The day after the 1:1 against Leeds United and a memorable press conference by Ruben Amorim, Manchester United reacted and dismissed the Portuguese coach.
In October, Man Utd boss Jim Ratcliffe, who is also the owner of Lausanne-Sport, had given coach Ruben Amorim a job guarantee. The Portuguese had "three years to prove that he is a great coach". Now, less than three months later, Amorim has been sacked.
"With Manchester United currently in sixth place in the Premier League, the club's management has made the decision that it is the right time for a change. This gives the team the best chance of finishing as high as possible in the Premier League," said the Red Devils on their website, explaining the decision.
However, the separation is probably not just for sporting reasons. On Sunday, Amorim insisted on his role as manager after the 1-1 draw against Leeds United and demanded more power at the club as well as new players.
"I came here to be manager of Manchester United - not to be coach of Manchester United. And that is clear. I know my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, not (Antonio) Conte and not (José) Mourinho, but I am the manager of Manchester United. And it will stay that way until 18 months from now or when the board decides to change something," Amorim made clear. Well, those words haven't aged well - now it's actually time for the sacking.
Fletcher takes over on an interim basis
Amorim came to Manchester in November 2024, but was unable to meet the high expectations. The Portuguese finished his first season as coach of the English record champions in 15th place in the table. It was United's worst final position in over 50 years. ManUtd are currently in 6th place.
The Red Devils' next competitive game in a packed fixture list is against Burnley on Wednesday. Darren Fletcher, whose two sons Jack and Tyler are in the first-team squad, will take over on an interim basis.