Manchester United have terminated the contract of head coach Ruben Amorim after a tumultuous and unsuccessful 14-month tenure, culminating in a decisive power struggle with the club's executive leadership.
The Final Unravelling: A Press Conference Clash
The beginning of the end for Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford can be traced to a terse exchange last Friday. When questioned about whether director of football Jason Wilcox had informed him of a reduced January transfer budget, the Portuguese coach replied with a sarcastic, "You are very smart." This followed odd comments on Christmas Eve where he suggested he was beginning to "understand" funds were not available to sign players for his preferred 3-4-3 system, signalling a potential tactical shift he had long resisted.
Amorim's infamous inflexibility was a defining and ultimately fatal flaw. Back in September, when asked if minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had suggested a formation change, he declared: "No one. Not even the pope will [make me] change." This stubbornness appeared naive in the face of last season's dismal 15th-place Premier League finish and a 1-0 Europa League final loss to Tottenham.
A Clash of Vision and Failed Investment
From his arrival in November 2024, executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox believed Amorim had agreed to eventually adapt United's style to a more attack-focused approach, aligning with the club's heritage. This never materialised. A key example cited internally was the recent 1-1 draw with Wolves, where Amorim reverted to a cautious 3-4-3 after a win using a 4-2-3-1.
Despite being backed with a £250m summer spend on players like Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko, the squad remained critically unbalanced, lacking a dedicated defensive midfielder. Club sources insist Amorim agreed with the attacking prioritisation, but the strategy seemed flawed with Bruno Fernandes already occupying the creative number 10 role.
Further friction arose from Amorim's perceived downplaying of the academy, including public criticism of young loanees, and underwhelming comments about senior players. All this contributed to a critical mass of dissatisfaction among the hierarchy.
Executive Fallout and a Damning Legacy
While Amorim pays the price with his job, significant questions now loom for the well-paid executives who appointed and backed him. As the leadership team tasked with football operations, Berrada and Wilcox face scrutiny for a major misjudgement in both appointment and ongoing management.
Amorim's final act was a scattergun press conference after the Leeds match, where he pointedly referred to himself as "manager" not "head coach", mentioned his contract had "18 months" left, and suggested if criticism from figures like Gary Neville couldn't be ignored, "we need to change the club". It was widely interpreted as a calculated 'back-me-or-sack-me' ultimatum.
He departs with the worst record of any permanent United manager since Frank O'Farrell in the 1970s: a 39% win rate and 1.24 points per game in the Premier League. He lost more matches than he won in 2025 and is the latest in a long line of post-Ferguson bosses, including David Moyes and Jose Mourinho, to be tamed by the club's immense challenges.
Darren Fletcher takes temporary charge as United prepare for their trip to Burnley, ending the brief and turbulent reign of a coach whose tenure proved even shorter than many interim appointments.
