MANCHESTER, England — In the high-stakes cauldron of Manchester United’s faltering 2025-26 campaign, head coach Ruben Amorim has once again laid bare his emotional volatility, admitting that on bad days he “hates” his players but cherishes them when they show fight. This candid revelation, first aired in the wake of a humiliating 3-0 derby thrashing at Manchester City on Sunday, has sent shockwaves through the Old Trafford dressing room, exacerbating tensions and piling unbearable pressure on the Portuguese manager just four games into the Premier League season.
Amorim’s blunt words came during a tense press conference on Friday, ahead of United’s now-postponed clash with Burnley, as he reflected on the team’s abject start — a mere four points from four matches, including a shocking penalty shootout exit to fourth-tier Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup. “Every time we have a defeat like that, I’m going to be like that,” Amorim declared, his voice laced with defiance. “I’m going to say that sometimes I hate my players, sometimes I love my players, sometimes I want to defend my players and sometimes I think I cannot. Sometimes I love to be with my players, sometimes I don’t want to be with them. I need to improve on that, it’s going to be hard, but now I’m focused on the next game.”
The 40-year-old, who took the reins at United in November 2024 after a glittering tenure at Sporting CP, has always worn his heart on his sleeve. His temperament — a cocktail of passion and frustration — has defined his time in Manchester. Back in January, after a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion that marked United’s seventh loss in just 15 games under his watch, Amorim unleashed a tirade in the dressing room so fierce that he smashed the giant television screen in a fit of rage. Witnesses described a scene of biblical fury: chairs kicked, tables upended, and players left shell-shocked as the coach branded his squad “maybe the worst in history.” That incident, reported by The Athletic, was a stark departure from Amorim’s usual post-match calm, highlighting the mounting strain of adapting his intricate 3-4-3 system to a squad ill-equipped for its demands.
Fast-forward to this week, and the Etihad Stadium debacle has amplified those cracks to seismic proportions. Manchester City’s clinical demolition — goals from Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne — exposed United’s defensive frailties and lack of cohesion, with full-back Luke Shaw enduring a nightmare afternoon. As City fans mockingly chanted Amorim’s name to the tune of a United supporters’ song proclaiming he would “bring the glory days again,” the away end fell into stunned silence. United’s possession hovered at a dismal 28%, and their shot count was a measly five, underscoring a team adrift.
Inside the dressing room, the fallout has been brutal. Sources close to Carrington reveal a squad fracturing along fault lines. Senior players, including Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire — part of Amorim’s handpicked leadership group alongside Tom Heaton, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez, and Noussair Mazraoui — have reportedly confronted the manager privately, questioning whether his public emotional outbursts are undermining morale. “Some feel he’s doing them a disservice,” one insider told the Mirror. “He’s repeatedly asking them to fit into a system they’re not built for, and now this ‘hate’ talk? It’s confusing and demotivating.” Whispers of Amorim’s potential resignation have circulated, with players believing that another embarrassment could prompt him to walk away, echoing his post-Grimsby admission of wanting to “quit.”
The Grimsby fiasco, just days earlier, was the spark that reignited Amorim’s fire. United’s first-ever competitive loss to a League Two side — a 1-1 draw decided by penalties — left the coach seething. In the immediate aftermath, he told reporters, “Something has to change,” and hinted at a lack of commitment from his charges. By Friday, he doubled down, blaming his “emotions” but refusing to apologize. “It’s, ‘I want to quit, I don’t love my players, I sometimes hate my kids,'” he confessed, drawing parallels to his family life. BBC Sport noted that Amorim requires just “10 minutes with myself alone” to cool off, a luxury not afforded in the relentless Premier League grind.
Yet, Amorim’s duality isn’t without its silver linings. Just 24 hours after his “hate” bombshell, United scraped a 1-0 victory over Burnley, courtesy of a controversial late penalty converted by Fernandes. Post-match, the coach flipped the script: “When they put the effort in, I always love them. Even when Amad is missing that kind of goal, I love Amad if he’s giving everything.” The Guardian highlighted how this hard-fought win — despite Matheus Cunha’s first-half injury — briefly restored harmony, with Amorim praising the squad’s resilience. “We need to understand that we should always be on this level of effort,” he added, pointing to a spirited opening half against the Clarets.
Amorim’s backers, however, see his candor as a strength. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United’s minority owner, has invested nearly £236 million in the summer transfer window to bolster the Portuguese’s vision, opening talks for talents like Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu to fit his wing-back blueprint. Club executives, including CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, remain steadfast in their support, viewing Amorim as the long-term architect despite the rocky start. In a pre-season interview with The Athletic in Chicago, he dismissed sack talk as an “ego thing,” vowing to stay for “20 years” and drawing on his playing days at Benfica, where pressure felt more acute. “I took five years to choose this club. I don’t want to fail,” he said.
Critics, though, are less forgiving. Wayne Rooney, a United legend, lambasted Amorim on Sky Sports, calling his approach “brutal” and warning that alienating players mid-crisis risks catastrophe. Reddit forums like r/ManchesterUnited buzz with divided opinions: some hail the TV-smashing rant as “righteous fury” needed to jolt a complacent squad, while others decry it as unprofessional fuel for rival banter. “Every time I think I can’t hate that dressing room even more, they somehow make me hate them more,” one user vented, echoing frustrations over stars like Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, who have struggled to adapt despite Amorim’s pleas for harder training.
The broader context is grim. United’s four-point haul marks their worst opening since 1992, with no European football and an early EFL Cup exit leaving vast gaps in the schedule for introspection. Amorim’s win rate stands at a woeful 26% in 31 Premier League games, a far cry from his Sporting glory. Leaks from the dressing room — including pre-match line-ups circulating on social media — have further eroded trust, prompting Amorim to address the issue head-on in December 2024. “It’s not a good thing,” he admitted then, urging Rashford and Garnacho to “work hard” to reclaim spots.
As the international break looms, Amorim plans talks with the hierarchy, insisting such dialogues are routine. But with the derby fresh in minds — Haaland’s brace reminding all of United’s gulf to the elite — the pressure is existential. Can Amorim’s raw authenticity galvanize a divided squad, or will it prove his undoing? The players, caught between fear and fondness for their volatile boss, hold the answer. For now, in the shadow of the Etihad, “love” feels a distant dream, and “hate” echoes louder than ever.
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