Manchester United acted swiftly following the decision to fire Erik ten Hag at the beginning of the week, with Ruben Amorim confirmed as the club’s new manager just four days later.
It became apparent just hours after Ten Hag’s departure that United had a one-track mind with regards to which candidate the club was targeting as his replacement, and Amorim’s move to Old Trafford was announced in a club statement issued on Friday.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Head Coach of the men’s first team, subject to work visa requirements,” the statement said. “He will join until June 2027 with a club option of an additional year, once he has fulfilled his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday 11 November.”
While seemingly a standard club statement, Amorim’s job title is notable. Unlike Ten Hag, and indeed every other incumbent of the Old Trafford hot seat before him, Amorim will be United’s head coach — not the manager.
For the first time in United’s history, it will operate with a head coach at the helm, which reflects the modernization of the club’s sporting operation. Amorim will primarily be tasked with performances on the training ground and in matches, and will largely take a back seat regarding wider club matters, such as recruitment.
Amorim will likely still be involved in recruitment to some degree, but reportedly will not be allowed to veto the club’s transfer targets. Christopher Vivell arrived at United as the club’s interim head of recruitment in the summer and will remain in the role until January at least, and it will be people like him who lead United’s recruitment operation.
Ten Hag had a huge amount of control over the players United signed, infamously seemingly favoring either Dutch players, players with Eredivisie experience or players he worked with at his previous clubs. Ten Hag faced criticism for many of his signings, not least the Brazilian winger Antony, who cost around $100m, while big-money splurges on Casemiro, Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and — already — Joshua Zirkzee, all remain under the microscope.
The change in the head honcho’s responsibilities at Old Trafford mimics what we saw at Liverpool in the summer: Jurgen Klopp was Liverpool’s manager, and Arne Slot was appointed as the Reds’ head coach. The changes at England’s two biggest clubs reflect the way soccer is going, with key tasks and responsibilities divvied up between several specialists, rather than lumped on an individual.
