Before parting ways with Manchester United, Ruben Amorim had slammed the club's hierarchy.

Manchester United has sacked Ruben Amorim from the manager's seat on Monday, January 5, 2026. The announcement was made less than 24 hours after the Portuguese coach held a surprising press conference after the 1-1 draw against Leeds United.

In a press conference on Sunday, January 4, 2026 WIB, he criticized Manchester United officials for "doing their job".

The statement immediately raised doubts about his future at Old Trafford. The reason is, it refers to the talent scouting department and Sports Director, Jason Wilcox.

He voiced his disappointment at the prospect of no new players being added to his squad during the January 2026 transfer window.

In addition, Amorim also hinted at the intervention of club officials - especially the Sports Director - in the team's dressing room who wanted more control. No wonder, he emphasized in the press conference that he wanted to be seen as a manager, not a coach.

"I noticed that you receive selective information about everything. I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United, and that's clear."

"I know, I'm not (Thomas) Tuchel, not (Antonio) Conte, not (Jose) Mourinho, but I'm the manager of Manchester United. It will be like this for 18 months or until the board decides to replace him."

"I will do my job. Every department, the talent-scouting department, the sports director, need to do their job."

"I'll do my job for 18 months and then we'll see. So, that's the point. I want to finish it with that."

"I'm not going to resign. I'm going to do my job until someone else comes here to replace me."

"It will end in 18 months, then everyone will move. That's the deal. That's my job, not to be a coach," Amorim said at the weekend.

Amorim further at the same moment had voiced his concerns about the influence of former Manchester United players who now work in the media, including Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.

He said that the club needs to change if it is unable to overcome criticism from outside.

"If people can't handle Gary Neville and the critics on everything, we need to change the club. No, guys, I just want to say that," he said.

Amorim actually has a contract until June 2027 when he arrived at Manchester United from Sporting CP in November 2024. However, after 14 months at Old Trafford, which was full of turmoil to replace Erik ten Hag, his tenure ended.

He won 24 of the 63 games he led and only recorded 15 wins in the English League. Amorim left Manchester United in sixth place in the English League standings after eight wins from 20 games this season.

Furthermore, Manchester United U-18 coach Darren Fletcher will be the interim manager, including when traveling to Burnley's headquarters on Thursday, January 8, 2026, early morning WIB.

Launching ESPN, the Red Devils management is still drawing up plans to find a replacement for Amorim, but it seems to be inclined to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season before making a permanent appointment in the summer.