Ruben Amorim’s tenure as Manchester United manager concluded after 14 months.
Gary Neville has urged Manchester United to cease “experimenting” and appoint a manager who aligns with the club’s established “DNA,” following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim on Monday.
Darren Fletcher, the former midfielder, has assumed interim control until a caretaker manager is appointed, with the club intending to name a permanent successor in the summer.
Neville, a former England and United full-back, emphasized that the next managerial appointment at Old Trafford must embody the club’s traditions.
“The experiments have got to stop,” he asserted on Sky Sports.
“I’ve always been very proud of what this club is – adventurous, exciting football, playing young players and entertaining the crowd. They must take risks and have the courage to play attacking, aggressive football.”
“United have got to a point where they need a manager who fits the DNA of the football club.
“Barcelona will never change for anybody. I don’t believe United should change for anybody. The club has to find a manager who has got experience and who’s willing to play fast entertaining, attacking and aggressive football.”
Amorim arrived at United with a distinct tactical approach, favouring the 3-4-3 formation that had proven successful at Sporting, but the team struggled to adapt.
“I thought they’d adapt better to the back three than they did,” Neville commented. “I’m really stunned that they’ve continued to play so poorly in that system.”
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, former England striker Gary Lineker said: “I think it was almost as though [Amorim] provoked it.
“It didn’t seem to be the right fit and he was a bit stubborn about the way he wanted to play. The players didn’t suit the way he plays and the club should have recognised that.”
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How bad did things actually get?
Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, believes that succeeding Amorim at United would be “an attractive job” for “any manager.”
“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and always will be,” he told Sky Sports.
“Imagine being the guy who gets it right. And someone sooner or later will get it right at United. The club is too big to consistently fail.”
However, Neville suggests it would be “clever” for the club to wait until the summer to appoint a permanent manager.
“I don’t think the manager pool is full right now in terms of great talents,” he said.
“Look at Chelsea bringing in Liam Rosenior. That is not what Chelsea are used to or should expect and that’s not being disrespectful to Rosenior.
“I am not sure where United would go but I think it’s clever to wait till the summer when maybe there will be more coaches available from other clubs and the World Cup situation.”
Rene Meulensteen, who spent six years as United’s first-team coach, urged the club to hire a replacement who knows how to win in the Premier League.
“They don’t want to make another mistake and very quickly go for someone that they’re sort of trying to fill the void with,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“They need somebody with pedigree. Someone who understands the Premier League, who’s been successful in the Premier League.
“Someone with a strong personality, with charisma. Someone with good vision about how to take United forward.”
Former United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich added: “It should be about the club and the team doing well.
“Because right now, the supporters will be tearing their hair out because they want to know what’s going on and they deserve to know what’s going on. It’s a complete mess.”
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Three reasons why it went wrong
Amorim had gained notoriety for his candid and often controversial news conferences since joining United in November 2024.
In January 2025, he described his team as “maybe the worst” in the club’s 147-year history.
“One of his best traits and most likeable things about him has always been his ability to be quite punchy in his press conferences,” former United centre-back Rio Ferdinand said on his podcast.
“He was upbeat, and he had quite a jovial way about him.”
The Portuguese manager’s comments last month regarding striker Chido Obi and left-back Harry Amass, both aged 18, also raised concerns regarding his commitment to the club’s academy.
In an attempt to emphasize his willingness to play young players, he criticised the performance levels of Obi and Amass, who is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday.
“Amass was doing really well and got player of the month, while you had Chido scoring goals in the under-21s,” said former United defender Phil Jones on BBC Radio 5 Live’s The Monday Night Club.
“The academy is a massive part and will always be a massive part of the DNA of the club and I don’t think that helped him in any way.”
Carragher, who believes Amorim would be “bottom of the list” of managers to have succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson at the club since 2013, added: “Best part of Amorim was his performances in the press conferences – not the performances of his teams.
“At times, it felt like he was as good a pundit as Gary Neville when talking about United. But the problem was that he was the manager.”
“I don’t think it’s been just sound bites from Amorim,” Neville said.
“I think he’s meant every single word that he said. I think that he’s a real, genuine, honest guy. I don’t think he’s someone who’s playing the game. He was absolutely all in every time he did anything.
“But if the performances are that poor and the results are so poor, it doesn’t matter how likeable or honest you are. You’re going to get sacked at a club like United.”
Bruno Fernandes (left) recently said Manchester United “wanted me to leave” for Al-Hilal in the summer
Captain Bruno Fernandes was among the United players who paid tribute to Amorim on social media following his departure.
“Thank you, sir! I wish you and your technical staff all the best,” wrote Fernandes, who recently said he was “hurt” to realise the club “wanted me to leave” when Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal proposed a huge offer last summer.
Defender Harry Maguire shared a photo of himself shaking hands with Amorim, adding: “Thank you for everything boss. I wish you all the best in the future.”
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