And with that, I shall bid you all farewell and heartily thank you for your messages. It’s been an interesting and eventful day for Manchester United, that’s for sure – Ruben Amorim is gone, what and who will be next? Well, Burnley away on Wednesday with Darren Fletcher at the wheel, and then what?

As ever with modern day United, the solutions are not obvious right now.

Thanks again. Bye!

I’ll give one of the last words of the day to Paul Franklin who has provided this evergreen Manchester United statement:

The spectre of Sir Alex looms large over the club. Yes he was awesome, but he comes up in every conversation. I wonder how every manager since then feels about this?

We will be closing this live blog at 6pm, so last call for emails/comments/etc.

It seems at this stage there is little clarity on the next appointment at United. Some are suggesting it may be Darren Fletcher not just against Burnley until the end of the season, others claim it will be an interim but not Fletcher, but the possibility of a swift permanent hire remains too.

The next few days will be fascinating, for sure.

It seems sympathy for Ruben Amorim is in short supply.

Kevin Wilson doesn’t have much of it. “Amorim took over an underperforming club and thought he could perform shock therapy and get results, rather than try to stabilise it and build slowly,” he says.

“He gave up on last season and then isolated players. The club invested over the summer in attacking players and they’ve thrown away points at home to Everton, West Ham, Bournemouth and Wolves. He then started mouthing off about how he wasn’t supported but didn’t have the record to back up his demands. I don’t think he would have turned things around so best to bit the bullet.”

Zinedine Zidane is still getting linked with Premier League jobs in 2026, despite the fact he last managed in 2021, has shown zero inclination to take a job in England and would be a pretty awful fit for a club like Manchester United. Plus he speaks very limited English.

Is he the new continental Alan Curbishley?

Take it from me: you can safely rule him out of the running to replace Amorim.

United defender Harry Maguire has wished Amorim well on his Instagram account, posting a photo of the two them clasping hands accompanied by the message: “Thank you for everything boss. I wish you all the best in the future.”

Maguire was Amorim’s on-field saviour on a couple of occasions.

That Amorim timeline video is also available on YouTube, by the way.

Peter Oh emails in:

Further to David Flynn’s breakfast club comment, I’m impressed by the variety of views being served up in this buffet of a blog. Hot, cold, crunchy, spicy. It’s a veritable smorgasbord!

Indeed. Thanks again for all your correspondence today. I feel sated.

Rio Ferdinand believes there was a change in Ruben Amorim’s demeanour in the weeks before the Manchester United head coach was sacked.

Ferdinand revealed his surprise at the sacking, but believes Amorim’s situation began deteriorating before Christmas, saying on his YouTube channel: “He wouldn’t have been on my first three or four or five people that I would have put as managers to get the sack right now in the league, so I am surprised.

“But when you look at his record in black and white, I’m not surprised, which is weird, and it sounds weird when I say that.

“This guy, one of his best traits and most likeable things about him has always been his ability to be quite punchy in his press conferences, upbeat, and he had quite a jovial way about him and the last two that he’d done looked depressing.

“When I went there the last time, I noticed immediately that there was a coldness about him. There was a real difference to what I’d seen before and it was almost like now I look back with hindsight, things were starting to cook before Christmas. This isn’t just an overnight thing.” PA Media

It’s almost 5pm in the UK and that can only mean one thing – Barry Glendenning coming in off his long run writing today’s Football Daily on Manchester United and Ruben Amorim.

Some more emails – there really has been an avalanche of reaction to this story today.

“I really wanted Amorim to succeed,” says Mark Trueman. “He’s enough of a character to keep things interesting whilst not being overbearing like a Mourinho. I just wish he wasn’t so stubborn with his ‘system’ when it’s been clear for some time that the current squad is not compatible with what’s required to make it work.

“The board deserve all the criticism they’re receiving. They knew what they bought into, and despite all the ‘it’s a process’ talk, they’ve changed their mind in the middle of his first full season and decided against backing him with reinforcements.”

Bede Ehiogu adds: “Talk of Amorim’s inflexibility is ridiculous. If Amorim had started with a 4-3-3 from the start, no one would have called for ‘flexibility’. And there’s in fact no evidence that it’s keeping them from winning games. Liverpool and Chelsea have struggled arguably with better players, and Arteta’s [Arsenal] side struggled too in 2020, all without playing the 3-4-3.”

