Ruben Amorim Sacked — The Fans’ Perspective

January 7, 2026. Written by Hunter Boles

Image via BBC

Being a fan of Manchester United is getting exhausting.

When Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag, the past two managers, were sacked, it left a much different feeling. Solskjaer and ten Hag were both in their third full season when they were sacked, and were undergoing bad runs of form when it happened. Ole and ten Hag both had lost the support of the fans, and both lacked a real tactical identity. Both excited me for the future, feeling that the managers were the problem and bringing in a new one would lift the team’s spirits and fortunes. The decision to sack Amorim does the exact opposite.

I backed and defended Amorim from the beginning, buying into what he said in his pressers and believing in the team’s long-term potential under him. I was not a part of the fanbase that didn’t think he was the right guy, just because he did not favor a back four and seemed unwilling to change. I enjoyed the idea of having a long-term manager in place to build around, getting sick of the constant turmoil. Last year was obviously poor, but the squad and culture he inherited were an absolute mess, and signs of progress were there. This year, the team has improved greatly, with help from summer signings, but obvious holes, like the double-pivot, have hindered the team’s ability to grow into that next tier of competitiveness.

I also bought into the idea of what INEOS and Amorim consistently said. That is was going to be a project, and Amorim would be backed properly so his ideas could come to fruition. However, I guess that was a mistake. INEOS's public support of Amorim was consistent. Just earlier, this season, after a horrible start, Jim Ratcliffe came out and said Amorim would be supported for the entire three years of his contract. Just months later, here we are. Out of nowhere, a seemingly stable and happy working relationship between Ruben Amorim and Jason Wilcox was destroyed. Lack of support in the January window and a disagreement about tactics seemed to be the reason for this breakdown in the relationship. Did the board and Wilcox not know about Amorim’s preference for a three-back when they hired him? Amorim made it obvious to the public in the press that he wanted to play a three-back and would not change. So why all of a sudden is Amorim not wanting to play a 4–3–3 a big problem? I was not in the group that questioned INEOS over the course of last year, believing they were cleaning up the mess left behind by the Glazers. Now that feeling has changed. The feeling of progression is completely gone, and a real sense of unease and nervousness for the future has taken over.

Where does it go from here now? Bringing in Carrick or Ole, or both, until the end of the season makes sense. They both know what it means to represent the club and will provide stability. They are also already popular with fans, which INEOS could hope removes the pressure they have piled onto themselves. Waiting until the summer to hire a permanent manager makes no sense to me unless it is a high-profile candidate like Tuchel, Alonso, or Enrique. Again, doing that could ultimately be unrealistic for many reasons. Who knows where we will stand in the table at the end of the year, and how willing INEOS would be to support a manager like that with the players he wants and the funds to get them. Apparently, the answer to that is not willing. I cannot help but think that appointing someone like Glasner, Iraola, etc., just is not going to work. To be completely honest, it is hard to envision any manager being successful. I guess that is just where United are at now.