What actions should United take? Dismissing Amorim would not only be a source of embarrassment but would also raise doubts about the effectiveness of the football framework established by Ineos to foster a winning environment. However, can they afford to retain him?
They were seated observing the most recent development of 2025 United; executive Omar Berrada, Ineos sporting director Sir David Brailsford, and technical director Jason Wilcox.
Together, they agreed on Amorim as the resolution to the challenges posed by Erik ten Hag, to whom they had granted a new contract merely five months prior.
Ineos co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, known for his willingness to dismiss personnel, must question whether the individuals he selected to oversee the football operations are indeed competent. After all, he terminated Dan Ashworth just five months after his appointment, incurring significant costs for the sporting director position. Regardless, the club’s executive team finds itself in a more precarious situation than it was six months ago.
Amorim is correct; the Europa League final represents an outlier, a match so drastically removed from the usual context that it should not be the primary concern for a club still grappling with ongoing issues such as player quality, mentality, attitude, and culture—an array of vague shortcomings that are difficult to measure and even more challenging to rectify. It is essential to acknowledge his role in the problems he was brought in to resolve.
Under his guidance, United’s performance has deteriorated. His rigid adherence to an unfamiliar system has adversely affected the team, leaving players unable to recognize or trust the patterns and strategies of the Amorim approach. The selection against West Ham presented an opportunity to capitalize on a recent positive result, the 7-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao, the fourth-ranked team in Spain.
However, a closer examination of both legs of the Europa League semi-final reveals that the tie could have yielded a different result. Bilbao performed better at home until the first-half red card issued to Dani Vivian and maintained an advantage for an hour at Old Trafford until Mason Mount intervened.
Nevertheless, United were through and, buoyed by the outcome, Amorim went full three at the back, with Mount and Kobbie Mainoo included as part of a five across the middle.
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