What Gary Neville said about Ruben Amorim just before his Man United sacking

Gary Neville’s final comments about Ruben Amorim before his sacking by Manchester United suggested the Portuguese manager was “starting to unleash” due to unhappiness with the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Following United’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Leeds on Sunday, Amorim stressed that he was manager of the club, rather than just their coach, during a tetchy press conference that raised doubts over his future.

Less than 24 hours later, the 40-year-old was sacked by the club’s hierarchy, ending a dismal 14-month spell in charge at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese, who repeatedly raised the prospect of leaving when his contract expires in 2027, had alluded to frustration behind the scenes in the build-up to the match and refused to clarify his recent comments about the club’s transfer plans.

Amorim name-checked the former United captain on Sunday, saying: “If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club.”

Neville responded to Amorim’s outburst in his role as a Sky Sports pundit and drew comparisons with Enzo Maresca falling out with the Chelsea ownership, which ultimately ended with the Italian’s departure from Stamford Bridge.

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“Something’s happened there in the last week with the quotes that are coming out that mean that Ruben Amorim is now starting to unleash a little bit, as Maresca did when he said, ‘I’ve had the worst 48 hours (at Chelsea)’,” said Neville. “It’s not quite that, but it’s something similar in a way which it’s not explicit what he means.

“Everyone’s having to read between the lines what he means, which looks to me like he’s not happy with something within the hierarchy. That’s the sort of thing that basically is coming out of it. He’s mentioned my name in there as well, apparently.

“I think that’s one of the things that managers tend to do towards difficult periods. They tend to sort of have a go at pundits and I’ve no problem with that whatsoever.

“I’ve actually been quite supportive in the last few weeks of Manchester United’s performances against Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle, I thought they were very good. But I couldn’t be supportive after the game against Wolves, if that’s what Ruben Amorim was referring to.”

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United spent over £200m last summer bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens.

There had been talk of a January swoop for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, but Neville says he is not surprised “there is no money” for further investment this month and highlighted the areas Amorim would have been targeting before his sacking.

“Ruben Amorim obviously wants players,” said Neville. “He probably wants a midfield player, another wing-back if he’s going to cement that 3-4-3 system.

“It’s clear he needs another wing-back who can play in those wide areas – a specialist if you like – and Manchester United do need a central midfield player of force, of power, of presence.

“They needed that in the summer, but they chose to strengthen up top. So maybe he’s been told in the last week or two that he’s not getting any players. I genuinely don’t know what the situation is, but it’s not going to go away. When these press conferences of this ilk start, it’s never usually good.”