Manchester United has fired manager Ruben Amorim first thing on a Monday morning. The Portuguese manager first joined the side in November 2024, remaining in the seat for 14 months before being unceremoniously sacked.
But why was the 40-year-old, who had improved the team within the span of a year, as far as results are concerned, released from his duties halfway through the season? Today, we will discuss the possible reasons behind his firing.
Why Did Manchester United Fire Ruben Amorim?
One would not be at fault for believing the Red Devils’ recent form and results were responsible for the sacking, and there might be some truth to that. In their last five matches, United has drawn 1-1 against Leeds, drawn 1-1 against a historically poor Wolves side, won 1-0 against Newcastle, lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, and drawn 4-4 against Bournemouth.
However, despite these results, the Manchester-based club sits sixth in the Premier League with 31 points in 20 matches, just three points behind Liverpool in fourth.
Their current standing in the league is far better than where they were a year ago. When Amorim took over the United job, replacing Erik Ten Hag, the English giants had gotten off to their worst PL start ever. After 20 matches, they were 13th in the league and finished the season at 15th.
If the results were to be Amorim’s undoing, he would have been sacked before the start of the 2025-26 season. And if one argued that the club wanted to give the manager some time to prove himself, that sentiment should still be standing, seeing that the former Sporting CP manager didn’t even manage a full season for the Old Trafford side.
There are also Ruben Amorim’s issues with player Kobbie Mainoo. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder is the latest United youngster to set the footballing world alight. Mainoo, in his time for club and country, has dazzled fans with his sharp vision and ability.
However, despite him being one of the best and in-form players in the club, Ruben continuously kept the young star on the bench, freezing him out of the team despite his popularity. A massive “Free Mainoo” movement broke out in recent weeks.
Check Out: Why Did Manchester United Fire Ruben Amorim
But why did Amorim do so? Why keep a talented youngster out of the playing 11? That is because the Englishman did not fit within the specific requirements of the manager’s 3-4-3 system. With this, we might have finally arrived at the reason behind Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
Ruben’s ‘sacred’ 3-4-3 system was something he found great success with as the manager of Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. When he took over as the United manager, not only did he continue using the system, but he also stuck to it like white on rice.
Amorim’s love affair with the 3-4-3 system is behind a lot of tussles between him and the club. The manager was in charge of United over two transfer windows, in which the club spent over 242 million euros to buy seven players. But the Portuguese manager’s persistence in using the 3-4-3 meant that he needed the club to spend a lot more and buy very specific players that fit in his system.
One such example was Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, whom Ruben requested to be bought over the 2025 summer transfer window, but one who got out of United’s hands and might now be moving to Manchester City very soon.
This stubbornness towards the 3-4-3 is reported to be a major reason behind Ruben Amorim’s sacking. Another reason that United insiders report was the 40-year-old’s ‘emotional’ and ‘negative’ responses in interviews and team meetings.
Following the recent 1-1 draw against Leeds United, Amorim said in the press conference that he came to the club to be its manager and not head coach.
“I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United. That is clear… I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, it’s not [Antonio] Conte, and it’s not [Jose] Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United, and it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change. That was my point. I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy comes here to replace me,” he told the press.
Sky Sports has reported that Ruben Amorim had a meeting with Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox on Friday. Supposedly, Wilcox believed that the manager’s answers during the meeting were negative and emotional. This is also seen by many as a major reason behind the firing.
But what’s next for Manchester United and Ruben Amorim? For the club, former midfielder and league winner Darren Fletcher has been appointed as the interim manager. On the other hand, the Portuguese manager will likely return to his home country and manage a club in the domestic league.
Check Out: Why Did Manchester United Fire Ruben Amorim
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