According to Opta, Ruben Amorim had the worst win ratio (32%), the worst goals conceded per game ratio (1.53) and the lowest clean ratio (15%) of any Manchester United manager in the Premier League era.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just recorded an instant reaction Football Daily podcast to talk about Ruben Amorim's sacking.

Alistair Bruce-Ball spoke to BBC Sport Manchester United reporter Simon Stone and Statman Dave.

Have a listen here or find the podcast under the Watch and Listen tab at the top of this page.

Just joining us? Here's what you need to know

• Manchester United have sacked manager Ruben Amorim after 14 months in charge.
• Manchester United said in a statement the decision has been made "reluctantly" and "it is the right time to make a change".
• The team are currently sixth in the Premier League table. Sources have told BBC Sport that the club felt there had not been sufficient evidence of evolution or progress this season under Amorim.
• On Sunday, Amorim hinted he was not happy with the level of interference from the Manchester United board.
• This was after Amorim had reportedly had a particularly negative meeting with director of football Jason Wilcox on Friday
• United now hope to appoint a caretaker manager until the end of the season but appointing a new permanent boss in the summer

Read a full timeline of Amorim's stint as Manchester United manager.

Sami Mokbel
BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Manchester United’s attentions have now switched to identifying candidates to replace Ruben Amorim.

As we've been reporting, Darren Fletcher has taken interim charge and is expected to oversee the Premier League fixture against Burnley on Wednesday, and possibly the FA Cup tie versus Brighton this weekend.

A caretaker boss is then expected to take charge until the end of the season, when the club will look to make a permanent appointment.

It remains to be seen whether United look internally for an interim manager until the end of the season, or if they search outside of the club.

Image source, Getty Images

In terms of the club’s next permanent head coach, it is understood that Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has admirers at United, while Enzo Maresca, out of work after leaving Chelsea last week, may also emerge as a candidate.

Maresca will be a contender for the Manchester City job this summer should Pep Guardiola leave the club.

But on a short-term basis, might owners INEOS consider approaching former England manager Gareth Southgate with a view to steadying the ship?

Southgate has a personal relationship with INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and has been heavily linked with the position in the past.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Manchester United reporter

There are two issues around Antoine Semenyo.

They told Semenyo that they didn't want him to play as a wing back - but on the wing. But Man Utd don't play with wingers.

So there's got to have been some influence put on Amorim to alter his system to allow someone like Semenyo to come and play - bearing in mind they brought Mbeumo, Sesko and Cunha for £200m to reshape the attack. So if you weren't going to play him as a wing back you're going to have to alter the formation.

The other aspect of that is that Amorim has said when that deal's fallen through, 'you were going to spend £65m, can I have it to get the players I need to make me have a better team over the second half of the season?' Part of which was reinforcing his midfield which was deficient in the extreme.

And Man Utd have said 'no, because we're only going after long term targets'. Amorim is understandably thinking, 'I need players now. Not long term, not in the summer. I need to improve the team now'.

I think that is an area of tension.

A reminder, Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo is in advanced talks to join Manchester City in a £65m-deal.

Manchester United's potential of signing of Semenyo appears to have been an area of tension between Ruben Amorim and the Manchester United board.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Manchester United reporter

When Manchester United appointed Ruben Amorim as head coach – note the title – they viewed it as a progressive decision, bringing in someone who would work in a modern structure and develop as he went along.

Amorim had a good relationship with the players but despite multiple times, in private and public, saying his tactics would evolve from the 3-4-3 formation he used at Sporting, it never happened, much to the disappointment of those who ran the club.

This was brought into sharp focus on 30 December when, four days after reverting to a back four for the first time in the 1-0 win over Newcastle, he went back to a three-man defence against Wolves, moving Patrick Dorgu from a right-sided attacking role, where he had been so effective on Boxing Day, to left wing-back.

Fans were stunned and dismayed in equal measure.

By that point, United had already tried to persuade long-term target Antoine Semenyo to join them from Bournemouth by telling him he would play on the left-wing. This was a clear sign the club viewed the future as being something different to 3-4-3 given they had already spent in excess of £200m on attacking players.

It is no surprise therefore that the formation against Wolves and the subsequent result – a 1-1 draw against a side who previously had collected just two points all season which led to the team being booed off – was viewed extremely negatively internally at Old Trafford. It was another massive backward step in Amorim’s relationship with his bosses and his continued criticism just heightened that situation.

Mark Bosnich
Former Manchester United goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

This behind the scenes has to be cleared up. They thought they were putting in a team that were in it for long-term success but it hasn't quite worked.

