Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly backed manager Ruben Amorim, stating the Portuguese coach will be given three years to prove himself despite a difficult start at Old Trafford. Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag in November 2024, has been under intense pressure following a string of poor results. The club finished 15th in the Premier League last season, their worst top-flight performance since 1974, and recently suffered a shock League Cup exit to fourth-tier Grimsby.
In an interview on The Times' 'The Business' podcast, Ratcliffe urged for patience and drew parallels with the challenging early tenures of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsenal's Mikel Arteta. He dismissed calls for a "knee-jerk reaction" to the team's struggles. "He has not had the best of seasons," Ratcliffe said of Amorim. "Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That’s where I would be."
Amorim's record since his arrival has been a source of concern, with the team winning only 10 of his 34 Premier League matches in charge. The poor run of form has continued this season despite a summer transfer outlay of over £200 million. However, reports suggest that Amorim continues to have the backing of the majority of the playing squad, who are understood to be behind his philosophy and methods.
Ratcliffe, who owns just under 30 per cent of the club but controls all football operations, also asserted his authority over managerial decisions, dismissing any suggestion that the majority-owning Glazer family could force him to sack Amorim. When asked about such a scenario, he stated definitively, "It's not going to happen," citing a good working relationship and his on-the-ground presence in Manchester.
The INEOS billionaire also defended his controversial cost-cutting measures, which have seen hundreds of jobs cut, by linking financial health directly to on-field performance. "The biggest correlation, like it or not, between results and any external factor, is profitability. The more cash you have got, the better squad you can build," Ratcliffe explained. He concluded with a prediction, stating, "Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world, in my view, and from that will stem, I hope, a long-term, sustainable, high-level of football."
