Under-fire Ruben Amorim brutally told he's 'not Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp' by Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney after bombshell outburst aimed at Red Devils board

Amorim has hinted at his authority being undermined by those above him in Manchester, with the 40-year-old eager to operate as more of a “manager” than a “head coach”. He has stated that he now intends to see out his deal, through to 2027, before walking away.

It has been suggested that, with tension mounting between the boardroom and dugout, Amorim may be denied the opportunity to honour his contract. Questions are being asked of whether United should act now, with another change in the dugout touted.

Amorim sparked another debate when telling reporters after a 1-1 draw away at Leeds: “I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, is not [Antonio] Conte, is not [Jose] Mourinho, but I'm the manager of Manchester United. It's going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decided to change. That was my point. I want to finish with that. I'm not going to quit. I will do my job until other guy is coming here to replace me.

“I just want to say that I'm going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. I was really clear on that. That is going to finish in 18 months, and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal. That is my job, not to be a coach.”

Amorim has attracted plenty of criticism across his reign at Old Trafford, with the former Sporting boss stubbornly refusing to tinker with his favoured 3-4-3 system. He is now butting heads with United officials, and Rooney has warned that a man with only 24 wins to his name through 63 games at the helm is overstating his importance to the collective cause.

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Speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, United’s all-time leading goalscorer said: “It's strange, interesting. I think his choice of words are decisive, confusing. I think he speaks with a confidence and an authority that he knows he's going to be there as manager (for the next 18 months) and he's going to remain the manager. And that's the only reason I can assume that he speaks with that belief because the last two games haven't been very good. It's quite confusing.”

Rooney added: “I don't think he'll have 18 more months if it carries on, I think that's fair to say. I think you need to earn the right to be able to dictate exactly what happens at a football club, especially a football club like Manchester United.

“If Guardiola comes into United for instance, I don't think anyone would question what players he wants to bring in, or the system. I feel for him (Amorim) a little bit because the squad is not good enough, the players he's got on the bench are young academy kids - it's great to see them on the bench, but are they ready at this moment in time? It's very difficult to put young players onto a football pitch when the team is not very good, so I feel for him a little bit.

“But he's not Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp - he hasn't got that history or that background, so I don't think he should be speaking with that authority in what he is and I just think the words he's saying are very confusing to me.”

Guardiola enjoys complete control at Manchester City, having earned that right with his trophy-winning exploits, while Klopp was very much the main man across his nine years at Anfield.

Amorim has struggled to convince during his time at Old Trafford, with United missing out on European qualification last season. They sit sixth in the Premier League table at present, but are only four points clear of 14th-placed Crystal Palace. The Red Devils are due to be back in action on Wednesday when taking in a short trip to Burnley.