Amorim sacked by Man Utd after 14 months in charge

Manchester United have sacked manager Ruben Amorim, with the club planning to appoint a caretaker manager for the remainder of the season.

Former midfielder Darren Fletcher will take charge for Wednesday's Premier League game against Burnley.

The Scot will remain in place until a caretaker is appointed for the rest of the campaign, with the club planning to name a permanent successor for Amorim in the summer.

On Friday Amorim hinted that his relationship with club officials was strained - suggesting he would not be fully backed in the transfer market.

And following the 1-1 draw with Leeds on Sunday, the Portuguese aimed another dig at senior United figures, stating he wanted to work as a manager "not the coach" and was ready to leave when his contract expired in 18 months' time.

Less than 24 hours later, the club announced Amorim had "departed his role as head coach of Manchester United" after 14 months in charge.

"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," United said.

"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.

Amorim's coaching team have also left United.

In October, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said on The Business podcast, external Amorim would be given three years to "demonstrate he is a great coach" and that the club needed to be "patient".

But sources have told BBC Sport that the club now feels there has not been sufficient evidence of evolution or progress this season under Amorim.

The 40-year-old was appointed in November 2024 after United agreed to pay Portuguese club Sporting 11m euros (£9.25m) to trigger a release clause in his contract.

Amorim won 25 of his 63 games in charge of the Red Devils, while his 14-month stint is the shortest reign of a permanent manager at United since David Moyes was sacked just eight months into his tenure in 2014.

Former United midfielder Fletcher is currently the under-18s head coach and was the club's technical director between 2021 and 2024, but he has never held a senior coaching position.

The 41-year-old former Scotland international played for United between 2002 and 2015, winning five Premier League titles along with the 2007-08 Champions League.

He is expected to hold United's news conference on Tuesday before their game against Burnley at Turf Moor the following day.

When Manchester United appointed Amorim as head coach - note the title - they viewed it as a progressive decision, bringing in someone who would work in a modern structure and develop as he went along.

Amorim had a good relationship with the players but despite multiple times, in private and public, saying his tactics would evolve from the 3-4-3 formation he used at Sporting, it never happened, much to the disappointment of those who ran the club.

This was brought into sharp focus on 30 December when, four days after changing to a back four for the first time in the 1-0 win over Newcastle, he reverted to a three-man defence against Wolves, moving Patrick Dorgu from a right-sided attacking role, where he had been so effective on Boxing Day, to left wing-back.

Fans were stunned and dismayed in equal measure.

By that point, United had already tried to persuade long-term target Antoine Semenyo to join them from Bournemouth by telling him he would play on the left wing. This was a clear sign the club viewed the future as being something different to a 3-4-3 formation, given they had already spent in excess of £200m on attacking players.

It is no surprise therefore that the formation against Wolves and the subsequent result - a 1-1 draw against a side who previously had collected just two points all season and which led to the team being booed off - was viewed extremely negatively internally at Old Trafford.

It was another massive backwards step in Amorim's relationship with his bosses, and his continued criticism just heightened that situation.

Already distinctly unimpressed by Amorim's brutal dismissal of academy players - he never watched a single age-group game - and criticism of senior members of the United squad, it left the 40-year-old in an extremely delicate position heading into the Leeds game.

His interaction with the media on Friday included a thinly disguised admission there were splits behind the scenes.

And things erupted after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Elland Road when Amorim launched his final broadside, in his very last answer, which included the statement that he "would not quit".

That, effectively, meant United had to either back Amorim or sack him. Amorim wanted to be left alone to do his job, free from the unwanted influence of director of footall Jason Wilcox.

But what Amorim felt was interference, United believed was normal feedback which had been repeatedly resisted.

The situation had become untenable. United are sixth, in line with pre-season expectations and with a squad many, both inside Old Trafford and out, could deliver much better results than they have been getting with a few simple tactical tweaks.

In January 2024, Amorim described his team as "maybe the worst" in the 147-year history of the club.

They ended last season 15th in the Premier League - United's lowest top-flight finish since they were relegated from Division One in 1974.

United did reach the Europa League final in May but lost 1-0 against Tottenham and subsequently missed out on a place in Europe for the first time since 2014-15.

Amorim spent £216m on new signings over the summer with Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens among those added to the squad.

