Revealed: Ruben Amorim's mumbling speech that told Man United stars he'd lost control - dressing-room insiders tell CHRIS WHEELER how manager signed own death warrant, the three players desperate to get out and his shocking reaction to sacking

When the Manchester United players gathered at Old Trafford for last week’s game against Wolves , they weren’t ready for what Ruben Amorim was about to do next.

Having finally showed a willingness to adapt his trusted back-three system and embrace the expansive football the United hierarchy wanted in a 4-4 draw with Bournemouth and the Boxing Day win over Newcastle, Amorim had prepared for Wolves in a similar way.

The squad had trained in the last two sessions at Carrington with a back four and were expecting to line up in that formation and attack a team adrift at the foot of the Premier League with just two points from their first 18 games and 11 defeats in a row.

However, there was a palpable sense of surprise and confusion among the players when he called the squad together beforehand and told them there was a change of plan. United were reverting to a back three.

‘He was mumbling as he tried to explain to them,’ a dressing-room source tells Daily Mail Sport . ‘The players got the impression he didn’t have everything under control. He seemed full of self-doubt and quite insecure.’

United fans booed as the game finished in a tame 1-1 draw. Three days later, Amorim appeared with a face like thunder for his weekly press conference at Carrington, and the cracks in his relationship with the board and director of football Jason Wilcox that had appeared over Christmas began to widen.

When the 40-year-old continued to speak out against his employers after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds at Elland Road, railing against his title of head coach and a perceived lack of control over team affairs, he had signed his own death warrant.

United issued a statement at 10.12am on Monday morning confirming that he was gone after 420 days.

In the end, Amorim went down with his precious back-three system. United had tried to coax him out of it with limited success, but in recent weeks he had taken the feedback from those above him in an increasingly emotional way.

The Wolves game was a prime example of a man reverting to type as Amorim retreated back into his shell. Being resistant to change was one thing, but calling out his bosses was something else again.

In the meantime, he was losing the support of the dressing room and trust of players who have never really felt comfortable with his methods since he arrived from Sporting Lisbon on a private jet in November 2024.

Amorim’s cause hasn’t been helped by the absence of Bruno Fernandes, his captain and chief ally in the dressing room. Fernandes has been a vital conduit between Amorim and the players, and that has been lost since he was injured at Aston Villa two weeks ago.

The coach has also been without two other members of his leadership team, Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui, as well as another senior figure in Matthijs De Ligt as he stumbled through the Christmas period with just one win in five games against some very average opposition.

Isolated in the dressing room and alienated from the boardroom, it feels as though the writing has been on the wall for some time.

Isolated in the dressing room and alienated from the boardroom, it feels as though the writing has been on the wall for Ruben Amorim for some time

In the end, Amorim went down with his precious back-three system. In recent weeks he had taken the feedback from those above him in an increasingly emotional way

Amorim was meant to be the antidote to the chaos under Erik ten Hag, and it many ways he was. The trouble is that when the time came to be a little more expansive, he was both unable and unwilling to do it.

United bought into the process at the beginning; that he would implement the 3-4-2-1 system that worked so well at Sporting, and over time make the United players more flexible. But it was on the understanding that the team would evolve over time. It was clear from the conversation he had with his players before the Wolves game that wasn’t happening.

Insiders spoke on Monday about the club not seeing enough ‘evolution or progress’. They have pushed back at the notion that Amorim was engaged in some kind of power struggle with Wilcox or was being given ultimatums from above. On the contrary, they insist that he was given unwavering support and had all the tools he needed to succeed.

That he was aligned with the club and that his role of head coach meant that he had to operate within the setup established over the last two years under minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Specifically, they maintain that he was on board with the decision to buy three forwards last summer – Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha – rather than a defensive midfielder.

United failed to sign one in the final days of the summer window, and their reluctance to try again in January, unless it’s a deal brought forward from the summer, appears to have been a bone of contention in recent days.

The only other transfer in which Amorim appears to have been at odds with the board was the signing of a new goalkeeper. Having decided to send Andre Onana out on loan and recruit a new No 1, Amorim was in favour of signing Emi Martinez.

Aston Villa's World Cup winner was convinced he was on his way to Old Trafford on deadline day, but United moved for young Antwerp keeper Senne Lammens instead.

Having decided to send Andre Onana out on loan and recruit a new No 1, Amorim was in favour of signing World Cup winner Emi Martinez (right) - he ended up with Senne Lammens instead

United maintain that Amorim was on board with the decision to buy three forwards last summer – Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha – rather than a defensive midfielder

After presiding over the second half of United’s worst season in more than half a century, there hasn’t been enough progress this term, even though Amorim leaves United in sixth place in a rather volatile Premier League table, only outside the likely fifth Champions League spot on goal difference.

His system had become predictable to other teams and the players still didn’t look comfortable in it after more than a year.

There was a lack of Plan B with Maguire often thrown up front as an emergency striker when required, despite all the money spent on attackers. Fans grew exasperated with a tendency to replace a centre back with another centre back, to little effect.

Off the pitch, he became what sources described as an ‘emotional volcano’. Long before Sunday, he had executives running for cover with his outspoken comments about the club. The players didn’t appreciate being branded ‘maybe the worst team in United’s history’ in January.

Some of them, including Kobbie Mainoo, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte, were desperate to leave this month if he had stayed in charge.

From Amorim’s point of view, it wasn’t surprising to hear on Monday that he remains committed to his football principles and is hoping to resume his coaching career very soon.

There is talk that Jose Mourinho’s spell at Benfica may come to an end in the summer, and Amorim would be the ideal fit for his old club.

It’s said that he felt there were too many cooks in the United kitchen and he needed more control, not to mention a couple of experienced players this month.

Some players, including Manuel Ugarte (left) and Kobbie Mainoo (right), were desperate to leave this month if Amorim had stayed in charge

Joshua Zirkzee was another keen to escape Old Trafford and his exile under the Portuguese

There is talk that Amorim could now return to Benfica, the club he (left) spent nine years at as a player

Interestingly, people close to Amorim say that he could see the end coming. Did he not also bring it on with his actions at Elland Road on Sunday? Was it possible a willful act of self-harm by a manager looking for a way out with generous compensation?

Certainly, staff at Carrington on Monday were surprised to see Amorim and his coaching staff leave the training ground laughing and joking, the scowl of recent days long gone.

He is free now and it’s time for United to move on.