MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — In a decisive move signaling deep institutional frustration, Manchester United terminated the contract of manager Ruben Amorim on Monday, concluding a brief and tumultuous period marked by underwhelming performance and public friction with club leadership.
The dismissal follows escalating tensions between the Portuguese manager and the club’s football operations hierarchy, particularly Director of Football Jason Wilcox. The decision was announced less than 24 hours after a 1-1 draw with Leeds United, a result that left the storied club languishing in sixth place in the Premier League standings.
A club statement framed the move as a reluctant but necessary step to improve the team’s prospects for the remainder of the season. ‘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,’ it read, adding that this would ‘give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.’
Amorim’s departure was precipitated by a series of startling public comments he made following the Leeds match, where he emphatically declared himself ‘the manager’ rather than ‘just the coach’ and pointedly instructed the scouting department and Wilcox ‘to do their job.’ These remarks, which followed hints of behind-the-scenes frustration days earlier, cast major doubt on his future and highlighted a significant power struggle within the club’s structure.
However, internal reports suggest the primary catalyst for his dismissal was not the public fallout but rather a profound lack of sporting progress. Statistical analysis reveals a disastrous tenure: Amorim recorded the worst win ratio (32%) of any permanent manager in the club’s history, alongside the highest goals-conceded-per-game ratio (1.53) and the lowest clean-sheet percentage (15%). His overall record of 25 wins from 63 matches across all competitions proved unacceptable for a club of United’s stature.
Hired in November 2024 as a highly sought-after successor to Erik ten Hag following a successful spell at Sporting Lisbon, Amorim failed to translate his prior success to Old Trafford. His first season culminated in a catastrophic 15th-place Premier League finish—the club’s worst in 51 years. Although he guided the team to the Europa League final in May, a loss to Tottenham Hotspur denied them qualification for European competition this season. Marginal improvements this campaign have been overshadowed by extreme inconsistency, with the team winning only eight of its first 20 league games and sitting 17 points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Under-18s coach and former club technical director Darren Fletcher has been appointed interim manager and will lead the team against Burnley on Wednesday. Amorim’s 14-month reign stands as the shortest for a permanent United manager since David Moyes was dismissed in 2014, underscoring the continued instability at the club since the retirement of legendary manager Alex Ferguson in 2013.