In the Premier League, Amorim had the worst win ratio (32%), the worst goals conceded per game ratio (1.53) and the lowest clean sheet ratio (15%) of any Manchester United manager.

The club will start their FA Cup campaign in the third round against Brighton on Sunday - August's penalty shootout defeat at League Two Grimsby in the second round of the Carabao Cup stands out as a low point of Amorim's reign.

Taking charge of 47 top-flight games from 24 November 2024, he won 15, drew 13 and lost 19, giving him a win ratio of 31.9% - the lowest of any permanent Manchester United manager in the Premier League.

When taking all competitions into account in the Premier League era, only Ralf Rangnick has a lower win ratio than Amorim, although there is little in it - 37.9% compared with 38.1%.

Netting 66 times in those 47 games, Amorim had the second-lowest goals per game ratio (1.4) as Manchester United chief in the Premier League - just behind Rangnick, whose sides averaged 1.38 per game with 33 in 24 matches.

The story defensively was no better, with 72 giving him the worst goals conceded per game ratio (1.53) and worst clean sheets ratio (seven - 14.9%).

Among ever-present Premier League sides since Amorim's first game, only three sides have won fewer points than Manchester United's 58 - Tottenham with 46, West Ham with 45 and Wolves with 39.

Under Amorim, United conceded the fourth-most goals in the Premier League with 72. Only West Ham (84), Wolves (81) and Brighton (70) shipped more.

In 45 of Amorim's 47 Premier League games, he started with a three-man defence. Only Crystal Palace named more starting line-ups in this manner from 24 November 2024 onwards, with 46.

1 November 2024 - Manchester United appoint Ruben Amorim as their new head coach

11 November 2024 - Amorim officially begins job after leaving Sporting

19 January 2025 - Amorim describes his team as "maybe the worst" in the 147-year history of the club

17 April 2025 - Manchester United stage a staggering comeback, scoring twice in the final minute of extra time, to recover from 4-2 down against Lyon and reach the Europa League final

21 May 2025 - Manchester United lose Europa League final to Premier League rivals Tottenham

25 May 2025 - Manchester United suffer their worst-ever Premier League season, finishing 15th with 42 points

June - August 2025 - United spend more than £200m on new signings, with Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha among those to arrive

27 August 2025 - Manchester United suffer a humiliating Carabao Cup exit against League Two Grimsby

8 October 2025 - Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says Amorim needs three years to prove he is a "great" coach

24 November 2025 - Ten-man Everton hold on for a rare Old Trafford victory despite losing Idrissa Gueye after just 13 minutes

30 December 2025 - Manchester United fail to beat rock-bottom Wolves, who leave Old Trafford with only their third point of the season

2 January 2026 - Amorim hints that his relationship with club officials is strained as January transfer window opens

4 January 2026 - Amorim states he wants to work as a manager "not the coach" and is ready to leave when his contract expires in 18 months' time, following 1-1 draw at promoted Leeds United

5 January 2026 - Amorim leaves Manchester United

David: He was asking for his P45 by making those comments. It always spells the end.

Brian: Absolutely stupid. What they going to do now? Bring a yes man in that they can walk all over, and let the players do what they want, as they have done ever since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down?

Salley: He should have been sacked last season. Bring back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Adam: So disappointed! After the miserable era under Erik ten Hag, Amorim initially felt like a breath of fresh air with his passion and ideas for bringing an identity back. However, his own ego in his own playing style has led to him making rash statements and line-up choices. You would have thought the toxicity would have been removed with the new leadership, transfers and coach. Obviously there is still a toxic core somewhere in Manchester United.

Jonathon: Yes, we should have sacked him. But, my word, it's shambles of a club right now.

Ben: Absolute joke. Whatever we do going forward, the board will always rule. No changes.

Dylan: You can't argue with your boss and not expect to get into any type of trouble. Losing against Spurs in the Europa League final should've pushed him out!

Ethan: It's the wrong decision. Last season we struggled under Ten Hag but seemingly thrived under Amorim, especially in Europe.

Matthew: Like anyone else in a job, if we went to the media and started moaning about our managers and the company we work for, I would expect to get sacked.

Pat: Huge mistake. Rarely does a manager of this quality and class come along and when they do, the 'senior management' should be able to recognise what they have and back him by giving him the time he needs. Maybe it says more about their management abilities than his. Genuinely gutted.

Source: BBC
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