Manchester United sacked Ruben Amorim in January, with the club’s chief executive admitting his refusal to change led to his downfall at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim ultimately lost his job in Manchester because he refused to change his mind (Image: Getty)
Manchester United chief executive Omar Berada insists Ruben Amorim failed at Old Trafford not because he lacked talent but because he showed no desire to adapt.
The Portuguese manager spent 14 months in Manchester’s red side, refusing to move away from the 3-4-3 system that had been so successful at Sporting Lisbon. Amorim lacked the players to replicate that formation, but they pressed on regardless.
Despite the obvious warnings, Amorim insisted that he would rather be sacked than change his beliefs that ultimately led to his success in his homeland.
Amorim joined Old Trafford in the summer as an attacking talent worth more than £200m, but his spell ended in a 1-1 draw with Leeds in January. The 41-year-old took aim at his role and authority at the club after the stalemate.
United’s chief executive was in New York last week and spoke at the Financial Times Weekend Festival before heading to Boston to watch England’s goalless draw with Ghana at the World Cup.
When asked what was wrong with Amorim, he replied: “It’s not tactics or talent. It’s rigidity. The coach came in the middle of the season without any pre-season preparation and held his ideas too firmly at the exact moment when adaptation was most important, under constant monitoring.”
Berrada personally pushed for Amorim’s signing after United sacked Erik ten Hag in October 2024. The club paid Sporting Lisbon £10 million in compensation for the Portuguese’s employment midway through the season, but despite some positive signs, his tenure was largely forgettable.
Omar Berada admitted that Ruben Amorim was too set in his philosophy (Image: Getty)
Amorim is not entirely responsible for the team’s campaign, given that he arrived at a difficult time, but he was still at the helm of one of the worst campaigns in Premier League history. The Red Devils finished 15th and lost in the Europa League final.
Amorim endured a number of memorable results, including one in December when the team lost five of six games, three of which came at Old Trafford. The Portuguese manager made a number of headline-worthy comments after the game, including one in which he declared he was managing “the worst United team ever”.
Sign up now for the Make Football Great Again newsletter and get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox!
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with Sky Glass ‘designed for soccer’
From £4.50
sky
Get the deal here
Sky is marking the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 20% discount on its entire range of glass TVs. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to a Sky smart TV ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 a month when taken with a Sky TV and Netflix package.
