Ruben Amorim: My job is in ‘danger’ if we don’t win our next match and I might just be replaced
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says the vast expense of bringing him in will not shield him from the sack if he fails to produce a winning team.
While United sources stress there is total support for the new boss inside Old Trafford, recent results and performances have made some fans nervous.
Away supporters booed their team at the final whistle of the 2-0 defeat by Wolves at Molineux on Boxing Day, and with many exiting quickly it left the players to acknowledge hundreds of empty yellow seats before heading to the tunnel.
“The manager of Manchester United can never, no matter what, be comfortable,” said Amorim.
“You can argue I have been here one month and I’ve had four training [sessions], but we are not winning. That is the reality.”
Amorim has collected seven points from seven Premier League games since taking charge last month – only one more point than fellow Portuguese Vitor Pereira, who has won both his games since becoming Wolves boss.
Five defeats in Amorim’s first 10 games is the worst record of any new United manager since Walter Crickmer, who stepped up from being club secretary in the 1930s.
It is not what was anticipated when chief executive Omar Berrada flew to Lisbon to offer Amorim the job in the wake of Erik ten Hag’s dismissal on 28 October.
United were so convinced in Amorim, they paid Sporting £10.6m in compensation to get him out of his contract.
But Amorim does not believe that will save him if results do not improve.
“I know that if we don’t win, regardless if they pay the buyout or not, every manager is in danger,” he said. “I like that because that is the job.”
Man Utd chief Berrarda weighs up replacing Ashworth
Man Utd chief Berrarda weighs up replacing Ashworth
Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada is assessing the club’s structure this winter.
Berrada is working to see if United need to sign a replacement for Dan Ashworth.
The sporting director was moved on after only five months in the job by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The INEOS chief was not happy with Ashworth’s work, despite speeding five months recruiting him from Newcastle.
Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox are taking on all of Ashworth’s duties as present.
Berrada wants to remit of any new executive appointment before he starts seeking to interview candidates.
Not all the departures from Manchester United these days are on the orders of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his penny pinchers from Ineos.
First-team head chef Omar Meziane has chosen to hang up his saucepan and vacate the kitchen after two years at the club.
Omar – not to be confused with United’s chief executive Omar Berrada – was mainly based at Carrington where he has been hugely popular with United’s first-team squad.
A former head chef for the England football and cricket teams, he was credited with introducing more variety to the menu and bespoke nutrition plans for the players. On trips and tours, he would include local cuisine to give the squad a taste of the culture.
Meziane travelled to every away game, supported by one of three sous chefs, and would always go one day in advance to ensure the food at the team hotel was up to standard.
However, he has decided to change jobs – and sports – by becoming the executive chef at the McLaren Formula One team.
Not all the departures from Manchester United these days are on the orders of Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Not all the departures from Manchester United these days are on the orders of Sir Jim Ratcliffe
First-team head chef Omar Meziane has chosen to hang up his saucepan after two years
First-team head chef Omar Meziane has chosen to hang up his saucepan after two years
He has decided to change jobs – and sports – by becoming the executive chef at the McLaren Formula One team
He has decided to change jobs – and sports – by becoming the executive chef at the McLaren Formula One team
United, who have cut 250 jobs this year to save money, are in the process of restructuring their catering staff following Omar’s departure at a time of low morale at the club.
You know what they say: if you can’t stand the heat …
… and Ruben leaves The Lowry
Jose Mourinho had a marathon 895-night stay at The Lowry hotel during his time as United boss, but Confidential understands that Ruben Amorim has checked out after little more than a month.
Amorim followed in the footsteps of his coaching idol Mourinho when United’s new head coach headed for The Lowry after flying to Manchester by private jet on November 11 with his back-room team from Sporting Lisbon.
However, Amorim has moved into a temporary house in South Manchester in time for Christmas, and will find a permanent place to live when he is joined by his wife Maria and their two children in the New Year.
He has been looking at properties around the Hale area which is popular with some of his players, particularly captain Bruno Fernandes. He might even bump into Erik ten Hag who was back in town only a few weeks ago, enjoying a dinner with his wife Bianca close to their home in Hale.
Jose Mourinho had a marathon 895-night stay at The Lowry hotel during his time as boss
Jose Mourinho had a marathon 895-night stay at The Lowry hotel during his time as boss
Ruben Amorim has checked out after little more than a month and moved to a temporary house
Ruben Amorim has checked out after little more than a month and moved to a temporary house
One leak Utd can fix
No sooner had Amorim finished his press conference after the defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday than maintenance staff at Old Trafford got to work fixing the leak in the ceiling that appeared while United’s head coach was in mid-sentence.
