Ruben Amorim was sacked from his job as Man United manager for being ‘too rigid’, the club’s chief executive Omar Berrada has revealed.
Berrada said the Portuguese, who was dismissed in January 14 months after being appointed, ‘cornered himself’ before being replaced by Michael Carrick. Amorim has since taken charge at AC Milan.
Speaking at the FT Weekend Festival in New York, 48-year-old Berrada explained: ‘I think maybe where he got stuck is the size of the club — and a little bit on the reflection I made — the scrutiny of your ideas and decisions is so constant that perhaps he struggled managing that… Not that it was too big for him, but he maybe cornered himself in a position where he wanted to stick in a very rigid manner to his ideas because he wanted to show everybody that it’s going to work.
‘And in the context of the volatility of emotions you get by being part of Manchester United, when you lose two or three games in a row, then it’s the end of the world. So I think that was very hard to manage.’
Berrada added: ‘You have to remember he came in mid-season. He didn’t have a pre-season. He didn’t have time to implement his ideas. Then by the time he got to the second season, he did have time to implement his ideas over the summer and we actually saw a really good start, we played really well in multiple games, but the weight of the previous season was still there.
‘He perhaps wasn’t able to move on at the right time, so we felt had to make a change. And Michael Carrick came in in January and the team has turned it around.’
Ruben Amorim, pictured after his last game in charge of Man United on January 4, was sacked for being ‘too rigid’ and ‘cornered himself’, says Omar Berrada
Despite the former Sporting Lisbon boss lasting less than two seasons at Old Trafford, Berrada defended the decision to appoint him.
‘I think the rationale for choosing him was sound,’ Berrada insisted. ‘He was a coach that had been very successful, in Portugal, Sporting Lisbon.
‘He was young, he was dynamic. He had a way of explaining his football knowledge and ideas that was very clear. We felt he was able to relate and communicate with the players and dressing room.
‘Off the back of lots of changes of coaches in the last 10 years, we really wanted to give Ruben time to develop his ideas, his concepts and give him the freedom on the training pitch to be able to implement his ideas.’
Carrick took charge in January on an interim basis and led the club to a third-place finish, qualifying for the Champions League and achieving impressive wins over the likes of Man City and Arsenal.
His performance in the dugout led United to giving him the job on a permanent basis and Berrada says his ‘calmness’ and ‘understanding of the club’ have been crucial to his success.
He went on: ‘What he brings is an understanding of the club’s heritage and DNA. He understands the elements we’re talking about — getting the communication right with the media, transmitting ideas, connecting with our academy, working with the wider football operation team.
‘And importantly, he’s also brought a sense of calm. He’s somebody that as a player who has won everything with the club, so for him going to the Emirates Stadium and winning there is nothing special because he’s done it as a player.
Michael Carrick brought calmness and stability to the job and was made permanent boss
‘I think being able to transmit that to a group of players that have been dealing with the pressure that we talked about, and just to normalise going to the Emirates, to the Etihad, to Anfield and having performed at their best level, became I think his number one contribution.
‘He allowed the players to believe in themselves and to have the freedom on the pitch to express themselves.’
Carrick now faces his first summer transfer window at the helm as the club aim to strengthen to fight on all fronts next season.
