How Sir Alex Ferguson’s former Man Utd players have fared as managers

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney’s time as manager of Plymouth Argyle has come to an end, leaving the club by mutual consent with the team bottom of the Championship.

It has not been an easy jump into management from playing for Rooney, having also been sacked by Birmingham City previously.

But how have some of the others who played under the great Sir Alex Ferguson fared in management? We take a look…

Wayne Rooney

Starting with Rooney, Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer has not enjoyed a lot of success in management so far. He started at Derby County, who were in a financial crisis at the time and were dealt with a hefty points deduction which ultimately saw them relegated to League One, with Rooney leaving shortly after.

He then went to DC United in the MLS but left after failing to qualify for the end of season play-offs. After came his ill-fated spell at Birmingham City under their new owners, winning just twice in 15 games before being sacked. Rooney’s time at Plymouth was not much better, winning four of 23 games.

Michael Carrick

After an interim spell as Manchester United manager, Carrick got the job at Middlesbrough where he has been since 2022. He guided his side to a fourth-placed finish after taking over with the club 21st in the Championship in his first season in charge but lost in the play-off semi-finals. Last season, he guided the club to the EFL Cup semi-finals and finished eighth in the Championship. They are currently sixth in the table around the halfway stage of the campaign.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

The Dutchman is currently in charge of Leicester City but has only managed six games so far. Before that, he was at PSV Eindhoven, where he won the Johan Cruyff Shield and the KNVB Cup but resigned after just a year over what he claimed was a “lack of support” from the club. They finished second that season.

He then went on to be a coach at Manchester United and had a brief interim spell in charge following Erik ten Hag’s departure, before taking the job at Leicester where his success or lack of is yet to be determined.

Gary Neville

Gary Neville has had just one spell in management, a dismal tenure with Spanish club Valencia where he won just three of his 16 league games in charge and was sacked with the club 14th in the table. He has not returned to management since and says he has no desire to.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Solskjær returned to manage Manchester United, where he spent 11 years as a player, in 2018, initially taking over in an interim managerial role before being appointed on a permanent basis. His time in charge was a trophyless one, but he did guide the club to a runner-up Premier League finish in the 2020/21 season when they finished with 74 points. He was sacked by the club the following season, however, with United seventh in the Premier League. Given where United are now, history may judge his time as manager more kindly.

His managerial career started at Molde in his native Norway, where he won the league in 2011 and 2012, and the Norwegian Cup in 2013, and would return there following a disappointing spell at Cardiff City which saw them relegated from the Premier League and then start the following season poorly. He failed to repeat the success he had in his first spell at Molde but did finish second in his final season before leaving for United.

Roy Keane

A mixed managerial career for legendary midfielder Roy Keane. He did a fine job at Sunderland, taking them to the Premier League and then keeping them there before being sacked in his third season with the club. His spell at Ipswich was less successful, where he was sacked after 20 months in charge with the team 19th in the Championship, and despite having held numerous coaching positions he has never returned to management.

Phil Neville

The other Neville brother has enjoyed a longer career in management. He managed the England Women’s team between 2018 and 2021, winning the SheBelieves Cup in 2019 before leaving to join Inter Miami in the MLS, a team co-owned by his former team-mate David Beckham, where he had a mixed spell. They finished 11th of 14 in his first season, made the play-offs in his second but were eliminated in the first round, before he was sacked with the club in last place the following season. He is now in charge of another MLS team, Portland Timbers, finishing ninth last season.

Ryan Giggs

Also had an interim spell in charge of Manchester United, where he then served as assistant manager under Louis van Gaal. His only other spell as a number one was with his home nation Wales, guiding them to Euro 2020 qualification before later stepping down from the job.

Mark Robins

Recently sacked by Coventry City in his second spell at the club, where he won promotion from League Two to the Championship, winning the League One title along the way, and was one game away from guiding them to the Premier League, losing in the play-off final to Luton Town. They also reached the FA Cup semi-final under Robins, losing narrowly to his former club Manchester United.

He has had spells at Rotherham, Barnsley, Huddersfield and Scunthorpe too. He challenged for promotion from League One with Rotherham before moving to a Barnsley side battling relegation in the Championship, where he kept them up before resigning. He spent just a few months at Coventry in his first spell before moving to Huddersfield where he just avoided relegation, before leaving. He spent just over a year at Scunthorpe before he was sacked and returned to Coventry just over a year later.

Steve Bruce

Has enjoyed a long career in management which first started back in 1998 with Sheffield United and is still ongoing, with the former United defender currently in charge of League One Blackpool. He has won numerous promotions over his time in management, including four to the Premier League – twice with both Birmingham City and Hull City, also reaching the FA Cup final with the latter. His career has not been without challenges – most notably at Newcastle and West Brom, but to stay in the game as long as he has is an immensely difficult thing to do. He has managed 476 games in the Premier League and many more than that in total.

