Liverpool, Man Utd quartet among eight managers making us feel incredibly old

Arsenal legend Jack Wilshere has been named Luton Town’s new manager and he’s one of eight young bosses making everyone feel incredibly old…

There’s nothing quite so disconcerting as a football fan than a relatively recently retired player taking the step into management.

And so we come to 33-year-old Wilshere who, following a stint as Norwich City’s interim boss, has been appointed manager of League One side Luton Town after being forced to retire aged 30 amid a string of serious knee injuries.

The Arsenal legend already being a football manager is difficult for me (and others, I’m sure) to get my head around, and he features on a mind-blowing list of eight young bosses making supporters feel very old…

Tom Cleverley

Thirty-six-year-old Cleverley, who had spells as a player at Man Utd, Everton and Aston Villa, has three years on Wilshere and is into his second managerial job.

Cleverley finished his playing career at Watford and later joined a host of mangers to be unceremoniously sacked by the Pozzo family. He has since taken over at Plymouth Argyle following last season’s relegation to League One, where they languish 18th after 11 matches.

READ: Man Utd and the ‘shock’ £60m transfer exclusive that’s nothing of the sort…

Cesc Fabregas

The Arsenal, Chelsea and FC Barcelona icon, perhaps the manager with the highest ceiling on this list, has been linked with a shock move to Man Utd as co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe gets ‘desperate’. He should avoid them like the plague…

Like Cleverley, Fabregas’ first managerial job was at the club where he finished his playing career as he eased into the hot seat at Serie A outfit Como.

The 38-year-old has a cushy gig at Como, who have great financial muscle, and he guided them to their best Serie A finish (9th) since the 1980s in 2024/25. He could easily end up at Barcelona next.

Dirk Kuyt

Kuyt, the handsome devil, is somehow 45 and the Liverpool legend currently looks likely to be remembered as a better player than manager.

He was sacked within six months at Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag before lasting 18 months at Beerschot, in which time his side got promoted to and relegated from the Belgian Pro League.

In the summer, Kuyt returned to his homeland to join Dutch second division outfit FC Dordrecht to rebuild his reputation and has so far had mixed results, winning four of his 10 league games in charge.

Filipe Luis

Filipe Luis’ “dream came true” as he joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in 2014, though he only lasted a year at Stamford Bridge and returned to the Spanish giants after a measly 15 Premier League appearances.

The 44-cap Brazil international later returned home to play and manage Flamengo, taking charge of two youth sides before being given the big job in September 2024.

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Ryan Mason

Thirty-four-year-old Mason is another player whose career was cut short due to injury, with the former Spurs and Hull City star retiring after suffering a fractured skull during a clash with ex-Chelsea man Gary Cahill.

Mason has since had two spells as interim boss at Tottenham to cut his teeth in coaching. After being denied the permanent manager’s job at Spurs, he left to join Championship side West Brom in the summer to mount a push for promotion.

Albert Riera

£8m winger Albert Riera joined Liverpool in the 2008 summer transfer window alongside David Ngog, Andrea Dossena and Peter Gulacsi. What a time to support the Reds…

Remarkably, Riera played 40 games for Liverpool in his debut season before leaving in 2010, as spells at Galatasaray and Watford followed.

In management, Riera had a year at French side Bordeaux and briefly missed out on a link-up with Andy Carroll, who joined the club two months after the 43-year-old got sacked. He’s since returned to the Slovenian side Celje for a second spell as manager.

Nuri Sahin

Sahin, another nondescript former Liverpool player, blew people’s minds last season by becoming the new manager of Borussia Dortmund.

In a move reminiscent of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer becoming Manchester United boss, Sahin returned to manage Dortmund after making more than 200 appearances for the club as a player.

But the 37-year-old’s time there as a manager was a disaster as the job came far too soon for him. He was sacked after 27 games in charge and recently returned to Turkey to take over at Basaksehir.

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