How Ruben Amorim's Man United reign turned sour

Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim reacts during the UEFA Europa league football match between Manchester United and Glasgow Rangers at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, north west England, on January 23, 2025. [Oli Scarff/AFP]

Ruben Amorim arrived at Manchester United as one of Europe's brightest young coaching talents, but just 14 months on, he leaves the club as the latest man unable to revive the fortunes of the fallen English giants.

The 40-year-old was sacked on Monday after overseeing just 25 wins in his 63 games in charge, leaving United looking for a seventh permanent boss since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

AFP Sport examines where Amorim went wrong during his brief stint at Old Trafford.

Wedded to a failing system

Amorim rose to prominence by winning two Portuguese league titles at Sporting Lisbon, based on his preferred 3-4-3 formation.

Despite evidence that the system was not the best fit for the players he had at United Amorim persisted with it, at one point claiming "not even the Pope" could get him to change tack.

It was only in his final weeks in charge of United that he showed any willingness to be flexible, at times switching to a back four due to depleted resources, with players out injured and away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

But he returned to a back three for his final two games, 1-1 draws against basement club Wolves and Leeds, which left United sixth in the Premier League table, three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.

Transfer tensions

Signs of a breakdown between Amorim and senior club officials were visible in his final press conference at Elland Road on Sunday.

The Portuguese said he had been appointed to be the club's "manager" and "not just the coach", hinting at disagreements with director of football Jason Wilcox over transfer targets in the January window.

Despite missing out on European football this season, United still splashed out more than PS200 million ($269 million) on new players in the summer window, boosting their attack by signing Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.

Worst league finish in 50 years

Amorim's results during his tenure will live long in the memories of United fans for the wrong reasons.

The Red Devils were only four points off the Premier League's top four when he arrived in November 2024 but they ended up 15th -- the club's lowest top-flight finish since they were relegated in 1974.

Amorim could claim some mitigation for his league results towards the end of last season as he prioritised trying to win the Europa League, which would have secured Champions League football.

But a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the final in Bilbao in May condemned United to only a second season without any European football in 35 years.

In a season-ending message to the fans, Amorim promised the "good days are coming".

But even after an expensive overhaul of his forward options in the transfer window, United slumped to an embarrassing League Cup exit to fourth-tier Grimsby in August.

Despite signs of progress in victories over Chelsea and Liverpool earlier this season, United failed to win four of Amorim's final five home games during a favourable run of fixtures, with club bosses fearful of another failure to qualify for the lucrative Champions League.

Academy stars shunned

United's proud record of naming a homegrown player in every matchday squad since 1937 remains intact.

Yet Amorim was consistently criticised for not giving enough opportunities to the club's academy graduates, most notably Kobbie Mainoo.

Since starring for England at Euro 2024, Mainoo's career has stalled and he is yet to start a Premier League game this season.

In defence of his record, Amorim claimed there was a "feeling of entitlement" among the United youth ranks after youngsters Harry Amass and Chido Obi used social media to hit back at criticism by the manager.