LEEDS, England — Manchester United's Ruben Amorim took possession of Enzo Maresca's playbook, read it cover to cover and selected the most explosive elements in issuing a direct challenge to his bosses.
And whether by accident or intention, Amorim has increased his chances of suffering the same fate as the former Chelsea manager, whose 18-month spell in charge of the FIFA Club World Cup winners came to an end on New Year's Day following an excessively public outburst against the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
Maresca, who guided Chelsea to UEFA Champions League qualification and UEFA Conference League success last season before winning the Club World Cup in July, stopped short of identifying those with whom he had frustrations at the club when he spoke of suffering the “worst 48 hours since I joined the club because a lot of people didn't support us” on December 14.
And although Maresca's problems with Chelsea's complex hierarchy of two owners, five sporting directors and a self-employed medical team were known, the former Leicester City manager made sure not to publicly point fingers.
But in his explosive post-match press conference for the team's 1-1 draw at Leeds United on Sunday, Amorim called on United's director of football, Jason Wilcox, and his scouting team to “do their job”, while also demanding that they be allowed to be the team's “coach, not the manager”.
Amorim was actually announced as 'head coach' by United when he arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting CP in November 2024, so his call-up for the 'manager' title was a power play in itself. But by singling out those responsible for recruiting players, Amorim has sparked an internal battle for control.
There is no other way to interpret his comments and Amorim knows it.
The 40-year-old wants the United hierarchy of Wilcox, chief executive Omar Berrada and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to sanction new arrivals to his beleaguered team this month to help boost the team's chances of securing Champions League qualification next season.
But after missing out on Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo, who is expected to complete a £65million move to Manchester City this week, Amorim said on Friday there would be no further attempts to sign new players.
The money was there to bring Semenyo, but not for other possible signings, a reality that Amorim seems unable to accept. And after initially expressing his frustrations in his pregame press conference on Friday, he redoubled his efforts when asked to clarify his comments on Sunday.
It is clearly an issue that bothers him deeply, but it is the language used by Amorim that points to his growing dissatisfaction at Old Trafford.
“I realized that you [the media] receive selective information about everything,” he said when asked about his comments on Friday.
By suggesting that reporters covering United are receiving “selective information”, Amorim appears to believe there is an information campaign to counter his messages to the media, which is not a healthy place for any head coach at a club.
And by saying that he is the “coach, not the coach” (while listing examples from colleagues like Thomas Tuchel, Antonio Conte and José Mourinho), Amorim asks for the kind of control that his actual job doesn't give him.
A similar scenario occurred at Chelsea under Maresca, both in terms of control over the opinion of the medical team but also his inability to influence the recruitment department to sign the more experienced players he believed the team needed to reach the next level.
Amorim is in the same place right now.
After finishing 16th last season, Amorim has arguably exceeded expectations this campaign to date by putting United in contention for a Champions League place. And with the top four within reach (and a top five spot may even be enough for a European place if England secure an extra place in the UEFA coefficient table), Amorim wants the club to sign a midfielder and a full-back to make a difference as the games come thick and fast in the new year.
Amorim wants United to speculate to accumulate, but the club's hierarchy, aware of financial constraints and the prospect of striking better deals in the summer, are reluctant to make additions.
This could be interpreted in two ways. The first is that United simply want to wait until the end of the season and avoid negotiating in a market with limited options. But the second scenario is that Wilcox, Berrada and Ratcliffe are losing faith in Amorim and do not want to risk signing players who may not be suitable for a potential successor.
If Amorim believes journalists are being given “selective” information, he may also believe that second scenario, which is why he's now calling his bosses in what sounds like a “back me up or fire me” ultimatum.
Maresca tried to play that card and lost spectacularly.
Amorim now faces the same fate, not only because he has publicly questioned his bosses, but because results are beginning to slip, with United managing just one win in their last five league games.
For any coach or head coach, a combination of poor results and tension with the club hierarchy is a dangerous cocktail. Amorim has put himself in serious danger at United by speaking so candidly.
