Manchester United sack head coach Ruben Amorim

Manchester United sacked head coach Ruben Amorim on Monday (Jan 5), ending his 14-month reign at the English Premier League club.

“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,” United said in a club statement.

“The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future.”

Amorim was appointed in November 2024 to replace Erik ten Hag, who was also sacked, but failed to win over the fans with his insistence on sticking to a 3-4-3 formation on top of a string of poor results.

While the Red Devils reached the Europa League final in May last year, United finished 15th in the league last term with 42 points, their lowest position since the 1989-90 season, and failed to qualify for Europe. They also earned their fewest points in a top-flight season since they were last relegated in the 1973-74 season.

United’s board handed Amorim a sizeable war chest last summer and he splashed out around £200 million (US$269 million) to bring in the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo and Senne Lammens during the last transfer window.

But the Portuguese has continued to come in for criticism from supporters and pundits alike over his dour style of play, with United currently sixth in the Premier League, 17 points behind top-placed Arsenal.

After their 1-1 top-flight draw at Leeds over the weekend, United’s second straight draw against teams battling against relegation, Amorim bristled at questions about his job security, and stressed that he had taken on the Old Trafford job as a manager with full authority and was not merely a coach taking orders.

“I know that my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, it’s not (Antonio) Conte, it’s not (Jose) Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United. It’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change,” Amorim said.

“I just want to say that I’m going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. And I was really clear on that. And that is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. ⁠That was the deal. That is my job, not to be a coach.”

Source: CNA

- Agencies