Amorim dismissal cost Manchester United £8.2m, but Milan saved them another £8.5m

MILAN, ITALY - AUGUST 28: Ruben Amorim, Manager of AC Milan, looks on before the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 28, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Financial statements confirm Manchester United paid £8.2m to fire Ruben Amorim in January, but Milan saved them another £8.5m by hiring the coach again so quickly.

The troubled Premier League club reported a seventh straight annual loss, reaching £43m for the year ending June 2026, increasing from the £33m net loss last summer.

Amorim a costly mistake

Part of that was down to the decision to fire coach Amorim in January 2026, as he still had 18 months left to run on his contract.

Manchester United confirmed today that their exceptional items for the year included £8.2m severance package for Amorim and his staff, namely Carlos Fernandes, Adelio Candido, Emanuel Ferro and Jorge Vital.

Incredibly, that is less than half what they would’ve paid out had Milan not snapped the Portuguese tactician up this summer.

If he had not taken on a new job so quickly, then Manchester United would’ve been footing the bill for £16.7m to cover the rest of the contract.