Manchester United have sacked Ruben Amorim after a turbulent 14-month spell that ended in a breakdown of trust between the head coach and the club’s hierarchy. The decision was confirmed on Monday morning, less than 24 hours after Amorim publicly hinted at internal interference behind the scenes.
Amorim was appointed in November 2024 and guided United to the UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao last May. Despite that European run, domestic form and growing internal tension pushed the club toward a reluctant but decisive change.
Breakdown Behind the Scenes
Sources close to the club say Amorim’s relationship with United’s leadership fractured following a heated meeting with director of football Jason Wilcox at Carrington last Friday. Wilcox called the meeting to address United’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers and urged Amorim to show greater tactical flexibility.
Wilcox wanted the Portuguese coach to trust his players more and move away from the back-three system that many inside the club blamed for United’s inconsistent form. Amorim reacted badly. One insider described his response as explosive, leaving no room for constructive dialogue.
Amorim carried that frustration into his pre-match press conference, where his body language and tone hinted at deep frustration with senior figures at the club.
Tactical Stubbornness and Mounting Frustration
United’s hierarchy grew increasingly concerned about Amorim’s unwillingness to adapt. He had briefly switched to a back four during an impressive win over Newcastle United, only to revert to three central defenders against Wolves, a team rooted to the bottom of the table.
Senior figures felt United should not need to “match up” tactically with struggling opponents. That frustration intensified after the club spent more than £250 million on players they believed could operate in multiple systems.
Instead, Amorim continued to rely on the 3-4-2-1 formation that defined his managerial career. The lack of evolution became a decisive factor in his downfall.
Transfer Tensions and Public Comments
Tensions also flared over the January transfer window. Amorim pushed for a new midfielder, but United only sanctioned moves for long-term targets. Several of those players proved unavailable or destined for rival clubs.
Behind the scenes, United felt Amorim had agreed to previous recruitment strategies. His sudden public complaints during press conferences confused and irritated senior figures.
After a 1-1 draw with Leeds United, Amorim insisted he was the manager, not merely the coach, and challenged the club’s sporting department to “do their job.” Those remarks caused alarm inside Old Trafford and accelerated a decision that was already taking shape.
Decision Backed at the Top
The final call came from Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada, with full board support. Although Ineos chairman and co-owner Jim Ratcliffe had backed Amorim strongly, that support was not unconditional.
United officials feared the team risked missing out on European qualification. Despite sitting sixth in the Premier League and only three points off fourth, recent draws and defeats raised serious doubts about the season’s direction.
Amorim won 25 and lost 23 of his 63 matches in charge. He becomes the sixth Manchester United manager to lose his job since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Fletcher Steps In, Future Unclear
Darren Fletcher will take charge on an interim basis, starting with Wednesday’s match against Burnley at Turf Moor. Fletcher, a former United midfielder who spent 13 seasons at the club, currently coaches the under-18s.
United plan to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season before making a permanent appointment in the summer.
In a club statement, United said they believed the change would give the team “the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.”
For Amorim, the exit ends a spell that promised much but ultimately collapsed under pressure, rigidity, and fractured relationships at one of football’s most demanding institutions.
It is free agent season in college football which is an odd time for players to look for a new school on two levels. One, it is still the college football playoff season with the semi-finals taking place and the championship game scheduled for January 19th. The other is this. The second semester of the school year has started and certain “student-athletes” are already looking to change schools. Football players don’t seem to be students first and athletes second. There is nothing wrong with the players looking for better situations both playing wise and financially. The University of Miami will play the University of Mississippi in the first game. Mississippi has already suffered a big free agency loss as its coach Lane Kiffin jumped to Louisiana State University during the later stages of the 2025 season and could not coach Mississippi in the tournament. Kiffin did not break his contact but had an opt out. The National Collegiate Athletic Association poohbahs have complained about players leaving programs but coaches routinely leave one job for another job.
In the other game, the University of Indiana, the University of Oregon matchup, the two starting quarterbacks left their schools looking for greener pastures. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza transferred from the University of California to the University of Indiana in December 2024. Mendoza wanted an opportunity to maximize his NFL potential which he did. Oregon’s Dante Moore transferred from UCLA to Oregon after his freshman year in 2023. Moore was also seeking an opportunity to improve his NFL prospects which he did. The “student-athletes” are now in control of their sports destinies and that is causing major concerns in the college sports industry. The college presidents, chancellors and provosts want to return to the old days but that is not happening. College sports is just a business.
Is Michael Carrick the best option for MANCHESTER UNITED?
Carrick, the former Manchester United caretaker manager, could be back in the dugout
Following the sacking of Ruben Amorim, the Manchester United hierarchy are reportedly looking to hire another interim manager until the end of this current season and then reassess their options going into the summer. This is a path well trodden by the club in recent years. The likes of Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy have all undertaken such a role since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson at end of the 2012/13 title winning campaign.
