Inside story of Rúben Amorim's sudden dismissal, with compensation of £12 million! Manchester United to appoint new manager aiming for Champions League qualification.

Rúben Amorim was officially relieved of his duties on Monday, effective immediately. For the upcoming away match at Burnley on Wednesday, club legend Darren Fletcher will serve as interim coach. Fletcher, who manages the Under-18s this season, has already begun leading training. However, Fletcher is expected to only oversee two games, as the club seeks to hire a permanent manager to bolster their strong hopes of qualifying for the Champions League this year.

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, Sir Jim Ratcliffe approved the decision by the INEOS management team to sack Amorim as early as Friday, following Amorim’s initial public criticism of the club. This means the decision to dismiss him was finalized two days before the 1-1 draw against Leeds United last week.

This outcome was triggered after a meeting between Amorim and Sporting Director Jason Wilcox. The two met following Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with bottom-placed Wolves, where Amorim reverted to his favored three-defender formation, which did not yield positive results.

Wilcox had previously demanded that after spending £250 million on players, Manchester United’s squad was capable of adopting a more attacking and tactically diverse style, rather than relying solely on the 3-4-3 system. Although Amorim initially compromised, he soon reverted to the three-center-back setup and was furious with the management for refusing to fund further signings to optimize the 3-4-3 formation.

Amorim was uncertain about his job security over the weekend but likely had an idea, which prompted him to publicly criticize the management again after the match. On Monday morning, upon returning to Carrington, he learned of his final fate, and the players were informed of the decision. Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada personally conveyed the news.

News of Amorim’s dismissal brought relief not only to many Manchester United fans but also to some players in the dressing room, including his former protégé from Sporting, Ugarte. Even the permanently transferred Garnacho celebrated the news by liking a report from Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

According to his contract, if dismissed before November 1 last year, Amorim is entitled to £12 million in compensation. It remains unclear how much severance he and his coaching staff will receive, but Sky Sports reports they will still get paid for the remaining 18 months of their contracts.

This means Manchester United has wasted a staggering amount of money on Amorim. When hired, the club paid Sporting Lisbon €11 million (about £9.25 million) in compensation. Additionally, sacking his predecessor Ten Hag cost £14.5 million, as Ratcliffe renewed his contract before his dismissal, making the situation embarrassing. Furthermore, former Sporting Director Dan Ashworth, who opposed hiring Amorim, was also dismissed. Including the costs of recruiting from Newcastle and severance pay, Manchester United wasted around £8 million.

Manchester United’s official statement emphasized that this was a “reluctant” decision. The club said: “Rúben Amorim has left his position as Manchester United manager. He joined in November 2024 and led the team to the Europa League final in Bilbao last May. Currently sixth in the Premier League, the club’s management reluctantly made this decision. Now is the right time for change to give the team the best chance to achieve the best possible results in the Premier League. The club thanks Rúben for his contributions and wishes him well for the future. Darren Fletcher will take charge for the Wednesday match against Burnley.”

Last October, Ratcliffe claimed he would give Amorim three years to prove himself as an excellent manager, but he wasn’t even given three months. Although the club denied internal conflicts, there were clearly disagreements and a recent sharp deterioration in relations. Amorim’s desire to become the manager equated to trying to seize Wilcox’s authority, thus losing the support of his former “ally,” who had no choice but to dismiss the coach he once had high hopes for.

Manchester United’s leadership originally wanted Amorim to complete at least a full season before evaluation. They believed frequent managerial changes would destabilize the team, but Amorim’s poor win rate and public outbursts forced the board to issue a dismissal letter decisively.

If time could be reversed, Ratcliffe might wish to go back to the end of the 2023/24 season when Ten Hag led the team to win the FA Cup. Under external pressure, the club changed its original decision to replace him. That was a chance for an amicable separation and a fresh start with a new manager. However, the Red Devils renewed Ten Hag’s contract and spent £250 million on players, but the team performed poorly after the season began. Ten Hag was eventually sacked, leaving behind players suited to a 4-2-3-1 system. Amorim, who only knew the 3-4-3 formation, was forced to take over mid-season, beginning another tragedy.

Besides transfers, Amorim’s use of Manchester United’s academy players was a major reason for losing trust. Twenty-year-old Cody Meno was at the center of controversy. The club did not want to lose another academy star and believed the England international should have been a key player but was sidelined due to Amorim’s tactics. Meno might be the biggest beneficiary of Amorim’s dismissal and is likely to stay rather than transfer as initially planned.

British media revealed that Fletcher might lead Manchester United for at least two matches: the midweek Premier League game against Burnley and the weekend FA Cup third-round home match against Brighton. The Red Devils hope to unveil their new permanent manager at Old Trafford for the second leg of the Manchester derby against Manchester City next weekend, but this plan is viewed skeptically as the new coach might face a tough debut.

There is little sympathy for Amorim’s dismissal, as he holds the lowest win rate among all permanent managers in the club’s history. However, people can’t help but wonder if being Manchester United’s manager has become a “poisoned” job. More than ten different managers have tried to restore the club’s former glory, but all have ultimately failed.

Moyes, Van Gaal, Mourinho, Solskjær, Rangnick, Ten Hag, and now Amorim. Will the next one succeed? Nobody knows! Currently, people don’t even know who the next manager will be. According to UK betting odds, Enzo Maresca, recently dismissed by Chelsea, is the favorite. He previously worked under Wilcox in Manchester City’s academy, and United CEO Berrada also came from City.

Other popular candidates include Crystal Palace’s Glasner, former Barcelona coach Xavi, and Como’s manager Fabregas. However, after the dismal experience with Amorim’s mid-season tenure, only a true warrior would dare accept this risky challenge. If a suitable permanent manager cannot be found, Manchester United might also consider appointing a more experienced interim coach to finish the season, with former emergency manager Carrick fitting this role.

Although some worry that sacking Amorim will lead to another rebuild since the current squad seems built for a 3-4-3 system, club insiders insist the players are flexible enough to adapt to different coaching styles, even better suited to a four-defender formation. The decision to dismiss Amorim was actually made to give Manchester United a greater chance of qualifying for European competitions, including the Champions League, this season!