“Amorim had changed”: Details of Wilcox’s crisis meeting with United players revealed – The Athletic

Manchester United Director of Football Jason Wilcox broke the news of Ruben Amorim’s departure to the squad. The Portuguese head coach was relieved of his duties following a turbulent 14 months, which saw more lows than highs. Selected as the man to usher in a new era at the Theatre of Dreams, Amorim oversaw the worst points total in a Premier League campaign in the club’s history. The Red Devils amassed 42 points last season, finishing in 15th place, 42 points behind champions Liverpool. INEOS opted to keep faith in him over the summer, but with results failing to improve and relationships crumbling behind the scenes, he was relieved of his duties on Monday. A recent report has now outlined how United players learned of the Portuguese’s exit. United had to act, said Wilcox According to The Athletic, it was Wilcox who broke the news to the squad at Carrington, insisting that United had to act following a chaotic 48 hours. “Berrada and Wilcox then called a meeting with the players. Wilcox told those listening that the last two days had really shocked him.” “He insisted the club had given Amorim what he wanted, but he had made his feelings clear on an exit. ‘We don’t understand where the last 48 hours have come from,’ he told the squad. Wilcox said Amorim had changed and United had to act.” “Wilcox, who has taken soundings from players, also told them he had sensed some situations where they were not on the same wavelength as Amorim.” Ruben Amorim Managerial Stats TeamFromToGames PlayedGames WonGames DrawnGames LostWin % Casa Pia1 July 20187 January 2019430175.00 Braga B16 September 201923 December 20191182172.73 Braga23 December 20194 March 202013101276.92 Sporting CP4 March 202010 November 2024231164343371.00 Manchester United11 November 20245 January 20266324182138.10 Career total——322209555864.91 Source: Wikipedia. The report added that Darren Fletcher, who is set to remain in charge for the next two games, oversaw Monday’s training session, and the mood at the club was positive. “Wilcox informed the players that Fletcher would be in charge for the next two games, taking in Wednesday’s trip to Burnley and Sunday’s home FA Cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion. Fletcher then took the session alongside Travis Binnion, the under-21s lead coach. The mood was said to be excellent.” The cost of Amorim’s sacking The report adds that United will have to pay Amorim and his staff £10 million as part of the deal. “United are liable to pay up Amorim’s contract in full, £10m for him and his six staff members. There had been speculation that the compensation figure had been reduced once Amorim was in place for a year, but he negotiated a strong deal because United wanted him to leave Sporting CP early.” “The sum would have dropped had United’s hierarchy pulled the trigger once the team had finished in a lowly Premier League position, detailed specifically in his terms. This was believed to be midway into the bottom half of the table, only coming into effect after a full campaign.” Final Thoughts Bruno Fernandes was among the first to pay tribute to Amorim following his departure, while Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt and Mason Mount were among the others who joined in. The likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee, however, will have mixed feelings about the Portuguese head coach’s departure, especially since they struggled for game time under his watch. Fans, meanwhile, will hope that Amorim’s abrupt departure will galvanise the squad and spark an upturn in form on the pitch. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.