Laurent Blanc

Currently in charge at Saudi Arabia side Al Ittihad and has also managed Bordeaux, the France national team, PSG, Al Rayyan and Lyon. Has enjoyed plenty of success but also challenges as a manager, winning Ligue 1 and the French League Cup in 2008/09 with Bordeaux, and three league titles, three league cups and two Coupe de France’s with PSG. He had a disappointing spell in charge of France, only reaching the quarter-finals of the Euros and was also sacked by Lyon after finishing seventh and then starting the following season poorly, but overall can be pleased with what he has achieved as a manager.

Gabriel Heinze

Has mostly managed in his native Argentina but also took charge of MLS side Atlanta United. Won promotion to the top flight with Argentinos Juniors, led Velez Sarsfield to two consecutive Copa Sudamericana qualifications but also had underwhelming spells with Godoy Cruz, Atlanta and Newell’s Old Boys.

Mark Hughes

Currently without a job after leaving Bradford City in 2023. Has held seven other managerial jobs – Wales, Blackburn, Man City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke and Southampton. Enjoyed success with Blackburn in his first club job, guiding them to UEFA Cup qualification, before joining Man City at the start of their Abu Dhabi ownership, but was sacked after a year-and-a-half in charge. He then joined Fulham, where he quit after finishing eighth in the Premier League before later joining QPR where he struggled, narrowly avoiding relegation before being sacked.

His time at Stoke was more successful, achieving top-half finishes but ended badly, being sacked with his side struggling defensively. His two jobs since were disappointing again, however, being sacked at Southampton with the club 18th in the Premier League and again at Bradford with the club 18th in League Two.

Jaap Stam

Had a spell with Championship club Reading, whom he guided to the play-off final only to lose to Huddersfield Town before being sacked the following season after a bad start, and MLS club FC Cincinnati where he was sacked after a run of just four wins in 25 games. In between those two jobs, he spent just a few months at PEC Zwolle before getting the Feyernood job, which he would also leave after a few months claiming it was best for both sides.

Currently in charge of his boyhood club DOS Kampen, who play in the seventh tier of Dutch football.

Gordon Strachan

Strachan and Ferguson’s relationship was famously a tense one, with Strachan playing under Ferguson for United in the 1980s. He struggled at Coventry at the start of his managerial career with the club relegated from the Premier League, but was soon back in the game at Southampton where he reached the FA Cup final and qualified for Europe. He had a successful spell at Celtic, winning three league titles, a Scottish Cup and a Scottish League Cup, before an underwhelming spell at Middlesbrough followed. His last job was in charge of the Scotland national team but he was unable to qualify for a major tournament.

Paul Ince

Achieved success early on in his managerial career, winning promotion to League One with MK Dons and the Football League Trophy before leaving for Premier League Blackburn Rovers but was sacked after just six months in charge. Went back to MK Dons, where they finished 13th in League One before leaving and went on to Notts County, which was disappointing for him and saw him leave after less than a year.

Has since had spells at Blackpool, where he won just 12 of his 42 games, and Reading where he was sacked with the club 22nd in the Championship but had to deal with off the pitch problems at both clubs.

Darren Ferguson

Alex Ferguson’s son and former Manchester United player, the younger Ferguson is currently manager of Peterborough, his fourth spell at the club, and has also managed Preston North End and Doncaster Rovers. Has won four promotions with Peterborough and another with Doncaster but endured a disappointing time at Preston.

Bryan Robson

The former Man Utd captain spent seven years in charge at Middlesbrough, first as a player-manager, winning promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge, followed by some big spending which did not quite work out as planned, with Boro relegated in the 1996-97 season before coming straight back up again the following year. After a string of mid-table finishes, he left the club in 2001 having also guided them to three cup finals during his tenure.

A bad spell at Bradford followed for Robson, who were relegated from Division One. He then went to West Brom, pulling off an unlikely escape to stay in the Premier League in his first season before being relegated the next. He struggled at Sheffield United and ended his managerial career with a period as manager of the Thailand national team.

Paul Scholes

Had a seven-game spell in charge of Oldham Athletic, where he won just once before quitting, and has also taken temporary charge of the team he co-owns, Salford City, most recently in 2020.

Teddy Sheringham

Had an unsuccessful short spell in charge of Stevenage and also managed Indian Super League side ATK, where he was sacked after just ten games in charge.

Diego Forlan

Managed Penarol in his homeland Uruguay in 2020 but was sacked after just 11 games. Then took charge at another Uruguayan club Atenas which did not go well either. Has not returned to management since and is currently playing professional tennis instead.

Andrei Kanchelskis

Has had numerous short spells with sides in Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Currently manages Russian Second League side Dynamo Bryansk.