Omar Berrada Says Ruben Amorim’s Stubbornness Was His Undoing at Manchester United

Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada finally gave a blunt assessment of what went wrong with Ruben Amorim. The answer? The manager wouldn’t bend.

Speaking at the FTWeekend Festival in New York last Saturday, Berrada didn’t sugarcoat it. Amorim arrived in November 2023 with a glowing reputation from Sporting CP, but he never adjusted his system to fit the Premier League. And that cost him everything.

United fired Amorim in January after 14 months of misery. He finished 15th in his first full season and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham. The 2025-26 season started with some promise, but a 3-1 loss to Brentford in September exposed the same old problems. Dressing room fights involving Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo didn’t help either.

“I look back at the process of the appointment, I think the rationale for choosing him was sound,” Berrada said. “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.”

But once the losses piled up, Amorim dug in. Berrada said the manager “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.”

That stubbornness ran right through his entire tenure. He refused to move away from his 3-4-2-1 formation even when it was obvious the roster couldn’t execute it. Players looked lost. Results got worse.

Berrada pointed out that Amorim came in mid-season, which gave him no time to install his system. He got a full summer before the 2025-26 campaign, and things actually looked okay early. But the weight of the previous year never lifted. “He perhaps wasn’t able to move on at the right time,” Berrada said. “So we felt we had to make a change.”

That change was Michael Carrick, who took over in January and immediately turned things around. United finished third, earned a Champions League spot, and Carrick landed the job permanently. Berrada praised Carrick for understanding the club’s DNA and bringing calm to a chaotic environment.

“What he brings is an understanding of the club’s heritage and DNA,” Berrada said. “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.”

Berrada also addressed rumors that some Glazer family members want to sell their stake. He said they remain committed to the club for the long term. He declined to give details on a new contract for Bruno Fernandes but said both the player and the club are happy.

For Amorim, the lesson is brutal. At a club like United, you can’t just insist your way out of trouble. The scrutiny is constant, the pressure is unforgiving, and if you can’t adapt, you’re gone.