Man Utd handed Sir Alex Ferguson advice after 'meltdown' over Ruben Amorim sacking

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Gary Pallister has claimed his Manchester United are “searching for the next Sir Alex Ferguson ” once more after the “messy” departure of Ruben Amorim.

The Portuguese was sacked on Monday after only 14 months at Old Trafford. The 13-time Premier League champions are set to appoint a caretaker boss while looking for an eighth permanent manager since Ferguson left the club in May 2013.

Pallister, who won 14 honours with Manchester United between 1989 and 1998, told Hard Rock Bet : “Oh God, it’s got a little bit messy, hasn’t it? It wasn’t long ago that the club were getting behind him, and saying it was going to be a three-year project and that he was going nowhere.

"But slowly but surely there’s been a bit of a meltdown. We’ve been hearing rumours in the press that the decision was made before the last game anyway. So yes, it’s messy.

"Obviously, the big talking point is what he said after the game at the weekend, where he talked about having 18 months [on his contract] and then he would be gone, and saying, 'I’m the manager, not the coach.'

"It just got really messy. I don’t think anybody listening to that interview would have been surprised or had idea that there was going to be a reckoning, and that’s exactly how it’s turned out.

“So here we are again, searching for the next Sir Alex Ferguson and as we all know, that’s very difficult. A lot of clubs have found out how difficult it is to find a Jurgen Klopp or a Pep Guardiola – people with that strength to manage big clubs.”

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Speaking about Amorim’s Old Trafford reign, the former England centre-back added: “Listen, throughout his time at Manchester United he’s spoken from the heart.

"He’s tried not to hide from things. That’s how he felt. A lot of people are saying he was pushing the button to get himself sacked. That might be the case – who knows? I certainly don’t.

“I wasn’t privy to anything going on behind the scenes, and I don’t think anybody else really knows either. But yes, it was always going to cause a ripple effect, wasn’t it? And it certainly did. Having said that, what we’re reading in the papers is that the decision had already been made before he made those comments.

“So, whether there had already been disagreements from chats with the hierarchy, I don’t know. But when a manager comes out like that, so strongly and so explosively, there’s always going to be a reaction to that.”

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