Manchester United faces a massive multi-million payout to settle former manager Ruben Amorim's contract, highlighting costly dismissals and financial restructuring.
Manchester United may have to pay up to £16 million to settle the contract of its former manager, Ruben Amorim, and his assistants, dismissed in January due to poor results, the club reported in a stock market statement.
That figure will be reached based on conditions that the club has not specified.
"A provision of £15.9 million, representing the maximum potential amount of future settlement payments, will be recognized in the income statement for the second half of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026," the entity communicated in a document published Thursday for investors on the New York Stock Exchange, where the English club is listed.
Manchester United is one of the few clubs that are publicly traded, imposing financial transparency obligations that allow the publication of these figures, whereas those of its rivals remain protected as trade secrets.
The club already announced in 2024 that it had paid £10.4 million to settle the contract of Amorim's predecessor, Erik ten Hag, the Netherlands' manager, and his assistants.
To hire the Portuguese manager in 2024, United had to pay £6.3 million to Sporting Lisbon.
Weighed down by years of disappointing sporting results, United has been undergoing a deep restructuring since 2024, driven by minority shareholder Jim Ratcliffe, which has led to the elimination of about 450 jobs.
These drastic cuts have allowed the club to record a profit of £32.6 million in the first half of the 2026 fiscal year (July-December 2025), compared with a loss of £3.9 million in the first half of the 2025 fiscal year (July-December 2024).
Ruben Amorim's stint at Manchester United ended as one of the most costly disappointments in the club's recent history. After being presented as the tactical "savior" who would bring Sporting Lisbon's success to the club.
The Portuguese manager was dismissed after leaving a soulless team, sunk in the mediocrity of the standings, and with a fractured dressing room due to his inflexible three-center-back system.
Amorim's dismissal in early January, after a modest 14-month tenure, provoked a reaction among the players, who, under the leadership of Michael Carrick, have climbed to fourth place in the Premier League and hope to qualify for the Champions League next season.
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