Follow live reaction to Ruben Amorim’s sacking by Manchester United

Ruben Amorim has insisted that he considers himself the manager of Manchester United, as opposed to the head coach.

In an apparent message to the Old Trafford hierarchy to leave him to do his job, Amorim also said that he will perform his role for the next 18 months, then “everyone is going to move on”. Amorim’s contract is set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, with an option for United to extend for a further year.

The 40-year-old was speaking after United’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road, which followed cryptic comments during his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Amorim, whose official title since being appointed has been ‘head coach’, had hinted at tensions behind the scenes relating to an inability to play his preferred 3-4-3 system.

Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, speaks daily with Amorim and the pair have held discussions on the formation in the past. Wilcox is known to like the 4-3-3 that brought Manchester City dominance.

When asked about those comments and if his level of support inside the club had changed, Amorim said on Sunday: “I noticed you receive selective information about everything. I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United. That is clear.

“I know that my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, it’s not (Antonio) Conte, it’s not (Jose) Mourinho but I’m the manager of Manchester United.

“It’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decide to change. That was my point, I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy is coming here to replace me.”

Leeds’ Brenden Aaronson and Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha were the scorers at Elland Road on Sunday (Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)

Amorim added: “I just want to say I’m going to be the manager of this team and not just the coach. I was really clear on that. And that is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on.

“That was the deal, that is the job, not to be a coach. If people cannot handle the (Sky Sports pundit and former United captain) Gary Nevilles, the criticism of everything, we need to change.

“In every department, the scouting department, the sporting director needs to their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.”

Amorim persisted with his 3-4-3 system against Leeds on Sunday, having also deployed it in Tuesday’s disappointing 1-1 draw against 20th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.