The axed boss watched pre-match preparations intently and reportedly knew his team was doomed to lose one particular match before a ball had even been kicked.
Ruben Amorim reckoned he could tell whether Manchester United would win or lose from the way the players tied their laces before matches.
The Portuguese boss watched his stars’ last minute preparations intently.
He claimed he knew they would lose one particular match simply by observing how they did up their boots, according to TV sports network ESPN.
Amorim, 40, was fired following the club’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Leeds on Sunday after suggesting in a post-match press conference his bosses paid too much heed to the views of ex-players such as telly pundit Gary Neville, 50.
It followed an explosive bust-up with United’s director of football Jason Wilcox, 54, on Friday over which formation Amorim planned to adopt.
The head coach’s firing left United players shell-shocked with many posting ‘thank you’ messages to him online.
But sources claimed Amorim had previously expressed doubts about the job and had to be talked out of quitting a year ago confessing he feared the club was ‘broken’.
ESPN’s Rob Dawson said: “After a game last February Amorim revealed to one source that he knew United wouldn’t win just by watching how his players tied their laces before the warm-up.
“In the same conversation Amorim confided his fear that the club was ‘broken’ and that he didn’t know how to fix it because the players he had inherited were ‘fragile’.
“In particular he was shocked at what he saw as a lack of physicality within the squad and on numerous occasions, Amorim became irate because players were losing one-on-one duels too often.”
Sources said a senior player found out Amorim had criticised his ‘lack of intensity’ in matches when he read the quotes on his phone.
It was alleged the boss was so outspoken about one player during a TV interview the club successfully asked the broadcaster to remove the comments before they were aired.
But he did connect with the fans, frequently spending up to an hour with them after matches up to the club’s disappointing draw against Premier League bottom club Wolves on December 30.
United won just three of Amorim’s last 11 games in charge and he left with the lowest win percentage of any manager of the club in the Premier League era.
His 14-month tenure cost United £30m.
He has received £7.5m in wages since he was given a three-year deal in November 2024 and is set to pocket a £12m payout to cover the rest.
To hire him United minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe paid Amorim’s previous club Sporting Lisbon £9.25m – taking the total cost of his reign to £30m.
The club will also have to buy out the remaining contracts for his six backroom staff.
It comes amid speculation Sir Jim, 73, may need to take a step back from running United to focus on his chemical company Ineos’s financial troubles.
It is said to be saddled with debts totalling £18bn.
That could impact United’s plans to build a 100,000-seat super stadium and planned investment on new players.
Amorim and his wife Maria were pictured smiling broadly as they left their rented Cheshire mansion for a walk in the snow following his axing.
An onlooker said: “He looked like a man who had just been paid millions to leave a nightmare.”