Asked how he can stop United being 13th in the Premier League at Christmas again, Amorim showed great timing as he looked up at the water dripping from above his head and replied: ‘If I knew, I would solve all the problems of this club – even this!’
It’s understood that the leak was caused by heavy rain and high winds driving water into the notoriously dodgy roof above the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand which then needed to find a way out.
After weeks of Amorim’s line-up appearing on social media before games, at least this was one leak United could fix easily.
No sooner had Amorim finished his press conference after the defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday than maintenance staff at Old Trafford got to work fixing the leak in the ceiling
No sooner had Amorim finished his press conference after the defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday than maintenance staff at Old Trafford got to work fixing the leak in the ceiling
It’s understood that the leak was caused by heavy rain and high winds driving water into the notoriously dodgy roof above the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand (pictured, leaking in May)
It’s understood that the leak was caused by heavy rain and high winds driving water into the notoriously dodgy roof above the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand (pictured, leaking in May)
Amorim and Bruno agents team up
Given the concerns at United over the influence of Erik ten Hag’s representative Kees Vos and his Sports Entertainment Group, Confidential notes with interest a merger of the Portuguese agencies that have United head coach Ruben Amorim and captain Bruno Fernandes as clients.
Nomi Sports, run by Amorim’s agent Raul Costa, and Positionumber, founded by Fernandes’ rep and brother-in-law Miguel Pinho, are two of the companies involved in the new As1 group being set up in London by US-based private equity investor Bruin Capital just in time for the January transfer window.
Promoesport, based in Spain and eight other countries, are the third partner with Football Division Worldwide also set to join the new super agency which will boast more than 300 players from 35 countries.
Two of them already being linked with United – Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes and Sporting Lisbon central defender Goncalo Inacio – were on the books of Positionumber and are now represented by As1. Watch this space.
Positionumber, which is involved in the new As1 group, has Bruno Fernandes as a client
Positionumber, which is involved in the new As1 group, has Bruno Fernandes as a client
Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes is also in their stable and is linked with United
Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes is also in their stable and is linked with United
Rashford comments were on the cards
This time last year, Old Trafford insiders were telling Confidential that they were ‘comfortable’ with Marcus Rashford joining the same PR stable as Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane – three players who won’t be on former manager Erik ten Hag’s Christmas card list.
It always felt like an awkward arrangement given the growing concerns over Rashford’s situation at his boyhood club, and one that came to a head this week when Ten Hag’s successor Ruben Amorim questioned the advice the player had been given before saying in an interview that he is ready for a new challenge in his career.
‘I understand that these players have a lot of people around them, and they sometimes make choices that are not the first idea from the player. I understand, I can separate things,’ Amorim told Sky Sports.
The United star, who is managed by his brothers Dwaine Maynard and Dane Rashford, now appears to be nearing the end of an association with his boyhood club lasting 20 years.
It’s not like United didn’t see it coming.
Marcus Rashford appears to be nearing the end of an association with his boyhood club lasting 20 years
Marcus Rashford appears to be nearing the end of an association with his boyhood club lasting 20 years
He joined the same PR stable as Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane – three players who won’t be on former manager Erik ten Hag’s Christmas card list.
He joined the same PR stable as Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane – three players who won’t be on former manager Erik ten Hag’s Christmas card list.
Furious fans miss kick-off
Fans are growing increasingly frustrated at delays in getting into Old Trafford for home matches after a host of supporters missed kick-off for the Bournemouth game on Sunday.
The club have replaced long-standing stewards with agency staff in some areas of the ground, leading to increased security checks and long queues outside the stadium.
Barney Chilton, who runs the Red News fanzine, described the situation as ‘ridiculous’ on X, formerly Twitter, and claimed he had been told by a senior steward that he did not have enough staff.
United have been made aware of the issue and Jim Liggett, the club’s operations and maintenance director, has vowed to ‘monitor’ queues at future home games.
Ticket fight goes on
United are refusing to give up on their pursuit of their full allocation of tickets for the FA Cup tie at Arsenal after the Gunners gave them more than 1,000 less than they are entitled to.
Under FA Cup rules, United should receive 9,000 tickets but the club confirmed this week that they had been given 7,956. United have taken their grievance to the FA and in an update said they are ‘continuing discussions to try and obtain the full allocation for our fans’.