The top of this page should now contain a video timeline of Amorim’s stint at United. Get around it.

Has Dan Ashworth been proven right by Amorim’s departure? Ashley Beare thinks so. The former director of football left after just five months at United, largely due to internal disagreements with Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox about Amorim’s appointment.

So it turns out that Dan Ashworth was right all along, as I suspected many months ago. Ratcliffe, the ‘saviour’ turns out to be inept and sacked the wrong guy (DA) back then when he should have taken the advice and never appointed RA.

Lack of tactical nous and inflexibility was Amorim’s downfall. As a United fan of over 50 years I have to say that the problem can’t simply be that all those managers since Fergie were no good. Personally I’d have stuck with Moyes, who has done very well on limited budgets since then.

And here’s Jonathan Wilson on the Amorim sacking and Manchester United’s cycle of doom.

Things have gotten so bad since that dabbling on the fringes of European qualification just feels like United’s level. And with each season that goes by, so getting back becomes harder.

This made me chuckle, from David Flynn:

Saying things had recently improved under Amorim is a bit like someone with Stockholm Syndrome claiming the breakfasts got better over time.

I’ve just seen the 17-team Premier League table over the course of Amorim’s 47 league games in charge of Manchester United. They are 14th.

Not a pretty record: 15 wins, 13 draws, 19 defeats, a -6 goal difference.

Arsenal are top over that period with 103 points from 47 games and Wolves 17th (bottom) on 42. Spurs have 49.

Good lord, another one gone.

Here’s a good read from Will Unwin on the Amorim and Maresca situations at Manchester United and Chelsea. Is it time for those who wield power and sack managers to front up to the media?

And John Hubbard says on email: “I’d go for Southgate as [Amorim’s] replacement. His club management record isn’t stellar, but he the transformed England squad by making best use of the available talent and creating a progressive culture. He would bring on the youngsters and make best use of veterans like Casemiro, Shaw and Maguire. He already knows Mainoo, Shaw and Maguire from the England squad. A couple of years under him could be the reset that United need to sort out the imbalances in the squad. But I expect Jim Ratcliffe will want a shiny new toy instead.”

We need to talk about Sir Gareth Southgate.

The idea of the former England boss managing Manchester United is often met with derision and cynicism. Dan Ashworth was in favour of it before Ineos showed him the door …

There is an argument, however, that Southgate’s brand of modern man management and experience in restoring a fallen footballing institution to the elite make him a strong candidate for the Old Trafford hot-seat.

As a fellow United fan I respectfully disagree with Nick on Ten Hag. He should have gone after the FA Cup final, putting all sentiment aside. I’m torn on Amorim – things were slowly improving but if he and the hierarchy were at odds over tactics and transfers, it really is better for all parties to move on. Somebody else could do better with this squad.

Nick Hopkins provides the Manchester United fan's perspective here. “Fourteen months ago, I thought the club should have stuck with Erik ten Hag, and I wish they had kept faith with his successor too.”

Another email. And Jonny from Newbury believes there is one player who may suffer because of Amorim’s exit.

This goes to show my fear, while I’m happy Mainoo will be a big winner from the managerial change I fear this is a massive blow to the fantastic Amad who will now be expected to play second fiddle to Mbeumo. Say what you will about Amorim but he did make a hell of a wing-back out of Amad.

Good point, Jonny. Is Amad a good enough player to either displace Mbeumo or find a position elsewhere?

Richard Keys made a salient point (yes, really) re Mainoo, saying on X: “The happiest player at United right now will be Kobbie Mainoo. He’s a top player. Amorim’s thinking was he couldn’t get around the pitch. So he played Casemiro. What nonsense.”

I’m back and I’ll start with something of a defence of Gary Neville… he is a lot fairer in his United critiques these days. There was a time he veered too quickly to criticising the club as (I felt) he didn’t want to be viewed as a red-tinted fanboy.

The United performances at home to Everton, West Ham and Wolves recently were inexcusable. To earn one point from those games was a pathetic return – nine points would have United a whisker off third.

Neville was right to praise the displays against Aston Villa and Bournemouth – United looked sharper in attack in those games.

