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- Aug 3, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Liverpool and Manchester United players enter the field before their match at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Is Ruben Amorim Already on the Chopping Block at Manchester United?

Originally posted on Total Apex Sports | By Fahad Hamid | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 8:12 AM ET

Another weekend, another soul-crushing defeat for Manchester United. This time, a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of bitter rivals Manchester City has turned the heat up on new manager Ruben Amorim. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the sharpening of pitchforks and the low grumble of “I told you so” from the Old Trafford faithful.

The honeymoon period, if there ever was one, is officially over. Amorim now holds the grim distinction of having the worst win percentage of any United manager since World War II. Ouch.

The Portuguese tactician, who arrived with much fanfare, seems hell-bent on sticking to his controversial 3-4-2-1 formation, a system that’s looking less like tactical genius and more like a stubborn refusal to admit something isn’t working.

Fans are screaming for a change, any change, but Amorim is standing firm. He’s basically dared the board, saying if they want a different approach, they’ll have to sack him. It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for him.

The Staggering Cost of Failure

So, why haven’t Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the board hit the big red eject button yet? Well, it turns out that getting rid of Ruben Amorim is an expensive bit of business. According to reports, axing the manager before his one-year anniversary on November 1 would cost the club a staggering £12 million ($16.3 million) in compensation.

Let’s not forget, United already forked over £9.2 million just to buy him out of his Sporting CP contract. Add his £6.5 million annual salary to the mix, and you’ve got a very pricey problem.

It’s a classic case of being financially handcuffed to a decision. The club might be forced to just grit their teeth and hope for a miraculous turnaround in the next few weeks, all to avoid writing another massive check for a managerial failure.

Amorim himself has publicly claimed he’d walk away without compensation if he felt he wasn’t the right man for the job, but let’s be real—contracts and lawyers usually have the final say in these matters.

Is Amorim Losing the Locker Room?

For now, the official line is that Amorim still has the backing of the players. But whispers from the training ground suggest a different story. While there isn’t an open revolt (yet), some players are reportedly growing weary of his tactical inflexibility. You can’t blame them. When you’re getting hammered week in and week out, being told to just “trust the process” starts to sound a little hollow.

The underlying stats, a glimmer of hope for the optimists, do suggest some improvement. United are taking more shots and getting into the opposition’s box more often this season. The problem? They can’t seem to hit a barn door. The team ranks 17th for shot conversion. It’s all foreplay and no finish, which is infuriating to watch and explains why they have a points tally that would make a mid-table side blush. For a club of Manchester United’s stature, it’s simply not good enough.

What’s Next for Ruben Amorim?

The upcoming fixtures don’t offer much comfort. With Chelsea, Brentford, and a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on the horizon, things could get much, much worse for Amorim before they get better. Every loss will only amplify the calls for his head.

Could there be an escape route? Benfica is reportedly sniffing around, considering Amorim as a potential hire after their upcoming presidential elections. Manchester United might just be praying that this interest materializes into a concrete offer, giving them a tidy way out of this expensive mess without having to foot the bill themselves.

The pressure is immense, and Ruben Amorim is quickly learning that the manager’s seat at Old Trafford is one of the hottest in world football. If results don’t turn around, and fast, his bold declaration to stick to his guns might just be the very thing that gets him fired—whether the club can afford it or not.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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