Ruben Amorim pay-off at Manchester United: £8.5m fee confirmed

Manchester United have revealed the full cost of Ruben Amorim's departure. The Portuguese coach, sacked in January after 14 months in the job, received a pay-off of £8.5m following the early termination of his contract.

• United paid £8.5m to Amorim after his sacking in January.
• The figure is just over half of what Erik ten Hag received in 2024.
• The initial cost was estimated at £16.7m but fell when Amorim joined AC Milan.
• The club posted record revenue of £677.6m despite no European football.
• The wage bill dropped 3.6% to £302m.

How much Manchester United paid to sack Amorim

Amorim's dismissal came after the 1-1 draw against Leeds United, a result that proved to be the final straw for the club's hierarchy and brought an abrupt end to a tenure that never truly gained momentum. The Portuguese had signed a two-and-a-half-year deal in November 2024 but lasted only 14 months in the Old Trafford dugout.

Because that contract was ended early, United were obliged to compensate their former head coach. The accounts for the 2025/26 financial year show a payment of £8.5m, as detailed in the financial results published by the club. The figure is substantial, yet it looks modest when set against the cost of dismissing his predecessor.

The Ten Hag comparison and the AC Milan effect

Erik ten Hag, sacked in October 2024, walked away with a considerably larger payout. His contract had been extended by a further year just three months earlier, following the FA Cup triumph, a decision that made his exit far more expensive for the club. Amorim, by contrast, did not even complete half of his initial agreement.

The accounting cost of Amorim's exit and that of his backroom staff was first recorded as an exceptional item of £16.7m in the third-quarter results published in May. That figure represented the maximum exposure United faced from the departure of the Portuguese and his team.

However, the final amount has come in well below that mark. The reason is straightforward: the Portuguese coach soon accepted the AC Milan job, and that new contract significantly reduced the compensation United were required to pay. In effect, the club managed to save several million pounds compared to the initial forecast.

Record revenue for United despite no European football

The financial results for the year ended 30 June paint a split picture. On one hand, the club generated £677.6m in revenue, a new record that surpasses the £666.5m posted the previous year. It achieved that milestone in a season without European competition, underlining the sheer commercial power of the United brand.

On the other hand, the club recorded a pre-tax loss of almost £47m. That mix of rising income and red figures is what keeps financial discipline at the top of the agenda for the leadership team.

What Omar Berrada said about the club's accounts

We are pleased to have secured record revenues and adjusted EBITDA which demonstrates the underlying strength of our business, particularly in a season without European football. This shows the direct impact of the work we have been doing over the past two years. It also proves Manchester United's enduring popularity and commercial strength.

Wage bill drops after squad and staff changes

United's wage bill stood at £302m, a decrease of £11.3m, or 3.6%, compared to the previous year. The club attributes the reduction to changes in the men's first-team squad and the headcount reduction programmes carried out over the past two years.

Looking ahead, the club expects revenue of between £740m and £760m for the next financial year. The return to the Champions League, a competition United will play in again this season, is one of the key drivers behind that upward projection.

Frequently asked questions about Amorim's sacking