The Portuguese’s final game of his 14-month spell in charge was a 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Sunday, leaving them sixth in the Premier League after 20 matches.
Former midfielder and current Under-18 coach Darren Fletcher will take charge on an interim basis and his first game will be at Burnley on Wednesday night. A permanent appointment is likely to wait until the summer.
The decision has been taken by the club’s leadership team, including chief executive Omar Berada and director of football Jason Wilcox, following a breakdown in relations behind the scenes.
According to the terms of the agreement signed by Amorim to leave Sporting CP for United in November 2024, no clause exists to enable a concessional exit, meaning United must pay his contract in full. It was scheduled to run until 2027 with the option of one more year.
next athleticA statement from the club officially announcing Amorim’s departure said that the decision had been taken “reluctantly” as it was “the right time to make a change” in order to “give the team the best chance of the highest possible Premier League finish”.
“The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future,” the statement said.
Speaking after the draw at Elland Road, Amorim hinted at tensions with his colleagues, clarifying in the post-match press conference that he considers himself United’s “manager”, not a “coach”.
“It will remain that way for 18 months or until the board decides to replace it,” Amorim said. “That was my thing, I want to be done with it. I’m not going to quit. I’ll do my job until another man comes here to take my place.”
Amorim has been criticized for his perceived tactical inflexibility, preferring a 3–4–3 set up during his tenure at United. However, athletic It was reported in December that United were trialling other formations in training. On 26 December, against Newcastle United, Amorim’s team won 1–0 playing a 4–2–3–1 formation, then reverted to a 3–4–3 and drew 1–1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers four days later.
Speaking before the Leeds game, Amorim hinted at differences relating to the 3-4-3 formation and his inability to sign players needed for his preferred system. He set up his team again in a 3-4-3 against Leeds.
United paid €11 million (£9.25m; $11.95m) to hire Amorim from Sporting, where he won the Primeira Liga title in 2021 and again in 2024, while also winning the Taça da Liga – the Portuguese league cup – on two occasions. Amorim replaced Eric ten Hag, with the Dutchman stepping down after two-and-a-half years in charge at Old Trafford.
United suffered their worst Premier League season to date, finishing 15th with only 42 points – their lowest in a top-flight season since being relegated in 1973–74.
They were eliminated from the FA Cup in the fifth round by Fulham, exited the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage after losing to Tottenham Hotspur, and reached the Europa League final, but were again defeated by the north London side. Defeat to Spurs in Bilbao sealed a first trophy-less campaign since 2021-22 and ensured they failed to secure European football for the first time since 2014.
United spent more than £200 million ($269m) on new signings during the 2025 summer transfer window, with Benjamin Cesco, Brian Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha all arriving for fees in excess of £60m. Goalkeeper Sane Lammens also arrived from Royal Antwerp on deadline day in a £18.2 million deal.
This season saw United make their worst start to a campaign since 1992–93, picking up only seven points from their opening six Premier League games.
athletic It was reported in September that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had come to the team’s Carrington training ground for a number of meetings with Amorim, with the team’s form on the agenda.
Following an embarrassing Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two Grimsby Town in August, Amorim himself questioned his future, saying that “something has to change” and that the club’s players “have clearly shown what they want”. He said that weekend that “Sometimes I hate my players, sometimes I love my players”.
Amorim was previously in contention to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before Arne Slot eventually got the job and he also held talks over replacing David Moyes at West Ham, before later apologizing and calling the meeting “a mistake”.
United have had six permanent managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and have finished second in that time, achieved by both Jose Mourinho (2017–18) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (2020–21). The club have spent more than £50 million ($67m, €57m) on sacking managers since Ferguson stepped down.
How did this happen?
Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell’s analysis
Amorim’s status at United has been questioned at several points in his tenure, not least by himself, but his comments at Elland Road were on another level and led to his exit.
At this stage, Amorim has called out his players and himself, but this was the first time he turned his sharp tongue on the powers above. He was revealing the tension behind the scenes which has persisted in recent weeks over selection, transfers and results.
Amorim effectively called on United’s hierarchy to either support him or sack him, and Ratcliffe has chosen the latter. The decision was taken in conjunction with the Glazer family, who own the majority of United’s shares.
