Manchester United are confronting a multi-million pound financial headache following their decision to sack head coach Ruben Amorim and his entire backroom staff this week.
The Cost of a Trophy-Free Tenure
The club dismissed the Portuguese manager on Monday, despite him having 18 months remaining on his contract. This move leaves United facing a potential compensation bill of around £12 million. This payout comes just over a year after the club spent nearly £10 million to release him from his contract at Sporting CP in November 2024. When combined with his salary from appointment to dismissal, the total cost of Amorim's unsuccessful spell at Old Trafford could reach a staggering £30 million.
A 'Complicated' Promise and Legal Wrangles
However, the situation is far from straightforward. United may seek to use Amorim's own words against him in negotiations. After losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao last May, Amorim made a bold declaration. He stated: "If the board and the fans feel I'm not the right guy, I will go in the next day without any conversation about compensation, but I will not quit."
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire highlighted this statement, telling the Manchester Evening News: "If they hold him to that, then could they avoid paying him?" The complication arises from the simultaneous dismissal of Amorim's backroom team, including assistant manager Carlos Fernandes and several coaches. Maguire noted this makes the situation "more complicated," as the club might try to hold Amorim to his May comment, while he could counter by referencing Sir Jim Ratcliffe's previous public backing.
United's PSR Position Remains Secure
Despite this significant outgoing, Maguire believes United are "fine from a financial point of view." He credits the club's control over player wages, partly achieved by recruiting players on high fees but not exorbitant salaries, and by loaning out high-earners like Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Crucially, Maguire pointed to the club's improved academy monetisation as a key factor in their Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) health. The sales of former academy players Scott McTominay, Mason Greenwood, and Alejandro Garnacho generated nearly £100 million in pure profit for the club's accounts. "So all of that's pure profit, which means that they're good from a PSR point of view," Maguire concluded, acknowledging a positive cultural shift in this area under Ineos's influence.
As the club hunts for a permanent successor, they are in talks with former managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick about taking caretaker charge for the rest of the season, with Solskjaer appearing the more likely candidate.
