Gary Neville has pinpointed the 1-1 draw with Wolves on December 30 as the moment he knew Manchester United would sack Ruben Amorim. The club parted ways with the Portuguese manager on Monday after 14 months in charge, following a 1-1 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road.
Neville, speaking on Sky Sports News, said the performance against Wolves was a turning point. 'If there was a meeting on Friday morning about the performance against Wolves between the sporting director and the manager, I would actually have been disappointed if there wasn't a meeting after the Wolves performance,' he said. 'Wolves picked up a point at Old Trafford, only their third of the season.'
Amorim's last match was Sunday's 1-1 draw with Leeds, leaving United sixth in the Premier League, three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. In his post-match press conference, Amorim insisted he would not quit and would remain as 'manager' rather than 'coach' for the duration of his 18-month contract, but he also criticised the club's hierarchy for selective information.
Neville noted that Amorim's public criticism of the board effectively sealed his fate. 'When you turn on your bosses, it doesn't matter whether you're at a football club or you work in Morrisons, you're not going to keep your job very long,' he said. The former United defender also highlighted poor results against Everton, West Ham, and Wolves as evidence of the team's decline.
