Ruben Amorim has found himself sitting on the warmest hot seat in the country at Manchester United over the past 12 months and Mirror Football takes a look back on his first year at Old Trafford
17:00, 31 Oct 2025Updated 17:01, 31 Oct 2025
Ruben Amorim has now been at Manchester United for a year(Image: Getty Images)
A smiling Ruben Amorim breezed into Manchester United 12 months ago admitting he loved to dream. But it didn’t take too long for the Portuguese to realise he was living a nightmare.
Amorim’s honeymoon period might well be the shortest in living memory. Portman Road was packed to the rafters to witness his first game in charge, when United travelled to take on Ipswich Town.
And when Marcus Rashford scored after just 81 seconds, following a sweeping and sensational move which ripped Ipswich to pieces, members of the media looked at each other in the press box like United had hit the managerial jackpot.
Then it all started to go wrong. United failed to win that game – and headed home following a frustrating 1-1 draw. Bonfire Night had been and gone, but a fire would start to rage at United. And for months on end, Amorim proceeded to pour petrol on it.
Stubborn to the extreme, Amorim persisted with his tactical beliefs and obsession with how football should be played. The problem was, he just didn’t have the players either capable, or willing, to carry out his instructions.
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Over the Christmas and New Year period of 2024, United went six games without a win. From April 1, United had become even worse, following a run of seven matches without a win.
And the biggest fools at Old Trafford appeared to be Amorim and the bloke who appointed him, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. There were excuses Amorim could lean on, even if he refused to.
He took the job during a season, when he didn’t want to. He’d had no pre-season to work with his squad – and wanted to start the role in the summer of 2025.
But Ratcliffe had been insistent. And to make matters worse, Amorim had inherited a squad which, unbeknown to him, had become toxic from within.
Amorim arrived at Old Trafford with huge promise(Image: Getty Images)
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It culminated in United failing to secure European qualification, let alone winning silverware, Amorim facing increasing speculation he would be sacked, and the man himself having to block a group of five players who wanted out, from returning to pre-season training.
That ‘Bomb Squad’ just happened to include Rashford, the bloke who’d handed Amorim that dream start all those months ago in Suffolk. Rashford has now gone, along with the likes of Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho.
Amorim might have felt locked into a thankless task at times, but he has taken no prisoners when it comes to ridding United of divisive influences. He’s been honest at all times. Too honest, perhaps.
He warned supporters there would be more hardships ahead. He claimed his United might just be the worst one on record, were in a relegation battle, and that he felt “embarrassed” to be responsible for so many defeats.
Amorim has a far bigger job on his hands at Old Trafford than he thought(Image: Getty Images)
Amorim even offered to resign if Ratcliffe & Co thought a huge mistake had been made. But Ratcliffe held his nerve. He made it clear how long Amorim needed to get the English giants back to the big time.
And as Amorim reaches his first anniversary, he does so with genuine signs he’s turned a corner. That happier times are ahead. He masterminded a stunning win over champions Liverpool at Anfield.
And following three straight league wins, United find themselves sixth in the table, above their bitter rivals, and just six points adrift of leaders Arsenal. It’s been one heck of a rollercoaster ride.
One with far more lows than highs, to leave all those associated with United feeling quite nauseous at times. But Amorim has at least shown he has the stomach for the fight ahead.
And from the wreckage of the last 12 months and beyond, he appears to be building something, that might just make all the pain he’s been through worthwhile.
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