Following Fergie: Solskjaer Becomes the Latest Manchester United Manager to Fail

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked as gracefully as possible on Sunday after a dismal run of form which ended with an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to newly promoted Watford.

But Solskjaer finds himself in good company when it comes to managers who tried to get United back to where they were under Ferguson….and failed.

David Moyes was Alex Ferguson’s own choice to be his successor and the Scotsman had done well at Preston and Everton, although he had never won a trophy - losing the FA Cup Final to Chelsea in 2009.

But Moyes struggled with a United squad which Ferguson himself knew needed considerable rebuilding. Moyes was eventually sacked in April 2014, before the end of his first season in charge.

He has since gone on to rebuild his career at West Ham, and has been highly praised this year and the Hammers are currently fourth in the table, six points ahead of United.

Best signing: Juan Mata, who had won a Premier League title with Chelsea, was signed for £40 million and is still at Old Trafford. But the midfield around Mata was not good enough and now the Spaniard himself has aged - he is now 33 - and does not really cut the mustard. It was a surprise when Solskjaer extended his contract by a year in July 2021.

Worst signing: Marouane Fellaini was not a terrible signing. But the £29 million midfielder, who Moyes brought from his old club Everton, was never in the same class as Fergie’s best midfielders - David Beckham, Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes.

After Moyes - who was considered out of his depth at Old Trafford - the United board turned to one of the most experienced coaches in the world, a man who had won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich and steered Holland to third place in the 2014 World Cup.

Van Gaal was given more time and money - £309 million - to rebuild the United squad but ultimately he was unable to turn the Red Devils into a team which could challenge Manchester City, Chelsea or a Liverpool side which was starting a resurrection under Jurgen Klopp.

In May 2016 Van Gaal was “let go” only days after winning the FA Cup with a goal from Jesse Lingard, a product of the United youth set-up.

Best signing: Luke Shaw. The full-back was signed from Southampton and initially had some problems with injury and form. But Shaw has gone on to become a consistent performer with United and England and scored for his country in the Euro 2020 final this summer, a game they ultimately lost to Italy.

Worst signing: There is healthy competition for the title of “worst signing” under Van Gaal but it probably goes to Angel di Maria, who was a British transfer record when he was signed for £60 million. The Argentinian played only 27 games and scored only three times before being flogged to Paris St Germain, where his form has miraculously returned. His compatriot Marcos Rojo also failed to shine after performing well in the 2014 World Cup, as did Dutch midfielder Daley Blind.

He was still considered “The Special One” when he joined Manchester United in the summer of 2016, despite his reputation having been tarnished by his second spell at Chelsea.

But his star was clearly on the wane and his arrogant style and poor man management was to lead United into several disasters.

He managed to win a Europa League trophy and an EFL Cup for United in 2017 but this was just papering over the cracks and his team came apart again during the 2018/19 season.

After just seven wins in 17 games and with United 19 points off the top of the table, Mourinho was relieved of his duties in December 2018.

He has since had an uninspiring spell at Tottenham and is currently managing Roma in Serie A.

Best signing: Zlatan Ibrahimovic was an inspired free transfer signing.

Worst signing: Where do you start? Mourinho brought in Viktor Lindelof and Eric Bailly but they failed to beat a centre back partnership either with each other or with any of the other defenders at the club, including Phil Jones and Chris Smalling. Paul Pogba was also a disastrous signing, as much for his bad attitude and negative effect on dressing room morale as anything else. But the winner has to be Alexis Sanchez, who was signed from Arsenal - where he had been prolific - in 2018 but scored only three goals in 32 games for United.

After Mourinho’s departure morale in the United dressing room was rock bottom and the team needed not just a caretaker manager but a friendly face and a positive influence on the players to bring back a team spirit.

They chose Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Norwegian striker who had scored the winning goal for United in the 1999 Champions’ League final.

His only experience in the Premier League had been a disastrous spell in charge of lowly Cardiff City.

But he was handed the reins and not only steadied the ship but sent United on a magnificent run which led to the Old Trafford board foolishly deciding to give him a long-term contract as manager before the end of the 2018/19 season.

United’s form remained inconsistent over the next two seasons and question marks remained about Solskjaer’s tactical awareness and coaching skills.

This season has gone from bad to worse and the 5-0 thrashing at home to their arch-rivals Liverpool last month was the beginning of the end.

On Saturday an inept United lost 4-1 at Watford and at the final whistler midfielder Bruno Fernandes appeared to indicate to the crowd that the players, not the manager, were to blame. The board believed otherwise, and Solskjaer was soon told to clear his desk.

Best signing: Bruno Fernandes was an inspired signing and one the club’s fans waited a long time for. The 25-year-old midfielder signed from Sporting Lisbon for £47 million in January 2020 and soon transformed United’s prospects. Last season he played well again but this season his form has dipped as the team struggled. But he is a class act and a top manager should build his team around him.

Worst signing: Consideringe he cost £87 million - a British record for a defender - Harry Maguire is considered by many United fans to have been a bad signing. He has failed to be the defensive colossus the team needed and on Saturday he was sent off in the first half after losing the ball, which summed up his form this season. Solskjaer also signed Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek from Ajax but he has spent most of his time warming the bench at Old Trafford. Van de Beek came on at half time and scored on Saturday but it remains to be seen whether he is part of United’s long-term future.