Manchester United paid £16.7m to sack Amorim as club posts £37.7m operating profit

Manchester United spent £16.7 million sacking Ruben Amorim and his coaching staff in January 2026, according to the club’s latest financial accounts, which also show an operating profit of £37.7 million for the nine months to March 2026 — a significant turnaround from a £3.2 million loss in the equivalent period a year earlier.

Amorim lasted just 14 months at Old Trafford after succeeding Erik ten Hag as head coach in November 2024. The 41-year-old Portuguese manager guided United to 15th place in the Premier League — the club’s lowest top-flight finish on record — and a Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur before being dismissed. His tenure was marked by tactical inflexibility, with Amorim persisting with a back-three system despite widespread criticism.

Following Amorim’s departure, Darren Fletcher took interim charge for two matches before former United midfielder Michael Carrick was appointed on a temporary basis. Carrick has since guided the club back into the Champions League and been handed the permanent managerial role.

United’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for the nine-month period reached £187.5 million, up from £145.3 million in the prior year. The club attributes part of the improvement to cost-cutting measures introduced since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner, including a round of staff redundancies.

The accounts do highlight ongoing financial pressures. United still carry approximately £483 million ($650 million) in debt inherited from the Glazer era, while short-term borrowing has risen to £262.5 million — an increase of around £50 million on the same quarter last year. The absence of European football at Old Trafford for the first time in a decade also weighed on revenues, as did early exits from both domestic cup competitions.

The picture is set to improve next season. United will return to Champions League football under Carrick and are guaranteed at least £16 million in prize money from that participation alone, ending the run of free midweeks that defined much of the current campaign.