After 14 fairly dismal months, Ruben Amorim has been relieved of his duties at Old Trafford. Though the final nail in the coffin was likely his acerbic interview after United's game against Leeds, Amorim was destined to struggle given his player management.
Many players found themselves on the fringes of the team when he took charge, even if they were crucial players prior to his appointment. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were both shipped off when Amorim deemed them no longer of use, and others like Bruno Fernandes and Amad had to adapt to survive in his system.
Amorim's tenure had its winners and its losers. Now that he has been given the sack, some players may find themselves much more successful and involved in his absence, but others will lose out massively, especially if, as fans suspect, the tactical system changes to a back four.
Three winners and three losers from the ousting of Ruben Amorim
Winner: Kobbie Mainoo
Perhaps the most obvious winner is midfielder Kobbie Mainoo. He's been seemingly frozen out by Ruben Amorim, forced to compete with Bruno Fernandes for game time, and even linked with a move away.
With a new system and a new manager, Kobbie Mainoo may just be able to get his career back on track, as it will likely mean Bruno Fernandes moves out of his position, leaving him to occupy a central midfielder role with more consistency.
Loser: Patrick Dorgu
The first signing of the Ruben Amorim is unsurprisingly not going to benefit from his sacking. Dorgu is a talented wing-back, but may lack the defensive ability to effectively play in a back four.
The renaissance of Luke Shaw, finally injury free for an extended period, will probably mean Shaw lands ahead of Dorgu in the pecking order.
Dorgu was actually beginning to be a crucial piece of Amorim's system, even filling in on the wing and in the number 10 role in recent weeks, but losing Amorim's support is a major setback in Dorgu's career.
Winner: Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes must've been relieved when he arrived at Carrington to see Amorim packing his bags. The captain currently has a frayed relationship with United, with tensions growing since Bruno rejected a transfer to Saudi Arabia.
Amorim's sacking will likely mean Bruno will shift out of his current role as a deep-lying midfielder, and back up to the number 10 role that he was originally signed for. If Bruno is able to find his old form again, which is likely given his incredible consistency and talent, he could thrive in a new system which gives him the freedom to operate.
Loser: Mason Mount
Mason Mount was massively favoured by Ruben Amorim in his time as manager. Amorim would consistently heap praise on the English midfielder in press conferences, and he played consistent minutes when he was fit.
Amorim's system was perfect for Mason Mount, who was able to use his high football IQ and relentless energy, coupled with his talent for link-up play, to really make a difference in games. With a new manager who may not put such faith in him, and a new system which may not favour his strengths, Mount's future at United is unstable.
Winner: Diogo Dalot
This may seem counterintuitive. Dalot was often favoured by Amorim, and consistently played even when his form dropped. But the Amorim system never leveraged Dalot's best qualities.
Dalot always operated best in more central areas, where he can cover his lack of crossing ability with his playmaking talent. A manager who comes in and deploys Dalot as more of an inverted wing-back could do wonders for Dalot's game, and any role would be better than left wing-back, where Amorim often deployed him.
Loser: Ayden Heaven
Ayden Heaven has proven himself a capable centre-back, an incredible achievement given he is only 19 years of age. Ruben Amorim has given the youngster a lot of game time, especially since the injuries of Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, and he has repaid that faith with quality performances.
Unfortunately for him, it's likely the next manager will not deploy three centre-backs going forward. Through no fault of his own, Heaven may find himself falling further down the pecking order. Given the quality of other centre-backs in the squad, he could realistically fall to 5th choice in the squad, an unfortunate setback for his promising career.