Arne Slot gets Liverpool SACK warning from Ruben Amorim | OneFootball

On Monday Manchester United parted ways with Ruben Amorim - only 14 months after his appointment.

He won 24 of his 63 games in charge - leaving United in no better shape than they were when he got there. The Portuguese will leave with around £10m in his pocket too - with the club paying off the remainder of his contract until 2027.

The weeks before his departure were increasingly fractious - with question marks reportedly being raised internally about Amorim’s preferred style of play.

Head of recruitment Christopher Vivell and director of football Jason Wilcox had their concerns over their head coach’s 3-4-3 with a procession of opponents openly admitting how easy it was to work out.

There were also eyebrows raised over his frequent criticisms of senior players to the media - as well as his playing down of players from the club’s academy.

And the head coach for his part was seemingly unhappy with the club’s proposed lack of January transfer business.

Amorim sacked as Man Utd head coach

Man Utd drew 1-1 with Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday with Amorim addressing the media afterwards. The 40-year-old went out all guns blazing - arguably setting in motion the process that culminated in his sacking on January 5.

He made reference to the difference between being a team’s “manager” and a “coach” - something that chimes with what is currently happening at Liverpool.

"I just want to say I came here to be the manager, not to be the coach," he told the press.

"In every department - the scouting department, the sporting director – [they] need to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.

"I just want to say that I'm going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. I was really clear on that. That is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal. That is my job. Not to be a coach."

But Amorim WAS appointed head coach and in signing his contract he knew what that entailed.

Hughes and Slot's differing opinions on Ngumoha

A head coach is there to do his job within a framework; by no means is the head coach the boss. With Amorim’s declared ambition of being the No1 man in charge - and his criticism of other departments - he had to go.

And that brings us to Arne Slot.

Like Amorim the Dutchman was hired to be head coach. He did a great job last season - guiding his players to the 2024/25 Premier League title.

But there has definitely been a change in recent months and results-wise Liverpool are nowhere near where they should be.

There has reportedly been a dispute between Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes over his usage of young players and Rio Ngumoha in particular.

Hughes wouldn’t sign Slot a replacement for Luis Diaz when he was sold to Bayern Munich. Instead he told Slot to promote and use Ngumoha.

The head coach hasn’t done so nearly as often as he could have - leaving a heavy load for other forwards like Hugo Ekitike who is now injured.

© IMAGO - Ruben Amorim

The age of the manager is over

And this gets to the very heart of the “manager” versus “head coach” issue.

If Hughes has told Slot to use Ngumoha then he has to use Ngumoha. The decision effectively is no longer Slot’s to make. Liverpool want to blood young talents either for the first team or for sale and it is the head coach’s job to facilitate that.

If he doesn’t carry out the instructions from the top then he’s going to create problems for himself. The days of the old-fashioned “manager” are over in a lot of top clubs - not only in England but around Europe too.

And Slot knew this when he walked into Anfield.

The recent fallout for Amorim and Man Utd has exposed the truth about the “head coach” role. You are there to do a job and you better do it - for better or for worse.

There is no doubt that this issue may well raise its head again before the end of the season - if Slot survives that long. But this week he will have learned what happens to “head coaches” who try to be the manager.