Amorim facing Man Utd sack threat – and an unlikely rival is piling on the pressure

Robin Bairner

• 17 Sept 2025 08:45 BST
• 4 min read

Feature

Ruben Amorim’s vulnerable position at Manchester United is being made all the more uncomfortable thanks to an outstanding internal candidate to become the next manager of the Old Trafford club.

After nearly a year in charge of the Red Devils, Amorim continues to struggle to get to grips with the job. Man Utd have won just one of their first four Premier League matches of the season and are already in the lower reaches of the table.

In Sunday’s derby with Manchester City, they were outclassed 3-0, leaving the former Sporting CP boss on the rack.

“I think if the manager is honest with himself, it has got worse,” Man Utd great Wayne Rooney admitted to BBC Sport.

“It is very difficult to sit here and say we are seeing progression, and at least we're seeing things that will get results in the near future. We're seeing none of that, and it is very difficult.”

High-profile clubs around Europe are already starting to make managerial changes. Nottingham Forest have replaced Nuno Espirito Santo with Ange Postecoglou, Bayer Leverkusen gave former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag just two league matches before deciding he was entirely the wrong fit and Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Fenerbahce.

Amorim is, therefore, under huge pressure.

Fletcher putting pressure on Amorim

Man Utd U18 boss Darren Fletcher is only making the life of the Portuguese even more uncomfortable after making a stellar start in his new role.

The former Scotland international midfielder was a highly regarded coach for years before stepping in to take this post in the summer once his twins, Jack and Tyler, had graduated from that level.

United’s U18s are flourishing under Fletcher’s guidance. They have won all four of their competitive fixtures and have yet to concede a goal.

There has been none of Amorim’s 3-4-3, with the Scot preferring an altogether more conventional 4-2-3-1, spearheaded by the prolific JJ Gabriel. Even this change of shape would be refreshing to certain figures at the club who have grown frustrated with Amorim’s dogmatic approach.

While it would appear early for the 41-year-old Fletcher to step up to the head coach job of the first team, with a strong reputation internally and track record of success with the youths, he is at least setting himself up as a capable interim appointment.

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