Right, Dom is back to bring you more of your takes and reaction as it comes. Like he did earlier, have forwarded on your emails. Thanks for joining me!

In his last press conference before his sacking, Amorim namechecked Gary Neville, saying: “If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club.”

Neville replied by comparing Amorim to Enzo Maresca (who was relieved of his duties as Chelsea manager on New Year’s Day) before saying he had been supportive of the Portuguese.

Something’s happened there in the last week with the quotes that are coming out that mean that Ruben Amorim is now starting to unleash a little bit, as Maresca did when he said, ‘I’ve had the worst 48 hours (at Chelsea).’ It’s not quite that, but it’s something similar in a way which it’s not explicit what he means.

Everyone’s having to read between the lines what he means, which looks to me like he’s not happy with something within the hierarchy. That’s the sort of thing that basically is coming out of it. He’s mentioned my name in there as well, apparently.

I think that’s one of the things that managers tend to do towards difficult periods. They tend to sort of have a go at pundits and I’ve no problem with that whatsoever.

I’ve actually been quite supportive in the last few weeks of Manchester United’s performances against Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle, I thought they were very good. But I couldn’t be supportive after the game against Wolves, if that’s what Ruben Amorim was referring to.

I genuinely don’t know what the situation is, but it’s not going to go away. When these press conferences of this ilk start, it’s never usually good.

Deb thinks someone else needs sacking at United:

I’d like to say I’m flabbergasted but I’m not really. Just more “same old shit, different day” from United’s board.

At what point might someone think, “all these managers and nothing has changed”. We take decent young players and turn them into either self entitled lazy idiots (Rashford, lingard, Sancho, Garnacho) or we suck the life from them and ruin them, (De Beek, Hojlund, Anthony). What is the common denominator of all this failure, because I think it might be hard to argue it’s the managers?

So now we get someone “interim”. Fletcher? OK he understands United but there is somewhat of a conflict of interest with his boys sitting on the bench …. Wonder how that will pan out in the dressing room?

And who to follow him? Sure the press have a long list already. Would anyone half decent want to come to United, even with an ego the size of greater Manchester you’d be hard pressed to think you were so brilliant you could turn things round. More likely you’ll last 12-18 months and leave unemployable and a husk of your former self. Any sense and you’d tell Radcliffe your self-esteem is not for sale at any price.

The board should sack themselves for this tenure of failure. Radcliffe! What a joke. No clue. Thinks he had the answer but he’s just part of the problem.

Ben throws another name in the hat:

With the mess of players assembled or tossed off by Amorin and unease around how academy players were trusted or not trusted under the prior regime, if Ineos has any interest in retaining the trust of the supporters, a manager that can use and believe in the youth is a must. What McKenna is still doing with a shell of a team in Ipswich is genius. Why he isn’t already in a helicopter, Juan Mata style, is a mystery.

Sunderland fans, look away! Kevin has another option:

Why is no-one mentioning Regis-Le-Bris for Utd…? Would seem a good fit tactics-wise and they run the “Sporting Director/Head Coach” model Utd are pursuing.

Agnello with the Z word:

What’s the word on Zidane? Is he completely out of the circuit?

Zidane’s name always seems to pop up half-heartedly when any manager from a big club is sacked but there never seems to any real substance behind it. The consensus seems to be that he is waiting for the France job.

Whoever comes in needs to get United scoring goals. Under Amorim, United only scored eight more goals than they conceded in all competitions. In his 47 Premier League games in charge, his side conceded 72 goals conceded.

Three of United’s current attacking players were signed under Amorim. Which manager can the best out of these three players at the same time?

• Benjamin Sesko: Signed for £74m from RB Leipzig, the centre-forward has struggled to make an impact at United, with just two goals in 16 appearances. Despite receiving similar service to his time in Germany, his conversion rate has yet to take off.

• Bryan Mbeumo: Arriving from Brentford, Mbeumo has been a strong addition, seamlessly transitioning into a right inside forward role. His dynamic movement and ability to cut inside have made him a consistent threat. With Marcus Rashford loaned out and Sesko still adjusting, Mbeumo’s goals and creativity have been a bright spot though his absence for Cameroon’s Afcon run has been a notable setback.

