‘No-one was denying’ – Burnley could be Ruben Amorim’s last game in major Man United exit update from Portugal
Ruben Amorim may quit Man United after their Premier League clash with Burnley on 30 August.
The Portuguese manager has been backed heavily in the transfer window, with more than £200million [transfermarkt] being spent on new attackers.
Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha joined Man United this summer, but none of that trio has had a significant positive impact for the club in a winless start to the season.
The trio were all involved in the Red Devils’ embarrassing penalty shootout loss to League Two side Grimsby on Wednesday, 27 August, with Mbeumo and Cunha missing their attempts, and Sesko being the last outfielder to take a penalty for Man United.
Amorim cut a forlorn figure against Grimsby and was caught on camera tinkering with a small magnetic tactic board on the bench, illustrating his difficulties in getting to grips with managing a side with the problems that United have.
Sources in Portugal don’t deny Ruben Amorim may quit Man United
Amorim has already threatened to quit United once before in May, saying that if his side continued to struggle in the 2025/26 campaign, he would “give space to different people” [BBC Sport].
And just three months on from that surprising statement, the Portuguese manager is once again considering his future at the club.
Speaking on the Transfer Podcast, Sunday Times journalist Duncan Castles spoke about Amorim’s willingness to walk away, and that an exit could happen before Deadline Day.
He said (29 August, 5.30mins): “I checked this in Portugal yesterday and asked people close to Amorim whether it was the case that he was considering leaving the club.
“The feedback I got was, no one was denying that he could leave after this weekend’s game against Burnley.”
Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer options for Man United
Football Insider Verdict
Two former United managers are back on the market following their departures from Turkish clubs.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was let go by Besiktas, and Jose Mourinho’s time at Fenerbahce is over, after both bosses failed to qualify for European competition.
The timing makes for obvious links to a return to their former club, and both are inarguably the most successful managers to have taken charge at Old Trafford in the post-Fergie era.
Mourinho is always the most enticing proposition, due to his eccentricities and brimming trophy cabinet, but the Portuguese manager’s recent history is littered with fallouts and failures to reach objectives set for him.
Solskjaer, forever living in the shadow of Rio Ferdinand’s infamous “Ole’s at the wheel” comments, offers a calmer and more mannered approach, but he too failed to live up to the hype in Turkey.
Whoever United chooses to lead them through one of their darkest periods in recent history will need to be aware of how impossible it is to achieve much of anything under the current leadership, and with the opportunity to restore their reputations, both Solskjaer and Mourinho may be willing to traverse the minefield that is Old Trafford to gain a shot at redemption.