'I came here to be manager, not the coach' - Ruben Amorim sends pointed message to Man Utd board in outburst after latest Premier League setback at Leeds
Amorim hints at Man Utd exit
United rose to fifth in the Premier League but were unable to beat lowly Leeds at Elland Road after yet another disappointing showing. Amorim addressed the display and lack of transfer funds in a fiery post match presser.
When asked if he still has the board's backing, he replied: "To start with that, I noticed that you received selective information about everything. I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United. And that is clear. I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, it’s not [Antonio] Conte, it’s not [Jose] Mourinho but I’m the manager of Manchester United. And it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change. That was my point. I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me."
He made similar comments last month.
"I have the feeling if we have to play a perfect 3-4-3, we need to spend a lot of money and we need time," he said. "I'm starting to understand that is not going to happen. So, maybe I have to adapt."
Amorim eager to have more control at Man Utd
When Amorim took over at United in November 2024, it felt like the Premier League giants were entering a new, exciting dawn after a general air of malaise at the club for years. Although the Red Devils are in with a shout of qualifying for next season's Champions League, it seems Amorim is losing patience with his superiors. The Manchester outfit did spend nearly $300 million on transfers last summer but with captain Bruno Fernandes out injured, along with the likes of Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and more, it appears Amorim wants to bring in more signings this month.
He added, "I just want to say that I’m going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. I was really clear on that and that is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal. That is my job. Not to be a coach. If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club. I just want to say I came here to be the manager, not to be the coach. In every department - the scouting department, the sporting director needs to do their job, I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on."
'We controlled Leeds'
United enjoyed 54.8 per cent possession, 15 shots to Leeds' 10, and an expected goals tally of 1.46 vs 0.92. As a result, Amorim felt the visitors were maybe worthy of all three points against Daniel Farke's side.
He told TNT Sports, "I think we played well. I think we had more control in this game than we showed against Wolves. That is important because it shows how you can prepare for this week with the mistakes that we learned from the last game. We controlled Leeds, on the set pieces, the second balls, they are really quick up front. We controlled it well. We had our opportunities to win the game. We are losing games on the details - the Leeds goal, we are controlling the game and then one kick of the ball in transition but we managed to get back into the game. Last year it would be completely different. This year we are more in control of the games than we were last year but we are frustrated not to win."
January signings for Man Utd?
Amorim was also quizzed about what United fans can expect in the January transfer window, with Africa Cup of Nations trio Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo, and Noussair Mazraoui set to return in the coming weeks.
The Portuguese coach said, "United is one of the best clubs in the world. If you are here and focusing on a different club then something is wrong with you. Just focus on the game and prepare with the players that we have. We have more too, I expect more minutes for Fernandes and Mount, so we have more players that can help us."
Next up for United is a trip to relegation-threatened Burnley on Wednesday in the Premier League.