• Matheus Cunha: After a slow start, Cunha’s £62.5m move is showing promise. While it took him nine games to score, he’s added flair, creativity, and work rate to United’s attack. His versatility has been a strength and a challenge, as he’s yet to settle into a defined role.

Thanks Dom and hello all. What a day it has been! The reports are that the United hierarchy are planning to have Darren Fletcher in charge until the end of the season. But you have to wonder if they’re having a mindless scroll through the Guardian’s live blog, just to get some fresh ideas … Probably not but fun to conjure up the image nonetheless. On the off-chance that the above scenario is true, here is some of your ideas of who can take charge.

Peter Barton goes for Premier League experience:

Iraola would be the sensible choice: pragmatic coach and, like signings of Mbeumo and Cunha, weakens a direct rival.

Sam (a Tottenham fan with a Man United boss) sees the chance for some entertainment:

Martin O’Neill with Keane as assistant would be my suggestion! O’Neill recent Celtic form + Keane to cauterise the dressing room pissants = Good fluff for the media + Man U fan enjoyment and perhaps some good form. Absurd or actually not a bad shout?

Matt Ford may also be on the O’Neill and Keane duo train:

Appointing Southgate in any role would be a climbdown by Wilcox and Vivell given we are led to believe the recommendation of Southgate by Dan Ashworth was a contributing factor to his exit. Manchester United, even in the doldrums is one of the biggest jobs in football. Acknowledging the achievements of Iraola, Silva, McKenna and Glasner it’s hard to imagine they have the gravitas and maybe even the ego to take on the size and scale of United. The notion of Keane playing a leading role is far fetched but if the role is truly interim, Martin O’Neill supported by Keane might work?

Dan is unfortunately a Keane denier:

While Roy Keane would be fun, especially for the non-United fans, it clearly wouldn’t work. It’s hard to see current footballers responding well to Keane’s aggressive take no prisoners style. And it’s hard to see Keane willing to work in the current structure, where a lot of power would be held above him. The reality is quite dull, United need a manager who is happy to work within the current structure. Someone who understands that the role is not what it was under Ferguson and that the manager is no longer the sole arbiter of all decisions in relation to key aspects of squad building and even play style. A smart tactician, happy to work with Wilcox and focus on delivering on the pitch, is likely to have more success than a firebrand. It just won’t be as fun for those non-United fans who have enjoyed Amorim’s reign so much.

Dan, if you know of this ‘smart tactician, happy to work with Wilcox and focus on delivering on the pitch, is likely to have more success than a firebrand’ who is available then you may be needed in Manchester for a quick meeting sometime soon.

Right I’m going to take a break and hand the reins to Yara El-Shaboury for a little while.

I’ve forwarded her some of your many emails.

Another interesting thought is what on earth Ruben Amorim will do next. He will not need to rush, the compensation money from United will tide him over for a good while.

But it’s hard to envisage another Premier League club taking a punt on him. A return to Portugal or to some other European club willing to stick dogmatically to 3-4-3?

Some blue-sky thinking from Matt Donkin here:

Is it too far-fetched to imagine that Antoine Semenyo could make a dramatic U-turn to join Iraola at United?

There are some more shouts for Pochettino coming in.

Sir Alex Ferguson is a long-term admirer of the former Tottenham manager and Pochettino has been outspoken recently about his desire to return to the Premier League. But that pesky World Cup means it surely cannot happen until the summer.

Luke Tweddle says, re the list of possible Amorim replacements: “You’re missing one obvious, stand-out, candidate and one which has been a long time in the making ... Mauricio Pochettino. His Spurs team played like a Manchester United team, fast and attacking football. He promoted youth and knows a good player when he sees one. He turned Chelsea around and don’t forget the excellent work he did at Southampton.”

I think that’s a good shout, Luke, but Poch surely won’t leave his job with the USA before the World Cup so it would be a summer appointment only.

Some more stats here on Amorim’s tenure and how it compares to other post-Ferguson United managers, and the great man himself, via PA Sport.

Since Ferguson, who won 26 major trophies in 27 years at Old Trafford and had a 59.7 per cent win ratio, United have struggled to find a long-term figurehead.

• Ferguson took charge of 1,500 games with United. In 697 games since he retired in 2013, the club have had six permanent managers, plus Rangnick and caretakers Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

• Jose Mourinho has the best win percentage of those permanent managers with 58.3 per cent, 84 out of 144 games.

