RUBEN AMORIM has picked up the Enzo Maresca playbook and is likely entering his final chapter at Old Trafford.
Whether by accident or design, Amorim has boosted his chances of suffering the same fate as the former Chelsea head coach, whose 18-month stint came to an end on New Year’s Day.
Maresca walked out of Stamford Bridge without uttering a word to his players after his final game and refused a £15m payout after too many public outbursts against the Blues hierarchy.
Amorim has always been reactive and raw in his post-match press conferences.
But his eruption at Elland Road on Sunday might have been one too many for United chiefs to stomach with tensions rising over tactics and a transfer stand-off.
After a 1-1 draw with Leeds, Amorim called for United director of football Jason Wilcox and their scouting team to “do their jobs” at the same time as demanding to be allowed to be the “manager, not the coach”.
He was challenging United’s hierarchy to let him do his job without interference and wants new arrivals this month to help boost his side’s chances of securing Champions League football next season.
Amorim was actually announced as “head coach” by United when he arrived from Sporting 14 months ago, so his call for the title of “manager” was a power play on its own.
A power play reminiscent of another ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who Amorim had been compared to at the start of his tenure in England.
And he ironically namechecked his former mentor on Sunday: “I know that my name is not Tuchel, it’s not Conte, it’s not Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United.
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“And it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change. So that was my point. I want to finish with that.”
Cast your mind back to his first day in the job last November: Amorim made it clear he expected the final word on recruitment.
He arrived from Lisbon as part of a revamped Ineos structure at the club, which included sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
Ashworth was memorably axed after a mere five months later with Wilcox promoted to director of football in charge of transfers and both senior teams.
Ineos cannot fire Amorim without losing face; doing so admits they got it wrong in the dugout and, crucially, with Ashworth.
But by singling out those responsible for player recruitment, Amorim has sparked an internal battle for control.
And it is not one he is likely to win.
In fact, all roads lead to the likelihood that the 40-year-old is entering his final week or month as United boss.
There will be a debrief among the board in light of Amorim’s latest bombshell comments, but whether he’ll be part of the post-mortem remains to be seen.
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe noticeably uttered in October: “Amorim needs at least three years to prove he is a great coach.”
But the Ineos billionaire also gave doomed “coach” Erik ten Hag a public seal of approval and a contract extension months after his FA Cup triumph before sacking the Dutchman months later.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly backed the board’s decision to part with Maresca shortly after the Italian revealed he’d endured “the worst 48 hours of his career at the club”.
Maresca believed the interference from above — with fingers pointed at the board and five sporting directors — made his position untenable and was disrespectful to the team and the fans.
The former Leicester coach felt aggrieved about not having enough control over transfers and even had confrontations with Chelsea chiefs over who should start games and substitutions.
But it was Maresca’s refusal to accept that, as manager, he should not be the one to make on-pitch decisions, that proved the final straw.
Sound familiar? Amorim wants that same level of control and unease with his 3-4-2-1 system has been growing among the powers that be.
The former Sporting boss said on Christmas Eve: “I have the feeling if we have to play a perfect 3-4-3, we need to spend a lot of money and we need time. I’m starting to understand that is not going to happen. So, maybe I have to adapt.”
He subsequently shifted to a four at the back formation for the 1-0 win against Newcastle on Boxing Day, before reverting to five at the back when United were held to a draw by bottom side Wolves and now Leeds.
While Amorim has said “he will not quit” but is planning to move on after 18 months when his contract is up, Old Trafford chiefs might pull the plug shortly.
A timeline of Amorim’s Christmas fallout
BY KATHERINE WALSH
Ratcliffe’s perceived “heated chat” with Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada after the 4-1 win at Molineux on December 8 largely went under the radar.
The trio were pictured in an animated discussion immediately after Wolves scored their equalising goal just after half-time.
United then lost Amad, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui to Afcon after the 4-4 draw with Bournemouth and skipper Bruno Fernandes limped off in the defeat at Villa Park.
Amorim then laid down his first marker by admitting he may not get the money necessary to perfect his 3-4-3 in his Christmas eve pre-match conference ahead of the Toon’s visit.
Speaking after the 1-0 win over Newcastle, Amorim then made an interesting comment on failing to reach common ground with transfer boss Wilcox.
He said: “I have one idea, Jason and board have another idea – every decision that we make, we need to reach a common ground, that is really important.
“Because you don’t need to make everything for the manager because the manager can change and you need to change everything but the manager understands the way of playing.”
Amorim then walked in with a huge frown on his face on Friday January 2 at Carrington.
It was the grouchiest this reporter has ever seen Amorim, who before that walked into pre-match conferences with a smile on his face and regular jovial quips for the room.
He then uncharacteristically point-blank refused to answer a question and gave short, pointed replies to others.
Amorim was asked to explain why he did not know the position around recruitment when he joined United from Sporting in November 2024.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” he said. “I just focus on the Leeds game.”
Amorim then said he did not regret his comments prior to the Newcastle match before being asked again, by the same journalist, if something had changed in relation to the transfer budget. Once more, he replied: “I don’t want to talk about that.”
Then, after a brief pause, and after the United media official sitting next to Amorim at the press conference had begun to say who would ask the next question, the Portuguese added: “But you are very smart, so…”
Then came the extraordinary rant at Leeds two days later.
A recent report claimed Christopher Vivell, United’s head of recruitment, called on Amorim to adapt his system after a particularly detailed explanation by Fulham boss Marco Silva of his plan to counter it following the 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in August.
While United officials have tried to create a picture of harmony, their words are being tested by Amorim.
He clearly thinks the parameters of the job he was sold have changed.
Many could argue that Amorim is lucky to have kept his job for this long.
He has won just 24 of his 63 games at the helm, suffering 21 defeats for a win rate of just 38 per cent – the lowest of any United coach in the Prem era bar interim leader Ralf Rangnick.
Maresca lifted the Club World Cup in the summer and the Conference League in May, but Amorim does not have credit in the bank.
Many United fans are finding it tough to move on from the awful defeat at League Two Grimsby in September.
It’s also been difficult to shrug off the club’s record low finish of 15th in the Prem and losing the Europa League final to Spurs last season.
United now sit sixth in the table but Champions League places could slip away with eight players out injured and just a mere three wins from their last 11 games.
Amorim has put himself in grave jeopardy at United by speaking out so candidly.
