Manchester United had won two league titles and a FA Cup in the first two decades of the 20th century , but the inter-war years had been blighted by a loss of form on the pitch and ongoing financial problems . The club 's revival occurred with the appointment of Matt Busby as manager in 1945 ; he guided the club to a FA Cup triumph in 1948 and a league title in 1952 . He then built a highly successful new side consisting of mostly young players ( nicknamed the '' Busby Babes '' by the media ) which went on to win two league titles and became the first English club to play in the new European Cup . Then tragedy struck in February 1958 ; eight of the club 's players ( three of them established England internationals ; Roger Byrne , Tommy Taylor and Duncan Edwards ) died as a result of the Munich air disaster on the return flight from a European Cup tie in Yugoslavia and two others injured to such an extent that they never played again . Busby , who was seriously injured in the crash , was left to build a new team . His new United side , built around Munich crash survivors including Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton , went on to dominate the English game in the 1960s , featuring new stars like Denis Law and George Best , winning two more league titles , a FA Cup and then the European Cup in 1968 - the first English club to win the trophy . Busby retired the following year after 24 years in charge . The club was less successful in the 1970s , its only major trophy of the decade being the FA Cup in 1977 , and the club even spent a season outside the top division of English football . The 1980s were slightly more successful with a further two FA Cups wins and regular top four league finishes , but the club has enjoyed an unmatched run of success which began after the appointment of Alex Ferguson as manager in 1986 . By the time Ferguson retired in 2013 after 27 years as manager , the club had won a further 13 league titles , five FA Cups , four League Cups and two European Cups . High-profile players to have played for the club during Sir Alex Ferguson 's management ( he was knighted in 1999 ) include Bryan Robson , Mark Hughes , Ryan Giggs , Eric Cantona , David Beckham and Wayne Rooney
Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
History of Manchester