United's Amorim Exit Was Sealed Before Leeds Stalemate, Says Report

The Red Devils' decision to dispense with Ruben Amorim came before the weekend's goalless draw with Leeds United, fresh reports indicate.

United announced the Portuguese manager's departure on Monday morning, bringing to an end a 14-month tenure that began in November 2024 when INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe brought him in as Erik ten Hag's successor. Despite a disappointing campaign that saw the club finish 15th and miss out on European football after losing a Europa League final, Amorim somehow retained his position.

This season has been no more convincing, with United managing just three wins from their last eleven matches, yet inexplicably sitting sixth in the Premier League when the axe finally fell.

According to reports, the decision to sack Amorim was crystallised in a meeting with director Jason Wilcox earlier in the week—before the Leeds encounter on Sunday. The Daily Telegraph's Sam Wallace reported that during this discussion, which was intended as a constructive conversation about the team's development, Amorim's reaction to questioning about his preferred 3-4-3 formation proved the tipping point.

"When the system was raised, the Portuguese coach 'blew up'," Wallace revealed, adding that Wilcox's observations made clear the manager's position had become "unsustainable." The club's assessment was damning: whenever pressure mounted, Amorim retreated to his favoured formation regardless of tactical suitability, and his explosive response to Wilcox's input convinced the hierarchy he had taken United as far as he could.

Amorim did unleash a tirade against the club's decision-makers following Sunday's match, though the writing was already on the wall.

Oliver Kay of The Athletic has questioned whether INEOS and Ratcliffe have genuinely learned from the chaos of the previous eleven years. Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, Kay suggested the new regime has simply replicated the same muddled, reactive approach they promised to abandon.

"It's been more of the same," Kay said. "Reactive. Slow to spot trends. Making appointments without really appearing to know what they're doing."

He highlighted the particular confusion of the club suddenly turning against a tactical approach they'd appeared to accept throughout Amorim's tenure. "To suddenly be questioning internally the Amorim strategy rather than just results… They seemed to accept his formation, his adherence to a three-man central defence for most of the past 14 months. And suddenly, the progress they've made is suddenly unacceptable. I find it confusing and unimpressive."

Ratcliffe himself had sung Amorim's praises just months earlier, declaring in March that the manager was "an outstanding young manager" and "an excellent manager" who would "be there for a long time."