Amorim's explosive Carrington row reveals why United dodged a documentary disaster

Manchester United’s decision to shelve an Amazon documentary last season looks increasingly shrewd after it emerged that Ruben Amorim’s acrimonious departure included a heated confrontation with director of football Jason Wilcox at the club’s Carrington training ground on the morning of Friday, 2 January.

Amorim, who had reportedly been trying to engineer an exit for around a month, clashed with Wilcox in what Old Trafford insiders describe as an explosive argument. Two days later, the Portuguese head coach used a press conference at Elland Road to effectively call for his own dismissal. United obliged the following day.

Had Amazon’s cameras been rolling — as was seriously considered — the footage would have captured one of the most turbulent managerial exits in the club’s recent history. United had held talks with multiple streaming platforms and production houses about a behind-the-scenes series for several years, with discussions dating back to their 2023 pre-season tour of the United States. A formal proposal was even made to the club during that trip.

Amorim himself was the primary obstacle to the project going ahead last season. The head coach opposed granting camera crews access to the dressing room and felt the timing was wrong — a stance that, in hindsight, spared the club considerable embarrassment.

Old Trafford executives had always been conscious of finding the right moment and the right partner for such a series. The club had just finished 15th in the Premier League, and while there was optimism that a full pre-season under Amorim and a strong summer of recruitment could deliver improvement, the conditions were far from ideal for a rebirth narrative.

United have now agreed to proceed with a documentary for next season, with Michael Carrick having steadied the ship since replacing Amorim in January. There is reported confidence within the club that further progress is achievable, with a title challenge described internally as not entirely out of the question.

The timing, at least from a storytelling perspective, appears considerably more favourable than it would have been twelve months ago.