What about the legends and management of Manchester United?
Ruud van Nistelrooy's struggles at Leicester are an all too familiar story when it comes to players who had great careers at Old Trafford but found the transition to the dugout difficult.
Wayne Rooney, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes are among those who have all tried – and so far failed – to make that leap over the past two decades.
None of them are currently in charge.
Ex-United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ended a three-year spell without a job this month when he became a gaffer at Besiktas in Turkey.
On paper, this really shouldn't happen.
All of these players have learned from one of the most successful managers in the game, Sir Alex Ferguson.
But it often doesn't translate to them wanting to build their own career in the game after playing.
What about Van Nistelrooy? Now he is following the same route, even if he is desperate to break the trend of former Red Devils stars.
RVN, only seven weeks into office, was at the receiving end of criticism from the stands on Saturday – and will need a lot to bounce back from that.
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When the Dutchman arrived, he was welcomed by fans after Steve Cooper's spell came to an abrupt end.
But the chants of “Rooood” have turned into “you don't know what you're doing.”
The mockery that accompanied the manager's decision to dismiss Bilal El Khannouss, a 20-year-old Morocco international, just after the hour mark was impossible for him to ignore.
One thing we do know about King Power Stadium fans is that if they don't like what they see, they won't hesitate to let you know.
So far, Van Nistelrooy has seen director of football Jon Rudkin come in for flak. On Saturday the cries of 'fire the board' could be heard again.
But now he is also feeling the heat from the supporters who have seen their team win a Premier League title and the FA Cup over the past nine years.
Ruud's answer: “I don't have any answers at the moment” to the question of why the team is so far off at the moment will not inspire confidence, nor will his refusal to explain the controversial substitution.
Van Nistelrooy, 48, now faces the most important two weeks of his short spell at Leicester.
He needs players in January who can somehow change the Foxes' season.
Fullback Woyo Coulibaly, the midweek signing from Parma, was unable to play because his paperwork was not completed in time.
Van Nistelrooy says he has the support of the board this month and when asked how many players he can sign, he said: “As many as we can.”
But Leicester need someone who can put the ball in the back of the net because if Jamie Vardy is not on form there is no one else to step up.
A run of seven straight defeats is Leicester's worst run at the top level in 24 years and they have not scored at home in their last four league games.
As RVN closes in on an unwanted list of United legends who can't cut it in the dugout, SunSport is in charge of the careers of 14 big former Old Trafford names.
Steve Bruce
Former United captain Bruce is now something of a journeyman, having managed 12 clubs with a winning percentage of 35.7 percent.
However, major honors have eluded him, with FA Cup runners-up to Hull City in 2014 perhaps a highlight.
Bruce, who is now manager of League One club Blackpool, spends an average of around two years at clubs and was abused by Newcastle fans before being sacked in 2021.
VERDICT: FLOP – MOSTLY
Bryan Robson
Robson, who attended the tribute to Denis Law at Old Trafford on Sunday, has not managed a team since 2011.
He had a 17-year career as a manager, taking jobs at the likes of Middlesbrough, Bradford City, West Brom, Sheffield United, Thailand and then the Thai U23s.
His most successful spell came at Boro, who he helped get promoted. Between 1994 and 2001, Robson also led the club to three Wembley Cup finals, although they lost all of them.
VERDICT: FLOP
Mark Hughes
Hughes seemed tailor-made to be boss and did decent work at Wales and Blackburn.
That landed him a big job at Manchester City in 2008, which was then taken over by Sheikh Mansour two months after his arrival.
However, after spending a fortune, including signing the disastrous Robinho for £32 million, he was sacked after 18 months with nothing to show for it other than a 10th-place finish.
Dismissals at Fulham, QPR, Stoke, Southampton and Bradford followed. Officially, he is the most sacked of all United legends.
VERDICT: BLACKBURN ROLL SAVES HIM
Gary Neville
The ghostly Neville is often criticized for his terrible and short-lived spell at LaLiga side Valencia, where he played just 28 games in 2015.
With his record of ten wins in 28 games, the former right back achieved a winning percentage of 35.7 percent. He has never succeeded since.
The biggest low included a 7-0 thrashing of rivals Barcelona.
Neville said in 2019: “I should never have said yes to the job. I wasn't qualified for the job and didn't wake up every morning thinking about coaching.”
VERDICT: FLOP
Roy Keane
A fierce leader on the pitch, Keane looked like management material and things seemed to start well for Sunderland as they were promoted to the Premier.
