Exclusive: Manchester United’s sacking of Ruben Amorim could cost the club £12million despite the Portuguese coach previously saying he would go “without any conversation about compensation”
09:00, 07 Jan 2026Updated 09:56, 07 Jan 2026
Ruben Amorim said in May he would go “without any conversation about compensation” if Manchester United’s board felt he was “not the right guy”(Image: PA)
Ruben Amorim’s claim that he would leave Manchester United “without any conversation about compensation” could now come back to bite the club’s former head coach.
United reportedly have to pay Amorim around £12million after sacking the Portuguese with 18 months left on his contract. That outlay would come just over a year after spending the best part of £10million to take him from Sporting CP in November 2024.
His wages from then up until Monday’s sacking are understood to bring the total spend on Amorim’s trophyless spell up to £30million. United, however, could hold Amorim to the comments he made after the Europa League final.
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Following their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao, the United head coach said: “If the board and the fans feel I’m not the right guy, I will go in the next day without any conversation about compensation. But I will not quit.”
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire referenced what Amorim said when speaking about compensation to the Manchester Evening News. He said: “If they hold him to that, then could they avoid paying him?”
However, Maguire acknowledged that it becomes more complicated when considering Amorim’s staff. Assistant head coach Carlos Fernandes, first-team coaches Adelio Candido and Emanuel Ferro, goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital and fitness coach Paulo Barreira all departed alongside the Portuguese.
The football finance expert said: “If they’re going to sack all of his staff at the same time, then I think it becomes more complicated than that because, presumably, all of his entourage will go as well. They (the club) might be able to hold him to his comment last May, but equally, he could hold the club to its comments from Jim Ratcliffe that they weren’t going to sack him.”
Ratcliffe said on The Business podcast in October: “Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. He then reiterated when asked whether Amorim would get three years: “Yes, that is where I would be, three years.”
Maguire, however, acknowledges United are “fine from a financial point of view” despite the huge outlay on Amorim and summer transfers amid widespread cuts across the club since Ratcliffe’s takeover. He said: “They’ve controlled wages fairly well, partly due to the fact that the players they’ve recruited, they’re coming on big fees but not big wages, and they’ve managed to shift some of the big wage players, at least out on loan, if you take a look at [Jadon Sancho and [Marcus] Rashford and so on.
“So I don’t see them being in a financial crisis at all. And also for the first time in a long time, they’ve managed to monetise the academy.
“You’ve got the sales of [Scott] McTominay, [Mason] Greenwood and [Alejandro] Garnacho, all the former academy players.” United earned almost £100million in transfer fees from Garnacho, Greenwood and McTominay.”
Maguire continued: “So all of that’s pure profit, which means that they’re good from a PSR point of view. It’s starting to generate money as well.
“Historically, they’ve been a long, long way behind the other clubs in the big six, especially Chelsea and Manchester City, both of whom are super smart when it comes to converting sort of the commoditisation of children. I know that sounds a bit melodramatic, but that’s what you’re doing with the academy.”
He concluded: “So I think that’s part of the culture of Manchester United that probably has changed. That has improved under Ineos to an extent; other aspects of the club, perhaps less so.”
United are currently searching for a new permanent successor to Amorim but are expected to appoint an interim boss until the end of the season. Darren Fletcher will take charge of Wednesday night’s clash with Burnley but the club have held talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick about taking over for the rest of the campaign.
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