Ruben Amorim was sacked by Manchester United following a total breakdown in relations with club leadership over his refusal to abandon his back-three system and public challenges to the club’s executive authority.
Manchester United have sacked Ruben Amorim after a turbulent 14-month tenure, appointing Darren Fletcher as interim manager.
The dismissal followed a “massive fall-out” on Friday between Amorim and director of football Jason Wilcox over tactical flexibility and recruitment.
Tensions peaked when Amorim reportedly threatened to call his agent after Wilcox suggested the squad had lost trust in his rigid 3-4-2-1 system. Amorim leaves with a 38.1 percent win ratio, the worst in United’s Premier League history.
Internal friction extended beyond the pitch, involving disagreements with recruitment director Christopher Vivell and a training ground confrontation with Lisandro Martinez.
While the club invested over £260 million in talent like Benjamin Sesko, Amorim felt his authority was eroded when his personal targets, such as Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez, were overlooked for younger profiles.
Amorim eventually lashed out in his final press conference, insisting, “I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy is coming.”
The club’s leadership, including Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Omar Berrada, ultimately decided Amorim was no longer a fit for their collaborative “ecosystem.”
The hierarchy was particularly concerned by Amorim’s public criticism of players and his “bomb squad” treatment of stars like Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
Berrada and Wilcox informed the squad on Monday that Amorim had changed, stating, “We don’t understand where the last 48 hours have come from,” following his defiant media outbursts.
United are now weighing their next move, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick under consideration for caretaker roles until the summer.
The club faces a £10 million compensation bill for Amorim and his staff, a figure that sits awkwardly against recent staff redundancies.
As the search for a permanent successor begins, the club aims for a manager who can balance tactical identity with the corporate structure, avoiding the “toxicity” that defined Amorim’s final days.