Ruben Amorim’s long-term future at Manchester United has been thrown into doubt after his explosive comments following his side’s draw with Leeds United.
Amorim’s cryptic pre-match comments about his unhappiness with United’s transfer policy spilt over into a remarkable press conference following the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.
In a lengthy response to his final question, Amorim insisted he wanted to be the ‘manager, not the coach’ and hinted he would be happy to ‘move on’ after seeing out the final 18 months of his contract.
‘I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United. That is clear,’ he said.
‘I know that my name is not Tuchel, is not Conte, is not Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United. It’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decided to change.
‘That was my point. I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until other guy is coming here to replace me.’
He added: ‘In every department – the scouting department, the sporting director – [they] need to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.’
Next Man Utd manager odds
Oliver Glasner: 2/1
Michael Carrick: 6/1
Laurant Blanc: 6/1
Gareth Southgate: 8/1
Xavi Hernandez: 8/1
Unai Emery: 10/1
Marco Silva 10/1
Mauricio Pochettino: 12/1
Andoni Iraola: 12/1
Amorim’s comments, hinting at a growing power struggle and tension between himself and director of football, Jason Wilcox, throw his future at Old Trafford into immediate doubt, especially after a run of form which has yielded just one win in their last five games.
A similar situation only recently played out at Chelsea, with head coach Enzo Maresca eventually leaving Stamford Bridge after a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s senior hierarchy.
And United may well choose to follow suit and make a change of appointment if bridges cannot be rebuilt between Amorim and those above him.
Should they do so, the bookies see Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner as the overwhelming favourite to succeed Amorim at Old Trafford.
The Austrian, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has worked wonders at Selhurst Park, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield with Palace and guiding them into Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
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Former United midfielder Michael Carrick is next in the betting, with the Englishman out of work after leaving Middlesbrough at the end of last season.
Laurant Blanc, most recently manager at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, is also priced at 6/1, while Gareth Southgate and Xavi both sit at 8/1 with the bookmakers.
Current Premier League managers Unai Emery and Marco Silva are both 10/1, with Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola one of several managers priced a bit higher at 12/1.
United face a busy and potentially tricky run of fixtures before the end of the year, travelling to face Burnley in midweek prior to their FA Cup third-round clash with Brighton at he weekend.
The Red Devils then host Manchester City before a trip down to the Emirates to take on league leaders Arsenal in their last game of January.
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