Manchester United’s post-Ferguson upheaval costs more than £100m

Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment as Manchester United’s new manager has taken the club’s spending on hiring and dismissing managers and senior football staff beyond £100m since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

British media estimates put the total at more than £108m after the arrival of the Argentine, underlining the scale of the instability at Old Trafford as Manchester United continue their search for the consistency associated with Ferguson’s tenure.

According to Reuters, Manchester United will pay about £7.4m to end Pochettino’s contract with the United States men’s national team. British media reports estimate that the dismissal of Michael Carrick and his coaching staff will cost at least a further £5m.

That figure does not include the cost of terminating the contracts of Pochettino’s assistants, meaning the final bill could rise further.

Carrick was dismissed on Thursday, less than six months after signing a two-year contract in May. Pochettino’s appointment represents the latest change in the manager’s position at Old Trafford.

The £100m figure is an estimate rather than a confirmed total released by Manchester United. It includes spending on sporting directors and managers, and reflects the wider administrative and footballing disruption that has affected the club for more than a decade.

Ruben Amorim was among the most expensive appointments. Manchester United paid Sporting €11m to release him from his contract, Reuters reported at the time, before dismissing him in January 2026 after only 14 months in charge.

The club subsequently recorded an exceptional cost of £8.2m connected with Amorim’s departure and the restructuring that followed.

Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, including his coaching staff, cost Manchester United £10.4m according to the club’s accounts. The departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cost a further £9.1m.

The Daily Telegraph estimated that the costs linked to Ralf Rangnick’s departure, his staff and other changes to the football operation came to £14.7m. That figure highlights how the upheaval extended beyond the manager’s office to the club’s wider football structure.

The expenses began soon after Ferguson’s departure. Jose Mourinho’s dismissal in 2018 cost £19.6m, the highest figure recorded for any of the club’s managers.

Louis van Gaal’s departure two years earlier cost £8.4m, while Manchester United paid £4.9m when David Moyes was dismissed in 2014.

The club has also incurred fees when appointing managers and senior staff. According to the Daily Telegraph, Manchester United paid Ajax £1.6m to recruit Ten Hag and his assistant Mitchell van der Gaag.

About £1m was paid to Molde when Solskjaer became the club’s manager.

Manchester United also paid significant sums to appoint Dan Ashworth from Newcastle United, before ending his employment after only five months in one of the shortest senior administrative spells in the club’s history.

Pochettino’s arrival has left Manchester United supporters hoping he can end the costly cycle of change and restore stability at Old Trafford, preventing the search for Ferguson’s successor from producing an even larger bill.