How the first game of every Man United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson went as Ruben Amorim gets set for Red Devils’ debut – from Erik ten Hag’s Brighton nightmare, to David Moyes’ trophy-winning start and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Cardiff reunion

Ruben Amorim will become the 10th manager to take charge of a Manchester United game in the last 11 years this weekend. 

That rather shocking statistic shows just how far the record top-flight winners have fallen since the departure of their legendary former boss Sir Alex Ferguson.  

United have enjoyed somewhat of a mini-resurgence under the management of interim boss Rudd van Nistelrooy, who led them to comprehensive wins over Leicester, PAOK in the Europa League and a creditable draw with Chelsea. 

Yet, United still sit 13th in the Premier League, though the ultra-condensed nature of the standings means Amorim can rocket the side up the table with a couple of wins.

The 39-year-old arrives in Manchester with a stunning resume from his time in his native Portugal but more established managers have tried and failed at Old Trafford since Ferguson’s 2013 exit. 

Ahead of the Portuguese’s first match against Ipswich, Mail Sport looks back at the first result of every Red Devils manager since the Scot waved goodbye to the United faithful.

The Red Devils travel to Ipswich to take on Kieran McKenna’s side, buoyed by their first win of the season

United are on a run of four games unbeaten and sit just four points outside the top four, despite being way down in 13th

David Moyes – Community Shield vs Wigan

Dubbed ‘the Chosen One’ after Ferguson’s retirement, Moyes won his first game as United manager against Wigan.

After winning the 2012-13 Premier League title, United faced the Latics in the Community Shield at Wembley, with a brace from Robin Van Persie securing Moyes’ only trophy for the Red Devils via a 2-0 victory.

Less than a week later, the Scot also won his opening Premier League game with a 4-1 victory over Swansea City.

However, United’s early promise under Moyes faltered and in April 2014, United sat seventh in the league and were eliminated from every other competition. Moyes was subsequently relieved of his duties just 10 months into a six-year contract.

Result – Man United 2-0 Wigan 

David Moyes won the Community Shield in his first game in charge, with United beating Wigan

Ryan Giggs: Premier League vs Norwich City

As United’s most-capped player of all time, Giggs was appointed as a player-coach after Moyes was sacked.

His first game ended in a triumphant 4-0 victory over Norwich in the Premier League. Braces from Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata capped off a dominant performance at Old Trafford.

The Welshman made his 963rd and final appearance for the club after substituting himself on for Tom Lawrence in a 3-1 win over Hull City during his time in charge. 

Giggs managed just four games for United, compiling a record of two wins, a draw and a loss. He was appointed as assistant manager the following season but left the club in 2016.

Result – Man United 4-0 Norwich City 

Ryan Giggs enjoyed a short stint as interim boss and won his first game against Norwich 4-0

Louis van Gaal: Premier League vs Swansea City

Van Gaal was appointed by United in May 2014, becoming their first ever non-British or Irish manager.

The Dutchman lost his first game in charge, a 2-1 defeat in the Premier League by Swansea. This was United’s first home loss against the Welsh side since 1931.

Van Gaal came armed with 23 years of managerial experience, having previously coached the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

However, despite winning the FA Cup in his second season, a fifth-place Premier League finish led to his sacking in May 2016.

Result – Man United 1-2 Swansea City 

Louis van Gaal’s tenure got off to the worst possible start as United were beaten by Swansea

Jose Mourinho: Community Shield vs Leicester City

In typical Mourinho fashion, the ‘Special One’ led United to a trophy in his first game as manager as his side beat reigning Premier League champions Leicester 2-1 in the 2016 Community Shield.

Goals from Jesse Lingard and new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked the start of the Mourinho era for the Red Devils.

He also enjoyed success in his first Premier League game, winning 3-1 away at Bournemouth, while the Portuguese went on to win the Europa League and League Cup in his first year at United.

However, after a miserable run of form left his side 11 points off the top four, Mourinho was sacked a week before Christmas in 2018, midway through his third season in charge.

Result – Man United 2-1 Leicester City 

Like Moyes, Jose Mourinho managed to win the Community Shield in his first game in charge

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Premier League vs Cardiff City

Solskjaer was appointed as an interim manager the day after Mourinho was let go  and had three days to prepare for his first game against former club Cardiff, where he endured a difficult nine-month stint.

