Another one bites the dust.

Eleven years after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, it's fair to say Manchester United are yet to truly find a successor who even comes close to the legendary manager. Add Erik ten Hag's name to the list.

The Dutchman's sacking on Monday comes after an impressive start to his tenure dissipated into despair, summed up by a Diogo Dalot open goal miss and controversial penalty that handed Premier League strugglers West Ham an unlikely win on Sunday.

It's a bittersweet moment for many fans. Ten Hag looked like he could be the one, but United are now a year into some of the worst post-Fergie football the club has played. The suits at INEOS could only stand so much after giving him more than enough time.

As the Red Devils look to the future, let's take a moment to remember those who tried, and largely failed, to step out of Ferguson's shadow at Old Trafford.

6. David Moyes (June 2013-April 2014)

The man Ferguson chose to replace him genuinely never stood a chance.

Moyes was on the back foot from the beginning as the club floundered over signing Marouane Fellaini from Everton, eventually paying more than they needed to for a player who stomped about the field in this era of long-ball football. United's chase for Ander Herrera also fell short at that moment and Moyes failed to unlock the excellence of Juan Mata as the manager's initial struggles quickly became untenable.

As we'll see throughout the list, little moments of madness stick in the mind.

Moyes will forever be remembered for the meme of him sitting at his desk looking clueless, but in a possibly related situation, his side also managed to cross the ball 81 times in a 2-2 draw with Fulham. That's nearly once per minute for the entire game.

Former United coach René Meulensteen was in charge of the west London side at the time and called Moyes' approach "straightforward". Nearly as straightforward as his sacking. The Scot lasted just 10 months of his ridiculous six-year contract, as United failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1995.

5. Ralf Rangnick (December 2021–May 2022)

So much hype followed Ralf Rangnick to United in November 2021. Football Manager players the world over salivated at the gegenpress king, the man who would take up the coaching position for a couple of years before moving into a consultancy role at the club.

Now, the reality.

Rangnick departed United with by far the worst winning percentage of any post-Ferguson manager, grabbing just 11 wins with a success rate of 39 percent. That pressing game, the one he inspired in Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, was nowhere to be seen aside from in the first half of his first game in charge. He was only given 29 games, because it was clear his personality clashed with the club's decision-makers.

Rangnick never took up the consultancy role and didn't receive the opportunity to aid the structure of the club.

However, he did shine a light on the magnitude of internal issues, famously saying United need "open-heart surgery" if they're ever to reach the heights of the Ferguson era. In a way, that honesty may have slowly pushed United toward the behind-the-scenes shake-up we've seen over the last few months as INEOS try to wrestle back a winning environment.

4. Louis van Gaal (May 2014-May 2016)

It's easy to say Louis van Gaal was too old or too boring for United, but it's not quite as simple as that.

His side played some excellent football in spells, and he left after winning the FA Cup. However, his pragmatism did lose him the goodwill of many fans. Van Gaal was capable of so much more, highlighted by the Netherlands side putting on some entertaining attacking performances at the 2014 World Cup.

LvG is likely best known for chucking himself to the ground in mockery of the officials, but his willingness to give Marcus Rashford his debut was a significant moment in the club's recent history.

Granted, Rashford hasn't maintained the kind of form United need. But bringing through quality youth remains an important mantra, and Rashford still represents the most impactful academy graduate since Fergie's exit. Add in his tremendous off-the-field work and it's fair to say Van Gaal at least played some part in rare positives across the last decade.

3. Erik ten Hag (July 2022-October 2024)

The latest manager to receive the chop.

Ten Hag is the one who got closest to it looking like it could be good for a long time. Winning the League Cup in his first season and finishing third in the Premier League was a return to form for United. It was also the start of a nightmare period in which embarrassing losses mounted.

His second season was abysmal. United's 8th-placed finish in the Premier League was their worst ever, including a 4-0 loss to Brentford, a 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace, and a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth. There are many other results to point at, but the United hierarchy deemed the FA Cup victory over Manchester City worthy of keeping the former Ajax manager, even extending his deal in the process.

While that's not Ten Hag's fault, United needed to think with more clarity. That FA Cup run included throwing away a 3-0 semi-final lead against Coventry before scraping past the Championship side on penalties. Had the Sky Blues' late winner not been removed by VAR, Ten Hag would have been sacked before he left Wembley.

Ten Hag never stamped an identity on United's play other than it looking unbalanced. He failed to adapt in-game tactics when it was blatantly obvious that tweaks were needed and he put his players in exposed situations. Casemiro at centre-back. Noussair Mazraoui at number 10. Recently, he started benching players after their best performances in a while, like Rashford and Manuel Ugarte. It made zero sense.

Ten Hag played rigid football and often came across as unlikeable in post-match interviews, where he wouldn't own up to errors. Two trophies aren't the be-all and end-all when the manager is giving fans very little to work with.

2. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (December 2018-November 2021)

Considering his limited experience in comparison to the other managers on this list, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be proud of what he achieved as United manager.

The club legend perhaps would have been afforded more time if INEOS were in control at that point, but a run of bad results saw him axed and Rangnick brought in to shore things up. Welp.

Solskjaer took United to third and second in back-to-back Premier League seasons. He did develop a poor habit of losing massive cup matches, though, with multiple semi-final defeats then compounded by failing to beat Villarreal in the Europa League final.

He looked out of his depth at times, and it was a dangerous era of relying on the club's history as a selling point for his stay, but overall Ole's time should be considered positive.

The Norwegian certainly gave fans one of their best moments in recent years away at Paris Saint-Germain, where United became the first team in Champions League history to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit to stun the French outfit. Rashford's last-minute penalty landed interim boss Solskjaer the full-time role that night as his gutsy, attack-minded football put on a show.

1. José Mourinho (May 2016-December 2018)

A very typical José Mourinho era in every sense.

The good: he won the League Cup and the Europa League in his first season. He followed this by taking United to second in the Premier League, an achievement he ranks among his best in football considering the state of the club. His team was hard to beat and didn't capitulate like Ten Hag's side.

The bad: Mourinho made life hard for players such as Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw. He always expects the best, but he is capable of alienating players by publicly calling them out. Throw in trying to meld Scott McTominay–one of Ten Hag's better-attacking assets last season–into a defender, and it was clear Mourinho's naturally defensive approach would only go so far.

He doesn't stay at clubs beyond two years as results dip or his relationships break down, so it was to be expected. At least United performed well and won a bigger trophy in that time. Mourinho's time wasn't the happiest, but it was the most efficient.