“He trapped himself” – Man Utd boss sums up why Ruben Amorim didn’t make it at the club
Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada has shared his thoughts on why former head coach Ruben Amorim didn’t succeed at the club.
Amorim joined United in November 2024 with a strong reputation, having led Portugal’s Sporting CP to two league titles and two cup wins. But things didn’t go well at Old Trafford—United finished 15th in the Premier League during the 2024/25 season, a club record low, and lost the Europa League final to Spurs.
Even though some fans wanted him gone, Amorim started the 2025/26 season still in charge but stuck to his favored 3-4-3 (or 5-2-3) system. After a 1-1 draw with Leeds in January, he was sacked after 14 months, with Michael Carrick taking over.
By then, United were sixth in the league, but under Carrick they finished third and secured Champions League football.
Amorim hasn’t spoken publicly about leaving United but was named AC Milan’s head coach in June. While fans and experts have shared their opinions on why he didn’t work out, the club stayed quiet until recently.
At the FTWeekend Festival in New York, Berrada opened up about it. He said Amorim struggled with the pressure of managing such a big club and was unwilling to change his tactical approach.
Berrada explained, “When we hired Ruben, it made sense. He had been very successful with Sporting Lisbon, and he’s young, dynamic, and explains his football ideas clearly. We thought he’d connect well with the players.”
He added, “After many coaching changes in the past 10 years, we wanted to give Ruben time and space to build his ideas.”
When asked why things didn’t work out, Berrada said, “Ruben did a lot of good things—we saw it in the dressing room and in signing four players who helped the team. But maybe the size of the club and constant pressure made it hard for him. He stuck very rigidly to his ideas because he wanted to prove they would work.”
He continued, “At Manchester United, losing a few games feels like the end of the world, and that’s tough to handle.”
Berrada also pointed out that Amorim came in mid-season, without a full pre-season to prepare the team. “By the second season, he had time to work with the players, and we saw some good performances early on. But the struggles from the previous season still weighed on the team.”
“Ultimately, he couldn’t make the changes needed, so we decided to bring Michael Carrick in January, and the team has improved since then.”