The most successful person to manage Manchester United, to date, is Sir Alex Ferguson, who has so far won eleven Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, eight Community Shields, two UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Super Cup, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and one Intercontinental Cup in his 23-year reign as manager. The club's longest-serving manager is Sir Matt Busby, who had two spells managing the club from 1945 to 1969 and from 1970 to 1971, totalling 24 years, 338 days.
From 1878 to 1914, the team was selected by a committee whose secretary had the same powers and role as a manager has today. There were four secretaries during this period, A. H. Albut, James West, J. Ernest Mangnall and John Bentley.