Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United record: Is he the worst United boss since Sir Alex Ferguson?
How did Ruben Amorim compare to his Manchester United predecessors?
Ruben Amorim’s miserable 14-month spell at Manchester United came to an end this morning with the club announcing the Portuguese had been sacked.
The axe fell following the 1-1 draw at Leeds yesterday, although seemingly it was not the result or performance that prompted the decision with Amorim using the post-match press conference to insist he was the manager, not head coach, words that hinted at disharmony with chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.
It has been an uphill struggle for Amorim since day one at Old Trafford with his much-scrutinised 3-4-3 formation seemingly ill-suited to the players at his disposal.
But how does his record compare to his predecessors in the Manchester United hot-seat since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013 having won 13 Premier League crowns, as well as five FA Cups and the Champions League twice?
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DAVID MOYES (2013-2014)
Moyes was handed what appeared the near-impossible job of replacing Ferguson and struggled to make any kind of positive impact.
The club lost three of his first six league games in charge, setting the tone for a short spell that ended on April 22, less than a year into a six-year contract. His final game in charge was a 2-0 defeat at former club Everton.
Moyes had a win percentage of 53% in all competitions.
LOUIS VAN GAAL (2014-2016)
Van Gaal was brought in as the experienced manager that, in theory, would get United back on track and provide similar leadership to that of Ferguson.
A heavy summer of investment that included the eye-catching signing of Angel Di Maria suggested a strong season would follow but an opening-day defeat to Swansea was soon followed by a 4-0 hammering at Milton Keynes Dons in the EFL Cup.
Results improved and Van Gaal’s first season in charge ended with the club finishing fourth in the Premier League.
The following term started well with United topping the table in September only to be knocked out of the EFL Cup by Middlesbrough and then fail to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League after defeat in Wolfsburg.
The highlight was the FA Cup success that saw them beat Crystal Palace in the final at Wembley but it did not save Van Gaal, who was sacked shortly after.
Van Gaal had a win percentage of 52.4% in all competitions.
JOSE MOURINHO (2016-2018)
United needed galvanising so they sent for the Special One.
The league form remained patchy but the Portuguese could at least point to trophy successes in the EFL Cup and Europa League as signs of progress.
The following year they kicked on by coming second in the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup final, where they lost to Mourinho’s former club Chelsea.
It all unravelled, however, in the 2018/19 campaign with just seven wins from United’s first 17 games in charge, leading to Mourinho’s dismissal on December 18, 2018.
Mourinho had a win percentage of 58.3% in all competitions.
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER (2018-2021)
Former United striker Solskjaer was appointed as caretaker after Mourinho’s departure but earned a full-time crack at the job after winning 14 of his first 19 games in charge.
United finished sixth at the end of the 2018-19 campaign and made a slow start to the following season before the arrival of Bruno Fernandes inspired an improvement.
They ended third and reached the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, the FA Cup and Europa League.
Solskjaer continued to make steady progress and United eventually finished runners-up after topping the table after 17 games.
They also reached the final of the Europa League but lost to Villarreal on penalties.
Solskjaer signed a three-year contract in the summer of 2021 but was sacked four months later with the club seventh in the league table.
Solskjaer had a win percentage of 54.1% in all competitions.
ERIK TEN HAG (2022-2024)
After the interim tenure of Ralf Rangnick (a 38% win percentage), United turned to Dutchman Ten Hag.
He became the first United manager to lose his first two games in charge but a good run got the club back on track. That up-and-down nature characterised his spell in charge with an EFL Cup success at Wembley swiftly followed by a 7-0 hammering at Liverpool.
They finished third in season one under Ten Hag and eighth 12 months later, although they did win the FA Cup.
Ten Hag was dismissed in October 2024 with United 14th in the table.
Ten Hag had a win percentage of 54.7% in all competitions.
RUBEN AMORIM (2024-2025)
Amorim was the ambitious choice to replace Ten Hag but departed after a dismal 14-month spell.
The club finished 15th in the Premier League last season, just four points above the relegation zone, with Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 formation being a regular talking point.
They did reach the final of the Europa League but lost 1-0 to Spurs after a woeful performance in Bilbao.
Amorim won just 24 of his 63 games in charge.
Amorim had a win percentage of 38.1% in all competitions.
AMORIM THE WORST OF A SORRY BUNCH
Mourinho – 58.3% win percentage
Ten Hag – 54.7%
Solskjaer – 54.1%
Moyes – 53%
Van Gaal – 52.4%
Amorim – 38.1%