Manchester United's head coach Ruben Amorim, walks on the pitch after the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in Manchester, England. (AP )

MANCHESTER, England, Jan 5  (AP): Ruben Amorim is out as coach of Manchester United after just 14 months in the job.

The Premier League club announced on Monday that Amorim's reign was over, with the decision coming a day after he made provocative comments about his position following a 1-1 draw with Leeds.

"With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s leadership has reluctantly decided that it is the right time to make a change,” United said in a statement. "This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.”

United said youth coach Darren Fletcher would take charge of its match against Burnley on Wednesday.

Amorim oversaw a slew of unwanted records at the 20-time English champion, including its lowest finish in the Premier League era last season. The United job has proved one of the most difficult in world soccer since club legend Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, with Amorim the sixth permanent manager or coach to be discarded in that time.

Amorim apologized to fans at the end of last season for what he described as a "disastrous” campaign when United finished 15th in the standings, recorded its highest number of losses in a Premier League season, and lowest points total.

Last week, there were reports that figures at the club had questioned his tactics, and on Sunday, the Portuguese sought to clarify his position.

"I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United,” he said. "And that is clear.

"I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until another guy comes here to replace me.”

Amorim was considered one of the brightest coaches in Europe when United hired him from Sporting Lisbon in November 2024 at a cost of 11 million euros ($12 million). He had led the Portuguese giant to two league titles in four years and was seen as the ideal candidate to lead United back to the summit of English soccer after more than a decade since it was last crowned Premier League champion.

But results plummeted in his first season, and a defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final ended hopes of qualifying for the lucrative Champions League.