Man United’s Ruben Amorim faces do-or-die game vs Sunderland as co-owners lean towards sacking: Report

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is closer than ever to his potential end at Old Trafford, as the club co-owners, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers, are reportedly ready to pull the plug. Amorim has struggled since taking over as manager in November 2024 at Man United, accumulating just 34 points from his first 33 Premier League games — the worst record for any United manager since Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

In the new 2025-26 Premier League season, the Red Devils have already suffered three losses, with the latest coming against Brentford last week. The 3-1 loss away at Brentford underlined that the surprise win over Chelsea the week before that was nothing but a false dawn.

Amorim defends his controversial system

Amorim, however, has continued to back his preferred 3-4-3 system, which has attracted criticism for not being accommodating enough towards the current Man United squad. The 40-year-old Portuguese coach once again defended his system ahead of the Sunderland game on Saturday.

“You cannot run away from the results and then your baggage from last season. But last season for me doesn’t matter. We’ve had six games this season and we’ve lost three. We have to look to the games that we lost,” Amorim told reporters.

“I am not saying this team would play better in another system or not, that is not my point. My point is that if I look back at the games we lost, the most important thing when I watch the game is not that we lost because of the system.”

Man United owners ready to cut Amorim loose

Nonetheless, an explosive report in The Telegraph Sport claims that the Sunderland match is almost like a must-win game for Amorim. Another defeat could “severely test” the patience of the co-owners.

If Amorim is sacked within his first 12 months at the club, Man United will have to pay him £12m in compensation, but reportedly, that is not a major hindrance for the team as they are looking to get back into European competitions.

United failed to qualify for European competitions last season and currently occupy the 14th slot in the English Premier League table. Just by finishing sixth in the table, they can make £25m more in prize money.