Another day, another twist in the modern-day saga that is Manchester United.
The Red Devils claimed a 1-1 draw with fierce rivals Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday, and given their number of first-team absentees and inconsistent season to date, this was not a bad result or performance.
Ruben Amorim seemed to agree afterwards when speaking to TV cameras, but in his press conference afterwards, he sparked speculation about how long he will remain in charge of the club. After strangely taking exception to the idea of being called United's "coach" rather than "manager", he made numerous references to being at United for "18 months" before things would change.
It was an odd thing to get riled up about, not least as he was officially appointed head coach rather than manager, becoming the first man in charge of the men's first team to be given that specific job title. However, it did follow a pre-match media conference in which he hinted at discord behind the scenes at the club, so perhaps it wasn't a huge surprise.
Either way, Amorim managed to turn a reasonably positive afternoon for United into one of uncertainty and confusion. A day later, the club announced he had been relieved of his duties.
MORE: Man United lack quality, not spirit: Talking points from draw at Leeds
Ruben Amorim interview after Leeds game
Amorim mentioned "18 months" more than once after the Leeds draw, apparently referring to the length of his contract at United. He also insisted "everyone is going to move on" at the end of that time.
However, Amorim also said "I will not quit", instead saying he would see out those 18 months on his contract unless he is sacked and replaced by someone else. As it turned out, United made that decision for him and dismissed him the next day.
Amorim himself has previously admitted emotion can get the better of him immediately after a game, and it can therefore be difficult to pick out exactly what he means with his remarks. After the humiliating Carabao Cup exit at League Two Grimsby Town, he said "I think the players spoke really loudly about what they want today," and, when asked to clarify his meaning, replied: "Guys, it's really clear. I just want to apologise to our fans."
A few days later, a much calmer Amorim said: "Sometimes I want to quit, sometimes I want to be here for 20 years."
Before the Leeds game, Amorim had been asked to clarify previous comments in which he suggested the club would have to spend "a lot of money" to build a team capable of playing his preferred 3-4-3 system to perfection. Essentially, he refused to do so.
"I don't want to talk about that. I just focus on the Leeds game," he said.
He agreed it was unlike him to refuse to engage with a question, and when pressed on whether he had spoken recently with sporting director Jason Wilcox about transfers, he added: "I don't want to talk about that. You are very smart."
Ruben Amorim's final press conference as manager of Manchester United. 👀 pic.twitter.com/sdmqXgUOdb
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 5, 2026
Ruben Amorim 'manager, not coach' comments in full
Here is the final section of Amorim's post-match press conference after the 1-1 draw at Leeds. He stood up and left at the end of his second answer.
Asked if he still feels he has the board's support after appearing downbeat before the game: "I notice that you receive selective information about everything. I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United. That is clear.
"I know my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, is not [Antonio] Conte, is not [Jose] Mourinho, but I am the manager of Manchester United. It's going to be like this for 18 months, or when the board decides to change. So, that was my point. I want to finish with that.
"I'm not going to quit. I will do my job, until another guy is coming here to replace me."
Q: Do you feel that maybe certain assurances around things, the ability to manage this team, you thought you had, do you not feel that — "I just want to say that I'm going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach, and I was really clear on that. And that is going to finish in 18 months, and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal. That is my job — not to be a coach.
"If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club. No, guys. I just want to say that: I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach, and every department — the scouting department, the sporting director — needs to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months, and then we move on."
Ruben Amorim contract, salary
Amorim signed a contract running to the end of the 2026/27 season when he was appointed in November 2024. The deal had the option of an additional year.
The Portuguese said when he arrived that he had wanted to put off taking the job until the end of 2024/25, but United officials had told him it was "now or never".
According to an article published by The Sun just after Amorim was appointed by United, his contract was worth £6.5 million ($8.7m) per year. That breaks down to around £125,000 ($167,000) per week.
MORE: How Amorim's salary compares to other top PL managers