Fabrizio Romano confirms why Man Utd sacked Ruben Amorim

Cameron Smith

• 5 Jan 2026 12:17 GMT
• 7 min read

News

Football transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Ruben Amorim was sacked by Manchester United amid a feud with the club’s hierarchy.

The Red Devils boss took aim at INEOS following the club’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Sunday afternoon and he was officially fired on Monday morning.

Amorim has left Old Trafford after just 14 months in charge of the club, with the 40-year-old winning just 25 of his 63 matches at the helm.

Man Utd’s official club website revealed the decision to sack Amorim was made “reluctantly” and Romano has revealed the true reason behind the Portuguese tactician’s exit in his latest YouTube video.

Why did Man Utd sack Ruben Amorim?

“The relationship between Amorim and Man Utd had already been deteriorating in recent days,” Romano admitted.

“In the last 24 hours, we saw an explosive press conference from Amorim after the draw against Leeds United, and this morning the official decision was made by the club’s management and owners.

“What happened, guys? If you follow my YouTube channel, I told you yesterday. I opened my video last night talking about the big tensions at Man Utd between Amorim and people in the management, and that is exactly the case. The transfer market is a crucial part of this story.

“In the official statement, Man Utd refer to results, and of course results are a key part of football. If the team were performing at a high level, the situation would have been different. But here we are talking about a completely different case, where results matter, but so does the transfer strategy.

“When Amorim went to the press conference after the Leeds United game and said, ‘I came here to be the manager and not the head coach’, he sent a very strong and very clear message. Amorim wanted to make an impact in terms of decision-making at Man Utd.

Romano continued: “14 months ago, in November 2024, when he decided to leave Sporting during the season, it was something he originally did not want to do. His initial plan was to complete the season at Sporting and then move to a new club in the summer of 2025.

“If Amorim accepted the Man Utd job in November 2024, it was because he felt he would be able to make an impact on strategy and on what the club wanted to build to make Man Utd great again.

“Recently, however, he felt that some decisions made by the club were not aligned with his vision. This is why he went public in such a strong way, saying he was the manager, not just a coach. He wanted influence over signings, over strategy, and over the tactical direction.”

Issues with Amorim’s style of play

A key issue behind the rift between Amorim and the Man Utd hierarchy was the system he opted to play.

“Amorim made it clear from the moment he signed that he wanted to use a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 system, playing with a back three and a midfield four,” Romano explained. “But the squad built by Man Utd did not always allow him to play that way. Internally, the feeling at the club was that Amorim went too strong with his statements, especially in the last 24 hours. The situation became explosive, tense, and extremely difficult to manage between Amorim and the club hierarchy.

“This is why an emergency meeting took place overnight, and in the morning the final decision was made. Together with the owner and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the management, the club decided to sack Ruben Amorim with immediate effect.

“It is a very strong decision because we are in January. In 2026, we have already seen Enzo Maresca leave Chelsea and now Amorim leave Man Utd. The timing is incredible, but after those public comments, it became almost impossible to continue together.”

Summer recruitment and striker profile

Romano also clarified that Amorim grew increasingly frustrated by the club’s activity in the transfer market.

He added: “Amorim also felt that some of the decisions made in the summer were not aligned with what he wanted. For example, the type of striker he requested was different from the profile signed by the club. He wanted a more traditional number nine, almost a guaranteed source of goals.

“Man Utd chose different profiles, and once again they were not on the same page. This also affected the ability to build a squad suitable for a back-three system, which is crucial for Amorim’s style.

“It is also important to mention the January transfer window. We are already in January, and Man Utd have been very quiet. They wanted to sign a player, but it was not possible, as the player chose Manchester City instead [Antoine Semenyo]. As a result, the situation at the club has been on standby.

“Even before the Leeds game, Amorim said he expected January to be calm and quiet, and he was clearly not satisfied. He wanted new players and wanted to play his system with proper solutions, not emergency ones.

“So Amorim was unhappy with the situation, and Man Utd were unhappy with the results and the manager’s comments. You can easily understand how the situation became too complicated in recent days, weeks, and hours. Less than 24 hours after Amorim said he would be the Man Utd manager and not just a coach for the next 18 months, the club decided to sack him and restart the process of finding a new head coach.”

Next Man Utd manager

“Now let us talk about what happens next,” Romano added. “Darren Fletcher will be the interim manager of Man Utd. He is already part of the club’s technical staff and will take charge immediately. We do not know how long this will last, but for this week it will definitely be Fletcher. He will also be in charge of the next press conference.

“Internally, Man Utd are now looking for a new manager. They will decide whether to appoint someone immediately in January or wait until the end of the season and prepare for the future. From Sir Jim Ratcliffe to the rest of the management, discussions will take place to evaluate candidates for the present or for the end of the season. We expect conversations, internal meetings, and interviews to accelerate very soon.”

He continued: “I have already seen rumours in the English media about possible candidates, including Zinedine Zidane.

“Zidane is always linked with the Man Utd job, but remember what I keep saying: Zidane has a verbal agreement to become the next France national team head coach after the World Cup, replacing Didier Deschamps. At this moment, I am not aware of any concrete contact with him.

“We will now see many names and many rumours after this Amorim bombshell. I will keep you posted, but for now Amorim is out, Darren Fletcher is the interim manager, this is the breaking news of the morning, and the situation at Man Utd is extremely tense and will continue to evolve.”

Football transfer news headlines today

DONE DEALS: Every official completed transfer around Europe today

TRANSFER RUMOURS: Arsenal close to blockbuster deal after Bellingham request

OFFICIAL: Man Utd sack Ruben Amorim after Leeds draw

Next Man Utd manager odds: Who is the favourite to replace Ruben Amorim?

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store