The club have replaced long-standing stewards with agency staff in some areas of the ground, leading to increased security checks and long queues
The club have replaced long-standing stewards with agency staff in some areas of the ground, leading to increased security checks and long queues
United are refusing to give up on their pursuit of their full allocation of tickets for the FA Cup tie at Arsenal
United are refusing to give up on their pursuit of their full allocation of tickets for the FA Cup tie at Arsenal
Players going the distance again
Plans for United to embark on a post-season tour of Malaysia mean their players will be in action much longer than most of their rivals once again.
United have reached the FA Cup Final in each of the last two seasons – winning and losing to Manchester City – which has involved playing a week beyond the end of the Premier League season.
The Cup Final has been given a new slot on May 17, the penultimate weekend of the league campaign, this season as part of a shake-up of the competition.
But it looks like United’s stars will still be in action when most players are already on the beach after it emerged that the club will jet off to the Far East to face a Premier League rival in Kuala Lumpur following the final home game against Aston Villa.
The tour, which is being organised by Australian-based events company TEG, could be worth close to £8million for United as the club strives to turn a profit after making losses of £300m over the last three years.
United haven’t been to Malaysia since 2009 when they played – and beat – the national team twice, although they visited neighbouring Thailand in the summer of 2022.
Ruben Amorim and his players will have a few weeks off before returning for the pre-season tour which is expected to be in the US for the third year in a row.
United have reached the FA Cup Final in each of the last two seasons – winning and losing to Manchester City
United have reached the FA Cup Final in each of the last two seasons – winning and losing to Manchester City
United haven’t been to Malaysia since 2009 when they played – and beat – the national team twice, although they visited neighbouring Thailand in the summer of 2022
United haven’t been to Malaysia since 2009 when they played – and beat – the national team twice, although they visited neighbouring Thailand in the summer of 2022
Obi and Biancheri a dynamic duo
It felt particularly noteworthy that both Chido Obi and Gabriele Biancheri started together in United U18s FA Youth Cup win over Coventry City.
When United’s U19s bowed out the UEFA Youth League qualifiers earlier in the month, both star strikers only came off the bench in the closing stages.
But in front of a small crowd at Leigh Sports Village, Confidential was there to witness the exciting young strike pairing impress as they bagged United’s five goals between them.
At 5ft 9in, Biancheri is certainly an option in a wide left role, with Chido Obi’s frame more suited to playing as the central striker in a more physical role up against two centre-backs.
Juggling minutes and ensuring high-potential players get suitable opportunities is a constant headache for youth coaches, not least with a greater emphasis at the club being placed on winning rather than development, which has been the priority in recent seasons.
United are the most successful team in the history of the FA Youth Cup and it is a home game – once again at Leigh Sports Village rather than Old Trafford – against Preston North End in round four.
With Biancheri, who is now on 17 goals from 16 games this season, and Chido Obi proving as dynamic a pair as they are explosive on their own – along with contributions from the likes of James Scanlon, Amir Ibragimov and Jayce Fitzgerald – there is plenty of confidence that this current United crop can go all the way.
If they do their star strikers will have played a starring role to get them there.
It felt particularly noteworthy that both Chido Obi and Gabriele Biancheri started together in United U18s FA Youth Cup win over Coventry City
It felt particularly noteworthy that both Chido Obi and Gabriele Biancheri started together in United U18s FA Youth Cup win over Coventry City
Biancheri, who is now on 17 goals from 16 games this season, is certainly an option in a wide left role
Biancheri, who is now on 17 goals from 16 games this season, is certainly an option in a wide left role
US rising star shines on trial
One of the notable attendees at that FA Youth Cup match was Nimfasha Berchimas, who has been in Manchester on trial at United in recent weeks.
The 16-year-old winger got to watch Chido Obi and Co in action at Leigh Sports Village before getting his own chance to shine behind closed doors in a trial game with the U18s.
USA youth wide man Berchimas turned out in the No.7 shirt in the trial game and scored impressively in the match at Carrington, shifting onto his right foot on the edge of the box before rifling across goal.
The Burundi-born player is not exactly short of suitors – something United are well aware of – after he made his MLS debut for Charlotte FC just two days after turning 16.
He has previously been on trial at Bayern Munich, back in 2022, and now the onus is on United if they want to steal a march on their European rivals to bring him in.
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