Amorim was a disaster but United’s issues run far deeper

It’s official – Manchester United are yet again in the market for a new manager after Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Old Trafford was brought to an abrupt end in the aftermath of a 1-1 draw at 16th-placed Leeds.

It is no huge surprise to see Amorim go – it has felt like a case of when, not if the former Sporting CP manager would be relieved of his duties for some time now – given that he is statistically the worst manager in over half a century to sit in the home dugout at Old Trafford; indeed, it could be seen as surprising he lasted as long as he did given that last season was the worst in United’s Premier League history by almost every measure possible.

Not only was the Red Devils’ 15th place finish their lowest on record, but they lost the mostgames (18), won the least (11) and achieved the fewest points (42) of any United team since the competition began in 1992. To make matters worse, Amorim lost the Europa League Final, which would’ve secured Champions League qualification and was billed as “Bilbao or Bust,” to the infamously success-averse Tottenham Hotspur, capping off a truly dreadful start to his time at United.

One wonders how many times this toxic cycle of failure has to be repeated before its root causes are finally addressed

This season has not been much better. Although United were sat in 6th at the time of Amorim’s departure, ostensibly a significant improvement from last season, they are just six points ahead of 15th placed Bournemouth (whom they outspend almost three times over in wages) and are on track to achieve just 58 points, which has never been enough to achieve Champions League qualification or indeed any European qualification since 2022. They’ve also suffered some humiliating defeats along the way, including a 3-0 derby defeat to local rivals Manchester City where Amorim inexplicably left United outnumbered in midfield, a 1-0 loss at home to Everton despite the away side playing almost all of the match with 10 men and – worst of all – a humiliating Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Grimsby Town. Furthermore, United’s best academy graduate of the last decade, Marcus Rashford, has been exiled from the squad and is pushing for a permanent move to Barcelona, where he is currently on loan, whilst promising midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is refusing to renew his contract due to a lack of playing time under Amorim, leading to concerns United could lose their latest academy gem for a fraction of his true value.

It’s not merely the results that have been a cause for concern with Amorim’s United however, but the performances as well. Since coming in in October 2024, Amorim has almost exclusively played the 3-4-2-1 system that brought him success in Portugal despite inheriting a squad of players wholly unsuited to it. This has involved deploying Amad Diallo, at times United’s most exciting attacker, primarily as a wing back whilst restricting his captain and talisman, Bruno Fernandes, to a role in the double pivot.. In the infamous Grimsby defeat as Amorim was frantically throwing on attackers to overcome Grimsby’s 2-0 lead, he ended up in the farcical position of having Amad and attacking midfielder Mason Mount at wing back.

Amorim’s departure was brought about not by his own results, but because of comments he made in the press

Unsurprisingly, it was a set piece that forced the eventual penalty shootout, only for United to lose anyway. Amorim’s final game against newly promoted Leeds sums up his time at United perfectly – despite the Whites sitting ten places and points behind United, Amorim lined up with nine defensive players – even forcing left back to Patrick Dorgu into the right sided attacker role, such is his unwillingness to adapt his system. Unsurprisingly, this did not work and United were reliant on Matheus Cunha to salvage a point in a game they should have won comfortably on paper.

Why, then, did it take so long for United to end this disastrous experiment with a manager so clearly not up to the job? That is the real kicker – Amorim’s departure was brought about not by his own results, but because of comments he made in the press criticising United’s ownership and those running the club behind the scenes.. Despite being backed to the tune of £250m since arriving, even without the money that comes with European qualification, Amorim was unhappy with the lack of funds available for the January transfer window, and he used his press conferences before and after the trip to Leeds to criticise the United hierarchy for not sufficiently backing him and his project. Indeed, he speculated that he was already planning to leave at the expiry of his contract in 2027, as he “came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not the coach” (some might point out that he was appointed as a “head coach” rather than a ‘manager,’ so this statement is demonstrably untrue).

United’s latest idea is to appoint an interim coach until the end of the season

What does it say about United’s ownership group that they were prepared to tolerate what is for most fans their worst season in living memory but not the first sign of blame being put at their feet? What does it say about them that the manager who oversaw such a catastrophe still felt justified in holding them responsible for United’s struggles. Whilst Amorim’s sacking was fully deserved, it is sadly the case that he was indeed working under an ownership group who appear devoid of direction and do not seem to have even the semblance of a plan. Shortly before Amorim’s arrival, United went to great lengths to prize Sporting director Dan Ashworth away from Newcastle. When former manager Erik Ten hag was sacked, having had his contract extended merely four months earlier, Ashworth was firmly against hiring Amorim, whilst Jason Wilcox, the head of player recruitment, was also skeptical about hiring a manager so tactically stubborn. They were overruled by CEO Omar Berrada, and Ashworth was sacked just five months after arriving, at a cost of £4.1m to United. Wilcox was subsequently promoted to effectively replace Ashworth and it was his poor relationship with Amorim which has ultimately led to the 13-time Premier League Champions, who have spent roughly £1.6bn on new players since their last title, parting ways with the Portuguese coach.

United’s latest idea is to appoint an interim coach until the end of the season whilst Wilcox – whose only previous experience in recruiting a first team head coach was the ill-fated appointment of Russell Martin at Southampton – leads an extensive search for a permanent appointment in the Summer. Former manager and club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sacked four years ago by United, and Michael Carrick, who is widely seen as having underperformed in his only two full seasons of senior management despite a promising start at Championship side Middlesbrough, are seen as the two frontrunners for the interim position.

The harsh truth though is that unless broader changes are implemented at Old Trafford, it does not matter who is the next permanent appointment made at England’s biggest club. In the 13 years since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United, some of the biggest and most successful managers in world football – including Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, who between them boast 15 domestic and 6 European titles – have all tried and failed to return United to the glory days, despite an unrivalled level of expenditure and even a change in the ownership. Ruben Amorim deserved to be sacked and was a major factor behind United’s struggles in the short term, but the issues at Manchester United run far deeper than any one individual.

This historic football club is fundamentally broken. One wonders how many times this toxic cycle of failure has to be repeated before its root causes are finally addressed.