Former England manager Sam Allardyce has now dropped a powerful verdict on a key detail from Ruben Amorim’s ill-fated reign as Manchester United head coach.
Ruben Amorim was appointed the seventh permanent Manchester United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era back in 2024 after his arrival from Sporting CP.
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However, fast-forward from Amorim replacing Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford hot seat and the 40-year-old Portuguese coach’s 14-month spell ended this month.
Amorim was finally sacked as Man Utd manager after the Red Devils’ 1-1 Premier League draw against Leeds United at Elland Road earlier this month.
The former United head coach’s relationship with director of football Jason Wilcox and the Ineos regime had fractured in the lead-up to his axing from Old Trafford.
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Ruben Amorim arrives prior to the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park in 2025 in Birmingham, England.
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Sam Allardyce uses Ruben Amorim as a powerful example of what went wrong for the former Man Utd manager
Ruben Amorim’s exit from Manchester United led to the immediate succession of Darren Fletcher as caretaker manager for the Burnley draw and Brighton defeat.
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United have since appointed Michael Carrick as Amorim’s short-term successor at the club, with the Red Devils legend serving as interim manager until the end of the season.
Sam Allardyce insisted that former Sporting CP and Man Utd boss Amorim is the perfect example of what ex-players are doing wrong when they enter management.
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Speaking on his podcast, the ex-Three Lions boss claimed that Amorim’s inflexibility over his tactical approach is something that he never did in his managerial career.
“So, you have to change, and if you don’t change and adapt, and that’s why Amorim’s failed,” he said on No Tippy Tappy Football.
“I never managed the same way in any club I was at, and I’ve been to every g—— club in the world almost, and all four divisions, you know what I mean?
“I’ve had, you know, from Limerick all the way through the division.”
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Ruben Amorim’s inflexible tactics at Man Utd haunted his entire reign at Old Trafford
Amorim’s tactical system at Man Utd deeply divided both Red Devils supporters and pundits amid the Premier League club’s erratic form under his reign at Old Trafford.
The former United boss briefly pivoted under pressure towards the tail end of 2025, with the Red Devils switching from a 3-4-2-1 set-up to 4-2-3-1 against Newcastle.
However, it was not long before Amorim made a U-turn on the pivoted tactics and returned to the system that had led to major success for him at Sporting.
United are now expected to appoint the permanent successor for Amorim at Old Trafford in the summer ahead of the 2026-27 Premier League campaign.
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