Manchester United sack Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim has left his role as Manchester United head coach after a turbulent spell that promised much but quickly ran out of road.
United confirmed the decision on Monday, ending Amorim’s time at Old Trafford just over a year after his appointment in November 2024. Despite guiding the club to a UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao last May, league form and growing tension behind the scenes have pushed the club into another reset.
United are currently sixth in the Premier League, and the club said the change was made to give the team “the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish”. Darren Fletcher will take charge on an interim basis, starting with Wednesday’s match against Burnley.
Amorim’s exit follows a damaging run of results and a breakdown in relations with senior figures at the club. The final straw came after a 1-1 draw with Leeds, when the Portuguese coach publicly aired his frustrations and questioned the club’s structure and direction.
“I just want to say that I’m going to be the manager of this team, not the just the coach,” Amorim said after that match. He added: “That is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on.”
Those comments exposed how fragile the project had become. While Amorim arrived with a reputation built on success at Sporting, his ideas never fully settled at United. Tactical experiments, inconsistent performances and an inability to stop defensive problems away from home all chipped away at people’s confidence.
There were brief highs, including a surprise win at Anfield and a manager of the month award, but they were outweighed by damaging defeats and missed chances. United conceded in 15 straight away games and slipped further behind the teams they hoped to compete with.
Off the pitch, Amorim pushed for sweeping changes, despite already being backed with significant spending. As trust faded, so did alignment on recruitment and long-term planning. By January, the relationship between coach and hierarchy was described as broken beyond repair.
Reports on Monday morning confirmed Amorim had been informed of the decision and would leave with immediate effect. United thanked Amorim for his efforts and wished him well, but his departure marks yet another abandoned rebuild at Old Trafford. Supporters once again face familiar questions about direction, leadership and how the club moves forward from here.