The club could never have envisaged such a drop off once the most decorated manager in British football left his post after the madcap draw at the Hawthorns in the final game of that successful season, in which they regained the Premier League trophy from Manchester City. At that point, City had only one Premier League title to their name (three times champions of England overall) following the investment from the Abu Dhabi United Group and Sheikh Mansour. Under Ferguson, United had won the Premier League thirteen times alone and the club had been crowned champions of England twenty times.
Fast forward to now and United have been nowhere near winning another top flight crown and City have added a further seven Premier Leagues to their honors list. There have also been two League winning campaigns for Liverpool, which has allowed them to equal United’s twenty top flight titles. All in all, it’s been a disastrous period in United’s history, when you consider it was a position of relative strength that Ferguson handed over to David Moyes in the summer of 2013.
The reasons are vast and varied to why it has all gone so wrong during the last twelve and a half years, but, alongside the ownership issues, one of the main reasons has been the constant chopping and changing of not only managers and players but also styles and philosophies, as Louis van Gaal would constantly refer to. A club like Manchester United is a footballing institution. It transcends the sport. The club is known for its history, traditions and it’s identity.
Football clubs like United, Liverpool, Celtic and Rangers in British football and the likes of Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan are exactly the same on the continent. They have their way of doing things. It is no coincidence that these clubs are successful when they operate and play the way they are supposed to. With both Ferguson and David Gill leaving in 2013, there was huge power vacuum which has been filled at executive level, especially, by people who just don’t understand what the club is all about. Upon running the club, Ed Woodward famously remarked United was “like Disneyland for adults”. That summed up everything that had gone wrong.
Following the sacking of Ruben Amorim, it appears the current leadership team have realized that they have to get the club back to being Manchester United again and quickly. Many pundits, fans and supporters have been saying this for years. You cannot have the likes of Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag and Amorim imposing their philosophies or trying to change the style of the club to suit who they are. The club should always identify a manager to suit the club first and foremost and not a manager come in and flip the script.
The current incarnation of Manchester United needs to start behaving as United should. The likes of Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox appear, at least, to recognize this and realize that the way Ruben Amorim wanted to play just wasn’t who or what Manchester United are. They have reportedly made the decision to make a short-term appointment until the end of the season and bring a feel good factor back to the club and take stock and assess their options throughout the second half of the campaign and the summer. A big part of this, it seems, is to bring in someone who will behave and play like a United manager.
The reports are that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set for another stint in charge at the club. However, it could well be that another man who took charge of United on a short-term basis in the past could be a great option. That man could be Michael Carrick. His previous stint in charge brought a calm and assuredness to the role and two wins from three games. He won in Spain against Villarreal in the Champions League and at home against Arsenal, whilst also earning a draw away to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Following these games he decided to step away, likely knowing what the board and leadership team at the time were like. That has now changed and although their track record hasn’t been great so far, at least there is some kind of structure in place and you’d hope the mistakes have already been made and learnt from. In those three games in charge, Carrick dropped Bruno Fernandes from the Villarreal game and Cristiano Ronaldo from the Chelsea match. When asked by reporters as to why he did this, with a wry smile, he simply stated because he is the manager and he picks the team. It was clear he had an authority about him and the respect of the players. He also moved Fred further forward, acutely aware of his defensive frailties.
In appointing Carrick now for the short-term, the club would hire a manager who the players would respect and who now also has a full time manager’s job at Middlesbrough behind him in addition to his stint as caretaker at the club. Although he did not manage to get Middlesbrough promoted to the Premier League, they were always in the top half and play-off positions for most of his time there, despite ultimately falling away. He also liked to play attacking, expansive football and allow his players freedom to express themselves which are some of the key principles of Manchester United football club. He would certainly return a more experienced and well rounded manager.
In appointing Carrick until the end of the season, the club could surround him with staff whom he trusts. The likes of Darren Fletcher and Jonny Evans could become part of the first team coaching team. The club could even bring back an experienced head in Rene Meulensteen to help and have Old Gunnar Solskjaer involved as Technical Director, for example, having a role between the senior and youth teams. It would certainly feel a lot more like Manchester United at least.
If it were to go well the club could go down the Mikel Arteta route at Arsenal. The Basque had never previously managed before taking the hot seat at the Emirates. He did however have plenty of coaching experience working alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and playing under Arsene Wenger and David Moyes amongst others. With regards to Michael Carrick he can count on his own experiences in the dugout and by playing under Sir Alex Ferguson and learning from Jose Mourinho too as part of his staff.
Football is a funny old game and you never know just what might happen. At the time Arteta was appointed Arsenal manager, Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as manager of Everton and the logical assumption was the roles should realistically have been reversed, but despite only winning one FA Cup since 2020 you cannot say that Arteta has not changed the culture at Arsenal, improved their mentality and built a squad which is likely to win the Premier League this season following three consecutive second place finishes. When he took over at Arsenal they were miles away from competing at the top of the table.
