Meet tonight in Turkey 

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All eyes will be on Istanbul tonight for the biggest fixture in the Europa League with Fenerbahce hosting Manchester United. Erik ten Hag desperately needs a result in Europe with United drawing their two opening games and the English giants have only won once in their last ten fixtures on the continent. While Ten Hag’s future remains a contentious topic, José Mourinho facing his former side has unquestionably dominated the headlines in the build-up. 

Mourinho is unquestionably one of the most iconic managers in modern history and the box-office boss spent two-and-a-half years in the Old Trafford hot seat. The 61-year-old reflected fondly on his time at United ahead of facing them with Fenerbahce, stating: “I wish the best to Man United since the moment I left. I left with a good feeling to the club and with a good feeling to the fans. If things are not going amazingly well for them it’s not something that makes me happy – sooner or later they will succeed.” In terms of trophies, Ten Hag and Mourinho are the two most successful United managers since Sir Alex Ferguson ended his 26-year tenure but how do their records compare? 

Erik ten Hag and Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United points records compared

Mourinho was appointed as United boss in the aftermath of Louis van Gaal winning the FA Cup in 2016 and he enjoyed a hugely successful debut season, winning two trophies – the Portuguese boss would argue it was three as he famously included the Community Shield to raised eyebrows. Mourinho became the first United boss in history to win a major trophy in his debut season and he maintained his 100% record in European finals with a 2-0 win over Ajax in the Europa League. The former Chelsea boss led United to second the following season before it all went wrong in the third season and he was sacked in December. 

Ten Hag also won a trophy in his first season with the League Cup and he backed that up with the FA Cup last season but United have struggled domestically. After an impressive third place finish in 2022/23, Ten Hag oversaw United’s lowest ever league finish in 8th last season and they are currently floundering in mid-table. When comparing the two manager’s statistics, Mourinho has a superior points per game record than the current United boss – 1.97 ppg to 1.87 ppg. Perhaps most noticeably is the stark contrast in their goal difference record. Mourinho enjoyed a positive goal difference of 122, while Ten Hag’s stands at just 55 with the Dutchman criticised for United inability to score goals and he’s been on the wrong end of some heavy defeats. 

Erik ten Hag and Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United transfer records compared

United’s reckless approach in the transfer market and subsequent failings are well-documented since Ferguson’s departure in 2013. It’s arguably been the biggest contributing factor to their downfall across the last decade but comparing Ten Hag and Mourinho’s net spends at Old Trafford is fascinating. As the graphic below illustrates, both managers were substantially backed during their first summers at the club but the finances on offer decreased as question marks over their credentials increased. Ten Hag’s total net spend during his tenure of €476 million is €133m more than Mourinho across five transfer windows. 

 The Dutch boss spent an eye-watering €243m in his first transfer window with the €95m arrival of Antony constantly cited as the biggest example of his poor recruitment record at United. In their second seasons, Mourinho’s net spend was slightly higher than the current United boss with Romelu Lukaku the most expensive addition at €85m. While Ten Hag was supported heavily in the market in his third summer after surviving a strategic review, Mourinho felt heavily aggrieved at the lack of investment after finishing second behind Man City.

It ultimately was the writing on the wall as he made his unhappiness abundantly clear in pre-season after spending just €83m with Fred accounting for €59m of that total spend. There were distinct parallels between the optimism levels around Ten Hag and Mourinho’s first seasons at United but the results will need to improve quickly for the Dutchman to avoid a similar fate to his predecessor.