There are many experienced managers in the game, those who have seen it all and achieved all there is to achieve in football. However, in the modern game, more and more young managers are establishing themselves among the elite.
Some have worked their way up to managing a big team by impressing in the lower leagues, while some have been lucky enough to have been allowed to manage in one of the biggest leagues in the world. Whether it’s Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, or Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich – the Belgian of course now a two-time Bundesliga winner – there are some seriously talented bosses still in the relative infancies of their careers.
This article will now detail the 15 best young managers in the world right now, with some of them already making a big splash in European football.
Ranking factors
- Major trophies won
- Impact on the team
- Competitiveness of the league they’re managing in
- Potential for growth as a manager
- Must be below the age of 45
15
Thiago Motta
Unattached
One of the most innovative and tactically creative managers in the world right now, Thiago Motta, had the whole footballing community talking about his style of play at Bologna. Built around fine talents like Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee – the two of whom have since earned moves to the Premier League to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively – the Italian side confounded expectations by qualifying for Europe in the 2023/2024 season.
Such was the impressive nature of the feat, that Serie A giants Juventus came calling for the former Italy midfielder to manage their side, but a rather disappointing and inconsistent time of things saw the club relieve Motta of his duties.
14
Will Still
Auxerre
Born in Belgium to English parents, Will Still was a relative unknown when he was appointed the manager of Reims in October 2022, after being promoted from assistant manager, a position he had held since July 2021. Still gained a lot of attention in the media as he was only 30 years old at the time of his appointment, and the club was fined €25,000 (£21,000) for every game he managed due to Still not holding a UEFA Pro License. In March 2023, the manager revealed he had started the relevant course, resulting in no more fines being issued to Reims.
Upon taking charge two months into the 2022/23 campaign, Still guided Reims to an 11th-placed finish. During that time, the French side went unbeaten for 17 games, setting a new Ligue 1 record in the process. The 2023/24 campaign saw Still take charge of his first full season in France’s top flight, and despite seeing them sit in 11th in May 2024, he left the club by mutual consent. The Englishman, however, returned almost immediately to management by taking on the Lens job, signing on a three-year deal. Within 12 months, he moved on to Southampton, but his time at the helm was shortlived and he soon returned to France, taking over as Auxerre head coach.
13
Kieran McKenna
Unattached
When he first took the reins at Ipswich Town, McKenna found the club floundering in the third-tier of English football. With an exciting brand of football in place, the coach led his side to back-to-back promotions, making him one of the most exciting young bosses in the country.
Having cut his teeth at Manchester United’s youth teams, McKenna soon established a brand of compelling football with the Tractor Boys. He led them back to the Premier League for the 2024/25 season, but could not keep them up. Ipswich persevered with McKenna on their return to the Championship and were rewarded with an immediate promotion back to the top table. Interestingly, despite leading the club back to the Premier League, McKenna decided to step down and take a break from management in 2026.
12
Domenico Tedesco
Unattached
One of the rising stars of management in the late 2010s, Domenico Tedesco was a highly sought-after name. In 2017, he was appointed Schalke manager and led them to a remarkable second-placed finish in the Bundesliga. To underline just how much of an impact he made in that campaign, he was given the Bundesliga’s Man of Matchday 13 award when he inspired a comeback from 4-0 down against local rivals Borussia Dortmund.
After being sacked at Schalke, Tedesco made the move to Russia to become manager of Spartak Moscow, but the effects of Covid-19 and the impact it had on him seeing his family meant he left at the end of his two-year contract in the summer of 2021. A return to Germany saw him become boss of RB Leipzig, and he would later guide the team to the Europa League semi-finals and a DFB-Pokal victory too. Tedesco would then make the step up to international management, but a failed stint as Belgium boss saw a return to club management with first Fenerbahce, then Bologna. However, both tenures were shortlived.
11
Edin Terzic
Athletic Bilbao
Terzic played over 100 games in the fourth level of German football before working as a scout and assistant coach for Borussia Dortmund’s youth team. He then became Slaven Bilic’s assistant manager in 2012 for Croatia and followed Bilic to Besiktas and West Ham United in the same role.
In 2018, Terzic returned to Dortmund to become assistant to head coach Lucien Favre and later became interim manager in December 2020 after Favre was sacked. Terzic impressed during his time as interim boss with a win rate of 62.50%, leading Dortmund to a third-placed finish before becoming manager permanently. Consecutive second-placed finishes followed, with the latter resulting in the heartbreak of missing out on the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich on goal difference, as both sides finished the season on 71 points. The German outfit found life more difficult in the 2023/24 league campaign, however, although they did reach the Champions League final, albeit losing to Real Madrid. Terzic left Dortmund at his own request in June 2024 and returned to management in 2026 when he assumed the reins at Athletic Bilbao.
