Getting fired usually costs the employee. In football management, it costs the club. Manchester United had been sitting on a £16.7 million ($22.4 million) bill for Ruben Amorim’s severance package after sacking him in January 2026, with payments set to run through summer 2027.
That bill just got a lot smaller. Amorim’s appointment as head coach of AC Milan on June 16, 2026, triggers a reduction or complete cessation of those financial obligations, giving United a meaningful fiscal reprieve during a period where the club has been chasing operating profit growth.
The math behind the managerial merry-go-round
When United dismissed Amorim on January 5, 2026, his contract still had roughly 18 months left on it. The club provisioned £16.7 million to cover compensation for Amorim and his entire backroom staff, a sum that would have dripped out of United’s accounts through the summer of 2027.
Standard practice in these situations is that once a manager finds new employment, the former club’s obligation shrinks or disappears entirely. AC Milan just picked up the tab.
Amorim’s tenure at Old Trafford lasted 14 months, spanning from November 2024 to his dismissal. In that stretch, he managed 63 games with a record of 24 wins, 18 draws, and 21 losses. The club finished sixth in the league.
What Amorim gets in Milan
AC Milan signed the Portuguese coach to a three-year deal running through June 2028, with an option for an additional season. His base salary sits at €3.5 million per year, supplemented by performance-based bonuses.
AC Milan, currently valued at $1.45 billion, is betting that Amorim can build a coherent tactical system and win consistently.
The crypto angle
AC Milan operates the $ACM fan token on the Socios.com platform, which runs on the Chiliz blockchain. Token holders can vote on certain club decisions and receive various rewards. The club also maintains a sponsorship deal with crypto exchange Bitpanda.
Amorim’s appointment did not produce an immediate price reaction in the $ACM token market.
What this means for investors
For anyone holding Manchester United equity, the Amorim situation resolves what was essentially a dead-weight liability on the balance sheet. The £16.7 million provision was money committed to a manager who was no longer contributing to the club’s performance.
On the Milan side, the €3.5 million annual salary represents a relatively low-risk bet on a manager with a proven system.