For the seventh time in fewer than 13 years, Manchester United are looking for a new permanent managerial hire.
Ruben Amorim was sensationally sacked as head coach on January 5, a day after his side drew 1-1 with rivals Leeds United in the Premier League.
That result left the Red Devils in sixth place in the standings after 20 games, behind Chelsea on goal difference and only three points adrift of Liverpool in fourth. Given their goal is to return to the UEFA Champions League, that is not a terrible position to be in.
However, Amorim's incendiary press conference after the Leeds game — he suggested there was tension behind the scenes and repeatedly indicated he would leave when his contract ran out in June 2027 — seems to have changed things dramatically.
Less than a day later, The Athletic broke the news that Amorim, who minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said needed three years to prove himself just three months ago, had been dismissed.
How did it come to this?
MORE: Amorim's explosive post-match comments at Leeds in full
Why was Ruben Amorim sacked?
Essentially, Amorim appears to have been sacked because of a combination of factors: specifically, a breakdown in his working relationship with the club's leadership group, and a lack of progress on the pitch.
The Athletic's story about Amorim being sacked said the decision had been taken by United's sporting leadership team, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, "after a breakdown in relations behind the scenes." The implication is that Amorim and his superiors have seen their working relationship deteriorate sharply in recent weeks, and his comments after the Leeds draw highlighted the tension.
In essence, Amorim seemed to be issuing the INEOS decision-makers an ultimatum. His insistence that he was brought in to be "manager, not head coach" — even though his job title has always been the latter, which was itself a big departure from United's previous hires — suggested Amorim wanted greater control over the areas of the club concerning the first team.
He had also appeared tetchy in previous press conferences on the subject of transfers, which some interpreted as frustration that United were either unwilling or unable to spend big money in the January window to improve the squad. There had also been suggestions that Amorim had bristled when encouraged to change his system, or be more adaptable.
This was expanded upon by Sam Wallace of the Telegraph, who reported that United had actually taken the decision to change coach before the Leeds game. The report stated that Amorim "blew up" in a meeting with Wilcox — one that was intended to a be positive conversation — after the topic of his 3-4-3 system was brought up.
The club statement confirming Amorim's departure said the decision was down to more simplistic sporting reasons. It read: "With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club's leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change. This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish. The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future."
This tallied with a report from BBC Sport, which said sources had informed them that "the club felt there had not been sufficient evidence of evolution or progress this season under Amorim."
The Sun, meanwhile, reported that "Amorim's main issue was he had recommended different transfer targets to a shortlist drafted up by director of football Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell."
Ruben Amorim Leeds interview
Below is a section from the final section of Amorim's press conference after the draw at Leeds. It is these comments that preceded his dismissal as head coach.
Responding to a question about whether he still felt the support of the board, he said: "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."
Pressed on whether he was given any assurances around his role that perhaps have not come to fruition, he interrupted the question to say: "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 stats, record at Man United
The big problem for Amorim is that his apparent ultimatum after the Leeds game came from a position of weakness. Demanding full support from a club is all well and good if things are going well, but Amorim's record in his 14 months in the job was, well, pretty terrible.
Under the Portuguese coach, United won just 15 of their 47 Premier League games. According to Opta, Amorim oversaw the worst win rate (32%), the worst ratio for goals conceded per game (1.53) and the lowest clean-sheet ratio (15%) of any permanent United manager in the Premier League era.
1 - In the Premier League, Rúben Amorim had the worst win ratio (32%), the worst goals conceded per game ratio (1.53) and the lowest clean ratio (15%) of any Manchester United manager. Coach. Pic.twitter.com/oZMVat44Us
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 5, 2026
It took Amorim nearly a full year to win back-to-back Premier League matches, which they achieved by beating Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion consecutively in October. They did not manage to win two consecutive games again after that.
United's 15th-place finish in 2024/25 was their lowest in the Premier League era, and they accrued just seven points from their first six games this season, which was their worst start since 1992/93.
Who will replace Ruben Amorim at Man United?
The issue of who replaces Amorim is now INEOS' priority, and it's not an easy decision to make.
Darren Fletcher is taking charge of the team on an interim basis, but it is very unlikely he will be made the permanent hire.
United have been linked with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola in the past, and both will likely be considered. Other favourites include Enzo Maresca, who left Chelsea last week, along with former England boss Gareth Southgate, ex-Barcelona coach Xavi, and Kieran McKenna, the Ipswich Town manager who was previously an assistant at United under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.