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Manchester United have sacked manager Ruben Amorim following the club's 1-1 draw against Leeds United in the Premier League on Monday. Amorim, who joined the Premier League giants from Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon, has been removed from his position after only 14 months in charge at Old Trafford.
While backroom tensions were quite evident after Amorim's public outburst in the post-match presser following his side's hard-fought draw against Leeds United on Monday, the Portuguese manager's sacking has come as a huge surprise. Not too long back, Amorim had the complete backing of the United hierarchy.
Amorim, who joined Manchester United as their head coach in November 2024, led the club to the final of the Europa League last season, where they lost to Tottenham Hotspur to miss out on the trophy. United endured their worst-ever Premier League campaign under Amorim in the 2024-25 season, managing only 15 wins to finish a dismal 15th with 42 points.
It was United's worst season since the club was relegated from the English top flight in the 1973-74 season. However, despite the club's struggles, Amorim was backed by the United management as the club went on a spending spree in the summer transfer window to strengthen the squad with the signings of the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and goalkeeper Seane Lammens.
However, United failed to attain consistency despite the new signings and the new vigour at the club under the Portuguese. United are currently sixth on the Premier League points table with 31 points from 20 matches so far in the ongoing 2025-26 season. They have managed only a solitary win in their last five matches in the Premier League.
"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," the club said in an official statement.
United paid €11million ($11.95 million) to bring Amorim to the club from Sporting Lisbon in November 2024 after sacking former manager Erik Ten Hag, who was in charge at Old Trafford for two and a half years. Amorim had a horror start to his reign and failed to get the club back on track as United finished 15th in the Premier League last season.
Expectations were high from the Portuguese in the ongoing season, with United not having to play in Europe. However, the club endured a shambolic start, managing only 7 points from their first six games in the Premier League 2025-26 season. Despite flashes of brilliance, United never managed to string a series of strong results in their favour.
As per The Athletic, Manchester United's leadership, consisting of chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, arrived at the decision to sack Amorim after their relationship with the Portuguese manager broke down behind the scenes. Amorim had hinted at signs of a power struggle at United with his outburst after the Leeds draw on Monday.
In the post-match presser, Amorim hit out at his Manchester United bosses, asking the club's scouting department and the sporting director to "do their jobs" and not interfere with his. Amorim also insisted he was the manager and not the coach of Manchester United.
"I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United and that is clear. 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. And it's going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decided to change," Amorim told reporters during the post-match presser after Leeds draw.
"I will do my job and every department, the scouting department, the sporting director, needs to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we will watch," he went on.
Former United midfielder Darren Fletcher, who has been at the club for quite some time now, will take over as the interim manager after Amorim's sacking. Fletcher will take charge of United in their Premier League clash against Burnley on Thursday. United have 17 matches remaining in the Premier League 2025-27 season and will be hoping to secure a top four finish.
