Man United Sack Ruben Amorim After Turbulent 14-Month Spell

The Portuguese’s sacking follows rising tensions with Old Trafford bosses, including director of football Jason Wilcox, in recent days.

The club, which sits sixth in the Premier League table after a 1-1 draw with Leeds on Sunday, issued a statement saying Amorim had “stepped down as head coach of Manchester United” and thanked him for his services.

“The club’s management have reluctantly decided that the time is right to make a change,” United said in a statement. he said.

“This will give the team the best opportunity to finish the Premier League in the best possible way.”

Former United midfielder and current under-18s coach Darren Fletcher, who was head coach between 2021 and 2024, will take charge of the team against Burnley on Wednesday. Fletcher will hold a press conference on Tuesday.

The BBC said United planned to appoint an interim boss for the remainder of the season.

Those on full-time duty include Enzo Maresca, who left Chelsea last week, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and former England manager Gareth Southgate.

– Increasing tension –

Amorim hinted at deep disappointment on Friday that he was not fully supported in the transfer market.

And he made a series of eye-catching comments after the draw at Elland Road on Sunday, insisting he was United’s manager rather than “just a manager”.

The Portuguese told the scouting department and Wilcox to “do their job” during the blockbuster ending of his post-match press conference, casting major doubts on his future.

And he has repeatedly suggested to the media that he will leave when his contract expires in 18 months.

However, reports on Monday indicated that United’s decision to sack their manager was due to a lack of progress rather than a power struggle.

The sacking was a bleak end for Amorim, who won just 25 of his 63 appearances at United in all competitions during his shortest spell as a permanent manager since David Moyes was sacked after just eight months in charge in 2014.

He had the worst win rate (32 per cent), worst goals per game rate (1.53) and lowest clean sheet rate (15 per cent) of any United manager in the Premier League.

Amorim arrived at Old Trafford in November 2024 to replace Erik ten Hag as one of the most sought-after coaches in world football, following a successful run at Sporting Lisbon, where he won two league titles.

But he was powerless to stop United’s slide to 15th in the Premier League at one stage – their worst season in 51 years – and described his team as “perhaps the worst” in the club’s history.

Amorim had the chance to finish the 2024/25 season on top at Bilbao, but United lost the Europa League final to Tottenham and missed out on European football this season as a result.

The club backed its manager in the summer transfer window, spending more than 200 million euros ($269 million) on new signings including Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha.

But they have once again boasted of deception, winning just eight of their 20 league games so far and falling 17 points behind leaders Arsenal.

Amorim has been injured and a number of players are on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations but has been criticized for his rigid adherence to his preferred 3-4-3 formation, even though it has proven not to be optimal for his players.

His departure leaves the club searching for its seventh permanent manager since the retirement of Alex Ferguson, who emerged as Premier League champions in 2013.

Since then, along with occasional cup success, they have also won the English title 20 times, overshadowed by arch-rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.