Ruben Amorim was sacked by Manchester United on Monday morning after 14 months as their head coach. He departs after a power struggle with the hierarchy over transfer policy, with Amorim demanding his colleagues in the recruitment department “do their job” following Sunday’s draw at Leeds.
His immediate replacement is Darren Fletcher, who takes charge as interim head coach. The Scot, a former United midfielder and the current under-18s coach, will lead the side at Burnley on Wednesday and could remain in charge for Sunday’s FA Cup tie with Brighton.
United are yet to decide whether to appoint a permanent head coach for the remainder of the season or to do so in the summer. The process will be led by Jason Wilcox, the director of football, and Omar Berrada, the chief executive.
If they decide on a temporary coach until the end of the campaign Fletcher would be an option. Another potential candidate is Michael Carrick, who was United’s caretaker manager for three games in 2021 from late November to early December, winning two and drawing the other.
Regarding permanent replacements, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner is understood to be of interest. While the Austrian deploys the same 3-4-3 formation at Palace as Amorim did, he has indicated a willingness to play a back four, so is more flexible than the Portuguese proved.
Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and the unemployed Enzo Maresca are two more candidates who might be considered. Thomas Tuchel came close to replacing Erik ten Hag in summer 2024 but as England manager would hope to still be leading the national team in July at the World Cup, which may be too late for United to appoint him.
Those considered currently as outside prospects include Gareth Southgate, the former England manager, and Mauricio Pochettino, the USA head coach. Xavi, the former Barcelona coach, is open to the role but his limited English and lack of Premier League experience means he could be ruled out.
Whoever does take over will have to work within the structure that gives Wilcox and Berrada a higher status regarding football policy than the head coach. Amorim’s frustration with this was a key component in his removal. The 40-year-old believed United were prepared to back him in the January transfer window should a major signing become available but said last Friday: “We have no conversation to have any change in the squad.”
This strained his relationship with Wilcox and after the Leeds game he said: “I came here to be the manager of Manchester United – not to be the coach” – even though his title was head coach.
United acted swiftly on Monday, saying: “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.”
Amorim was informed of the January transfer policy by Wilcox, with United reluctant to sanction any signings he targeted as these might not suit the next head coach, the hierarchy having lost confidence that he was the right long-term solution.
Amorim’s refusal to adapt once the players had grown into his system caused concern because the club believed he agreed to do this when taking charge, while a reactive style also caused disquiet. His downplaying of the academy and underwhelming comments about senior players, including Patrick Dorgu and Benjamin Sesko, were not received well.
Amorim indicated that pundits’ opinions had started to hold more sway than his own within the club. “If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club,” he said after Leeds.
United’s stance is that Amorim was given 100% backing and was removed owing to a lack of progress and evolution. The £250m spent since he was appointed is pointed to as evidence of support. There is also an insistence that Amorim was in concert with the close-season strategy of signing three forwards rather than a midfielder.
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Amorim was appointed on 1 November 2024 until June 2027, with a club option of an additional year. He oversaw United’s lowest Premier League finish – 15th – last season and lost the Europa League final to Spurs.
United endured a difficult start to this season and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by the League Two club Grimsby. But United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe backed Amorim in October, saying he should be judged after three years in charge.
Until recently Amorim was wedded to his tactics, built around a back three, which brought success to Sporting in his previous job, saying “not even the pope” could make him deviate, but his approach has been widely questioned throughout his tenure.
After his removal, the club are searching for their seventh full-time manager or head coach since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013 after 26-and-a-half years in charge.
