Amorim’s Tenure at Manchester United: A Cautionary Tale of Expectations and Realities

Bruno Amorim’s tenure at Manchester United has been fraught with criticism from various quarters, including pundits like Jamie Carragher and club legends such as Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes. Despite leading the team to its lowest league finish in 51 years and missing out on European competition for the first time in over a decade, Amorim felt he had the backing of the board.

In October, Sir Jim Ratcliffe expressed his willingness to provide Amorim with three years to prove his capabilities as a coach, likening his situation to that of Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, where patience was granted during a rocky start. Earlier, in June, chief executive Omar Berrada had drawn parallels between Amorim and Pep Guardiola, emphasizing Amorim’s adherence to his principles and acknowledging the credit he had earned through previous successes.

However, the support from the upper management was dwindling, especially following Amorim’s public criticism directed at them during a press conference at Elland Road. Upon his dismissal, club sources emphasized that there were no internal power struggles and that Amorim had maintained the board’s support. Nevertheless, tensions reportedly existed between Amorim and sporting director Wilcox, who had suggested a shift away from the 3-4-2-1 formation that Amorim favored.

Amorim’s steadfast commitment to this formation ultimately hindered the team’s performance and strained his relationship with the club’s hierarchy. A source close to him noted that the coach was uncomfortable with external interference in his decisions, unlike during his time at Sporting CP, where he enjoyed complete autonomy over team selections.

Multiple sources inside United have indicated that Amorim’s sacking stemmed from a lack of visible progress. Despite the controversial decision to appoint him mid-season, the club’s reasoning holds merit when evaluating his record. In his 14 months at the helm, Amorim managed to win only 24 out of 63 matches, resulting in a disappointing win percentage of 38.7%, the lowest of any manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

His performance was notably worse than predecessors like Louis van Gaal, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, José Mourinho, and David Moyes, all of whom achieved win percentages exceeding 52%. Amorim’s record stands as the poorest since Frank O’Farrell’s time in the early 1970s. Unlike Moyes, who faced financial constraints, Amorim was provided with significant resources to reshape the squad, including the high-profile signing of Patrick Dorgu shortly after his appointment.

United invested heavily in the summer, spending £216 million on new signings, including established Premier League talents like Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, as well as new goalkeeper Senne Lammens and high-profile recruit Benjamin Sesko. This made United among the top spenders in the Premier League, a detail underscored by officials when announcing Amorim’s dismissal.

Despite bolstering the squad and their lack of European commitments allowing for more training time, United failed to capitalize, currently sitting in sixth place in the Premier League. Their recent form has been troubling, with only three wins in their last 11 matches and a concerning home record where they managed just six points from five games.

Moreover, Amorim’s management style drew criticism for his treatment of the club’s academy players, such as Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, and his dismissive remarks about younger players diminished his standing among fans who value homegrown talent. His striking comments, including a preference to field a goalkeeping coach over Rashford and labeling his squad as potentially the weakest in United’s history, further alienated him from the players.

Christian Eriksen remarked on the negative impact of Amorim’s comments, suggesting that public criticisms added undue pressure on players striving to perform. Overall, the 14-month period of Amorim’s management, characterized by numerous unfavorable headlines, led many to believe he should have been relieved of his duties much earlier.

Crucial moments such as the Europa League final loss to Tottenham and a dismal defeat at Brentford could have served as turning points, but Amorim held on, bolstered by the board’s faith in him. Ultimately, when he directed blame at the board for the team’s situation, it left him with nowhere to hide.