Manchester United's Greatest What-If Moments Since Sir Alex Ferguson's Exit

Manchester United have, relative to most clubs, enjoyed a great deal of success over the past couple of seasons. They have won three major trophies and a Community Shield since 2015.

But such is the legacy Sir Alex Ferguson left when he waved goodbye to Old Trafford in 2013 that an FA Cup, an EFL Cup and a UEFA Europa League triumph have to be considered below par.

The Premier League title is the basic unit of measurement for United's success, and there have not been any of them.

However, a lot has happened since Fergie rode off into the sunset (or the directors' box at least). There have been three permanent managers—as many in four years than there were in the 14 before Ferguson took the reins.

There have been lots of new players recruited and a list of players linked with transfers so long that they could have played a 20-team league season between them, filling out every side. OK, that's a slight exaggeration, but you could have made a decent five-a-side tournament.

In among all that there have been plenty of what-if moments; times that could have changed the course of United's destiny, for better or worse.

We decided to take a peek into a few alternate universes to speculate on what could have happened if things had been just a little different.

What If Jose Mourinho Had Followed Fergie Directly?

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Mourinho holds the Europa League trophy aloft.

This is the big one.

In February 2014, Miguel Delaney wrote for the Irish Examiner:

"It was the day after Alex Ferguson's retirement had first leaked and, as they visited Chester races, the Manchester United squad were feverishly discussing the same thing as everyone else: who would replace the legendary manager?

"Almost to a man, one name kept coming up: Jose Mourinho."

And it made sense that the players thought Mourinho was the man for the job; the Portuguese was one of the few choices who could have come close to matching Ferguson for stature.

While Mourinho's first season at the club was mixed, it is hard to imagine things would have been anything like as bad for United in 2013/14 if he had arrived instead of David Moyes.

He would have brought his self-assuredness, his history of managing elite players and his almost unmatched X-factor. He would have been Jose. You can imagine Robin van Persie scoring a goal at the Stretford End and Mourinho looking up to the directors' box to tip his metaphorical hat to Fergie. He would have been respectful but unbowed.

Instead, United got Moyes, a man who might well have been past his prime and whose prime saw him doing a decent job at Everton, as opposed to winning the treble with Inter Milan.

As we all know, Moyes' appointment did not go well.

Interestingly, if Mourinho had come in then, he would almost certainly have been gone by now given his typical length of tenure at clubs. But it seems reasonable to assume United might have had at least one more league title in the intervening years.

What If Giggs Had Remained as Manager Beyond the End of the Season?

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How might United have fared if Ryan Giggs had taken over from David Moyes?

Let's change the timeline again. Moyes came in and was sacked, but instead of Ryan Giggs' appointment being a temporary affair, what if it had become a permanent move?

Paul Scholes would probably have got a first-team coaching job. United would have played a lot more 4-4-2, and Juan Mata might not have lasted the summer as Giggs sought a more suitable right-winger for the system created in his own image.

In truth, it is hard to see how this would have been a success. The squad were demoralised by the Moyes era, and giving an unproven manager a shot at this point would have been a huge gamble.

Little about Giggs' career as assistant manager under Louis van Gaal or his work as a television analyst mark him out as a Pep Guardiola-esque visionary.

It would likely have been a sad end to an incredible career. It's probably better that things went the way they did.

What If Fergie Had Stayed for 1 More Season?

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Would these two have reunited in Manchester if Sir Alex had stayed on?

In October 2013, former United assistant manager Mike Phelan said something that rubbed salt into many United fans' still-fresh post-Ferguson departure wounds.

He told a Scandinavian United supporters' magazine (h/t Manchester Evening News): "If Sir Alex and David Gill had still been the bosses...I won't name the player, but there would have been a star signing—one of the absolute best players in the world."

Ouch.

He could have been talking about Gareth Bale, who moved to Real Madrid that summer, or perhaps more likely Cristiano Ronaldo, whose bond with Sir Alex is still alive and well.

Either way, a few months after United had spent an entire transfer window in fruitless pursuit of the world's star players and ended up with Marouane Fellaini, this was hard to hear.

If Ferguson had stayed for one more year, a superstar might have arrived. Van Persie could have delayed his eventual heartbreak at the Scot's retirement. Wayne Rooney would probably have gone, but given what followed, would that have been so bad?

More than anything, though, United fans would have got to see their team managed by the legendary manager for one more season, which would have meant a lot. After all, they have missed him most days since.

What If David Gill Had Not Left at the Same Time as Sir Alex?

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David Gill and his successor, Ed Woodward.

Phelan referenced both Sir Alex and Gill in his point about a star signing who never arrived. But how different might things have been if the former chief executive had not left United at the same time as Fergie?

After all, the sense that executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward was a fish out of water in that first summer window did not help Moyes' settling-in period. Gill could have taken the reins of transfer business with a little more experience and expertise than Woodward and brought his long list of contacts to bear.

He could have perhaps influenced Moyes in a more positive fashion than Woodward managed too, discouraging him from the kind of indecision that seemed to plague his time at United.

Nothing could compensate for the loss of Sir Alex, but perhaps if Gill had stayed, the transition would have been a little less catastrophic.

What If Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao Had Worked out Better?

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There was a great deal of hope for these two.

Angel Di Maria is widely disliked by United fans thanks to the manner in which he left the club and also the way in which his performances seemed to dip as his one season in red petered out.

Radamel Falcao receives no such opprobrium—his poor form was put down to injury, and it was clear how desperately he wanted his time at Old Trafford to work out.

But never mind all this 20-20 hindsight. Remember how it felt when they signed? United were surely heading back for the top. With a player as creative as Di Maria and a finisher as deadly as Falcao—overseen by a manager who had massively overachieved at the 2014 World Cup in Louis van Gaal—they might as well have just handed United the league title in August.

It was not to be, though. There were fleeting glimpses, such as the first-half performance against Leicester City that ended in a 5-3 defeat. The second half of that game proved a better barometer of United's subsequent fortunes than the first, and the dream was soon over.

But the what if remains a tantalising prospect.

What If United Had Beaten Stoke and Burnley at Old Trafford in October 2016?

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How much damage did Tom Heaton do to United's league season?

The final what if is the most recent.

On October 2, 2016, United faced Stoke City at home and comprehensively outplayed Mark Hughes' side. They took 24 shots at their opponents' goal, 15 from inside the area, per WhoScored.com. By contrast, the Potters had just seven shots, four from inside the box.

But the final score was 1-1 thanks to some incredibly profligate finishing.

Then, on October 29, Burnley came to town. This time, 10-man United had 38 shots at their opponents' goal but were unable to break the deadlock, drawing 0-0.  It was an achingly frustrating affair; here were United playing proper attacking football again, yet somehow the break of the ball was just not with them. Tom Heaton was in great form in Burnley's goal, and United's forwards could just not find the touch they needed.

Those two games set up a pattern of home draws that persisted throughout the season. If they had both been wins, United's momentum could have taken them on a different course through the campaign.

In the end, things can only be as they are. All we can do is hope that next season does not leave fans wondering what if but instead sees them thankful for the ups and downs of the journey back to the top.