With Coventry City’s return to the Premier League after 25 years away now confirmed, Frank Lampard’s managerial credentials are looking in rude health once again.
Disappointing spells in the top-flight at Everton and two at Chelsea had caused some to write off his coaching ability at the top level but he now has the chance to prove his doubters wrong.
He is one of a host of England‘s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ to have moved into management and his record compares more than favourably among his peers.
– Frank Lampard’s Coventry City promoted to Premier League
Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard impressed during his first foray into management at Derby County, leading them to the playoff final at the end of his first season in charge where they were eventually beaten by Aston Villa.
Unsurprisingly, the offer of the manager’s job at Chelsea proved too tempting to turn down for the club’s record goal scorer and he took over that summer on a three-year contract. Tasked with brining through a new generation of Chelsea players including Reece James and Mason Mount, Lampard’s team finished fourth, but lost the FA Cup final to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
A strong start to the following season fell away and a run of two wins in eight led to Lampard being replaced by Thomas Tuchel. Despite the hit to his reputation, Lampard’s record at the club is identical to that managed by future head coach Enzo Maresca: a 49.1% win rate from 57 Premier League matches.
After a year out of management, Lampard returned with Everton. He secured their Premier League safety on the penultimate weekend of the 2021-22 season, but a disappointing first half of the campaign that followed saw him sacked on January 30, 2023.
Lampard then answered Chelsea’s call to return as caretaker manager in April following Graham Potter’s exit from the west London club. Under Lampard, Chelsea finished the season in the bottom half of the Premier League table for the first time since 1996.
He then looked to rebuild his career away from the bright lights of the Premier League, taking over at Coventry City in November 2024. He took the club to the playoff semifinals where they were beaten by Sunderland. But a stellar 2025-26 campaign has seen him help the club secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Coaching career high: Masterminding Coventry City’s promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2001.
Coaching career low: Leaving Chelsea in dire straights following his second spell in charge of the club (albeit in a caretaker role).
Steven Gerrard
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2018-2021 Rangers
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2021-2022 Aston Villa
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2023-2025 Al Ettifaq
Having spent just over a year coaching Liverpool‘s under-18s, Steven Gerrard was given his first shot at the top job by Rangers ahead of the 2018-19 season.
After steady progress, the Liverpool legend led Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title without losing a single match. They earned 102 points and conceded only 13 goals across their 38 matches.
Gerrard left Rangers in November 2021 to replace Dean Smith as head coach of Aston Villa. Results were mixed for the Midlands club under the former England captain as Villa finished the Premier League season in 14th place.
He was dismissed 12 games into the 2022-23 season with the club languishing at the foot at the table having won two of their opening 12 league games.
Gerrard’s next step was to take over at Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq in July 2023. He left in January 2025 and has been out of work since.
Coaching career high: Leading his unbeaten Rangers team to the Scottish Premiership title in 2020-21.
Coaching career low: Being sacked by Aston Villa with the club just outside the relegation zone.
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes stepped in to temporarily manage the club he co-owns, Salford City, alongside fellow investor and former United teammate Phil Neville for one match in January.
Following a short spell in Ryan Giggs’ Manchester United staff towards the end of the 2014-15 season, Scholes had a spell away from coaching until February 2019 when he was appointed as manager of League Two side Oldham Athletic.
However, the United legend spent just 31 days in charge after resigning due to what he claimed was interference in first-team affairs from the club’s owner.
His last spell in the dug out was another short stint in caretaker charge of Salford between the departure of Graham Alexander and the appointment of Richie Wellens in late 2020.
Coaching career high: Joining interim coach Ryan Giggs’ staff at United.
Coaching career low: Leaving Oldham after just 31 days in charge.
Michael Carrick
Having retired as a player at the end of the 2017-18 season, Michael Carrick was given a role on then-head coach José Mourinho’s staff alongside fellow appointee Kieran McKenna (now head coach of Ipswich Town).
After Mourinho’s sacking in December 2018, Carrick was briefly named caretaker manager before the club brought in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who Carrick worked under.
Carrick was again named caretaker manager following Solskjaer’s exit in November 2021 and impressed during his three-game stint. Under the former midfielder, United won away at Villarreal in the Champions League, drew at Chelsea, and beat Arteta’s Arsenal at Old Trafford. He left the club when Ralf Rangnick arrived as interim manager.
The next step in his coaching career came at Middlesbrough who were 21st in the Championship at the time of his appointment in 2022. He won 16 of his first 23 games in charge as the club climbed their way to a fourth place finish, but, to follow a familiar pattern for England’s ‘Golden Generation’, Carrick’s team were beaten by Coventry in the playoff semifinals.
Middlesbrough reached the semifinals of the Carabao Cup in his second season but finished eighth. After finishing 10th in the 2024-25 season, Carrick was sacked.
The United legend returned to the club in January to take over as head coach until the end of the season (although not officially named as interim) following Ruben Amorim’s Old Trafford exit. Under Carrick, United have climbed the table and seem well-set to qualify for the Champions League — a feat that would surely see him being named as the club’s permanent manager in the summer.
Coaching career high: Leading United’s march up the Premier League table following his arrival in January.
Coaching career low: Being sacked by Middlesbrough after posting progressively worsening finishes in the Championship.
– Man United must decide: Is Carrick the man, or someone else?
– I want to manage Man Utd in the ‘next 10 years’ – Wayne Rooney
– Carrick plays down talk of rift with former United teammate Scholes
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney’s career in management is one that began so brightly at Derby County, but has failed to take off since.
