Ken Early on why Ruben Amorim and Manchester United were a disastrous match

Amorim is the seventh manager to come and go since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013

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Ruben Amorim who has been sacked as head coach of Manchester United. Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Wire
Ruben Amorim who has been sacked as head coach of Manchester United. Photo: Mike Egerton/PA Wire

Since he took over as head coach at Manchester United Ruben Amorim has been outspoken, dishing up post-match commentary that frequently centred on how poor he felt his players had performed.

On January 4th, after a desultory 1-1 draw with Leeds, he took aim, not at his players but at United’s top brass – his bosses. He was, he said, the manager, not the coach; the heavy implication being that he wanted to make his own decisions and that management were getting in his way.

On Monday it was announced that Amorim would be leaving the club with immediate effect.

Once again Manchester United is on the hunt for a manager – or to be more accurate in the modern game – a coach.

Irish Times columnist Ken Early explains why Amorim was never a good fit for United and why coaches at top-flight clubs have an increasingly short sell-by date.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison is an Irish Times journalist and cohost of In the News podcast

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