However, he resigned in 2008 due to a player mutiny and dismal form.
Worse was the situation at Ipswich Town, where Keane was sacked as The Tractor Boys dropped to 21st in the Championship in 2011.
VERDICT: FLOP
Phil Neville
Neville led England's Lionesses to victory in the SheBelievesCup in 2018, but finished a disappointing fourth at the World Cup a year later.
After leaving his role at the Three Lions, he was appointed boss of David Beckham's Inter Miami. But was fired in June 2023 when he hit rock bottom in MLS.
Neville joined MLS side Portland Timbers shortly afterwards and led them to a final series play-off.
His hiring was criticized by fans due to past controversial tweets about women on social media.
VERDICT: FLOP
Mark Robins
Robins was the EFL's longest-serving manager before he was brutally sacked by Coventry City in November 2024. He now manages Stoke.
Robins were even on the verge of taking the West Midlands club into the Premier League when they lost the Championship play-off final on penalties to Luton in 2023.
VERDICT: SUCCESS
Wayne Rooney
Wazza has been suspended by all four clubs he manages: Derby, DC United, Birmingham City and Plymouth.
The former striker has a winning percentage of 26 percent, which is good for 46 wins in 177 matches.
VERDICT: FLOP
Paul Scholes
Scholes' first experience as a boss was as caretaker manager at Salford City, a club he now co-owns with most of the Class of 92.
The legendary midfielder then spent just 31 days at crisis club Oldham between February and March 2019, before walking away after a disagreement with the owners.
He was reappointed as interim head coach of Salford for a month, following the departure of Graham Alexander.
VERDICT: NEVER REALLY STARTED
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Solskjaer has finally landed a management job after FOUR YEARS away from the game following his Man Utd ax in 2021.
But now Super Lig side Besiktas have confirmed a shock new job for the former Molde and Cardiff boss.
VERDICT: A FLOP ON THIS COAST
Ryan Giggs
In 2014, after David Moyes was sacked, Welsh legend Giggs was hired as United's interim manager, winning two of his four games.
After a stint as Louis Van Gaal's assistant, he took on Wales' national duties in 2018, helping his country qualify for Euro 2020.
But Giggs, who oversaw 24 matches, was forced to take gardening leave in 2020 before resigning amid investigations into domestic and coercive behavior by an ex-girlfriend.
The charges against him, which he denied, were dropped in 2023.
VERDICT: NEVER REALLY STARTED
Paul Ince
In the lower leagues, Ince did a fantastic job at Macclesfield Town in a player-manager role before promoting MK Dons to League Two and winning the FA Trophy.
However, when Blackburn Rovers asked him to make the step up to the Premier League in 2008, Ince proved to be excessive.
After three wins in 17 games he was given the shot before later managing Notts County.
Ince left his first role at Blackpool in 2014, where he was once handed a five-match ban for swearing at a referee in the tunnel.
But returned to the dugout eight years later and led Reading in the Championship for just over a year.
Ince's winning percentage stood at 39.2 percent before Reading sacked him while the club sat in 22nd place in April 2023.
VERDICT: FLOP
Jaap Stam
Stam said last month that he would like to join Ruben Amorim's coaching staff at United.
The 52-year-old is currently in charge of amateur team DOS Kampen, in the Dutch sixth tier.
He was fired as boss of MLS team FC Cincinnati in 2021 after winning four of just 25 matches.
Before that, he submitted his resignation to the Feyenoord bosses after a 4-0 defeat against rival Ajax.
Stam is remembered on our coast for his time at Reading. He enjoyed a successful first season, leading the Royals to the play-offs.
VERDICT: FLOP
Michael Carrick
Carrick remained at Carrington after his retirement, having been given a position alongside Kieran McKenna in Jose Mourinho's coaching staff.
The ex-midfielder took over after the Special One's dismissal in December 2018.
He also saw action for three games following Solskjaer's dismissal, overseeing wins over Arsenal and Villarreal and a draw against Chelsea.
Carrick, 43, walked away from United following the interim appointment of Ralf Rangnick and was appointed by Championship club Middlesbrough.
He won 16 of his first 23 Boro games as the club climbed from 21st place to a play-off semi-final against Coventry. He signed a new three-year contract in June 2024.
VERDICT: SUCCESS IN THE EARLY STEP OF HIS CAREER
VERDICT: THE JURY IS OUT
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