The Portuguese manager was sacked after 14 months and leaves Manchester United in a state of familiar turbulence.
While his arrival was heralded as the start of a modern tactical revolution, his departure serves as a stark reminder of the club’s reality after Sir Alex Ferguson.
Here’s a look back at the moments that defined and ultimately doomed his time in Manchester.
The Grimsby Town debacle
If there was a single moment that set the wheels wobbling, it was the League Cup humiliation at the hands of League Two side Grimsby Town.
It wasn’t just the defeat, it was the aftermath. At a press conference that will live in infamy, Amorim declared: “Sometimes I hate my players.”
It was a shocking breach of dressing room code that alienated key figures and shook the team’s fragile confidence.
15th place finish
Amorim was tasked with steadying the ship after Erik ten Hag, but his time at the club saw them sink to new depths.
Fifteenth place in the Premier League wasn’t just a poor season, it was statistically the club’s worst performance in the modern era.
United’s stubborn adherence to its favored 3-4-3 formation, despite lacking the full-backs to execute it, left United exposed week after week, turning Old Trafford from a fortress into a hunting ground for mid-tier teams.
The Europa League defeat
Man United got the chance to end their trophy drought by winning the Europa League against Tottenham last year.
However, it was one of their worst performances in recent years, ultimately costing them a European title.
Amorim’s tactics, his ability to make decisions when things go against him and his team, his ability to motivate his players were all put to the test in that final against Spurs in Bilbao, he failed miserably.
The ‘rights war’
Amorim’s relationship with the club’s famed academy was equally fraught.
His public criticism of young talents like Harry Amass and Chido Obi, accusing them of being ‘entitled’, severed his bond with the fanbase’s most cherished asset: his youth.
Instead of nurturing the next generation, he seemed to be at war with them, creating a toxic atmosphere that permeated the training ground.
The Leeds meltdown
The final nail in the coffin came at Elland Road. After a dismal 1-1 draw against Leeds, Amorim launched a tirade against the club’s hierarchy, demanding sporting director Jason Wilcox to “do his job”.
It was a public power struggle that he would never win. Turning the heat on his bosses, Amorim ensured his P45 was signed before the team bus even returned to Manchester.
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