Arne Slot job title at Liverpool explained after Ruben Amorim outburst before Man Utd firing

Arne Slot was clear he was accepting a role as Liverpool head coach when he replaced Jurgen Klopp - the same can't be said of Ruben Amorim, who was sacked as Manchester United boss on Monday

Arne Slot, unlike Ruben Amorim, was clear in his role as head coach(Image: Getty Images)

The subtle deviations between the roles of a Premier League manager and head coach may mean little to the average soccer fan, but for those at the sharp end of the industry, it can be of vital importance. Just ask Ruben Amorim.

In reality, there are few “managers” still employed at the sport’s elite level. There has been a steady evolution over the last decade, with an increasing number of head coaches, whose role is primarily to handle the team’s on-field performance, flanked alongside sporting directors and club executives, who lead in areas such as recruitment and the team’s overall sporting strategy.

Most clubs adopt such an approach. Liverpool, for example, employs Billy Hogan as CEO, Richard Hughes is sporting director and Julian Ward is technical director, as part of an interconnected framework.

All that falls under the umbrella of FSG, with Michael Edwards now serving as CEO of the organisation.

Arne Slot’s role in that model is crucial, of course, and while his primary role is to coach the team, he does influence decisions across the club.

Indeed, there was a clear distinction when he replaced Jurgen Klopp that he would be employed in a slightly different capacity. Klopp even corrected himself on the Anfield pitch as he bid farewell to Liverpool for referring to Slot as the "manager."

“I don’t think there is much of a change between a head coach and a manager, it’s just that by being a head coach I can go in fully to the things I would like to do,” Slot said after he was unveiled as Liverpool’s first “head coach” in July 2024.

Slot was clear in his role as Liverpool head coach(Image: Getty Images)

“So, work with the team, prepare the team in the best possible way, and me and Richard are going to work together when it comes to transfers but not only the two of us. There is a big backroom staff included in this as well.

“I think for me it is the way I have worked always and it for me is the ideal way of working, because I can use the most of my time by working with the team and the time that is left will probably be a bit for the family and a bit to talk with Richard about how we can strengthen the team. But we already have a really strong team.”

All this makes Amorim’s comments over the weekend even more galling, when the 40-year-old questioned what capacity he had been hired in at Manchester United.

Amorim was dismissed as United head coach on Monday(Image: Oli Scarff/AFP)

"I just want to say I came here to be the manager, not to be the coach," the 40-year-old said after the 1-1 draw at Elland

“In every department - the scouting department, the sporting director – [they] need to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.

“I just want to say that I'm going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach. I was really clear on that. That is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal. That is my job. Not to be a coach.”

Yet Amorim didn’t last 24 hours, let alone 18 months. The axe fell on the Portuguese on Monday, leaving the Red Devils searching for a seventh permanent head coach/manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.