Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly backed Ruben Amorim, insisting he’s doing an amazing job at the club under the current circumstances.
Amorim has endured a tough start to life since replacing Erik ten Hag in November last year, winning just five of his 17 Premier League games in charge.
United are currently languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table, with just 34 points gained from a possible 84.
Already, the Red Devils have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup, and FA Cup and at the moment, the Europa League represents their only realistic shot at gaining entry into Europe next season.
Amorim has come under pressure from some sections of the fanbase and the media, with many calling for him to abandon his 3-4-3 approach for a system that suits the current crop of players at his disposal.
There were even suggestions that Ratcliffe and INEOS could potentially make a change in the dugout as early as this summer, but this has now seemingly been dismissed by the British businessman.
Ratcliffe sat down with The Times and extended his support to Amorim, insisting that the Portuguese coach is not a miracle worker and is doing as best as he possibly can.
The INEOS billionaire told the newspaper, “I think he’s done a great job in the circumstances, frankly, with the squad that he’s had available. The fact he came in mid-season.”
“Everybody expects miracles overnight. It’s not the way, not real life in my view. I mean, you saw the performance yesterday (against Arsenal). It was, I thought, a really impressive performance. They could not have worked harder. They couldn’t have been more committed.”
“And if you looked at the names on the bench, there weren’t many you recognised, were there? Half the squad’s missing for Ruben. If you look at the top eight players in terms of salaries in Manchester United, 50 per cent of those are not available to Ruben. You’ve got Mason Mount, you’ve got Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford has gone, and Jadon Sancho (on loan at Chelsea).”
“And he’s got a bunch of other injuries as you know, so I think he’s done a fantastic job.”
Amorim previously branded the current United side as perhaps the worst in the club’s illustrious history. When reminded he sanctioned the signing of some of the players in the squad, Ratcliffe answered, “I think coaches are emotional and Ruben’s no exception to that. And he’s a young coach. And he’s not perfect. You know, he’s not a guy who … he’s got to be good on the stage, but we want him to be good on the grass. And part of that is life on the stage, isn’t it?”
“You know, you’re a young guy, you’ve come into the Premier League for the first time in your life, you’ve come in mid-season, it’s not your natural language.”
“You have to give the guy a bit of a break. I mean, give me a hard time, I have no problem with that. But give Ruben a break. I think he’s a good guy, he’s working hard, and I think he’s doing a great job.”
Asked whether he is sure Amorim is the right man to return United to where they belong, Ratcliffe replied, “Yeah I do, honestly.”
“I really, really like Ruben. He’s a very thoughtful guy. Every time I go to the training ground, I speak to Ruben. I sit down and have a cup of coffee with him and tell him where it’s going wrong, and he tells me to f**k off. I like him.”
Ratcliffe’s backing will certainly relieve some of the pressure on Amorim’s shoulders and will hopefully put an end to the rumours surrounding a potential managerial change.
United are back in action on Thursday when they face Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
