Ranking the former Premier League golden boys as managers
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 29 Apr 2022 13:42 BST
- 5 min read
Vincent Kompany has been sensationally linked with the vacant Burnley job - but the Belgian is not the first Premier League golden boy to try his hand at management.
The former Manchester City captain and current Anderlecht coach would join a sizeable list of former stars who opted to take a seat in the dugout after previously starring in England's top flight in the 21st century.
Ranking from worst to best, we have a look at some of the greatest players to ever grace English football’s elite division to see whether they emulated their shining playing career, or simply crumbled in the hot-seat.
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9. Gary Neville - (Valencia)
Gary Neville left the comfortable Sky Sports studio to join struggling La Liga side Valencia in 2015.
But the sunny coast of southern Spain did not offer the respite the former Manchester United defender would have expected.
Under his wing, Los Murcielago crashed out of the Champions League, lost 7-0 to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, while Neville led them to just three wins in 16 league games. He was promptly sacked after just four months.
8. Paul Scholes - (Oldham Athletic)
Paul Scholes’ ill-fated time at League Two’s Oldham Athletic in 2019 might have ranked worse on this list had it not been for the caveat he was working under unpopular club owner Abdallah Lemsagam.
The Moroccan was thought to be overbearing and meddling in the former Man United midfielder’s affairs at the club.
In any case, Scholes lasted just seven games at Boundary Park until he handed in his notice, leaving with just a single victory to his name.
7. Thierry Henry - (Monaco, Montreal Impact)
Thierry Henry is arguably the greatest footballer to ever step foot on a Premier League pitch - but so far that hasn’t quite translated to his managerial work.
The Frenchman took over as Monaco boss from Leonardo Jardim in 2018, with the Monegasques languishing 18th in Ligue 1 at the time.
Henry, in a vain attempt to channel Arsene Wenger’s model of professionnalisme at the side, was sacked several months later for failing to turn the club’s league predicament around.
The Arsenal legend then took up the dugout with MLS side Montreal Impact a year later but a shoddy 31.03% win record saw him get the boot.
6. Vincent Kompany - (Anderlecht)
Kompany has been linked to the Burnley job and, if chosen, would face the huge task of keeping them afloat despite the side winning just six league games all season.
The Man City legend returned to Anderlecht in 2019, initially to work as a player-manager, before turning into a full boss a year later.
So far Kompany has had a quite average time at Lotto Park, winning 45.98% of their games.
5. Wayne Rooney - (Derby County)
Wayne Rooney has enjoyed a breakout managerial season. With attention firmly on the plight of now-relegated Derby County, his successes there have not gone unnoticed.
The Rams racked up 21 points in deductions throughout the season owing to their financial breaches, meaning any form of survival would have been a minor miracle.
Man United’s all-time leading goalscorer was unable to save them from the drop, but his character, leadership, along with some impressive, dogged displays, puts Rooney a little further up the list.
4. Frank Lampard - (Derby County, Chelsea, Everton)
It was a decent start to managerial life at Derby. Frank Lampard led them to the play-offs, before leaving to return to Chelsea.
There, he led the Blues to fourth, before being sacked the season after.
Now with Everton, things are looking bleak, with relegation looking like a grave possibility for the Toffees.
3. Roy Keane - (Sunderland, Ipswich)
The sight of Roy Keane is enough to make even the hardest of players quake in their boots.
But the Irishman has shown that he’s more than just a scary face with a gruff voice.
Keane led Sunderland to the Championship title in 2007, winning that year’s LMA Manager of the Season award along the way.
However, struggles in the Premier League proved fatal and the former Man United midfielder stepped down from his role with the Black Cats in 18th spot.
In 2009, he in joined Ipswich but their inconsistent form meant that he left two years later with the club in 21st spot in the Championship.
2. Patrick Vieira - (New York City, Nice, Crystal Palace)
Patrick Vieira cut his teeth under the Manchester City reserves before making the jump to New York City in the MLS in 2015.
The Frenchman improved the club’s17th finish the season prior to fourth-spot, before earning a runners-up position in the subsequent campaign.
A season later, he jumped to Ligue 1 with Nice. There he earned a seventh-place league finish but a torrid following campaign saw him leave the side.
Vieira has breathed some fresh life into his current side, Crystal Palace, and they will surely have ambitions of a solid top ten place this season.
1. Steven Gerrard - (Rangers, Aston Villa)
Steven Gerrard wins the prestigious prize of being top in this list, with his tremendous success with Rangers putting him ahead of the pack.
After taking the hot-seat at the Ibrox in 2018, the former Liverpool midfielder gelled the side in his vision, utilising his good connections with the Reds, and dragged the Glasgow club up the table.
It earned Rangers their first Scottish Premiership title in ten years, in what was a record-breaking campaign.
However, after Dean Smith’s sacking at Aston Villa, Gerrard could not resist the pull of the Premier League and so signed on the dotted line at Villa Park in November last year to become their new manager.
But, though relegation is now out of the question, things have not been entirely smooth sailing at the Midlands club, losing 11 of their last 22 games.
