Former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim was involved in a furious training ground fight with Lisandro Martinez before he was sacked, according to reports.
The Portuguese coach was dismissed from his position on Monday after a shocking press conference where he took aim at the INEOS hierarchy.
Details have now emerged of Amorim’s last few months in charge, including a fateful day last month after Martinez returned to training.
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The Argentine defender had been out with a long-term injury before finally making his comeback in the past few weeks.
According to the Athletic, Amorim and Martinez squared up to each other in training, in a period when Man United were facing Crystal Palace and West Ham.
The player believed he was ready to start and felt that Amorim was overlooking him, making his point in what was described as an ‘intense’ manner.
Martinez made substitute appearances against both Palace and West Ham, but was not named in the starting XI until the Boxing Day win over Newcastle.
However, defender was named captain for Amorim’s final two games in Bruno Fernandes’ absence.
Players wanted improved communication from Amorim, but as shown by the incident with Martinez, he was reported to have reacted well to being challenged by the squad.
At the time of writing on Tuesday, Martinez was not one of the United players to send a goodbye message to Amorim on Instagram.
Harry Maguire was one of several to do so, writing: “Thank you for everything boss, I wish you all the best in the future.”
United made a brief statement confirming Amorim’s exit on Monday, which read: “Ruben Amorim has departed his role as Head Coach of Manchester United.
“Ruben was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to a UEFA Europa League Final in Bilbao in May.
“With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change. This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.
“The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future.
“Darren Fletcher will take charge of the team against Burnley on Wednesday.”
