Manchester United have confirmed that dismissing Ruben Amorim could cost the club almost £16m. The Portuguese coach left on 5 January after publicly criticising the club’s hierarchy following a 1-1 draw at Leeds the day before.
Financial disclosure reveals high potential payout
A filing to the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday revealed the figure, a day after United announced a £32.6m profit for their second-quarter results to 31 December 2025. Listed as an “event that occurred after the reporting period,” the club confirmed they had written off an amortised fee of £6.3m. This fee related to bringing Amorim to Old Trafford from Sporting in November 2024. The club also stated a “provision of £15.9m,” representing the maximum amount they could owe Amorim and his coaching staff. Sources say the highest payout would likely be triggered by future employment conditions, though the filing did not clarify this explicitly.
Amorim remains silent on his Manchester United tenure
Amorim has not spoken publicly about his time at United. Sources close to the 41-year-old indicate no immediate plans to comment. The payment ends a costly managerial experiment that concluded poorly. United confirmed in a previous filing on 27 November 2024 that they paid Sporting £11m to hire Amorim as Erik ten Hag’s replacement, whose exit cost £10.4m. Combined, the managerial changes around Amorim could total £37.3m.
Short-lived tenure and poor results
Amorim’s 14-month spell became the shortest reign of a permanent manager at Old Trafford since David Moyes lasted just eight months in 2014. He won 25 of 63 matches and finished 15th in the Premier League, United’s worst league performance since relegation in 1973-74. The team also lost the Europa League final, leaving them without European football this season for only the second time since 1990. They suffered a humiliating defeat to League Two side Grimsby on penalties in the Carabao Cup second round.
United were sixth in the Premier League when Amorim was sacked, following a major fallout with director of football Jason Wilcox days before the Leeds game. Under-18s coach and former United midfielder Darren Fletcher served as interim manager for two games. Michael Carrick took over until the end of the season and has won five of six games, including a victory against Everton on Monday. United are now fourth and in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League.
Financial position and sponsorship update
The club also confirmed it increased the available credit from its drawdown facility by £50m to £400m while repaying £75m, leaving a balance of £215m. Additionally, the filing stated £600,000 worth of “sponsorship services” had been provided to Ineos Automotive Ltd, an offshoot of Ineos owned by United’s minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
