After just over a year in the job Ruben Amorim is out as Manchester United manager.
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The announcement came on Monday, less than a day after Amorim made some hugely surprising comments following United’s 1-1 draw at Leeds: “I came here to be the manager of Man United, not the head coach.”
Now he’s neither, as Manchester United confirmed that Amorim has been fired.
A report from The Telegraph says that director of football Jason Wilcox and Amorim fell out at a recent meeting, while various reports state that United will look to hire an interim manager for the rest of this season as they assess their next step.
Manchester United statement on Ruben Amorim
“Ruben Amorim has departed his role as Head Coach of Manchester United. Ruben was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to a UEFA Europa League Final in Bilbao in May.
“With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change. This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.
“The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future. Darren Fletcher will take charge of the team against Burnley on Wednesday.”
Amorim never settled at Man United
There was so much promise when Amorim arrived from a hugely impressive spell in charge of Sporting Lisbon but he never truly seemed settled at Man United and was scrambling from the start.
His comments at Leeds on Sunday were the final straw for the United hierarchy, with Amorim already on borrowed time.
From his stubborn insistence to play 3-4-3 no matter what, to ditching that in recent weeks, to playing slow, predictable football which also leaves United vulnerable on the counter, Amorim’s time at United won’t live long in the memory.
Their run to the Europa League final last season, which they lost in extremely disappointing fashion to Tottenham Hotspur, patched over the obvious flaws in Amorim’s plans and bought him extra time despite a 15th-place finish in the Premier League.
And even though United have improved and are in the hunt for the top six this season, there wasn’t enough progress being made and Amorim’s comments about wanting to “be the manager, not the head coach” was the end for him.
Amorim leaves United in a slightly better place than when he took over just over a year ago. But not by much.