10
Julian Nagelsmann
Unattached
One of the biggest names on the list and one of the most sought-after managers in football today, Nagelsmann began his managerial career at TSG Hoffenheim ahead of the 2016/17 campaign, leading them to an impressive 4th-placed finish, a distinct improvement on the previous season, which resulted in a 15th-placed finish. Third and ninth-placed finishes followed as Nagelsmann began to establish himself as one of the best young managers around.
His record with Hoffenheim led to RB Leipzig appointing him as their manager ahead of the 2019/20 season, a season when they reached the Champions League semi-finals and a third-placed finish in the league. He led Leipzig one better during the 2020/21 campaign as Nagelsmann guided the club to a second-placed finish, twelve points behind leaders, Bayern Munich. Nagelsmann would eventually end up at the Allianz Arena, as the German giants appointed him as manager ahead of the 2021/22 season.
He won the league and German Super Cup during his first season in charge and won the latter competition again in his second season before being sacked midway through the season, with Bayern just one point behind leaders Borussia Dortmund at the time. His dismissal was made all the more bizarre when Nagelsmann’s record at Bayern finished with an astounding 71.4% win rate. In September 2023, Nagelsmann was appointed as Germany’s manager, but he struggled to resurrect the nation’s fortunes as they crashed out of Euro 2024 at the quarter-final stage on home soil before being knocked out in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
9
Ruben Amorim
AC Milan
The man who replaced Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, Ruben Amorim, started his managerial career at Braga, where he won the Portuguese League Cup during his only season in charge of the club in the 2019/20 campaign. His impressive record at Braga attracted interest from Sporting Lisbon, and Amorim was appointed their manager ahead of the 2020/21 season.
His first season in charge of Sporting Lisbon was a special one, leading the club to their first league title in 19 years, and Amorim also lifted the Portuguese League Cup for the second consecutive season. In total, Amorim has won five trophies during his short time as a manager, winning the Portuguese League Cup three times, two league titles, and one Portuguese Super Cup. Despite his title-winning experience, Amorim suffered at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils badly struggling for form and confidence, particularly in the Premier League.
A 15th-placed finish was surely not what was envisioned – neither was the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham, for that matter. He was relieved of his duties in January 2026, leaving the club at a low ebb, but still walked straight into a job at AC Milan ahead of the 2026/27 season.
8
Sebastian Hoeness
Stuttgart
If you’re talking about purely overachieving, then there are not many managers – regardless of their age or position – who come close to matching what Sebastien Hoeness managed while in charge of VfB Stuttgart in 2023/24. The German outfit came runners-up to runaway winners Bayer Leverkusen, meaning they finished ahead of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
It was the club’s best finish in the Bundesliga since 2007, and they earned a place in the Champions League for the 2024/2025 campaign in the process, too. He hasn’t quite managed to repeat that feat, but did win the DFB Pokal in 2025 (and reached the final in 2026). The nephew of ex-Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness, Sebastian has a big name to live up to, but his managerial career has gotten off to an exciting start, to say the least.
7
Matthias Jaissle
Newcastle United
Aged just 36, Matthias Jaissle took a rather surprising career choice when he decided to join the riches of the Saudi Pro League and become the manager of Al-Ahli. But it was in his early years as a fledgling boss that he really showed the kind of potential that had several top clubs looking at him to lead their side for the future. In his first job as first-team manager of a side, Jaissle led Austrian outfit FC Liefering to second place in the second tier – equalling their highest ever finish in their history.
That unsurprisingly caught the attention of Austria’s current powerhouse, RB Salzburg, who promptly hired him as their manager in the summer of 2021. Jaissle would oversee the side to a domestic double in his first season, before lifting the league title again in his second campaign in charge. After leaving Salzburg, the 36-year-old made the move to Al-Ahli where he led the Saudi team to a third-placed finish in the 2023/2024 season and thus qualified for the 2024/2025 Asian Champions League – which they proceeded to win.
Newcastle United came calling ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League season and he duly took over from Eddie Howe.
6
Fabian Hurzeler
Brighton
If Brighton fans were worried about the departure of Roberto de Zerbi and the impact it might have, then they need not have worried. Tony Bloom’s appointment of Fabian Hurzeler looked like a masterstroke in the early weeks of the 2024/2025 Premier League campaign, with the Seagulls having already notched up an impressive win against Manchester United at home, and also a resilient point away at Arsenal at the Emirates.
Ups and downs did follow, with boos being heard during some games at the Amex. Overall, though, the youngest ever Premier League boss had a respectable first season, finishing in eighth and just missing out on European football. He built on the foundations he laid in that maiden campaign, with some shrewd acquisitions and results over, among others, Manchester City.
About Author
