Amorim sacked by Manchester United | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim has been dismissed from his role as head coach of Manchester United.

The Portuguese coach’s final match of his 14-month tenure ended in a 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Sunday, a result that leaves United sixth in the Premier League after 20 games.

Former midfielder and current Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher is expected to step in as interim manager. His first fixture would come away to Burnley on Wednesday evening, with the club likely to wait until the summer before making a permanent appointment.

The decision was taken by United’s senior leadership, including chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, following a breakdown in internal relationships.

Under the terms of the agreement Amorim signed when leaving Sporting CP for United in November 2024, there is no provision for a reduced severance package. As a result, the club will be required to honour his contract in full, which was due to run until 2027 with an option for an additional year.

Speaking after the draw at Elland Road, Amorim appeared to allude to friction behind the scenes, stressing in his post-match press conference that he viewed himself as the “manager” of United rather than the “coach”.

“It’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decide to change,” Amorim added. “That was my point, I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me.”

Amorim faced criticism during his spell at Old Trafford for an apparent lack of tactical flexibility, largely due to his commitment to a 3-4-3 system. However, The Athletic reported in December that alternative shapes had been tested in training. United secured a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United on December 26 using a 4-2-3-1, before switching back to a 3-4-3 in a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers four days later.

Ahead of the Leeds fixture, Amorim suggested there were differing views over the continued use of the 3-4-3 formation, as well as difficulties in recruiting players suited to that system. He nonetheless opted to deploy the same shape once again against Leeds.