Mark Ogden is a senior soccer writer for ESPN.com. Read his archive here and follow him on Twitter: @MarkOgden_.
Ruben Amorim has raised doubts over his future at Manchester United by saying he wants to be the “manager, not the coach” and told the club’s scouting department and sporting director to “do their jobs.”
Amorim, who was officially named as head coach at Old Trafford on a contract until June 2027 when he arrived at United from Sporting CP in November 2024, voiced his frustrations on Friday at the prospect of no new signings being added to his squad during the January transfer window.
And when asked by reporters to clarify those comments following Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Leeds at Elland Road, Amorim went further by hinting at a power struggle with director of football Jason Wilcox and appearing to demand greater control at Old Trafford beyond the primarily role of coaching the team.
“I noticed that you receive selective information about everything,” Amorim said when asked about his comments on Friday. “I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United and 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. And it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decided to change.
“I will do my job and every department, the scouting department, the sporting director, needs to do their job.
“I will do mine for 18 months and then we will watch.
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“So 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.
“And that is going to finish in 18 months, and then everyone is going to to move on. That was the deal. That is my job, not to be a coach.”
Amorim has previously voiced his concern at the influence of former United players now working in the media, including Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.
And in a further aside, he said that the club needs to change if it is unable to cope with the outside criticism.
“If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the critics of everything, we need to change the club,” he said. “No, guys, I just want to say that.”
