Ruben Amorim has been subjected to plenty of criticism across his reign as Manchester United manager, and the Portuguese coach is not afraid to dish some out himself. It has been revealed that he gave Manuel Ugarte – a player that he previously worked with at Sporting – a serious dressing down following defeat to Tottenham in the 2025 Europa League final.
United suffered a 1-0 defeat to domestic rivals that day, denying them major silverware and qualification for continental competition in 2025-26. Uruguay international Ugarte was an unused substitute against Spurs, but still attracted unwelcome attention from his manager ahead of a Premier League season closer at home to Aston Villa.
Amorim called a meeting, attended by the entire Red Devils squad, a day prior to facing the Villans at Old Trafford. It was during that discussion that he informed Argentina international winger Alejandro Garnacho that he would need a “good agent” during the summer transfer window, with the 21-year-old winger eventually being offloaded to Chelsea.
According to The Athletic, Amorim also took aim at Ugarte. They know each other well from their time in Lisbon, but familiarity does not spare anybody from incurring the wrath of Amorim. He is said to have called Ugarte’s work rate into question.
It is claimed that Amorim told Ugarte that he has “gotten comfortable”, with the Portuguese tactician saying that he does “not recognise him as the same player from their first stint together”. Said comments “caused a ripple of reaction among those in the squad” as it was made abundantly clear that 100 per cent commitment to the collective cause is required at all times. Amorim’s approach is considered to be “hard, but broadly fair”.
United’s boss prefers to address any issues in his camp within group settings, rather than one-on-one, with that system reported to be “the cause of conversations among players”. Several United stars are said to have discussed the methods of their manager during a post-season trip to Kuala Lumpur, with some preferring “more tailored instructions”.
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Amorim will not be bowing to those demands and wants those on the fringes of his first-team squad to prove their worth in training, not through “face-to-face meetings”. He has made a point of staying away from any player-based social activities in a bid to “maintain a sense of authority”.
Another all-staff meeting was called ahead of the 2025-26 season, at which Amorim reiterated the need for standards to be improved when it comes to professionalism and commitment. He is said to have “cited players going out and being late for training as examples of bad discipline”.
While some of those on the playing staff may not always appreciate his approach to coaching, those behind the scenes have embraced his “candour and passion” – with Amorim a regular presence at United’s company summits.
The Red Devils remain a work in progress, having made more efforts during the last transfer window to remove those that are considered problematic – such as Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony – while bringing in players that have a “love for football”. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha are considered to tick that box, while also boasting useful Premier League experience from their spells at Brentford and Wolves respectively.
They are said to have “lifted the mood and the quality of sessions significantly”. Amorim has also appointed a six-man leadership group in his dressing room – with club captain Bruno Fernandes being supported by Harry Maguire, Tom Heaton, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot. They are trusted with building discipline and keeping everybody in line.
United have enjoyed an improvement of late, going unbeaten through their last five games, and have entered the latest international break sat seventh in the Premier League table. They will return to action on November 24 in a home date with Everton and former manager David Moyes.
