Amorim exposed for receiving hush money, no more leaks this season! Cunha insists the former coach also contributed to Manchester United's revival.

“Ah, it’s Amorim!” the Sky Sports commentator shouted when the live broadcast showed the stands at the Qatar Tennis Open. On Thursday, ex-Manchester United coach Rúben Amorim was seen with his family, watching Carlos Alcaraz defeat Karen Khachanov 3-0 on site.

Under Carrick’s leadership, Manchester United has surged forward, and fans had mostly forgotten Amorim, so his unexpected appearance at the Qatar Open in Doha caught them off guard. Near the end of the third set, the broadcast shifted to Amorim, surprising the tennis commentators. A guest joked, “Amorim has plenty of free time lately; this former United coach is enjoying tennis.”

Fans also teased the 41-year-old Portuguese coach, suggesting that if he cannot find a job in Europe, he might consider taking the Qatar national team’s head coach position. After retiring at 32, Amorim coached Casa Pia, Braga, and Sporting Lisbon. Since leaving Manchester United, rumors have circulated, but he seems to be enjoying life away from football.

Amorim is in no rush to find a new job because he is still receiving his salary from Manchester United. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chose to terminate him, meaning they must pay out the remaining 18 months of his contract, totaling £10 million. As part of the deal, Amorim must wait until the season ends before publicly commenting on his dismissal and must not disrupt or affect the rest of United’s season.

The Daily Mail revealed that Amorim is financially savvy; when renting in Manchester, he negotiated an early termination clause that saved him a lot of money. While coaching United, he rented a six-bedroom villa in Cheshire worth £1.2 million, paying £15,000 monthly, with the lease ending on June 30, 2027—the same day his United contract expires. The total rent was £250,000, but one clause allowed Amorim to pay £45,000 to end the lease early.

Amorim also received support from a Manchester United player. The Brazilian forward Cunha, signed for £62.5 million, praised the team’s current strong performance and credited Amorim as well. Cunha said, “I’ve always been very grateful for everything Rúben did. When a coach is replaced, people tend to focus only on past problems. The truth is the opposite; Rúben is a remarkable person. Thanks to him, many new players joined, so I believe he played an important role in our current success.”

Amorim was most criticized for his persistent use of the 3-4-3 formation, but Cunha insists the public overemphasizes the three-center-back system. In fact, under Carrick, the team often used similar defensive setups, which proved effective.

“There’s too much pressure on tactics being effective; we forget the bigger picture and focus too much on the negatives,” Cunha said. “Honestly, I think statistics in football can sometimes be misleading. We use various attacking methods, but defensively, we employ the formation people associate with Rúben.”

Cunha’s loyalty to his mentor who brought him to Manchester United is commendable, but what he said actually highlights Amorim’s mistake. Carrick uses a 4-2-3-1 formation but can switch to three center-backs defensively. Why couldn’t Amorim do the same? Because he was stubborn and stuck to only one style.

Former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou recently explained his strategy against Manchester United in last season’s Europa League final: “I knew that as long as we could neutralize Bruno Fernandes, United wouldn’t score. Given United’s and Rúben’s style, their way of attacking us, if we could really hold the defense tight, scoring just one goal would be enough to win.”