Ruben Amorim has been sacked by Manchester United after 14 months as head coach at the struggling football giant following an angry press conference after yesterday’s 1-1 draw at Leeds.
Speaking to the press after the game, a clearly frustrated Amorim said: “I came here to be the manager of Manchester United – not to be the coach of Manchester United. That is clear. I know my name is not Tuchel, Mourinho or Conte but I’m the manager. It’s going to be like this for 18 months or until the board decide to change. I’m not going to quit, I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me.”
It appears Amorim’s words may have been the catalyst the club hierarchy needed to do just that, with under-18s coach and former United midfielder Darren Fletcher stepping into the role on an interim basis.
The Portuguese departs after a power struggle over transfer policy, with Amorim demanding his colleagues in the recruitment department “do their job” after Sunday’s draw at Leeds.
Amorim had initially believed United were prepared to back him in the January window should a major signing become available but said last Friday: “We have no conversation to have any change in the squad.”
His relationship with the director of football, Jason Wilcox, has reportedly become strained and Amorim made clear his frustration after the Leeds game, when he also said he would stay, at the longest, until his contract ends in 18 months.
United acted swiftly this morning, saying in a statement: “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. 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.”
United were seemingly reluctant to sanction the signings Amorim wanted because the players he had targeted for his preferred 3-4-3 may not suit the next head coach and the hierarchy lost confidence that he was the right long-term solution There is also believed to be an insistence within the club that the leadership of CEO Omar Berrada and Wilcox is best in class and that Amorim or any other head coach cannot outrank them.
Amorim added that pundits’ opinions had started to hold more sway than his own within the club when he said after the Leeds match: “If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club.”
One such pundit who was quick to respond to yesterday’s press conference was United’s all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney. He said on today’s edition of the Wayne Rooney Show, which was recorded before this morning’s sacking: “I think he speaks with a confidence and authority that suggests he knows he’s going to be there. That’s the only reason I can assume he’s speaking with that belief, because the last two games haven’t been very good.
“I actually feel for him a bit because the squad is not good enough. He’s not Pep Guardiola, he’s not Jürgen Klopp, he doesn’t have that history or background. Because of that, I don’t think he should be speaking with that level of authority.”
Amorim’s departure is the latest in an ongoing spate of drama at United, one of the biggest brands in world football, with uncertainty over the club’s plans for a new stadium, ownership and management changes and underwhelming performances on the pitch contributing to one of the most lacklustre eras in the club’s history.
