Dropping the ball not once but twice has cast serious doubt on INEOS’s ability to guide Manchester United back to the top of English football. Their decision to keep Erik ten Hag in charge ended as most expected, with the Dutchman dismissed four months into a new one-year contract extension.
A young and exciting coach emerged as the top choice to replace Ten Hag. Ruben Amorim walked through the Old Trafford door with his stock sky high.
Amorim’s inability to adapt to a squad not built in his image led to countless records being broken for all the wrong reasons. The Portuguese tactician’s stubbornness was prevalent throughout the worst managerial reign of United’s Premier League era.
Man United’s mistake
It was a mess under Amorim, not just the results, not just the performances, but the club’s entire setup. He was clear that he didn’t want to report to sporting director Jason Wilcox.
Amorim believed he was brought to Old Trafford to be the manager, not the coach. The announcement on the club’s website states otherwise.
A long-term project driven by INEOS’ new structure didn’t align with Amorim’s methods of restoring the Reds’ glory days. Yet, it took the 41-year-old going public with his dissatisfaction with the regime for him to be axed.
According to The i Paper Sport, the feeling within the club’s boardroom is that “they got it wrong.” Most United fans could have told them that after watching last season’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Old Trafford faithful stick by their managers and show enormous loyalty. There still needs to be a clear sign of progression, and a 1-1 draw away to Leeds United showed this club were going nowhere with Amorim in the dugout.
Amorim was appointed ‘head coach’ in November 2024 and oversaw just 25 wins and 23 defeats in 63 games in charge. He talked the talk but couldn’t walk the walk at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
INEOS ignorance
When Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS Group acquired a 27.7% stake in Manchester United, there was optimism amongst fans. They took over the club’s sporting operations, a much-desired move given the years of torment under the Glazers’ ownership.
Somehow, United have endured the worst period in the club’s modern era under INEOS’s call. It seemed implausible that it could get any worse than an eighth-placed finish in the 2023-24 campaign.
Amorim’s appointment was doomed from the start, and a 15th-placed finish should have been the wake-up call for Ratcliffe. He constantly defended the Portuguese coach in the media, even jokingly admitting that when he tried advising the former Sporting CP boss, he was turned away.
There’s no doubt that Amorim played a massive role in his demise, but INEOS were equally at fault. A clear lack of communication and poor planning will have fans worried about the future.
Michael Carrick has turned the tide since replacing Amorim as caretaker manager. The English coach remains unbeaten in five games, winning four of them.
INEOS’ track record makes a decision over a permanent Amorim replacement a scary prospect. They will be the ones to decide whether Carrick stays on or they look elsewhere, and judging by their success, or lack of it so far, it would surprise nobody to see them get it wrong yet again.
