The 10 current youngest managers in UK football

The career of a football manager isn’t an easy one. There is never-ending pressure to perform, plus calls from the media and fans to get out of the hot seat as soon as things take a sour turn.

 

There has been a swathe of managers who have gone on to manage in the top tier well into their seventh decade. Sir Alex Ferguson comes to mind, and so does Claudio Ranieri. The record for the oldest Premier League manager goes to Roy Hodgson, who is still going strong with Crystal Palace, at 76 years old.

 

However, the current profile of the managerial scene at the start of the 2023/24 Premier League showed that half of the bosses in the top flight were in their 40s. The youngest-ever Premier League manager in history was Ryan Mason, who, at 29 years of age took charge of Tottenham after they sacked José Mourinho in the 2020/21 season.

 

But who is waiting in the background, with the potential to be a future managerial star of the top flight? Here we look at some of the current best young managers in UK football, all of whom are in their 30s.

 

Vincent Kompany

 

Let’s start at the top with former Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany. The Belgian completely transformed Burnley when he took over in the summer of 2022. He was charged with getting the Clarets back up to the Premiership. He did just that, as Burnley strolled to the championship title, playing with an attacking, open swagger that Turf Moor has seldom seen.

 

Kieran McKenna

 

Ipswich Town has 37-year-old Kieran McKenna in charge. The Northern Irishman was installed by the Tractor Boys in December 2021. The former Manchester United assistant manager brought Ipswich up from League One into this season’s championship. With an impressive start to life in the second tier in the 2023/24 season, McKenna could be heading for bigger things.

 

Russell Martin

 

Southampton suffered the crushing blow of Premier League relegation last season. So, it’s rebuilding time on the south coast, and current boss Russell Martin (who, incidentally, was born in Brighton) has been handed the task of guiding the Saints back to the top level. The former MK Dons and Swansea manager has some pressure on his shoulders in the division, given the status of the Saints.

 

Liam Rosenior

 

Hull manager Liam Rosenior is in his first full managerial job. He was previously the assistant and then caretaker manager of Derby County. Rosenior was handed the full-time role by the Tigers in November 2022 and guided them to a 14th-place finish in last season’s championship. A bright start to the new campaign by Hull in Rosenior’s first full season in charge has piqued interest in his talent.

 

Matt Bloomfield

 

Wycombe manager Matt Bloomfield was installed by the Chairboys in February this year. He was a former technical coach at the club before a short stint as manager at Colchester United. Wycombe finished in last season’s League One top 10 under Bloomfield.

 

Mark Bonner

 

Mark Bonner has come up through the staff tiers at Cambridge to be the current boss of the club. He’s been there for a while, having taken over in January 2020. The U’s finished just above the drop zone in last season’s third tier but have made a fairly steady start to this season’s campaign under Bonner.

 

John Mousinho

 

Mousinho, a former player who spent a lot of time around the lower division of English football, hung up his playing boots earlier this season. He walked straight into his first managerial role at Portsmouth in January 2023, taking Pompey to eighth spot in League One. A blistering start to the new season has seen Mourinho’s Portsmouth stand as an early favourite to win promotion.

 

Mat Sadler

 

Mat Sadler is currently the youngest boss in League Two. Sadler previously occupied several different staffing roles at Walsall before being handed the reins in the summer of 2023.

 

Pete Wild

 

Barrow boss Pete Wild took over in the summer of 2022. He had previously spent three seasons as manager of Halifax Town. So, despite being in his 30s, he has a little more experience than some of these on the list of youngster managers. Barrow finished in mid-table in League Two last term.

 

David Horseman

 

The last name on the list is Forest Green Rovers boss David Horseman, who is in his first full-time position. He only took over in July 2023, so is yet unproven. Horseman was a former assistant manager at Southampton and also did a stint as their Under 23 manager.