Manchester United dismisses Ruben Amorim amid costly managerial turnover
Manchester United’s decision to dismiss Ruben Amorim on Monday will see the Portuguese manager depart with a £10million severance package, pushing the club’s total compensation expenditure to nearly £100m since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, reports BritPanorama.
Amorim’s exit comes with 18 months still left on his contract, marking a sudden end to his brief tenure at Old Trafford. The substantial payout adds to the mounting costs associated with the club’s ongoing managerial instability. Over the past twelve years, United has accumulated approximately £78m in payouts to outgoing managers and their coaching staff.
The financial implications of Amorim’s time at the helm amount to around £28.5m, factoring in various expenses. United paid £11m to Sporting in November 2024 to secure his services, making it the most costly managerial appointment in the club’s post-Ferguson history. His salary of £6.5m per year further contributed to this growing financial burden.
The trend of costly managerial dismissals has persisted since Ferguson’s retirement. David Moyes’s departure after just ten months in 2014 cost the club £4.9m, while Louis van Gaal received an £8.4m payoff two years later. Jose Mourinho’s departure in 2018 proved the priciest, with a staggering £19.6m paid to him upon termination. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s exit set the club back another £10m. Other managerial transitions, like Ralf Rangnick’s and Erik ten Hag’s, along with various executive changes, have only added to United’s financial strain.
As the club seeks to regain its competitive edge and restore its stature, the repeated cycle of managerial changes raises questions about the long-term strategy in place. Such financial outlay underscores the challenges that the club faces in stabilising its managerial position and the broader implications for its future. The operation of United, both on and off the field, continues to highlight the complexities of modern football management, especially for a club with such expectations.
In a world where managerial changes are common, the scale of United’s expenditures serves as a stark reminder of how far ambition can sometimes drift from achievement, leaving fans to ponder the way forward.
