Manchester United held talks with Amazon to have their own ‘All or Nothing’ series filmed, but Ruben Amorim admirably stepped in to pull the plug on that.
Somehow, someone at Manchester United thought that allowing one of the major streaming companies to film a fly-on-the-wall documentary was a good idea.
There has been a movement in recent times with streaming companies like Amazon and Netflix creating series on football clubs, so much so that it epitomises modern football’s desire to tell its story.
These companies enjoyed success with Premier League duo Arsenal and Tottenham, but it hasn’t always been a positive experience for everyone involved.
Former Spurs captain Hugo Lloris, for example, complained about the documentary in his recent autobiography, as cited by the Daily Mail. He went on to describe it as a hindrance to the players’ freedom of speech and movement.
It begs the question whether the cost-benefits involved in recording a series justify the disruptions and reputational risks involved.
According to The Athletic, United have withdrawn from secret talks over a record-breaking Amazon Prime documentary next season. The offer was understood to be worth significantly more than £10 million, which surpasses any deal Amazon have done as part of the ‘All of Nothing’ series.
The report stresses that the plug was pulled on talks with Amazon after Ruben Amorim made clear he was not comfortable with the potential intrusion on the first team.
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After proposing the idea to Amorim after the end of the season, the board decided as a group to drop the idea.
Here are five reasons why Amorim was right to step in and block the production of a ‘tell-all’ documentary on United.
Ruben Amorim headshot
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
United fans understand that tough decisions are made to financially protect the football club, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of what happens on the football pitch. Ineos would be wise to address the problems that exist on the pitch before welcoming outsiders in.
There have been pre-season tours that have been dominated by commercial events, and not enough time working together on the pitch. That needs to change.
Moreover, viewers of these documentaries have realised that these shows are exercises in corporate PR rather than documentaries. In some instances, it can bring shame to the football clubs involved, as seen at Plymouth during Wayne Rooney’s spell in charge.
It’s a withering distraction for players
Being a United player comes with lots of responsibilities, and we’ve seen many professionals struggle to maintain the standards required, especially in recent years. Adding an Amazon Prime documentary to the mix would be a recipe for disaster.
It’s intrusion and Amorim has bigger fish to fry after United’s disastrous 2024/25 campaign.
Right now, every United player should be focused on results on the pitch. Not whether Amazon will portray them in a positive light.
Ineos got their wish with post-season tour
Amorim described the post-season tour of Asia as a “small sacrifice” to reward the club’s global fan base while also providing funds for the transfer window. The Red Devils travelled to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong straight after their final home match of the season to play two friendlies.
The post-season tour generated £8m in revenue, so Sir Jim Ratcliffe will see it as a success, but adding fixtures to the calendar is unlikely to be a positive decision within the dressing room.
Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot left Asia a week before they faced Spain in the Nations League final, meaning they had less time to recharge over the summer.
This was an example of Ineos adding to Amorim’s workload for a quick payday, but they must listen to the United head coach when he issues demands like blocking a documentary series.
Opens Man Utd players up to more criticism
Hated, adored, never ignored. United players get a different level of coverage than players from other clubs. It’s partly down to the fact that the newspapers know United stories will sell newspapers.
United need to accept that and stop adding the pressure that exists on their current players because giving behind-the-scenes access to Amazon could lead to footage that will result in individual players being targeted.
Ineos must be mindful of the welfare of its players.
Amazon gain while United fans suffer
These types of documentaries prove popular on the streaming platforms, which is why it involve big money, with Spurs and Arsenal each reportedly earning around £10m.
In turn, United fans would likely suffer another dire season because it would add unnecessary weight to the team.
Amazon would gain from the pain of United fans.