Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim could face another ‘off-field battle’ during the 2025-26 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford after one Manchester United legend’s latest decision.
Ruben Amorim was thrust straight into the spotlight in the 2024-25 Premier League season and faced early criticism during his reign as Manchester United manager.
The 40-year-old United manager was unable to turn around the Red Devils’ dwindling form in the Premier League after his arrival from Sporting CP in 2024.
Amorim watched the Red Devils’ form fall off a cliff last season in the Premier League after United’s poor start to the 2024-25 campaign under ex-Ajax boss Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag was sacked as United manager and the former Bayer Leverkusen manager’s exit from Old Trafford paved the way for Ruben Amorim’s arrival.
Amorim now faces a major task ahead of him at Old Trafford, with United suffering their worst finish in Premier League history after limping to 15th last season.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim talks to his players during the FA Cup match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London in 2025.
Photo by IAN KINGTON/IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim’s fiery war of words with Man Utd and England legend Wayne Rooney in the 2024-25 Premier League season
Ruben Amorim’s tough start to life in England saw the Portuguese coach pull no punches at times, including to his own Manchester United first-team squad.
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The ex-Sporting CP boss’ prickly nature and emotionally charged defences would be easy to produce a headline-spinning line for the media after any pundit’s point.
Despite Amorim’s criticism of United’s form and performances, the Portuguese coach remained firm on his long-term vision for the Premier League club at Old Trafford.
Amorim, much like Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos, is keen to see United return back to the top of English football and capture the Premier League title in the near future.
Wayne Rooney was critical of Amorim’s desire to win the Premier League title after United crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Fulham at Old Trafford in March.
The 39-year-old United legend was on BBC punditry for the FA Cup coverage last season and Rooney labelled Amorim a “little bit naive” with his remarks at the time.
As per Sky Sports in March, Amorim bit back by saying that it was “really easy” being a pundit after doing it himself and insisted that he was “not naive.”
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Former United captain Wayne Rooney has been waiting on the sidelines since 2024 after his last management spell at Plymouth Argyle ended with his sacking.
It remains to be seen if – and when – the ex-Plymouth Argyle boss returns to management, but the 2024-25 campaign is not his last season on punditry.
According to The Sun, Rooney will become a ‘regular’ on BBC’s flagship football show Match of the Day for the 2025-26 season after inking a lucrative deal.
The newspaper claims that United’s all-time leading scorer will earn £800,000 from his deal and will be unveiled as part of the BBC punditry line-up this month.
Amorim cannot find himself in a boxing match of words with Rooney over the course of the next season and he has to take a firm stance not to bite back over little remarks.
The United manager previously cleared up his comments around winning the Premier League title by saying they were the club’s long-term objective.
However, Amorim should only fight his corner against pundits like Rooney when it is only necessary and avoid creating any unnecessary ‘drama’ in the 2025-26 season.