Manchester United have parted ways with manager Ruben Amorim, it has been revealed this morning (5 January).
Tensions appeared to be building behind the scenes at the club, culminating in some fiery quotes from Amorim both before and after the Red Devils' 1-1 draw with Leeds on Sunday afternoon.
Both Amorim and the club's leadership of players were informed of the decision at the Carrington Training Centre today.
The result left them sixth in the Premier League table, after last season's 15th place finish.
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The Portuguese manager won just 24 of his 63 matches in charge of the club, meaning that his win percentage of 38.1 percent is the second worst in United's history, behind Frank O'Farrell (1971-1972).
Darren Fletcher will manage the side against Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday.
Manchester United's official statement read: "Ruben Amorim has departed his role as Head Coach of Manchester United.
"Ruben was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to a UEFA Europa League Final in Bilbao in May.
"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 would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future.
"Darren Fletcher will take charge of the team against Burnley on Wednesday."
Amorim showed promise with a run to the Europa League final in the 2024/25 season, including a memorable 7-6 aggregate win over Lyon in the quarter finals.
Unfortunately, his side would fall to Tottenham Hotspur, a team without a trophy since 2008, in the final as they emerged as 1-0 victors.
This result also meant that Spurs and not United, were guaranteed a spot in this season's Champions League campaign.
The manager's low point was undoubtedly United's exit from the Carabao cup this season, at the hands of Grimsby Town.
Amorim was at the realm this summer when United made a number of statement summer signings, such as the capture of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
The Athletic reports that a permanent manager will likely be appointed in the summer, with an interim expected to see out the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
There has been chatter from the media about unrest behind the scenes at the club in recent times, particularly about Amorim's persistence with his 3-4-3 system and the lack of support shown by the board ahead of the January transfer window.
It's said that senior figures at the club, including Director of Football Jason Wilcox, had pushed for the manager to show more flexibility with his system.
This seemed to culminate in a fiery press conference after the side's draw with Leeds yesterday, where Amorim reminded journalists that he was brought in to be 'manager' of Manchester United, not 'head coach'.
Who could be the next Manchester United manager?
According to Skybet, here are the names in the mix to be the next permanent manager at United:
- Oliver Glasner (7/2)
- Gareth Southgate (5/1)
- Mauricio Pochettino (15/2)
- Xavi (17/2)
- Andoni Iraola (9/1)
- Laurent Blanc (10/1)
- Zinedine Zidane (10/1)
- Julian Nagelsmann (12/1)
- Marco Silva (12/1)
- Darren Fletcher (14/1)
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (14/1)
- Michael Carrick (16/1)
Topics: Football, Manchester United, Premier League, Sport
Joshua Nair