Ruben Amorim sacked: Manchester United dismiss head coach after 14 months in charge
Manchester United sack Ruben Amorim in wake of rising tension at Old Trafford; Amorim dismissed after meeting with Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox; Darren Fletcher to take charge of United for Wednesday's game at Burnley; Amorim departs after 14 months in charge
Tuesday 6 January 2026 19:53, UK
Manchester United have sacked head coach Ruben Amorim.
Sky Sports News understands Amorim's 'emotional and inconsistent behaviour' was a key factor in the decision and a refusal to adapt and evolve his preferred 3-4-3 system led to a breakdown in confidence in the head coach.
Amorim had a scheduled meeting with director of football Jason Wilcox on Friday, where the team's tactical approach was discussed in detail. Sky Sports News has been told United's bosses felt Amorim's response at that meeting was very negative and emotional.
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Amorim was subsequently dismissed following a Monday morning meeting with Wilcox and Omar Berrada, United's chief executive.
United are understood to have concluded that Amorim's position had become untenable.
Sky Sports News understands no decision has been made on appointing an interim for the rest of the season, followed by a permanent option in the summer.
Neville: Next Man Utd manager must fit DNA of the club
Sky Sports pundit and former Man Utd captain Gary Neville admitted he was surprised by the timing of the decision - but not the call to remove Amorim from his post. "I thought they'd get through another couple of weeks," he told Sky Sports News. "Obviously it has become that challenging internally that they decided to do it very quickly. It was a shock when I heard the news."
Neville said that he was "stunned" that during the course of Amorim's reign, Man Utd continued to play so poorly in his back-three system. "That's a failing upon the manager, the players and the club, in terms of not recruiting properly for it."
He has called on Man Utd to now seek out a replacement who can play in the traditional style of the club.
"The experiments have got to stop. Man Utd have got to appoint a manager that fits the DNA of their club. Ajax will never change for anybody, Barcelona will never change for anybody. I don't believe Man Utd should change for anybody.
"The club have to find a manager now who's got experience, who's willing to play fast, entertaining, attacking, aggressive football."
Amorim sacked - more reading and in-depth analysis:
- 'Negative and emotional' - the inside story of sacking from Rob Dorsett
- 'End of an error' - Adam Bate on why Man Utd had to end Amorim experiment
- Right call? The Sky Sports writers' verdict
Amorim felt he was being micromanaged
Amorim, meanwhile, is understood to feel he was not getting the backing of the club hierarchy and is frustrated by what has happened.
Sky Sports News has spoken to a few people who are close to him, who say he is hurt by the decision, and emphasised that - despite what he has said in recent news conferences - he had no desire to leave the club.
The repeated use of the word "manager" in his final news conference was significant.
Sky Sports News have been told Amorim felt he was being micro-managed by his bosses, including Wilcox, and that he didn't have full freedom to make his own tactical decisions. That is why he said other senior people in the football department at Carrington needed to "do their jobs".
Amorim accepts that the results were not good enough and acknowledges that he had the worst win rate of any manager at United since Sir Alex Ferguson.
But he also felt confident that he could achieve Champions League football this season if he remained in charge and that their form would improve with the return of players from Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Amorim felt United needed one or two experienced signings this January transfer window, in particular an experienced Premier League striker.
Whilst differences of opinion over transfer policy wasn't the ultimate deciding factor in his departure, it did play a part in the breakdown of relationships with his bosses.
Amorim felt that if he were given more resources now, that would guarantee Champions League football and even bigger financial returns. United's hierarchy have always been adamant they would not take that risk and will shun any return to short-term transfer decisions.
Amorim has told friends he struggled to cope with the noise from outside the club, which he feels undermined the job he was doing.
Whilst he is adamant that the job wasn't too big for him, he was surprised by how political and difficult the role is at Manchester United, and feels it is an impossible job to prepare fully for, because no one understands the unique challenges until they are in place at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese coach feels he had less and less input into footballing decisions as time went on. Whilst he feels he always tried to be true to himself, he accepts that his often emotional response in front of the media was to his detriment.
Fletcher to take interim charge
Amorim departs after 14 months in charge, with his final game the 1-1 draw at Leeds on Sunday.
Amorim's dismissal was announced by Man Utd shortly after 10am on Monday.
In a statement, United confirmed "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."
