task of immediately replicating Ferguson's success at Man Utd.
And, the former Everton boss failed to fill the shoes of his compatriot.
Moyes started with a Community Shield victory against Wigan and a 4-1 win against Swansea on the opening day of the season. But, thereafter, Man Utd would suffer their worst start ever to a Premier League season.
He was eventually sacked, and the Manchester Evening News stated, "Moyes never sounded or managed like a United manager. United got an Everton manager, Everton coaches, an Everton player (Marouane Fellaini) and achieved an Everton finish; seventh."
Louis van Gaal: £8.44m compensation
Van Gaal was preparing for the 2014 World Cup with the Netherlands when it was announced that he would be taking over at Man Utd for the 2014/15 season.
He subsequently went on a spending spree, signing Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao.
Looking back, it was only really Shaw that can be considered a success from that splurge.
He spent a fortune the next summer, too, but was eventually sacked after winning the FA Cup, with criticisms over the team's playing style never far away.
Jose Mourinho: £19.6m compensation
Mourinho and his colleagues pocketed a cool £19.6m worth of compensation after he was sacked as manager in December of 2018.
The Portuguese boss is actually Man Utd's most successful manager since Ferguson as during his tenure they won the Europa League, Community Shield and League Cup.
However, these honours were still far away from the desired prizes like the Premier League and Champions League that a club like United should be competing for.
He regularly fell out with players like Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw, and was eventually sacked with the club 19 points behind the league leaders after 17 games.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: £9.13m compensation
Solskjaer was once again backed in the transfer market in the summer, as the club brought in Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, despite having a star-studded squad at his disposal, Solskjaer has been unable to put together a title challenge, while his tactical acumen had been called into question throughout his tenure at Old Trafford.
Man Utd had had a series of poor results leading up to his dismissal, losing at home to Aston Villa and away at Leicester in the Premier League, being knocked out of the League Cup by West Ham and being defeated by Young Boys in the Champions League.
The worst performance undoubtedly came against Liverpool, though, as the Red Devils were embarrassed by their arch rivals in a 5-0 loss on their own patch.
Jurgen Klopp's side dismantled Man Utd with ease, scoring five through Naby Keita, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah, with the Egyptian netting a hat-trick.
It was one of Man Utd's darkest days in their entire history, as Solskjaer admitted himself.
Read more about: Premier League, Man Utd
