Man Utd costs to sack Ruben Amorim revealed as Paul Scholes fears it’s ‘coming apart again’

Manchester United have learned the eye-watering bill they face if they decide to AXE Ruben Amorim this summer – and with Paul Scholes expressing his concerns of a “growing disconnect” between the manager and the board.

The Red Devils turned to Amorim as a successor to Erik ten Hag in November after the Dutchman had failed to get a consistent tune out of his expensively assembled squad. But if Manchester United were hoping for a new manager bounce from the Portuguese coach, they were very much mistaken and his record of just nine wins from 22 games in charge sees him struggling on a lowly 40.91 win percentage record.

Currently sat 15th in the Premier League table, United are statistically worse off now than when Amorim took charge and are just 13 points clear of the drop zone in what is proving to be their worst season on record since 1974.

As a result, speculation has suggested that United could look to dispense with yet another manager’s services come the end of the season, though it is worth clarifying that a number of trusted sources – such as The Athletic and the Manchester Evening News – insist this is not the case.

Nonetheless, The Sun has revealed that should things get worse then United could yet be forced to act and they have revealed he would walk away with whatever is left on his £6m-per-year agreement. And with still more than two years to run on his deal, which expires in 2027, the 40-year-old would be entitled to a £12m pay-off if axed at the season’s end.

Former United midfielder Scholes is also concerned that there is already a growing discord between Amorim and the United board.

“It worries me that, when you lose every week, there is going to be that disconnect [between manager and board],” Scholes said on The Overlap.

“I’m sure they must be growing further apart. I’m sure Ratcliffe is stepping back and wondering ‘have I done the right thing here?’

“I feel sorry for the manager a little bit because he came in when Dan Ashworth was going to be the one next to him. With Ten Hag I felt there was a big gap from him, his staff and the footballing side to the ownership.

“I don’t want that to happen again but I feel like it is happening without that man in the middle. I’m hoping he’s getting a bit of help, whether it’s Ratcliffe or Sir Dave Brailsford – whoever it is – is with him every day.

“It feels like it’s coming apart again.”

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With United’s senior stars having reportedly expressed concerns at Amorim’s refusal to budge from his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation and with several pundits criticising the Portuguese for his lack of flexibility to change, it has hardly been plain sailing for the former Sporting CP boss so far.

Furthermore, Amorim’s comments when he declared the current squad to perhaps be the worst in the club’s 147-year history were eye-opening.

Speaking in mid-January, Amorim remarkably stated: “We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United.

“I know you [media] want headlines but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that. Here you go: your headlines.”

Per a report earlier this week, those comments did not sit well with the United board and ruffled plenty of feathers in the boardroom.

United’s higher-ups as well as those in the commercial department specifically were said to have taken a particularly dim view of the suggestion.

Nonetheless, it was stated that Amorim is unequivocally not in any immediate threat of the sack, despite the dim view having been taken at his words, said in response to a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton.

Furthermore, there is some sympathy from the United board towards Amorim at the situation he has inherited particularly in light of the fact that the 40-year-old had initially wanted to take charge of the club in the pre-season to get his tactics and formation ideas across, only to then be confronted by the ‘now-or-never’ scenario by the man who headhunted him, Omar Berrada.

In light of all that, reports in Spain this week have speculated that the United board are keeping a note of potential successors should they need to act, with a former Barcelona boss seemingly right at the top of their contingency list.

Latest Man Utd news: Ashworth replacement found; summer target says yes

Meanwhile, reports that United have finalised the appointment of Christopher Vivell as their director of recruitment on what has been described as a ‘multi-year contract’ should serve as an indicator of Amorim’s future.

The move to land the German on a full-time basis has seemingly been rubberstamped by Amorim with Vivell both agreeing to a lesser deal and having shared the same philosophy as Amorim when it comes to player recruitment.

The report also reveals some more revelations about the man he effectively replaces, Dan Ashworth.

Elsewhere, United have seemingly been given the green light to a move by a major summer signing, who has reportedly said yes to Amorim irrespective of whether the club qualifies for Europe or not next season.

And finally, the prospect of United striking a deal for Victor Osimhen have catapulted after a report revealed that Napoli had taken a shine to the idea of taking a Man Utd struggler in the opposite direction – and potentially making the deal more cost-effective for INEOS.

IN-FOCUS: Amorim’s record in charge of Man Utd so far