Darren Fletcher has taken over from Ruben Amorim on an interim basis, and Gary Neville has warned what Manchester United should consider when appointing a new manager.
19:55, 05 Jan 2026Updated 19:59, 05 Jan 2026
Gary Neville believes Manchester United should follow a simple rule when appointing the successor to Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese coach was sacked on Monday morning following the 1-1 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road.
Amorim leaves United after just 14 months in charge, with the club sitting sixth in the table. His explosive post‑match comments, in which he aimed thinly veiled digs at the board, ultimately sealed his fate.
United legend Darren Fletcher has taken over as interim for now, as the search for a new manager begins. And Neville has already offered his former club advice on what they should take into consideration when selecting a new manager.
Speaking on the Premier League show on Sky Sports, Neville initially showed sympathy towards Amorim, saying: “To be fair to Ruben Amorim, I think when he was offered the job he said ‘No, I prefer to take it in the summer when you can adapt to my system and you can recruit towards it’ – he did say that but then Manchester United sort of said ‘it’s now or never’. The lure of Manchester United and being the manager is something that is difficult to turn down but he did call this out on the way in.
“I actually thought that Manchester United would adapt a lot better to the three [at the back] than they did. I am really stunned that over the period of time that Ruben Amorim has been at the club that they continued to play so poorly in that system. I get it, it’s a difficult system: wing-backs are challenging, it’s not a role that young full-backs grow up playing anymore in Europe.
“Similarly, those two in behind the centre-forward are difficult because you’ve got to be in the pockets and then out sometimes to have to defend and chase back with the full-back of the opposition team. So there are quite specialist positions within the system Ruben Amorim plays, the centre-backs as well. But I can’t believe how badly they have adapted to it and how inconsistent they’ve been with it.
“That’s a failing upon the manager, a failing upon the players and it’s a failure upon the club in terms of not recruiting properly for it. However, thinking about this this morning and travelling down to London at 10 o’clock and I was thinking ‘what managers that have been appointed at the club over the last 10-12 years’ – Louis van Gaal has his own philosophy, Jose Mourinho plays a certain style of football, so does David Moyes; Erik ten Hag, again a different style of football, very positional, very different to what Manchester United would ordinarily play.
“Ruben Amorim, a very different style from what Manchester United would ordinarily expect. I think the experiments have got to stop. I’m not being ‘Manchester United, look at us, this is what we do’.
“There is a very good video that’s been floating around for about 15 years of Bobby Charlton talking about what Manchester United is as a football club and I’ve always been very proud of what that football club is: adventurous, exciting football, playing young players, entertaining the crowd – those fans that pay to come in that are basically looking for some relief from their job at a weekend and want an entertaining Saturday.”
Neville then reiterated that United should not look to change their DNA but instead, appoint a manager that fits the profile of the club.
“Manchester United must take risks and play aggressive, attacking football,” he continued.
“Manchester United have got to appoint a manager that fits the DNA of their football club. Ajax will never change for anybody; Barcelona will never change for anybody: I don’t believe Manchester United should change for anybody. They should play the way in which they play.
“These managers that have come in are fantastic managers – Van Gaal, Mourinho, Ten Hag, Amorim – brilliant coaches, you can’t say they’re not good coaches. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But they’ve all come in with different approaches, different styles of play, different philosophies, and none of them really fit the Manchester United way.
“So for me it’s about finding a manager with the experience who is willing to play fast, entertaining, aggressive, attacking football, and it’s as simple as that.”
2026-01-05 19:55:33
