LEEDS, ENGLAND — Manchester UnitedRuben Amorim has taken over the Enzo Maresca playbook, read it from beginning to end and picked out the most explosive elements, issuing a direct challenge to his bosses.
chelsea The head coach, whose 18-month tenure in charge of the FIFA Club World Cup champions ended on New Year’s Day after a series of public outcries against the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
Maresca, who guided Chelsea uefa champions league Qualification and uefa conference league Following the success of the previous season before winning the Club World Cup in July, he stopped short of identifying those at the club with whom he was disappointed, talking about “the worst 48 hours since joining the club, because many people did not support us” on 14 December.
And while Maresca’s issues with Chelsea’s complex hierarchy of two owners, five sporting directors and an autonomous medical team were known, the former Leicester City coach made sure not to point fingers publicly.
But in his explosive post-match press conference after the 1-1 draw leeds united On Sunday, Amorim called on both United’s scouting team and sporting director – director of football Jason Wilcox – to “do his job”, while also demanding that he be allowed to become “manager, not coach” of the team.
Amorim was actually announced as “head coach” by United when he arrived at Old Trafford Sporting CP in November 2024, so his call for the title of “manager” was in itself a power play. But by isolating those responsible for player recruitment, Amorim has sparked an internal battle for control.
There is no other way to interpret his comments and Amorim would know this.
The 40-year-old wants the combined hierarchy of Wilcox, CEO Omar Berada and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to approve new arrivals for his embattled team this month to help boost the team’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
But Bournemouth missed out antony semenyoWho are expected to complete the transfer of £65 million Manchester City This week, Amorim said on Friday that no further attempts would be made to sign new players.
The money was to bring in Semenyo, but not for any other potential signings, which is a reality that Amorim seems unable to accept. And after initially expressing his disappointment in his pre-match press conference on Friday, he doubled down when asked to clarify his comments in the Elland Road media room.
This is clearly an issue that runs deep, but it is the language used by Amorim that points to his growing dissatisfaction at Old Trafford.
“I saw that you [the media] Get selective information about everything,” he said when asked about his Friday comments.
By suggesting that United journalists are receiving “selective information”, Amorim believes there is a briefing campaign in the media to respond to his messages – this is not a healthy place to be at the club for any head coach.
And by saying he is “a manager, not a coach” (echoing the examples of peers like Thomas Tuchel, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho), Amorim is demanding the kind of control that his actual job title doesn’t give him.
There was a similar scenario with Maresca at Chelsea, in terms of his control over the opinion of the medical team and his inability to influence the recruitment department to sign players – more experienced players – that he believed the team needed to reach the next level.
Amorim is still in the same place.
After finishing 16th last season, Amorim has exceeded expectations so far this campaign by guiding United into contention for a Champions League spot. And with the top four – the top five could still be enough for a European place if England secure an extra spot through the UEFA co-efficient table – within grasp, Amorim wants the club to sign a midfielder and wing back to bring the games into play faster and faster in the new year.
Amorim wants United to make a speculative submission, but the club’s hierarchy, mindful of financial restrictions and the possibility of making better deals in the summer, are reluctant to add anything.
This can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, United simply want to wait until the end of the season and avoid operating in a market with limited options. But the other scenario is that Wilcox, Berrada and Ratcliffe are losing confidence in Amorim and do not want to risk signing players who may not be suitable as potential successors.
If Amorim believes that journalists are being given “selective” information, he may also believe that second scenario, which is why he is now calling his bosses with an ultimatum of “back me up or fire me.”
Maresca tried to play that card and lost spectacularly.
Amorim is now facing the same fate, not only because he has gone public by questioning his bosses, but because results have started to deteriorate, with a draw at Leeds ensuring that United have now won only one of their last five league games.
For any manager or head coach, the combination of poor results and stress with the club hierarchy is a dangerous cocktail. Amorim has put himself in serious danger at United by speaking so candidly.
