play1:52Does Amorim’s exit offer Mainoo & Rashford a future at Manchester United?Rob Dawson wonders if Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford have a chance to reignite their careers at Manchester United after Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
play1:25Was the Man United job ‘too big’ for Ruben Amorim?Julien Laurens explains what went wrong for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United after being sacked following 14 months at the club.
play3:04Who could become Amorim’s successor at Manchester United?Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens assess the managerial options available for Manchester United after sacking Ruben Amorim.
Were Manchester United right to sack Ruben Amorim? (2:44)Mark Ogden reacts to Manchester United sacking Ruben Amorim after 14 months at the club. (2:44)
Does Amorim’s exit offer Mainoo & Rashford a future at Manchester United?Rob Dawson wonders if Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford have a chance to reignite their careers at Manchester United after Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
Rob Dawson wonders if Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford have a chance to reignite their careers at Manchester United after Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
Was the Man United job ‘too big’ for Ruben Amorim?Julien Laurens explains what went wrong for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United after being sacked following 14 months at the club.
Julien Laurens explains what went wrong for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United after being sacked following 14 months at the club.
Who could become Amorim’s successor at Manchester United?Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens assess the managerial options available for Manchester United after sacking Ruben Amorim.
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens assess the managerial options available for Manchester United after sacking Ruben Amorim.
Ratcliffe was told at the time that hiring Amorim was a risk; he was warned that reshaping the squad to fit a 3-4-3 system — Amorim’s preference after having success with it at Sporting — would take millions that the club didn’t have.
Still, Ratcliffe pushed ahead. Ultimately, it didn’t work out and on Monday, Amorim was sacked after 14 months and just 24 wins in 63 games. His win percentage of 31.9% is significantly below that of any other permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox delivered the news to Amorim in person early on Monday morning at Carrington. The ensuing announcement came less than 24 hours after Amorim’s stunning news conference rant following the 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Sunday, during which he demanded to be seen as “manager, not the coach” and told club bosses — implying Wilcox, among others — to “do your jobs.”
On Monday, United sources insisted the decision was not taken solely because of a breakdown in Amorim’s relationships with club bosses — particularly Wilcox — but rather because there had not been “enough signs of evolution or progress” on the pitch. Amorim won just 15 of his 47 Premier League games, but it’s hard to forget the timing of his dismissal coming so soon after his remarks in the Elland Road media theatre.
United’s players were optimistic when he was appointed. Many had grown tired of Ten Hag’s strict, sometimes awkward, personality and were ready for a change. Though Amorim’s reputation as a charismatic communicator was apparent right away, his immediate impact in other areas was underwhelming.
Some players described his training methods as “basic.” There was an emphasis on tactical walk-throughs on the indoor pitch in the academy building as Amorim tried desperately to get his players to understand his 3-4-3 system.
Players not involved in the sessions were often asked to stand on the sidelines and watch. Sometimes, during sessions, Amorim would get so frustrated that he would physically drag players across the pitch until they were in what he considered to be the “right” positions.
Does Amorim’s exit offer Mainoo & Rashford a future at Manchester United?
In an explosive meeting with Wilcox on Friday — arranged as a debrief after a 1-1 draw with Wolves on Dec. 30 — Amorim was encouraged to be more proactive with how he set up his players. United played well in the first half against Newcastle on Boxing Day with a back four, and eventually won 1-0. But against Wolves four days later, Amorim reverted to a back three so he could match up with Rob Edwards’ side, despite the visitors arriving at Old Trafford with just two points from 18 games.
United’s tactics against Wolves backed a growing feeling within the club that Amorim and his staff had come to fear the Premier League, and that he was more concerned with containing even the worst teams rather than trying to attack. Though these feelings have existed since the end of last season, that 1-1 draw against the Premier League’s worst side was enough for several United staff members to lose faith that Amorim was the right man.
