Six months on from his blockbuster departure as Manchester United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim has finally admitted he made a “lot of mistakes” during his time at Old Trafford.
The Worst in the Premier League Era
Arriving in England with a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting young coaches after his brilliant spell with Sporting CP, Amorim was INEOS’ choice to lead their revolution.
The hierarchy had been forced to settle on Erik ten Hag remaining in charge in their first summer at the helm, despite holding talks with numerous candidates to replace him. Less than four months after triggering a one-year extension in Ten Hag’s contract, however, INEOS moved decisively to dismiss the dour Dutchman.
Led by chief executive Omar Berrada, Manchester United settled on Amorim as their new head coach, even though Jason Wilcox had expressed reservations about how the squad would adapt to his trademark 3-4-2-1 system.
Yet these concerns aged like the finest of wines, while the decision to pay £9.25 million to extract Amorim from the Portuguese capital soured as quickly as milk. At no point across the next 14 months was there any meaningful progress to justify INEOS’ continued faith in the 41-year-old.
At the point when Berrada and Wilcox finally swung their axe on his tumultuous tenure, Amorim had amassed 24 wins, 18 draws and 21 losses across all competitions – including a dismal 1-0 defeat to an even worse Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
Ruben Amorim Managerial Stats
| Team | From | To | Games Played | Games Won | Games Drawn | Games Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Pia | 1 July 2018 | 7 January 2019 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75.00 |
| Braga B | 16 September 2019 | 23 December 2019 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 72.73 |
| Braga | 23 December 2019 | 4 March 2020 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 76.92 |
| Sporting CP | 4 March 2020 | 10 November 2024 | 231 | 164 | 34 | 33 | 71.00 |
| Manchester United | 11 November 2024 | 5 January 2026 | 63 | 24 | 18 | 21 | 38.10 |
| Career total | — | — | 322 | 209 | 55 | 58 | 64.91 |
Source: Wikipedia.
In the league, the record was even worse. A win percentage of 31.9% is the worst of any Manchester United coach in the Premier League era. He lost more games than he won in a competition Sir Alex Ferguson used to call an inquest at a single defeat.
The bizarre treatment of players like Kobbie Mainoo, ostracised for being a midfielder who is better in possession than out, or the inexplicable choice to convert Europe’s best No.10 into a deep-lying midfielder are just some of the decisions that led to United’s demise in this period.
“A lot of mistakes”
Interestingly, however, it was not a loss or a bad performance that sparked Amorim’s sacking. Rather, an explosive fallout with Wilcox led to his exit, which simply proves one simple adage in football: don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
As the dust settled from this bleak midwinter, the Manchester United fanbase would have been forgiven for wanting – indeed, deserving – an explanation of what went wrong, and why. Yet Amorim remained tight-lipped as he returned to Lisbon, with the club spending nearly £16 million to be rid of him and his band of merry men.
But this deafening silence has finally been broken, albeit with the triggering caveat that his time at Old Trafford “doesn’t matter anymore”. Having taken charge of AC Milan last month, Amorim was asked by Sky Italia (relayed by the Manchester Evening News) about his current – and former – club.
“They [Milan] appointed me because they felt I was the right guy for the way I want to play. They want to play the same way, but I think they signed me not just for my success, but also for my experience with a top club like Manchester United and the reflections I shared in our meetings with Mr Cardinale [Milan’s owner],” Amorim stated.
“They understood that I was prepared for this job, not just because of my past success, but also because of my failures. I think it helped a lot in those meetings.”
What went wrong?
On the topic of where it “went wrong” with United, he said: “The first thing is that it doesn’t matter anymore. That is the feeling. There’s a history, then something happens, the context changes, and you focus on the next challenge.
“I learned a lot. It would be hard to point to one thing, but the important thing that I clearly know is that I made a lot of mistakes. When you do this kind of reflection, and you understand that it was not just their fault, but also my fault, I think you can be a better coach and a better man.”
Amorim concluded: “I was really honoured to be the manager of Man United at the time, but now I’m at Milan”, before stating it is a “dream” to be able to coach at the San Siro. Just like it was a dream to do so at Old Trafford; even if the stadium devolved into the Theatre of Nightmares during his time there.
Final Thoughts
While Amorim admits he made a “lot of mistakes”, there is no reference to what they were. Nor is there an apology to the fanbase who steadfastly sang his name every week, home and away. The only thing to benefit from his time at Manchester United was his bank account, despite his claims that he would not ask for a payout were he proven not to be the man for the job.
This ‘explanation’ is likely to reignite fans’ anger as much as assuage it – and their voice will be in full roar when Amorim faces his former side with AC Milan in a pre-season friendly next month at the Stadion Miejski, Wroclaw.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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