Former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe has offered his view on the club’s struggles under Ruben Amorim.
2026 began with a bang for Manchester United when the club decided to sack Ruben Amorim a few days into January.
Ruben Amorim and Ineos both appeared happy to make the break, and it was a calculated gamble from the club that has so far paid off.
United were in sixth place when Amorim was sacked. This was an improvement on last season, but Ineos felt like Amorim was still underperforming. Michael Carrick has since led United into third place – with seven games remaining.
Lee Sharpe says that he believes Amorim was closer to making progress than he is given credit for.
Ruben Amorim during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United.
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
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Lee Sharpe on Ruben Amorim
Lee Sharpe told the Let Me Be Frank podcast that he feels Ruben Amorim was making some kind of progress with United, and had more to offer.
Sharpe explained: “Yeah, I still keep an eye on it and I still watch them from time to time. I don’t think Ruben Amorim was a million miles away, if I’m absolutely honest.
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“I think if you look at the stats, they created more chances than any other team in the league while he was there. They just couldn’t put them away.
“I think the formation was a little bit weird, and changing centre-halves during games was a little bit of a weird tactic that he liked to do.”
Sharpe also praised Amorim for helping United to get rid of some players who needed to go.
“I think he siphoned a little bit of drivel and a little bit of trouble out of the club. I think he brought in a discipline and a sort of an ethos, let’s say, that the club was lacking.”
Amorim’s hard line approach in the transfer windows was the best thing about his spell at United. The problem was that his solid approach behind the scenes was not matched with enough positive results on the pitch.
What is Michael Carrick’s best decision at Man Utd so far?
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Michael Carrick has to see the job through
Michael Carrick has taken Manchester United into a great position by winning seven of his first 10 games in charge. He has drawn two and lost only one.
Now in third place, United likely only need a top five finish to secure a Champions League spot.
Amorim will always maintain that he was on track, but there was a real danger that United would have fallen out of the top 10 with him still in charge.
Carrick has come through some tough fixtures, and there are more challenging games ahead between now and the end of the season.
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