Manchester United have sacked manager Ruben Amorim, the Premier League club announced on Monday, a day after being held to a draw by relegation-threatened Leeds United.
“With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s management have reluctantly made the decision that now is the right time to make a change.
“This will give the team the best opportunity to finish as strongly as possible in the Premier League,” the club said in a statement.
Manchester United are 17 points behind leaders Arsenal and have won just one of their last five matches.
The move comes a day after Amorim bristled at questions about his job security, delivering a defiant message that he had arrived at United as a manager with full authority and not simply as a coach taking charge.
Amorim had sounded pessimistic on Friday when discussing potential transfers, and after the Leeds draw the Portuguese coach became visibly irritated when asked if he still had the board’s confidence.
The 40-year-old cut off journalists by severely reprimanding “selective reporting” before launching into a categorical defense of his position.
Amorim has made it clear he has no plans to leave Old Trafford, repeatedly emphasizing his managerial authority rather than simple coaching duties.
