The Manchester United hierarchy has spent the best part of a decade attempting to either sustain their dominance over English soccer or return to their perch.

The club has been nothing short of a circus act since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, with highs merely fleeting and drifts toward the abyss part and parcel of the Red Devils’ new normal.

They’re on the brink of appointing their eighth permanent manager post-Fergie, with Michael Carrick the latest to fall foul of the poisoned chalice. Misalignment and outright incompetence across the board have contributed to United’s plight, with an array of bright minds on the touchline unable to restore the club to its former glory.

And those running the show have pulled out all the stops to acquire ‘their guy.’ Old Trafford’s revolving door has made a fortune welcoming and waving goodbye to the coaches initially heralded as saviors.

Here’s a rundown of the compensation United have paid to hire and fire managers over the past 13 years.

Man Utd’s Compensation Payouts Post-Sir Alex Ferguson

Data provided by The Telegraph and converted via current exchange rates.

This has nothing to do with the salaries offered to managers, with those at the helm of United often ranking among the most handsomely paid in world soccer.

We’re merely taking into account how much it cost United to hire the managers and how much they paid in compensation after letting them go.

Since 2013, United have paid to acquire three managers: Ole Gunnar Solskjær from Molde, Erik ten Hag from Ajax and Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP. The latter was the first hire of the INEOS era, and the Portuguese coach set the club back a whopping $14.7 million to buy him out of his contract. At the time, it was the 10th-highest fee paid by a club to hire a manager.

Amorim then received a $13.4 million payout when he was relieved of his duties in January 2026, meaning they spent more than $28 million on a manager who ended his tenure with the worst Premier League win rate among United managers.

José Mourinho received the biggest package of all when he was fired in late 2018 ($26.2 million), and most egregiously, Ralf Rangnick, who was hired on a short-term managerial/long-term consultancy basis, earned a whopping $19.6 million when he was let go at the end of a torrid 2021–22 campaign.

A break clause in Carrick’s contract, which he signed in May, means Man Utd will only have to pay out the remainder of his salary for the rest of the 2026–27 season ($6.7 million)—the lowest amount of compensation they’ve paid to fire a manager since David Moyes in 2014 ($6.5 million).

Solskjæer and Ten Hag cost more than a combined $30 million to hire and fire, while Louis van Gaal received $11.2 million when he left the club in 2016.

In total, United have shelled out approximately $129 million in compensation to hire and fire eight managers over the past 13 years. That’s more than what it cost to reunite with Paul Pogba ($116 million) in 2016. They could’ve signed Andrey Santos at least two times over!

How Much Will it Cost Man Utd to Appoint Michael Carrick’s Successor?

United look poised to add to the aforementioned tally in short order, with USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino the current favorite to succeed Carrick at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have pursued the Argentine on several occasions since he evolved Tottenham Hotspur into Premier League title contenders, and finally look ready to hire the 54-year-old.

Pochettino signed a contract extension with the USMNT in the aftermath of the World Cup, which included a breakout clause worth $10 million. However, it’d cost United “millions more dollars” to snag the manager’s coaching staff, too.

Still, the price to acquire Pochettino pales in comparison to what the Red Devils would have to pay if they went after Unai Emery, who is happy at Aston Villa. He’s on the brink of signing a new deal with the club, and although there’s no set clause in the Spaniard’s contract, reports suggest the Villans would demand close to $27 million for his services. That’d be the second-most expensive managerial appointment in soccer history, sitting behind Bayern Munich’s hiring of Julian Nagelsmann ($29.3 million).

Nagelsmann is among the contenders for the job if the move for Pochettino somehow fails, and is out of work so United wouldn’t need to pay a fee. That’s also true of Antonio Conte, who left Napoli at the end of last season.

While Eddie Howe departed Newcastle United in the summer, the Red Devils would need to pay a relatively small amount in compensation due to the terms of Howe’s exit. The relevant clause is set to expire at the end of the season, but if Howe’s hired over the international break, the record Premier League champions may be forced to pay around $4 million.