Since the era of Sir Alex Ferguson, a look at the past Manchester United managers and how long each served.
On 13 Nov 2026 GMT+7, we review the managerial history of Manchester United, the famed Premier League club, focusing on how long each manager served. Starting from the era of Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Scottish manager who holds the record for the longest tenure, serving just over 26 years, equivalent to 318 months.
In second place is Norwegian manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who managed the team for 32 months. The most recent manager to be dismissed was Michael Carrick, who served only 6 months. This count includes only periods when they officially held the permanent managerial position, excluding any interim appointments earlier in the year.
1.) Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland) – 318 months
2.) Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Norway) – 32 months
3.) José Mourinho (Portugal) – 31 months
4.) Erik ten Hag (Netherlands) – 29 months
5.) Louis van Gaal (Netherlands) – 22 months
6.) Rúben Amorim (Portugal) – 14 months
7.) David Moyes (Scotland) – 10 months
8.) Michael Carrick (England) – 6 months
*Note: Only permanent managerial tenures are counted*