Pressure ramps up on Amorim as Man Utd bosses turn on manager

Robin Bairner

• 3 Jan 2026 05:56 CST
• 3 min read

News

Ruben Amorim is in danger of losing his position as Manchester United manager, with key figures at the club growing increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of the team.

United lie sixth in the Premier League but through 19 matches have managed only 8 victories. They were also embarrassingly dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby back in August.

While there has been a slow improvement under Amorim, those in charge of the club appear to feel that they are not getting value for money from the Portuguese, who was furnished with more than €250 million to sign four first-team starters in the form of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens in the summer.

Man Utd growing restless with Amorim

According to the Daily Mail, there are particular concerns over the tactical approach of Amorim, who has stuck doggedly by his 3-4-3 setup with the notable exception of a win over Newcastle in December.

Following that success, he reverted to his preferred system and saw his side outplayed by Wolves, the Premier League’s bottom side, in a 1-1 draw on 30 December.

This approach seems to be infuriating those further up the tree at Man Utd, with the Mail reporting that head of recruitment Christopher Vivell has been left especially perplexed by Amorim’s stance.

These tensions appear to have been growing for some time. It is reported that following a 1-1 draw with Fulham in August, Vivell was left angry by how easily the Red Devils were picked apart tactically by Marco Silva’s side.

The Mail states: “Behind the scenes, the leadership has expressed growing dissatisfaction with how the team’s functioning for some time.”

The body language between director of football Jason Wilcox and Amorim during Friday’s press conference is cited as further evidence of the increasing friction between the head coach and those above him.

“While the pair are in constant dialogue. Amorim’s recent comments suggest these chats are becoming increasingly ‘fraught’,” the Mail adds.

“The usual smiles and jokes were noticeably absent on Friday, and Amorim’s downbeat update on January transfers has only fuelled reports of increasing tension.”

It’s unclear how close Amorim is to losing his position, but these reports indicate that Man Utd could be willing to take action sooner rather than later should results not pick up.