This is exactly the position that United are in. The club needs alignment. The leadership team now have to get this right. They have been in situ for a couple of seasons and there are no excuses. They are in charge of running a global footballing institution with its own unique identity. The first part of getting it back on track is to revert back to who United are and in appointing someone like Michael Carrick, with his mentality, personality and experience of the club they may well have someone who can help them in the short-term but also going forward into the future too.
Mark Eckel takes a look at all six NFL playoff games this weekend
The Playoff Rule Everyone Wants Changed
It’s something that almost everyone wants changed, and yet it never gets changed. Way back in the mid 1990s at almost every owner’s meetings it was brought up that if a wild-card team has a better record than a division champion the wild-card team should get the home playoff game.
Several coaches and general managers before the vote was taken told me though those years they thought the rule should be changed. They felt the team with the better record should get the home game.
Then they would vote and it would stay the same.
This year, some 30 years later, it’s still the same. As the 2026 NFL playoffs kick off the Carolina Panthers, the NFC South champion, losers of their last two games and with a record of 8-9, will host the Los Angeles Rams (12-5), a team many consider the best overall team in the league.
Losing Records Hosting Playoff Games
Carolina will be the fifth team to host a playoff game with a losing record. Those teams, including the 2014 Panthers, are 2-2 in those wild-card games.
Here’s the list:
2010: Seattle (7-9) beat New Orleans (11-5), 41-36 2014: Carolina (7-8-1) beat Arizona (11-5), 27-16 2020: Washington (8-9) lost to Tampa Bay (11-5), 31-23 2022 Tampa Bay (8-9) lost to Dallas (12-5), 31-14
Seattle, in 2010, and Carolina, in 2014, lost in the next round of the playoffs.
Can the Panthers, a 10-point home underdog, pull off the upset and beat the Rams for a second time this season? Here’s a look at all six wild-card games.
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers, Sat. 4:30 p.m.
Rams coach Sean McVay, at 39 years, 345 days, became the third youngest coach to win his 100th game last week. Only Green Bay’s Curley Lambeau (36) and Chicago’s George Halas (39, 254) were younger. Carolina coach Dave Canales is 44 and trails McVay by 87 wins. One of Canales 13 wins came against the Rams earlier this season, so the Panthers certainly won’t be in awe. Four of the Rams five losses also came on the road this year, so yes Carolina has a chance. If the Panthers can keep it close, watch out for special teams play that also cost the Rams in three of their losses.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, Sat. 8 p.m.
These two old rivals — the oldest in the NFL — have met 212 times and only two have come in the playoffs. In 1941, the Bears won a Western Division playoff game and in 2010 the Packers won the NFC Championship Game. Both of those were in Chicago. This will also be the third time in six weeks these two meet with each team winning their home game. The Packers rested most of their key players last week to prepare for this one. The Bears played their starters and still lost to Detroit. Green Bay’s 13 road playoff wins are the most in league history and its 37 total playoff wins are tied for second most behind San Francisco’s 39. Chicago’s last playoff appearance was in 2020, its last playoff win was in 2010.
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars, Sun. 1 p.m.
Jacksonville had one of the greatest turnarounds in league history going from 4-13 to 13-4. Only three teams have ever lost 13 games one year and won 13 the next — the 1999 Colts and the Jags and Patriots this year. This is the Bills seventh straight playoff appearance, but their first as a wild-card in six years. Jacksonville comes in winners of eight straight, while the Bills have won five of six, with the only loss a one-point decision to the Eagles in which it tried to win it with a two-point conversion in the final seconds. This might be the best game of the weekend.
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles, Sun. 4:30 p.m.
Under head coach Kyle Shanahan the 49ers are a perfect 6-0 in wild-card and second-round playoff games and two of those were on the road in Dallas and in Green Bay. The Eagles, however, have never lost a home playoff game (5-0) under head coach Nick Sirianni. So something has to give. The Eagles rested their key players last week in a loss to Washington and settled for the No. 3 seed. The 49ers lost a chance to be the top seed when they lost to Seattle. In that game the Niners scored three points, their least since Shanahan’s first game as head coach in 2017.
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots, Sun 8 p.m.
This is the fourth time these two teams will meet in the postseason and the Patriots are 3-0. Of course all three came with Tom Brady at quarterback for the Pats. Drake Maye is having a Brady-like season, but this will be his first postseason game. Jim Harbaugh lost in the first round with the Chargers a year ago, but he has good playoff experience in his time with San Francisco. Mike Vrabel has taken the Pats to the postseason in his first year after taking Tennessee there four times.
Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers, Mon. 8 p.m.
Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, going 0-5 since then. The Steelers have lost to Jacksonville at home (2017), Cleveland at home (2020), at Kansas City (2021), at Buffalo (2023) and at Baltimore (2024). Are they due? Or are they cursed? Houston comes in on a nine-game winning streak. The Texans are 0-6 in road playoff games. And they haven’t won in Pittsburgh since 2002. Houston QB C.J. Stroud was nine years old when Aaron Rodgers won the Super Bowl for Green Bay in 2010.
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