RUBEN, ADEUS
Considering it took Chelsea 19 days to sack Enzo Maresca following his very public act of insubordination towards the Stamford Bridge hierarchy in mid-December, it is only the speed with which Manchester United kicked their head coach towards the kerb following yesterday’s outburst at Elland Road that might have come as a surprise to Ruben Amorim. Short of rocking up for his post-match press conference waving a placard bearing the slogan “Please Sack Me”, the Portuguese could scarcely have done more to ensure the abrupt receipt of his marching orders. As if his repeated insistence he was “going to be manager of this team, not head coach” wasn’t enough, Amorim threw shade at Jason Wilcox, the club sporting director, and announced there’d be a Ruben-shaped hole in the Old Trafford exit door when his contract expired in 18 months – unless he was sacked first. Less than 18 hours later, with the monotonous predictability of a Bazballing batter throwing away his wicket to a time-killing pre-lunch long hop, any remaining confusion over the 40-year-old’s exact job title was finally cleared up – Amorim is now neither manager nor head coach at United, but gainfully and perhaps mercifully unemployed.
