Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says manager Ruben Amorim should be judged over three years, not months, as pressure mounts on the Portuguese coach after a poor start to the season.
Amorim, who took charge in November last year after leaving Sporting Lisbon, oversaw United’s worst league finish in half a century last season, ending 15th in the Premier League. Despite spending over £200 million in the summer, United have already suffered three league defeats and crashed out of the EFL Cup to League Two side Grimsby.
Speaking on The Business podcast by The Times, Ratcliffe dismissed reports that Amorim’s job was at risk before last weekend’s 2–0 win over Sunderland, insisting he remains supportive of the 40-year-old.
“He has not had the best of seasons,” Ratcliffe admitted. “Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That’s where I would be.”
Critics have accused Amorim of being tactically rigid, sticking with his 3-4-2-1 system despite poor results, but Ratcliffe rejected the calls for instant change. “The press want overnight success. They think it’s a light switch,” he said. “You can’t run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions.”
Ratcliffe, who owns just under 30 percent of United but controls football operations, also defended the much-maligned Glazer family, saying they were “passionate” about the club. “They get a bad rap,” he said. “They’re not going to tell me to sack Amorim.”
Off the pitch, Ratcliffe has overseen major cost-cutting measures, including 400 job losses and scrapping staff perks. He said the changes were necessary to restore financial discipline.
“Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world,” Ratcliffe said. “And from that will come, I hope, long-term, sustainable, high-level football.”
