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Manchester United confirmed on Monday that it parted ways with head coach Rúben Amorim, following the club’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Sunday, which left the Old Trafford club sitting sixth in the Premier League table. The Portuguese tactician made the move to English football 14 months ago, where he amassed a tepid record of just 1.43 points per game in all competitions, with 25 wins, 15 draws and 23 defeats in 63 games. Darren Fletcher has been appointed interim head coach.

“With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change,” said the Old Trafford side in a club statement. “This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish. The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future.”

The Red Devils were under immense pressure from fans and critics alike to sack Amorim after his first season at the club, when Man Utd finished 15th in the league table and struggled in both domestic cup competitions. The Portuguese boss did guide the club to the final of the UEFA Conference League, but were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur. Despite that, the club stuck with the 40-year-old head coach this season, only for Man Utd to win just eight of their opening 20 league games and get knocked out of the League Cup by Grimsby Town.

As such, Amorim’s record at the club of just 1.43 points per game was a notable drop off from his predecessor Erik Ten Hag’s, which stood at 1.84 points per game in all competitions before he was sacked in late 2024. In fact, Amorim’s average is the worst return for any Man Utd manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. And certainly suggests that the club had little choice but to part ways with a manager that wasn’t getting the best out of his squad. The last Man Utd manager to have a worse record than Amorim was Frank O’Farrell, who was saxked in 1972 after averaging just 1.41 points per game.

Perhaps the final nail in the coffin for Amorim’s tenure at Man Utd came from his comments off the pitch rather than results on it. Following the 1-1 draw with Leeds, the Portuguese head coach took aim at the club’s decision makers and the apparent lack of support that he would recieve in the January transfer window, as well as a clear frustration over his role at the club. “It’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decide to change,” Amorim said, after pointing out that he was the “manager” and not “coach” of Man Utd. “That was my point, I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me.”

According to the Athletic, Man Utd will now wait until the end of the season to appoint a full-time replacement for Amorim. In the meantime, the club will apparently stick with Fletcher as interim head coach, which could offer a quick change from Amorim’s time in charge. While the former Scotland international has held a number of roles at the Old Trafford club, his position as head coach of the U18 squad is what will intrigue Man Utd fans the most. Not only did the 41-year-old coach average an impressive 1.86 points per game in his 14 games in charge of the side, but he also preferred a more traditional back four formation. And if Fletcher can bring both aspects of that role to the senior team, he’ll be a welcome replacement for Amorim.