Manchester United’s hierarchy once again find themselves in a bit of a pickle. Ruben Amorim has managed just 31 points from 31 Premier League matches, with the Red Devils’ latest humiliation away to Manchester City having intensified the pressure.
Since taking over in November 2024, only relegated and newly promoted teams have fewer points in the Premier League than Amorim’s United. The situation is spiralling towards the disaster zone, and the United bosses are reportedly plotting their next step.
The Mirror claim that the former Sporting coach has just three matches to save his job, kicking off with Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday. Things do get a tad easier for Amorim – at least on paper – after that, with a trip to Brentford and a home match against Sunderland to follow.
That will lead up to the October international break, and if things haven’t turned around by then, it could spell the end for Amorim at Old Trafford. However, if the three-time European champions do opt to sack Amorim, it will likely come at a hefty cost, with it being revealed by The Daily Mail that United would have to fork out a whopping £12million.
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That’s if his United tenure came to an end before the one-year anniversary of Amorim taking over in November. Regardless, should United part ways with the 40-year-old after that, it’s still likely to cost a fair bit, given Erik ten Hag and his coaching team earned a payout worth a rumoured £14m.
Who they replace him with is another question altogether, with five rumoured targets said to be on United’s radar. Gareth Southgate, who was considered by United following Ten Hag’s departure, is one of the potential candidates, alongside a trio of current Premier League managers.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, Fulham’s Marco Silva and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola are also among the names to have made INEOS’ shortlist. All three have impressed with mid-table clubs in the Premier League and have garnered attention across the league and continent as well.
And then there’s the current USA national team boss, Mauricio Pochettino, who despite having previously managed two Premier League teams, continues to be linked with the United job. Pochettino was hotly linked to the United job before the record champions hired Ten Hag in 2022.