£630m Man United announcement speaks volumes about how Ineos will deal with Ruben Amorim

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Adam Williams has now exclusively told TBR Football whether Manchester United could actually afford to fire Ruben Amorim.

The man born in Lisbon has a contract at Old Trafford which runs until July 2027 – but is under immense pressure after the Red Devils embarked on their worst start to a Premier League season since the 1992/93 campaign.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already made cutbacks to ease a concerning financial situation at Manchester United, but football finance expert Adam Williams claims there is still enough cash in the bank to sack Ruben Amorim – if need be.

Exclusive: Manchester United can afford to dismiss Ruben Amorim if worrying form continues

The Head of Football Finance and Governance Content for GRV Media told TBR Football: “United released their fourth-quarter accounts for 2024/25 this week, so we have a good idea of their financial picture. The caveat here is that those figures don’t include the costs of the summer rebuild, which on a net basis was worth about £150m and will have altered the underlying wage bill too.

“That said, the costs of dismissing Amorim would be a fraction of their outlay on just one headline-grabbing signing. Reportedly, it will cost £12m to dismiss him in the first year of his contract. That’s roughly equivalent to the remaining value of his deal, meaning the pay he would be entitled to without bonuses if he had seen out his contract.

“Sometimes that figure will be paid out in one transaction, while other times the manager will just continue to receive his basic wage the same way he ordinarily would. Regardless of the specifics, the £12m would hit the bottom line this season, which would eat into their profit or loss for the season. That, in turn, is how PSR is calculated.

“United are going to lose money in 2025/26, but they are still forecasting revenues of £630m-plus which will insulate them from the lack of Champions League football. It looks like they’re going to have to make some compromises though, such as mid-season exhibition matches. Either way, they will have plenty of wriggle room with PSR, so that won’t be the deciding factor. In terms of cash, they are probably okay too, and the ‘Project 90’ initiative they have launched shows they are confident of being able to improve the balance sheet further.

“So, finances won’t be a barrier to getting rid of Amorim, and if it proves to be the difference between finishing a few places higher in the league, it would pay for itself.”

Manchester United already have a replacement for Ruben Amorim in mind

It would be a disaster if Manchester United had to dismiss the 40-year-old, seeing as he was only hired as recently as November 2024.

However, the level of performance right now is nowhere near the required standard, so decision makers at Old Trafford are understandably making succession plans.

TBR Football understand Manchester United admire Andoni Iraola as a result of his outstanding work at Bournemouth, who he guided to ninth in the Premier League last season.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	4	4	0	0	9	4	5	12
2	ArsenalArsenal	4	3	0	1	9	1	8	9
3	TottenhamTottenham	4	3	0	1	8	1	7	9
4	BournemouthBournemouth	4	3	0	1	6	5	1	9
5	ChelseaChelsea	4	2	2	0	9	3	6	8

The Spaniard currently has the Cherries sitting fourth after three wins from four games so far this term.

Iraola – aged 43 – sees his contract expire at the end of season, a deal Bournemouth are scampering to extend amid interest from Manchester United.