After the conclusion of the 2016/17 season, many were confident that Manchester United had found the perfect replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson in the form of Jose Mourinho. In his maiden season, the special one signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, one of the most lethal strikers in the world, and Paul Pogba, one of the brightest young prospects, if not the brightest in football at that time for a then world record fee of £89 million.
These exploits paid off handsomely for Manchester United as Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals in the 2016/17 season and the club also won three trophies namely the Community Shield, Carabao Cup, and the Europa League.
After his first season in charge, the general perception was that Mourinho would dominate club football with Manchester United as he had done with the previous clubs he had coached over the years.
However, about 18 months after the conclusion of the 16/17 season, the Portuguese was relieved of his duties at Manchester United by the owners after a poor start to the 19/20 season.
Before the start of the season, it was blatantly obvious there were tensions between Mourinho and the club’s management as regards which players to sign. He also had rifts with some players like Paul Pogba. The former Chelsea coach generated a lot of controversy when he sent Paul Pogba home shortly after the midfielder arrived for a training session. At that point, their relationship was at an all-time low. It was believed the reason for this action was because Mourinho explicitly warned Pogba not to air his grievances to the media but the Frenchman ignored his warnings.
Not long after being axed by United, Mourinho made a rather shocking statement saying, “One of the best jobs of my career was to finish second with Manchester United in the Premier League. People don’t know what is going on behind the scenes.”
It has been almost four years since Mourinho, the coach who was supposed to take the club back to its glory days, was axed, and over this period Manchester United has gone through numerous coaches like Ole Gunner Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick, Erik Ten Hag and are currently with Ruben Amorim.
In the space of less than a month, Erik Ten Hag has been sacked as coach of Manchester United and replaced with former Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim. The ex-Ajax coach is regarded by many as the Red Devils’ worst manager in the post-Ferguson era and one of the worst managers in the club’s history.
What Ten Hag would most likely be remembered for by both United and non-United fans is that in his two-and-a-half year stint as manager of the club, he spent over £600 on signing players and literarily none of them lived up to expectations. This is a very woeful record by any standard.
With reference to the hiring and firing of Ten Hag, one can notice a common theme that has been prevalent during this post-Ferguson era and that is managers who performed excellently at other clubs failing to live up to expectations at Manchester United.
Erik Ten Hag might have flopped at Manchester United but he was a stellar coach while at AFC Ajax.and won eight trophies with the club. Ralf Ragnick was a mentor to Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel but ironically failed miserably at United. As for Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, their success stories don’t need to be told because they tell themselves. Both of these managers had a rather impressive start while coaching the Red Devils but failed to maintain this moment over time.
All things being equal, United fans ought to have been very excited when Ruben Amorim was announced as the next coach of their club considering what he has achieved at Sporting Lisbon in recent years. But, given the precedence that has been set by the likes of Ten Hag and Mourinho, there is little cause for optimism about his appointment.
His first match in charge was a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town. Manchester United could have very easily lost the game but for the heroics of goalkeeper Andre Onana who made five crucial saves during the match. Whether the match ended as a draw, win, or even a loss, it would be very harsh to make crucial judgments about Rubem Amorim’s coaching style considering that this was his first match in charge of the Red Devils.
One thing about the English media is they have a penchant for vilifying managers. These people will write your rights on sand and your wrongs on stone. After the draw against Ipswich, Ruben Amorim made a comment saying, “This week I spoke more to the media than I did in four years at Sporting. I just want to work with my players. Nothing more.”
One would expect that the ex-Sporting Lisbon coach would be well aware of the nature of the English media and United fans before making the decision to join the club. Many felt that he put so much unnecessary pressure on himself by choosing to become head coach of United in the middle of a crisis-laden season. There is far more to gain and also far less to lose if he had opted to join United at the end of the season when he could sign players that complement his management style instead of working with players that were recruited to complement another coach’s management style which greatly contradicts his own.
Ultimately, while it is fair to hold the coaches accountable for Manchester United’s performance on the pitch—as they are the ones who strategize, make tactical decisions, and inspire the players—the recurring pattern of high-profile managers failing to meet expectations at the club points to deeper systemic issues.
Coaches like José Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, and Erik Ten Hag have proven track records of success elsewhere, yet their tenure at United has been marked by underperformance and internal discord. This consistency suggests that the problem may not solely lie with the managerial decisions but also with the broader environment in which these coaches operate.
Therefore, it becomes imperative to look beyond the revolving door of managers and scrutinize the role of the club’s ownership and upper management. The Glazers and the executive team must take a hard look at their strategies, support systems, and organizational culture. Are they providing the right resources and autonomy for the managers to succeed?
Are there structural issues or misalignments within the club that undermine these managers’ efforts? By addressing these underlying concerns, the owners can create a more conducive environment for success, paving the way for Manchester United to reclaim its former glory and re-establish itself as a dominant force in football.
