Amorim axed after 14-month reign

One of the brightest

Amorim was considered one of the brightest coaches in Europe when United hired him from Sporting Lisbon to replace Erik ten Hag in November 2024 at a cost of $12 million. He had led the Portuguese giant to two league titles in four years and was seen as the ideal candidate to take United back to the summit of English soccer after more than a decade since it was last crowned league champion.

But results plummeted in his first season, and defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final ended hopes of qualifying for the lucrative Champions League.

Still, he was given more than $300 million to reshape his squad with signings like Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. But the struggles have continued this term, with United winning only two of its first six games in the league and suffering a humiliating loss to fourth-tier Grimsby Town in the League Cup.

Results have improved, but just three wins from the last 11 games have seen United fail to close the gap with the top three in the standings.

Constant questions

Amorim faced constant questions about his tactics — opting for a system with wingbacks that did not seem to suit his players. He was also questioned over his reluctance to play one of United's most talented homegrown talents in Kobbie Mainoo, who was largely overlooked, despite previously being a key player for England.

There was growing impatience within United about how long it was taking for his tactics to evolve, the person said. And the Wolves game, which saw him revert to a much-criticized three-man defense against the worst team in the league, appears to have been the tipping point that prompted Wilcox to give feedback.

The conversation with Wilcox took place on Friday. On Monday morning, Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada informed Amorim at the club's training ground that he was being fired.

An impossible job?

United dominated England's top flight since the inception of the Premier League in 1992 — winning 13 titles — but has not been crowned champion since Ferguson's departure almost 13 years ago.

Top names have been hired since then, including Champions League-winning coaches Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, but they have only brought limited success.

Amorim's predecessor, Ten Hag, won trophies in each of his two full seasons, reached three major finals and qualified for the Champions League, but that was still not enough to save his job after a troubled start to his third campaign.

The price of failure

Amorim was the first head coach appointed under the minority ownership of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who assumed control of United's soccer operations from majority owners, the Glazer family.

He is the latest high-profile hire to come and go under Ratcliffe, following the swift exit of former sporting director Dan Ashworth after less than six months.

Ratcliffe has sought to control spending since investing $1.3 billion for up to 25 percent in 2024, and has made sweeping cuts. But the departures of Ten Hag and Ashworth alone cost $18 million, according to United's accounts. That was on top of the fee paid to release Amorim from his contract at Sporting Lisbon.

With Amorim's United contract set to run until 2027, it is unknown what severance he will be due.