• Mourinho also won the most trophies of any manager since Ferguson, with a League Cup and Europa League double in 2016-17 having opened that season with the Community Shield. Erik ten Hag won both domestic cups, Louis van Gaal won an FA Cup and David Moyes another Community Shield.

• Amorim lost exactly a third of his matches overall, the worst of any permanent United manager since Frank O’Farrell in the early 1970s.

When all of United’s Afcon players are back and everyone’s fully fit, what does a new manager’s first-choice lineup look like? Surely it will be 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, so perhaps something like this below, depending on the identity of that manager.

Lammens; Dalot, De Ligt, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes; Cunha, Mbeumo, Sesko.

Our Manchester football correspondent Jamie Jackson has been speaking to BBC Radio 5Live today. Here’s what he said:

“If you zoom out, it’s a bit of a mess on all sides. I don’t think the hierarchy or the executive come out with this very well. Jason Wilcox has a big say over who comes in but he doesn’t carry the can for bad results. Moving forward, would any big gun manager want to go there? Someone who expects to have final say on transfers, rather than a committee headed up by Wilcox. Can that work?”

“I’m surprised Unai Emery isn’t in the mix,” says Martin Lancon. “Taking Aston Villa to where they are, motivating Morgan Rogers, and he has always been a thorn in United’s side on the pitch, surely a good sign?”

United would have a major job on their hands to prise Emery away from Villa Park, Martin! It would cost a fortune and would Emery even want to move?

Joshua Keeling chips in again. “I don’t want Glasner or Maresca. Go and get Iraola or, you know what, get Solskjaer back. At least that was fun.”

The Football Weekly curse is real. The latest pod was recorded just before the big Amorim exit news.

But do not fear: tomorrow there will be a special podcast on his tenure and what happens next.

This is an interesting take from United fan Huw Moxon:

We’ve let our standards slip as a club if we think what we’ve seen under Amorim is acceptable. Sure, there was need for a reset and some shifting of expectations but results have been pretty disastrous on the whole - we’re lucky to be where we are in the table, and other clubs have sacked managers for far less. Arguably a fault of United’s is we’ve been too patient with managers; all of the LVG, Mourinho, Ole and ETH reigns were marked by a slow and painful slide towards the inevitable. A big disappointment was we didn’t see any new manager bounce with Amorim – the complete opposite – but fans were willing to an extent to give him time to turn it around. Some of the outbursts and home performances in recent weeks lost those moderate fans, and I don’t think he can have any complaints about getting the chop.

“I’d like to see United settle on something now,” says Jeremy Doherty on email. “With some respected ex-players in key staffing positions to influence the culture and standards positively. Keane as assistant manager might scare the players into performing, but I think he is likely too volatile, unfortunately (it would be a laugh though, wouldn’t it!). A tactician and sound man-manager at the helm with support from ex-players around him would work. Ole (again), Emery, or Tuchel would be good. Xavi maybe – but he might be too much of a Hollywood signing!”

I’ve already had three emails suggesting Roy Keane as the next appointment…

Now that would be entertaining, albeit unlikely.

A penny for Kobbie Mainoo’s thoughts in all of this.

The United academy graduate is one of the most popular current players with fans but was basically frozen out by Amorim, who came to hold the belief that Mainoo could only play in one position in his 3-4-3 – the one occupied by captain Bruno Fernandes. Mainoo was expected by many to leave the club, most likely on loan, this month.

United say the player has had a calf injury that has ruled him out of the past four games – coinciding with Fernandes’ injury. Just before that his brother was pictured wearing a ‘free Kobbie Mainoo’ t-shirt at Old Trafford.

Mainoo enjoyed a stellar 2024, breaking into United side, starring in the FA Cup win that year and then starting the Euro 2024 final for England after some impressive Three Lions displays. You’d have to think any new manager would restore the 20-year-old to the team – it would be an easy way to reinvigorate supporters.

“I’d have Amorim higher than Moyes in the rankings,” says Joshua Keeling. “Amorim took over a shambles mid-season, Moyes took over the champions.