There were times during his tenure when Amorim had doubts. He had to be talked into staying in January 2025 after a particularly bad run of form, according to sources in and around the club. After a game last February, Amorim revealed to one source that he knew United wouldn’t win just by watching how his players tied their laces before the warmup.
In the same conversation, Amorim confided his fear that the club was “broken” and that he didn’t know how to fix it because the players he had inherited were “fragile.” In particular, he was shocked at what he saw as a lack of physicality within the squad and on numerous occasions, Amorim became irate because players were losing one-on-one duels too often.
Though Ten Hag’s training involved lots of running, Amorim asked his players to spend more time in the gym, especially during the summer tour of the United States.
Amorim was told in the summer to be more guarded with his public comments. However, he insisted that if he had to do interviews, he would use them to send public messages to players in the hope it would elicit a positive response.
This strategy backfired last season, when one senior player was criticized for a lack of intensity in games and found out when he read the quotes on his phone. The coaching staff said it was the type of critique that should have been done face-to-face.
Amorim was brought in to connect with the players, having been a player at Benfica and Braga, but he was much more distant with the squad than expected. He compartmentalized everything and wouldn’t get involved in areas that he didn’t believe were his concern, often leaving coaches and staff to handle their duties without interference. It was a departure from Ten Hag’s style, with the Dutchman always keen to know everything, including travel plans for games and players’ media commitments.
In the summer, Amorim said he created a six-man leadership group of Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martínez, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui and Tom Heaton because: “There are some things that in the last year I had to deal with.” The inference was that he wanted the dressing room to police itself, though there were moments when he played a nurturing role.
After young defender Leny Yoro was visibly upset following a mistake against Crystal Palace in November, Amorim made time in the days after the game to take the France international to one side and show him a video that contained only the things he had done well at Selhurst Park.
Amorim tried to connect the players better with the fans by changing the pre-match routine at Old Trafford so the team arrived when a crowd of supporters would be gathered at the entrance; players were also told they had to stop for pictures and autographs either before or after games.
Amorim would usually spend nearly an hour with fans after games — regardless of the time or weather — but his disappointment showed after the draw against Wolves, when he went straight to his car with his family.
Amorim was annoyed, per a source familiar with the situation, when some players didn’t attend a BBQ organized after the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham at a time he felt they needed to stick together. To him, team bonding was important — players were asked to stay behind after training for birthdays, each one celebrated with a personalized cake and a speech.
To Amorim, speaking in front of each other was seen as a vital tool for the growth of what he considered to be a young group. Had he got his way, however, he would have worked with more senior pros instead of what he felt was such a developmental squad.
Issues over recruitment were evident from Amorim’s first day in the job. He was given the title of “head coach,” rather than “manager,” to reflect his place in the new structure put together by Ratcliffe and his team. But speaking at his first news conference, Amorim insisted more than once that he must “choose the players.” It went directly against what club bosses were saying behind the scenes.
Club sources told ESPN that they believe Amorim was “fully aligned” with the plan in the summer to bring in three attackers to cure a chronic lack of goals, rather than use some of the money to sign a central midfielder. The issue, though, was signing 22-year-old Sesko for €85 million over 30-year-old Watkins: Amorim wanted a proven Premier League goal scorer, while the club favored signing a young player who could be developed.
Who could become Amorim’s successor at Manchester United?
On Amorim’s side, there was frustration that the club seemed unwilling to be flexible with its long-term plan, especially when the team was asking him to be flexible with his tactics.
For example, money was available to sign Antoine Semenyo for his £65 million release clause in January, but when the Bournemouth winger preferred a move to Manchester City, Amorim was told that those funds wouldn’t necessarily be used elsewhere. It was a blow to Amorim, who was without eight first-team players against Wolves and Leeds because of injuries and international call-ups.
(One look at United’s bench vs. Leeds told the same story, with several academy players named among the substitutes, despite not yet making meaningful first-team appearances.)