The 10 best managers who used to play for Sir Alex - sports news foot

Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably the greatest manager in the history of the game. Across a career that spanned four decades, his greatest successes began with Aberdeen, ending the duopoly of Rangers and Celtic while winning the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Then came Manchester United. A sleeping giant, the Old Trafford side needed a figure to rejuvenate them. Fergie was the perfect candidate. It took a while, but after winning the FA Cup in 1990, the trophies flowed like fine wine.

In the end, he won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League crowns and a host of other cups.

Perhaps his greatest legacy is that so many of those who played under him eventually took to management themselves. We have taken a look into those who followed in his footsteps, ranked by their relative success in the dugout.

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10

Roy Keane

Former Sunderland and Ipswich manager

Given his playing career, Roy Keane looked as though he could make for an excellent manager, especially having played under Fergie for so long.

Taking over at Sunderland in August 2006, the onus was on Keane to lead the club back to the Premier League, and he duly achieved this, securing the Championship title at the first attempt. The club remained in the top flight the following season, but Keane resigned in December 2008.

His next and final managerial role was at Ipswich Town. He couldn’t inspire them to promotion and was sacked in 2011.

Since then, he has had spells as an assistant with the Republic of Ireland and Aston Villa, while a six-month stint at Nottingham Forest, again as a No 2, ended after just six months.

9

Wayne Rooney

Current Plymouth Argyle boss

One of United’s finest players, Wayne Rooney hasn’t had it all his own way in the dugout so far. A two-year spell at Derby County saw the Rams slip into the third tier during his second season in charge, although this was largely due to a 21-point deduction.

Next up was D.C. United, taking charge for 53 matches, yet he won just 15 of them before enduring a dismal stint at Birmingham City which lasted only 15 games.

Keen to make his managerial career a success, Rooney hasn’t shied away, despite his status as he finds himself on the south coast with Plymouth Argyle.

8

Phil Neville

Former teams include Inter Miami and England Women

Often in the shadow of his brother Gary during their playing careers, Phil Neville has given the managerial side of things a proper go.

He led England Women to the 2019 FIFA World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals for the second tournament in a row, suffering an agonising defeat to the United States.

Stepping down in 2021, Neville soon took charge of Inter Miami, owned by his fellow Manchester United teammate David Beckham. While he led them to the play-offs in the 2022 season for the first time in their history, Neville was sacked in 2023.

It didn’t take him long to get another role in MLS, moving to Portland Timbers last November.

7

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Leicester City manager

Ruud van Nistelrooy was one of the deadliest forwards in the Premier League during his spell at United.

After stints with the Netherlands national side and PSV Eindhoven’s youth teams, the Dutchman was announced as manager for the senior PSV side ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

During his sole campaign at the club, he won the Dutch Cup and the Johann Cruyff Shield, yet he resigned with just one match of the league season remaining, despite a solid debut.

Erik ten Hag brought him in as an assistant at United ahead of 2024/25, and when he was sacked, Van Nistelrooy was appointed as caretaker.

In his four games in charge, the Red Devils won three and drew one. His spell caught the attention of Leicester City (having beaten them twice), and the Foxes snapped him up to replace the sacked Steve Cooper.

6

Bryan Robson

Steered West Brom to greatest Premier League escape act

Bryan Robson was one of the finest midfielders of his generation, although injury problems hit him hard during his career.

After 13 years at United, with several coming under Fergie’s leadership, Robson was appointed player-manager of Middlesbrough, leading them to the Premier League during the 1994/95 season.

The 1996/97 campaign saw the Englishman guide the club to the League Cup and FA Cup finals, yet they lost both, while Boro were relegated at the end of that season.

He spent another four years at the club before taking over at Bradford City in 2003. He later guided West Bromwich Albion to safety in 2005, despite the club starting the calendar year – and indeed, the final day – at the bottom of the Premier League table.

His most recent role was in charge of Thailand between 2009 and 2011, where he won just six matches.

5

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Another doomed Fergie successor

Following his playing career, Ole Gunnar Solskjær won two league titles with Molde in his homeland before taking over at Cardiff City in 2014. However, he was unable to prevent them from being relegated and returned to Norway for a second spell at Molde.

Following José Mourinho’s sacking in 2018, Solskjaer was appointed caretaker manager at Manchester United, before being announced as the new full-time boss of the Old Trafford side.

Third and second-placed finishes in the Premier League looked to have United back on the ascendency, but a poor start to the 2021/22 campaign saw the Norwegian sacked before Christmas, and he is yet to take up a new role.

4

Steve Bruce

Championship promotion specialist

Out of all Fergie’s former players, Steve Bruce’s managerial career is certainly the one most travelled. 13 different spells across 12 clubs is impressive to say the least, although he has not won a major trophy during his spell in the dugout.

His first real success came with Birmingham City, taking charge for six years as the club became a mainstay in the Premier League. He is both a two-time Championship runner-up and double play-off winner, having also achieved these feats with Hull City.

Bruce then led Hull to the FA Cup final in 2014, losing to Arsenal, before stints at Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United followed.

After two years out of the game, the former defender is back this season, taking the reins at Blackpool.

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3

Mark Hughes

Manager on the Premier League and international stage

Mark Hughes didn’t finish his playing career until 2002, yet he was given the Wales job in 1999 aged just 36. In his five years in charge, Wales came close to qualifying for Euro 2004, losing to Russia in a play-off.

A solid stint at Blackburn Rovers saw the club finish sixth in the top flight, securing qualification for the UEFA Cup, with a seventh-place finish coming in 2007/08, his last year in charge.

Failed spells at Manchester City, Fulham and QPR suggested his managerial career was destined to come to an end, but his spell at Stoke City proved otherwise.

Three successive top-half finishes with the Potters ensured they were consistent enough, yet they ended up being relegated at the end of the 2017/18 season. Hughes had departed a few months earlier.

He has been without a job since leaving Bradford City in 2023.

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2

Gordon Strachan

Achieved major success in Scotland

Fiery ginger winger Gordon Strachan played under Fergie at Aberdeen and Man Utd, before ending his playing career with a spell at Leeds United, helping them win the old First Division in 1992.

He took charge of Coventry City in 1996, initially as a player-manager, before making a full-time switch to the dugout the following year. Despite finishes of 15th and 14th in the top flight, the Sky Blues were relegated in 2001.

Strachan then steered Southampton to the FA Cup final in 2003, but his greatest managerial spell came at Celtic. Three league titles, two League Cups and the Scottish Cup were the highlights.

Following a poor spell in charge of Middlesbrough, Strachan took over as Scotland manager, but he couldn’t lead the nation to a major tournament, resigning in 2017.

1

Laurent Blanc

Success on the continent

Laurent Blanc may not have enjoyed the best of times at United, winning just one Premier League trophy as his playing career was coming to an end, but he made the transition to management rather seamlessly.

He led Bordeaux to second place in Ligue 1 during his first season in charge, before ending their wait for a league title in 2009, also leading the club to Coupe de la Ligue success in the process.

A two-year spell in charge of France saw the nation reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, with Blanc resigning shortly after.

He achieved dominance with Paris Saint-Germain between 2013 and 2016, winning three consecutive league titles along with a host of domestic cups, but the Champions League eluded them. Since then, he has had spells with Lyon, Al-Rayyan and current side Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, though he has not won a major honour since leaving France.