“Fully agree with Solskjaer in first place though. His teams produced the best football we’ve seen post-Ferguson. It was exciting, attacking football, scoring plenty of goals – exactly what a fan wants to see. Signing Ronaldo ultimately ruined his project. Where would United be if that money had gone on Rice instead?”

Solskjaer wanted Rice, Bellingham and Haaland … he got none of them.

According to our very own Jamie Jackson, United are adamant there have been no power clashes and that the stance is Amorim was given 100 per cent backing but he was sacked due to a lack of progress.

Either way, the hierarchy cannot have liked these comments:

On the other hand, some are rather more critical of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos …

Here’s Jason Jawonda: “It’s not like Ineos didn’t know that Amorim was stubborn when they hired him. That was the point: back him to implement his system and give it time to work. Progress has been slow, but with a complete rebuild it will be.

“If they wanted a manager to fit the system, they should have hired one 18 months ago. Now, they’re looking at getting someone who’ll inherit a squad built by Solskjaer, Ten Hag, Amorim and countless others, and be expected to implement a system designed by a committee. Nevermind a (supposedly) top level football club, this is no way to run a three-legged race.”

My inbox is packed. Here’s a very measured email from David Flynn on Amorim and what United will/should do next:

Lets be clear here, the board shouldn’t have appointed him the first place. It was never the right call to try to steady the ship by appointing a manager who needed to buy a new squad to play in his very specific way. But it is the right call to sack him now, before he does anymore damage. As it stands, the style hasn’t bedded in at all and despite all the money spent, it’s still very much a squad that a new manager can just come in and play 4-3-3 or a midfield diamond or whatever. So do they come out about even on the credit to blame ratio?

…. and breathe.

Keep your emails and comments coming – I’m interested in your thoughts on my rankings, especially. I’ll get to them after making a very quick coffee.

7. Ruben Amorim (2024-2026) – 39% win rate

Despite the signs of progress in his second season and his charismatic approach that charmed supporters (for a time), Amorim must be considered United’s worst permanent manager of the post-Ferguson era. Fitting the squad into his strict 3-4-3 system always felt clunky and it is unsurprising that tensions around that formation and buying players for it has brought about the Portuguese’s demise. Finishing 15th and losing an abject Europa League final to a shambolic Spurs side will be Amorim’s Old Trafford epitaph.

6. Ralf Rangnick (2021-22) – 38% win rate

The German was appointed on an interim basis after the panicked sacking of Solskjaer, with a view to taking a consultancy role upstairs. That move ultimately never happened as United grew increasingly unhappy with Rangnick’s criticism of them in public utterances. ‘Wreck It Ralf’ failed spectacularly on the pitch with his funky 4-2-2-2 formation, but at least he told the Glazers where they were going wrong. His “open heart surgery” comments proved prophetic.

5. David Moyes (2013-2014) – 53% win rate

It is slim pickings towards the bottom of this list but Moyes ranks as the best of the worst because of the dud hand he was dealt. Ferguson’s ‘Chosen One’ was booted out of the door after the club failed to land any of his key transfer targets, Marouane Fellaini aside. Still, the United job always seemed too big for Moyes, who underperformed with a team that had just won the title, albeit it was ageing and in dire need of repair.

4. Louis van Gaal (2014-2016) – 52% win rate

Another Dutch manager who brought a cup triumph to United but whose football failed to live up to expectations. Van Gaal endeared himself to fans via his colourful press conferences but was probably past his managerial peak by the time he rolled up at Old Trafford. His preferred 3-5-2 yielded some numbingly dull performances – United recorded six goalless draws in Van Gaal’s second season and he was justifiably sacked immediately after FA Cup victory over Crystal Palace.

3. Erik ten Hag (2022-2024) – 55% win rate

On the face of it, neutrals may argue Ten Hag ought to be higher in this list, given he masterminded successes in the League Cup (2023) and FA Cup (2024) with the latter among United’s most memorable modern victories. But the Dutchman arrived in the summer of 2022 promising to implement his Ajax style and never came close to replicating his achievements in the Netherlands. By the end of his tenure, United were a tactical mess and failing to sack him in the summer of 2024 was an INEOS error.

