Manchester United officially announced that Ruben Amorim has stepped down from his position as the club's manager, with Darren Fletcher named as the interim boss.
Ruben Amorim was left furious over Manchester United's lack of support for his transfer targets, ultimately leading to his sacking.
Insiders told The Sun that they believe Amorim's decision to go public with conflicts with the club's hierarchy likely sealed his fate – which is exactly what happened on Monday morning.
Sources revealed that Amorim's main issue was a discrepancy between his recommended transfer targets and the shortlist drawn up by technical director Jason Wilcox and head of recruitment Christopher Weville.
Following United's 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Sunday, Amorim resorted to an unusual power play by demanding to be called "manager" rather than "head coach".
Insiders stated that Manchester United has access to funds for January signings via a revolving credit facility.
The club was prepared to activate Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo's £60 million release clause and pay the fee in installments.
However, Semenyo – whom Amorim was keen to sign – is expected to join Manchester City, with Amorim complaining on Friday that United were unlikely to make any signings this month.
Amorim had hoped to bring Semenyo to Old Trafford and wanted United to sell Joshua Zirkzee, who has scored just two Premier League goals in the past year.
But Amorim said on Friday that he expected Zirkzee to stay and that no players would be sold by United this month.
On Boxing Day, Amorim revealed that he often had to find "common ground" with former Southampton technical director Wilcox over transfer targets.
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe set out to reduce the transfer influence of then-manager Erik ten Hag due to the Dutchman's tendency to recruit players who had played in the Netherlands.
Ratcliffe admitted that United compromised with ten Hag on some signings in the 2024 summer transfer window after the club abandoned plans to sack the Dutchman.
As Amorim struggled to guide sixth-placed United into the Champions League spots, Wilcox's growing influence within the club began to frustrate him.
United drew 1-1 with Leeds United and Wolves last week, with eight players unavailable due to injuries and the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, the team has won just three of their last 11 matches, and those three victories mostly came when the squad was fully fit.
This summer, United splashed £225.3 million to back Amorim. In an interview with British journalists during pre-season, Amorim endorsed United's transfer strategy of signing players for the club rather than the manager.
However, after news of Amorim's sacking emerged, United insiders told The Sun that there was no power struggle between him and the club, and that everyone fully supported him.
The club claims that Amorim was simply dissatisfied with United's lack of progress and development. Yet, the timing of his sacking came less than 24 hours after his surprising remarks demanding to be called "manager" instead of "head coach".
Insiders reaffirmed that the new head coach must fit into a collaborative model that supports the existing structure.
United currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, and the board remains confident of achieving European qualification.