Ex-Man Utd midfielder and current U18s coach Darren Fletcher will take interim charge, with United next in action at Burnley on Wednesday night, live on Sky Sports. U21 head coach Travis Binnion will be part of Fletcher's backroom staff for the fixture.
Man Utd then return to Old Trafford on Sunday for an FA Cup third-round tie against Brighton.
How Amorim's public comments revealed growing rift
Amorim was appointed at Old Trafford in November 2024 on a two-and-a-half-year contract, which was due to expire in June 2027.
But in an apparent pointed message to the Old Trafford hierarchy following Sunday's draw at Leeds, he said he saw himself as manager.
"I notice that you receive selective information about everything," he said. "I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United."
That outburst followed cryptic suggestions to the media just before Christmas that he had not received the backing he anticipated in the transfer market.
"I have the feeling if we have to play a perfect 3-4-3, we need to spend a lot of money and we need time," he said. "I'm starting to understand that is not going to happen."
Amorim subsequently fielded a back four for the first time in Manchester United's win over Newcastle on Boxing Day, but reverted to a back three for the dismal 1-1 draw against Wolves.
Amorim has worst points percentage of any Man Utd boss in PL era
The damning stats that contributed to Amorim's sacking...
- Amorim won only 24 of his 63 games in charge in all competitions, or 38.1 per cent, the worst rate of any United manager since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson aside from Ralf Rangnick's 37.9 per cent in half a season as interim manager.
- United have won less than a third of their Premier League games under Amorim, 15 out of 47, compared to 19 defeats.
- His average of 1.23 points per game is the worst of any United manager in the Premier League era. Next lowest is Rangnick, who averaged 1.54.
- Amorim's longest winning run was just three matches, set in Europa League fixtures against Rangers and FCSB either side of a Premier League clash with Fulham in January and matched against Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton in October
- Amorim lost exactly a third of his matches overall, the worst of any permanent United manager since Frank O'Farrell in the early 1970s.
Amorim's highs and lows this season
August 17: Man Utd perform well but lose 1-0 to Arsenal in the opening game of the season.
August 27: Man Utd suffer a humiliating defeat at League Two side Grimsby in the Carabao Cup as Amorim is mocked for using a tactics board in the dugout.
September 19: Amorim says "not even the Pope" could make him change system after overseeing their worst league start in 33 years.
September 27: Pressure increases on Amorim as Man Utd are beaten 3-1 at Brentford, their third defeat in six league games.
October 8: Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he wants to give Amorim three years in charge to prove himself.
October 19: Harry Maguire heads in a late winner at rivals Liverpool to earn back-to-back wins.
November 24: Man Utd's five-game unbeaten run ends with a 1-0 defeat at home to Everton as Amorim persists with a back three despite playing against 10 men for 75 minutes.
December 15: Gary Neville hails Man Utd's performance in epic 4-4 draw at home to Bournemouth.
December 19: Kobbie Mainoo must "fight for his job, says Amorim, who hints at January transfers.
December 26: Man Utd finally change system as Amorim deploys a four-man defence in a 1-0 win over Newcastle.
December 29: Amorim says he couldn't change formation sooner because of "media pressure".
December 30: Amorim reverts to a back three in Man Utd's next game, a 1-1 draw at home to rock-bottom Wolves, with Gary Neville saying the team has "gone backwards".
January 4: Following their 1-1 draw at Leeds, Amorim claims that he joined Man Utd to be their manager, not their head coach.
January 5: Man Utd sack Amorim.
Man Utd's next five fixtures
- Wednesday: Burnley (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8.15pm, live on Sky Sports
- Sunday: Brighton (H) - FA Cup third round, kick-off 4.30pm
- January 17: Man City (H) - Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports
- January 25: Arsenal (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
- February 1: Fulham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
Your thoughts on sacking of Amorim
Tommyboyj98
When is a manager going to be backed fully and allowed to leave his stamp on the club? Sacking and hiring managers every 18 months is a joke!
Phil
The next Manchester United manager has to be Eddie Howe, you just need to look at the improvement and impact he has on players.
Oli
Crazy decision from the Man Utd board. Had to feel like it was coming, though. Can't speak about the higher ups like that these days.
BigTez
Who to get is the issue - who would want it? Amorim was not good enough, full stop. But this board, Berrada, Wilcox and Jim also need to take responsibility for this shambles.
SteveUnited I don't understand our club anymore! Mikel Arteta was never good enough for Arsenal, now look what he's doing given time! Starting to lose faith in United ever returning if we keep following the same patterns.
