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Frozen out - Amorim loses power struggle and is axed after 14 months
The Guardian
|January 06, 2026
United yet to decide whether permanent successor arrives now or in summer, with Glasner among those of interest
Ruben Amorim was sacked by Manchester United yesterday after 14 months as their head coach.
He departs after a power struggle with the hierarchy over transfer policy, with Amorim demanding his colleagues in the recruitment department "do their job" following Sunday's draw at Leeds.
His immediate replacement is Darren Fletcher, who takes charge as interim head coach. The Scot, a former United midfielder and the current under-18s coach, will lead the side at Burnley tomorrow night and could remain in charge for Sunday's FA Cup tie with Brighton.
United are yet to decide whether to appoint a permanent head coach now or to do so in the summer. The process will be led by Jason Wilcox, the director of football, and Omar Berrada, the chief executive.
If they decide on a temporary coach until the end of the campaign Fletcher would be an option. Another potential candidate is Michael Carrick, who was United's caretaker manager for three games in 2021 from late November to early December, winning two and drawing the other.
Regarding permanent replacements, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner is understood to be of interest. While the Austrian deploys the same 3-4-3 formation at Palace as Amorim did, he has indicated a willingness to play a back four, so is more flexible than the Portuguese proved.
Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola and the unemployed Enzo Maresca are two more candidates who might be considered.
This story is from the January 06, 2026 edition of The Guardian.
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