Gary Neville has admitted he was taken aback by how quickly Ruben Amorim’s reign at Manchester United came to an end, describing the Portuguese coach’s dismissal on Monday as a “shock” after just 14 months in charge.
Amorim departed Old Trafford with United languishing in sixth place in the Premier League, following Sunday’s draw at Leeds, which came on the back of a dismal 1-1 home result against bottom side Wolves.
At 40, Amorim leaves with the worst win ratio of any of the seven managers appointed since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, winning just 31.9 per cent of his matches during a period in which United have failed to reclaim the league title.
His exit followed mounting friction with senior figures at the club, including director of football Jason Wilcox, in the days leading up to his sacking. Matters appeared to escalate after Amorim made a series of pointed remarks following the draw at Elland Road, insisting he was United’s manager rather than “just the coach”.
In a tense post-match press conference, the former Sporting boss told the scouting department and Wilcox to “do their job”, comments that intensified speculation over his future.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, former United defender Neville said managerial sackings reflect failure across the board.
“When a manager goes, it’s a poor reflection on everyone involved,” he said. “It means it hasn’t worked. Everyone loses, especially when you make a change midway through the season, because it’s incredibly hard to find the right replacement.
“I’m surprised it’s happened this morning, but I’m not surprised it’s happened,” Neville added. “I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. I thought they might try to get through another couple of weeks and work things out.
“The performances over the last month have been really poor. The Wolves game, for me, felt like the decisive one. It was a bad result.”
Former England striker Gary Lineker was more blunt, suggesting Amorim was never the right fit for a club he described as a “basket case”.
“It almost felt like he provoked it,” Lineker said on the Rest Is Football podcast. “It just didn’t seem the right match. He was stubborn about how he wanted to play, the players didn’t suit that system, and the club should have recognised that earlier.
“I don’t think he was properly backed in terms of the players he needed, but United have been a bit of a basket case for several years now.”
United defender Harry Maguire paid tribute to Amorim on Instagram, sharing a photo of the pair shaking hands alongside the message: “Thank you for everything boss. I wish you all the best in the future.”