2. Jose Mourinho (2016-2018) – 58% win rate

Solskjaer’s predecessor still has the highest win ratio and best trophy record of any manager since Ferguson, but the Old Trafford faithful struggled to warm to his defensive football and combative press conferences. The highs were very high (Europa League glory in Stockholm in 2017, denying City the title with that 3-2 comeback derby win in 2018) but The Special One was never beloved in Manchester, despite his belief that finishing second in 2017-18 ranks with his greatest achievements.

1. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (2018-2021) – 54% win rate

The Norwegian started off as a caretaker and his impact was so great that United granted him the full-time job. Undoubtedly the best football of the post-Ferguson era was played under Solskjaer, who preferred his side to counter-attack at speed and enjoyed a sensational record against Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, beating them three times at the Etihad. Came second in the league in 2020-201 but was denied an elusive trophy by the agonising 2021 Europa League final defeat to Villarreal on penalties.

Ruben Amorim’s exit brings to mind the disparate cast of Manchester United managers post-Sir Alex Ferguson. The club have endured some major troughs in the past 12-and-a-half years, with the odd fleeting peak. Where does Amorim rank? Towards the bottom of the list no doubt, but how low?

Not discounting caretakers or interims (Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, Ruud van Nistelrooy and now Darren Fletcher have all held that role since 2013) United have had seven managers since Ferguson’s retirement. Ralf Rangnick was an interim but since he was afforded a fair chunk of games, we will include the German.

We will start off with the least shambolic …

Some more emails:

Emmanuel Otiotio says: “Between the generally poor performances and results, the rather abhorrent (too strong a word?) win ratio and the tactical rigidity, [Amorim] has no one else to blame but himself for this outcome. INEOS and their ‘best-in-class’ claims should, however, feel a large brunt of the fan’s rage; this was a farce from Ashworth’s sacking to the incredibly underwhelming business to support a Europa League run and attempt at a respectable league finish last season.

”I’d like to see Xavi appointed, given his propensity for youth, defensive nous and love for wingers. Not sure he’d be happy to return to another ‘super club’ circus so soon anyhow.”

Ben Hennessy adds: “I’m sure plenty will be pleased with this news (some pundits especially), but it seems crazy to blame results when Utd are joint fifth in the table. The Guardian’s own prediction this season was ninth. They’ve beaten Liverpool, Chelsea, Palace and Newcastle, and have lost only twice since 1 October. Just watching them you can see they’re a better team than last year.

“Last season was dross but Amorim warned joining mid-season would be rough – ‘the storm’, he called it. If he’s fallen out with the hierarchy then fair enough; Maresca already learned that’s a fight you ain’t gonna win. But is 14 months really a reasonable timeframe to turn the clunking behemoth that is Manchester United around completely?”

An email has landed in my inbox from Stewart MacNeill, who says: “Clearly the fault lies with the owners and the hierarchy they appointed to carry out their wishes. Until they are replaced no manager will succeed.”

Amorim was INEOS’s first appointment, to be fair Stewart. But it has not gone well. Nor did the appointment of their first-choice director of football, Dan Ashworth, or the first major managerial decision they had to make (keeping Erik ten Hag after the 2024 FA Cup final only to sack him months later).

I’ll get to more of your emails shortly.

Or was the writing on the wall at Grimsby in late August, tactics board, not watching the penalties, humiliating cup exit and all that?

Those comments after the Leeds game really spelled the end for Amorim.

I came here to be the manager of Manchester United – not to be the coach of Manchester United. That is clear. I know my name is not Tuchel, Mourinho or Conte but I’m the manager. It’s going to be like this for 18 months or until the board decide to change. I’m not going to quit, I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me.

So Amorim leaves Manchester United with a win ratio of less than 39 per cent. He had a record of 1.24 points per game in Premier League matches and lost more games than he won in 2025. It was a fairly miserable tenure.

It is astonishing then that he also leaves with United arguably at their strongest point since his appointment – with those off-field issues and tensions with the hierarchy behind the departures rather than just results. United actually lost just one of Amorim’s final eight games in charge and currently sit sixth in the Premier League, three points off fourth. These were his final five games in charge:

• 4-4 v Bournemouth (H)

• 2-1 loss v Aston Villa (A)

• 1-0 win v Newcastle (H)

• 1-1 v Wolves (H)

• 1-1 v Leeds (A)

Here’s the story, via Jamie Jackson. Note United’s statement:

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.