In emphatic fashion, United beat them 5-1, marking the start of a fairytale run of form for the Norwegian.

After winning 14 of his 19 games in interim charge, Solskjaer took over as manager on a permanent basis. He went on to lead United to sixth, third and second in the Premier League over his first two-and-a-half seasons in charge.

However, despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster return to the club in 2021, United had one of their worst starts to a Premier League season ever. Solskjaer was sacked after a disastrous 4-1 defeat by Watford, with his side languishing in seventh in the table.

Result – Cardiff City 1-5 Man United 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer secured a thumping 5-1 win over Cardiff City after replacing Mourinho

Michael Carrick: Champions League vs Villarreal 

After serving as an assistant under Solskjaer, Carrick was named caretaker manager on November 21, 2021. United travelled to Villarreal in the Champions League just two days later.

Late goals from Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho sealed a 2-0 win for the Red Devils and their advancement to the last-16 in the competition.

Carrick only took charge of two more games, both in the Premier League. He drew his first league game 1-1 with Chelsea, then led his side to a 3-2 victory over Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Stepping down as interim coach, he left United with immediate effect and joined Middlesbrough as permanent manager in October 2022.

Result – Villarreal 0-2 Man United

Michael Carrick oversaw an impressive 2-0 victory against Villarreal in the Champions League

Ralf Rangnick: Premier League vs Crystal Palace 

Rangnick was United’s top candidate as interim manager and replaced Carrick in December 2021. 

His first game ended in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at home. He went on to lose only one of his next 10 games, before the Devils’ form dipped significantly.

Rangnick’s efforts were only enough to earn a sixth-place league finish at the end of the season. 

The original agreement for the German to stay at Old Trafford as consultant was abandoned, with Rangnick instead agreeing a deal to take over Austria, where he has been hugely successful.

In poetic fashion, his last game at United was a 1-0 defeat by Palace in the Premier League.

Result – Man United 1-0 Crystal Palace 

Ralf Rangnick won his first game in charge before his brief tenure unravelled dramatically

Erik ten Hag: Premier League vs Brighton

Ten Hag’s nightmare first game saw United shocked by Brighton as they were beaten 2-1

In April 2022, Ten Hag was appointed as United’s permanent manager, tasked with overseeing a major rebuild after a difficult end to the previous season under Rangnick.

On August 7, he lost his first game in charge, a 2-1 league defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford. 

It ensured the Dutchman endured a nightmare start after Pascal Gross’ first half doubled stunned home fans as United were completely outplayed.

The following week, United were embarrassed away at Brentford, losing 4-0, with Ten Hag becoming the first United manager since John Chapman in 1921 to lose his first two games in charge.

After leading the Red Devils to an eight-place finish in the Premier League finish last season, the board decided to keep him after he won the FA Cup.

However, with United 14th in the league after nine games, the hammer fell on Ten Hag on Monday, as the club look to begin a new era under Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership.

Result – Man United 1-2 Brighton 

Ruud van Nistelrooy: Carabao Cup vs Leicester City

Ruud van Nistelrooy bade an emotional farewell to Manchester Unite supporters after his unbeaten spell in charge

United had just three days until their next fixture after sacking Erik ten Hag last month. Naturally, the responsibility for leading the team in the short term fell to the Dutchman’s assistant, United legend Van Nistelrooy. 

The 48-year-old, who scored 150 goals in 219 games for United between 2001 and 2006, had previously managed Eredivisie giants PSV and he showed his ease in the hot seat during his interim spell in charge. 

The first of a four-game reign began with a Carabao Cup tie against newly-promoted Leicester. Despite their struggles in the Premier League, Steve Cooper’s side retain a threat and would almost certainly have caused problems for Ten Hag’s United. 

But with the team now liberated of the former Ajax boss they immediately became a free-scoring outfit against and found the net five times – something they failed to do against another Premier League during Ten Hag’s reign. 

The Foxes were similarly accommodating in their league fixture 10 days later, going down by the same margin. Those Old Trafford clashes with the east Midlands outfit bookended an impressive four-game spell that included a 1-1 draw with Chelsea and 2-0 win over Greek side PAOK. 

Result – Man United 5-2 Leicester City