After joining the Championship side as a player-coach in 2019, he was named head coach two years later in January 2021, and officially retired as a player.
From there, he steered the side to Championship safety in the 2020-21 season after taking charge with the club six points off safety. His first full season in charge however was overshadowed by a crippling 21-point deduction for Derby’s financial breaches and although the side made a valiant attempt at a great escape, the burden was ultimately too much and they were relegated to League One.
With the club in administration ahead of the 2021-22 season, Rooney resigned as head coach. Next up for the former England forward was a season in charge at D.C. United, a club he turned out for towards the end of his playing days.
His spell was short-lived, though, and he left by mutual agreement in October 2023 after the club fell out of playoff contention.
Rooney returned to England just three days later, and was named Birmingham City boss by U.S. ownership group led by businessman Tom Wagner, which counted NFL great Tom Brady as a minor investor. The group later completed a 100% takeover of the club in 2025.
Rooney’s time in the Midlands was no Hollywood story though and he was sacked three months later after just two wins in 15 matches. He was also part of a viral clip from the club’s documentary at the time “Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues” where Brady questioned Rooney’s work ethic after a training session visit.
The former United and Everton striker’s most recent foray into management came at Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 2024. But after half a season in charge, it was another job that ended poorly for Rooney, who left the club bottom of the Championship in December 2024 by mutual agreement.
Coaching career high: Keeping Derby in the Championship in his first senior role.
Coaching career low: Sacked by Birmingham after overseeing a decline in the club’s form.
Gary Neville
Gary Neville’s 28-game spell at LaLiga side Valencia can still be looked at today as the prime example of how some ex-players can crash and burn in the coaching world.
It was his first senior job and despite not speaking Spanish, the Valencia hierarchy took a punt on the former United defender who had carved out an impressive start to his career as a pundit on Sky Sports.
Neville ended with a record of just three league wins out of 16 and was famously on the wrong end of a 7-0 thrashing by Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez‘s Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey. His team failed to register a single clean sheet during what turned out to be a horrific few months.
Prior to his time at Valencia, Neville did enjoy some success as a coach, serving as assistant manager to Roy Hodgson for England from 2012 through to the 2016 Euros, where the infamous defeat to Iceland in France spelled the end for the coaching setup at the time.
Neville has since returned to his calling in punditry and his many business ventures. He has ruled out a return to management in the future.
Coaching career high: A strong spell as England assistant manager, being part of two major tournaments.
Coaching career low: Sacked by Valencia after less than four months in charge.
Phil Neville
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2015 Salford City (caretaker)
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2018-2019 England Women
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2021-2023 Inter Miami
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2023-present Portland Timbers
Unlike his brother’s short-lived time in management, Phil Neville has had a far more successful time of it in both the men’s and women’s game.
His managerial journey began in non-league football alongside former teammate and co-owner Paul Scholes in 2015 as the duo took charge of Salford City for a one-off game against Kendal City, registering a 2-1 win.
After a few years away from the senior game, Neville was appointed head coach of the England women’s side in 2018. He guided the Lionesses to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup after a semifinal loss to eventual winners, the United States.
England struggled after the tournament, however, and amid a poor run ,Neville announced in April 2020 that he would be leaving his role after the 2021 Euros. But with the competition, to be hosted in England, pushed back a year to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Neville never got the opportunity. England went on to win the tournament under Sarina Wiegman in a watershed moment for women’s football in the country.
Neville didn’t spend much time out of the game this time and in 2021 he was appointed as the new head coach at Inter Miami, the MLS club co-owned by his former teammate and another of England’s ‘Golden Generation’, David Beckham. Neville led the side to an 11th-place finish in the 14-team Eastern Conference in his first year and got to the MLS Cup Playoffs in his second, earning a contract extension.
But in June 2023, with the club then bottom of the Eastern Conference, Beckham made the “toughest decision” to part ways with his former United teammate.
Neville remained in the MLS though, moving to the Portland Timbers, and finished ninth in the Western Conference in his first year as boss. He is still at the club with the Timbers currently 11th out of 15, winning two of their seven games so far this season.
The ex-full-back has also held coaching positions at Manchester United, England under-21s, Valencia and most recently Canada. He was also caretaker at Valencia shortly before his brother, Gary, took the top job.
Coaching career high: Guiding England to a World Cup semifinal in 2019.
Coaching career low: Let go by Inter Miami after 10 defeats in 13 games.
Sol Campbell
Often vocal about the lack of opportunities for Black coaches higher up the English pyramid, Sol Campbell’s own managerial career began at League Two Macclesfield Town in 2018.
Taking charge amid a relegation battle, the former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur defender led the side to safety on the final day. Despite the initial success, Campbell subsequently left Macclesfield amid the club’s financial trouble and even backed a petition to wind up the club, on the grounds of unpaid wages.
Macclesfield were eventually liquidated in 2020 but now operate in the National League North and famously knocked out holders Crystal Palace from the FA Cup this term.
In 2019, Campbell took the head coach role at Southend United in League One. However, he won just four of his 23 games and left the club after their relegation was confirmed (17 points from safety) in June, three months after the football season was halted amid the pandemic.
Campbell is yet to make a return to management and said in 2023 that he will not be applying for any more jobs, adding that if he was to make a return it would be “in a meaningful way.”
Coaching career high: Keeping Macclesfield in the Football League in the 2018-19 season.
Coaching career low: A short, difficult spell at Southend United.
