It may go down as one of the costliest experiments in Premier League history, but Ruben Amorim has been given his marching orders. For some, it was long overdue; for others, a frustrating decision when it was starting to look like something was finally building.
United insist that it was a purely footballing decision and had nothing to do with his outburst that alluded to some issues behind the scenes following their 1-1 draw with Leeds, but with United in sixth, three points off the top four, that’s hard to believe.
So, who has come out of this decision well, and who should be looking over their shoulders a little?
Winners
Amorim’s treatment of Mainoo was baffling for a lot of fans. The midfielder had been so integral before he took over, even helping England to their EURO 2024 final, where they were ultimately beaten by Spain.
Mainoo was so frustrated, he decided to push for a loan move in the summer, although the club refused him outright. Amorim insisted he would get a chance, but it didn’t come in the first half of the season, and reports were rife that he was looking for an exit in January.
He’s yet to start a single Premier League game so far this season, yielding just 212 minutes of play across his 11 appearances. That will likely change now, perhaps that ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ t-shirt worked.
Another player who has struggled for minutes this season, although with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, he’s managed to get some action over the past month and actually looked like one of United’s most dangerous forwards.
Like Mainoo, Zirkzee’s future could now do a full 180-degree turn. It looked pretty nailed on that he would leave in January, with Roma particularly keen on bringing him back to Serie A before the end of the month.
Now, he could, and probably should, be given a second chance. Benjamin Sesko, the £74 million man signed to replace him, has really struggled to get to grips with English football, yet Zirkzee also has two goals and one assist in almost half the Premier League minutes.
Manchester United
It’s been a horrible 14 months under Amorim for the club, and the institution itself should be considered the ultimate winner here. From the defeat to Grimsby to the constant talk of needing to suffer, this could be a turning point to better things.
Amorim will likely take a top job somewhere in Europe and do great, his move to United just wasn’t ever really the right fit. If he had been able to take over in the summer rather than halfway through 2024-25, it might have been different.
Now, a fresh page can be turned, and United fans can pin their hopes on the next manager who walks through the door. INEOS just need to get it right this time.
Losers
The England international is one of Man United's biggest ‘what ifs'. If Shaw hadn’t had so many injury issues over the years, would he be considered one of the best left-backs to ever play the game, like many predicted he would?
Under Amorim, he appears to have shaken those injury woes away. Shaw has started every single one of United’s Premier League games so far, playing the full 90 minutes in 11 of them, his most consistent run for years.
That’s largely due to the fact he doesn’t have to run up and down the left-hand side anymore; instead, he’s been playing as a left-sided centre-back as part of Amorim’s back three, which demands less on the body but more of the mind. With an interim inbound, that is likely to change.
The man signed to replace Shaw in the left wing-back role, Dorgu, may find himself no longer wanted or needed by any manager who doesn’t play a back three. Too weak to be a traditional full back, and with United’s current attacking firepower, it’s unlikely he’ll get many minutes as a winger.
Dorgu is a specialist player signed to play in Amorim’s specialist system. Reports are suggesting that the back three became a real issue with the higher-ups before they decided to sack Amorim, so any interim manager won’t be sticking with it.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS
This is a damning indictment of the way that Man Utd is run. Since INEOS came in, they decided against sacking Erik ten Hag despite holding talks with other managers, backed him significantly in the transfer window, and then decided to sack him anyway.
Dan Ashworth was brought in as sporting director, but they didn’t like the suggestions he made to replace Ten Hag, so they sacked him just a few months after he came in from Newcastle and decided to go with Amorim.
Amorim came in mid-season when he admitted he would have preferred to come in during the summer, backed him by getting rid of the likes of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, bought players to fit his system, and now sacked him after he spoke out.
To make matters worse, many ordinary working people have been sacrificed and made redundant to try to make all this work. It’s a horrible way to run a football club, and the higher-ups have come out of this entire situation looking nothing short of incompetent.