And coming back to the talk on egos and so forth, it should be quite clear. It should be manager/head coach, whatever you want to call them, he is the one that has to set the tone, he is the one that has to set the culture because it is is name that is on the project.

The others? Regardless of ego, it should be about the club and the team doing well because right now, the supporters - and I can understand this - will be tearing their hair out because they want to know what's going on and they deserve to know what's going on.

Right now, it's a complete mess.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Amorim, as a coach, is a system-first coach rather than a player-first coach.

He came into the job with an idea of what he wanted to create, in terms of shape and the roles each player in that shape do.

The Portuguese coach asked his players to learn his system even when they were not natural fits for the roles he expected, refusing to adapt his system to their strengths.

This decision was the source of many of his struggles whilst United boss. If a coach is unwilling to adapt to the players he has and those players aren't good enough to carry out the roles you ask of them, results won't follow.

Inheriting a squad built to play a possession-based back four, Amorim opted for a 3-4-3 shape on the ball, encouraging direct play, whilst conceding possession at times.

Amorim wanted his wide centre-backs to step up and carry the ball, becoming involved in the attack when United have the ball, before pressing aggressively off the ball - roles that defenders had to learn. It often meant they found themselves in the opponent's half, whether aiding chance creation or having to press the player they were marking.

In Amorim's ideal system, he would play attacking wingbacks on the opposite side to their strong foot, which made Amad a good fit going forward but defensively he struggled in his new role. United lacked a left wing-back who fit Amorim's criteria with various options being shoehorned into the position.

You could make similar points about most positions in Amorim's system, with non-signing players not being ideal fits.

On top of that, Amorim drilled his players to play certain passing routines which began to become predictable and removed some of the freedom players had.

Amorim's reluctance to tweak his system allowed coaches to soon figure out repeatable ways to press United, whilst finding the same spaces to exploit in attack too.

Image source, Getty Images

Speaking of the Manchester United players, personnel issues and injuries were a common theme throughout Ruben Amorim's tenure as United boss.

Amorim used 25 different starting central defensive partnerships during his time in the Premier League - eight more than any other side in that time.

He started with a three-man defence in 45 of his 47 Premier League games in charge.

But only four clubs conceded more goals in the Premier League than Manchester United (72) during Amorim's time in charge - Tottenham (76), Wolves (81) and West Ham (84).

And, among the ever-present sides in the Premier League since Amorim's arrival, only West Ham (six) kept fewer clean sheets than United (seven).

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Manchester United reporter

There is a general feeling among people at the club that this squad is better than the results they're delivering.

Results like drawing at Wolves and drawing at Leeds are not the results that will deliver Man Utd to where they want the club to be.

New updates are being revealed all the time, it's time for a recap.

Here are some of the major lines from the past few hours:

• Manchester United have sacked manager Ruben Amorim after 14 months in charge.
• Manchester United said in a statement the decision has been made "reluctantly" and "it is the right time to make a change".
• The team are currently sixth in the Premier League table. Sources have told BBC Sport that the club felt there had not been sufficient evidence of evolution or progress this season under Amorim.
• On Sunday, Amorim hinted he was not happy with the level of interference from the Manchester United board.
• This was after Amorim had reportedly had a particularly negative meeting with director of football Jason Wilcox on Friday
• United now hope to appoint a caretaker manager until the end of the season but appointing a new permanent boss in the summer

Read a full timeline of Amorim's stint as Manchester United manager.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Manchester United reporter

Football changes very quickly. Results change things very quickly.

There are no guarantees. But you have to have a certain plan.

And it feels as though because of all the change that took place to bring Amorim in, and the change that he implemented, it doesn't feel as though the plan has been quite the right one.

I think that's why keeping Darren Fletcher in charge for one, two, three - however many games it is - is a better idea if the plan that you subsequently implement is the right one.

Mark Bosnich
Former Manchester United goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

I'm biased because I'm a friend of his, but I would go for Gareth Southgate. We know he was touted before Ruben Amorim.

He took England when they were at an all time low and brought them to two major finals in terms of the European Championship and the semi final of the World Cup.

He's great at personal relationships and I really think right at this moment in time, he stands out.

Image source, Getty Images

Another big update.

We're hearing Ruben Amorim had a particularly negative meeting with Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox on Friday when points were made about his choice of tactics and a change from a back four back to a three at the back in a 1-1 draw with bottom club Wolves.

Amorim reacted extremely negatively according to club sources, which could explain his demeanour in the press conference that followed - which he finished by hinting at friction behind the scenes.