Due to a restructuring by Ratcliffe, Amorim was appointed head coach by United, in a departure from the club’s managerial tradition, so the reference alone raised alarms at Old Trafford.
He appeared to say that he was still entitled to control his own area of the club, such as handing over other responsibilities for selection, recruitment and Wilcox as director of football.
Friction has emerged in recent weeks over the style of play. Wilcox is known to have discussed formations and tactical options with Amorim. Their relationship has previously been seen as strong, but Amorim’s words showed a change in tone.
Amorim moved away from his back-three dogma against Bournemouth and Newcastle United, but reverted to his 3–4–2–1 system for the draw with Wolves, which was criticized by Gary Neville.
Amorim remained with the back-three in United’s draw at Elland Road, with only two attacking players in his line-up in Benjamin Cesco and Matheus Cunha, with Joshua Zirkzee on the bench. The 1-1 result means United have picked up 13 points from their last nine games against relatively unremarkable opponents – even though they remain sixth and a long way off the Champions League qualification places.
Amorim used a back three again in Sunday’s draw at Leeds (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
Related to the systemic issues is United’s January transfer activity, which Amorim was disappointed with. United failed in an attempt to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth.
Amorim’s departure raises major questions over Ratcliffe’s stewardship of United, given that his reign lasted only 14 months and ended acrimoniously. When the club’s hierarchy discussed Eric ten Hag’s replacement in October 2024, chief executive Berrada advocated for Amorim’s appointment, feeling that his charisma and pedigree in winning two Portuguese titles was a good fit for United.
The then sporting director Dan Ashworth proposed alternative names with Premier League experience, and warned about the difficulties of implementing a new formation in the available squad.
As athletic As previously reported, Wilcox also expressed reservations about whether a back-three would work at United, or in the Premier League in general. However, Wilcox got on board with Amorim’s choice.
Despite Amorim’s emotional outbursts, Ratcliffe, Berada and Wilcox have continued to support Amorim. Ratcliffe is known for expressing his opinions about the team. However, recently that dialogue has come to be seen as interference in the eyes of the Amorim.
Fletcher was first-team coach under Ten Hag but left to take charge of United’s under-18s last summer, reducing his role in Amorim’s set-up. The under-18s have enjoyed a successful season so far, with Fletcher receiving positive reviews from players.
The Glazers would study developments closely, handing over the reins to Ratcliffe but still retaining overall power.
‘Amorim’s exit raises questions for INEOS’
Analysis from Manchester United correspondent Mark Critchley
Ratcliffe previously said that Amorim deserved three years to prove himself in the role. That interview with The Times Business Podcast was released less than three months ago.
If this reflects how rapidly Amorim’s support levels within the club have deteriorated, and how rapidly his relationship with the hierarchy has broken down, it also calls into question INEOS’s judgment.
Amorim’s loyalty to his 3-4-3 system was hardly a secret. Concerns regarding his move have led United to look elsewhere and pursue other candidates, deliberating over Eric ten Hag’s future at the end of the 2023–24 season.
Yet five months later, Ten Haag was dismissed and Amorim was made his chosen successor. The delay in Ten Hag’s departure forced his appointment in mid-season, with Amorim admitting that it would not have been his priority.
And then within weeks of his arrival, he saw another INEOS appointment sacking sporting director Dan Ashworth, who had recommended Premier League-based options for Amorim.
Amorim’s appointment would now be one of INEOS’s biggest missteps since taking the reins at Old Trafford, along with the Ten Hag and Ashworth episodes.
This is certainly its most publicly explosive, when Amorim demanded his superiors give him the level of control and authority he believed he was supposed to have, exposing the strain on his system and the club’s ability to sign needed players in the transfer market.
On becoming minority owner at United, Ratcliffe insisted that INEOS and the Old Trafford leadership would dictate the style of play and the coach would have to play it. “In modern football, you need to decide what your path is and stay on your path,” he said.
And yet after appointing a manager with a defined, fixed system, then investing £242 million in his playing team and supporting his decision to cut ties with players like Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, they now have to admit they have to change course.
The Amorim, for the most part, stuck to their course. He lost his job partly because of this. Almost two years after Ratcliffe’s minority ownership was confirmed, it will be interesting to see what path United’s ownership takes now.
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