Manchester United’s co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, says manager Ruben Amorim will need three years to show he is a “great” coach.
Amorim will have been in charge at Old Trafford for a year this November, after joining from Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. But so far, his time at the club has not gone well.
Last season, United finished 15th in the Premier League – their worst finish since the 1973-74 season, when they were relegated.
Despite spending over £200 million on new players in the summer, the team has already lost three league games this season and were also knocked out of the EFL Cup by League Two side Grimsby Town.
Before last weekend’s 2-0 win against Sunderland, there were fresh rumours that Amorim might be sacked if the team failed to win. However, Ratcliffe has dismissed these claims.
Speaking on The Business podcast by The Times, Ratcliffe backed Amorim and said the 40-year-old manager needs more time.
“He hasn’t had the best season,” said Ratcliffe.
“Ruben needs to prove he’s a great coach over three years – that’s how I see it.”
Amorim’s Style Under Scrutiny, But Ratcliffe Unfazed
Many critics have said Amorim will not succeed at United, especially because he refuses to change his 3-4-2-1 formation, even when results go against him.
But Ratcliffe says he’s not concerned about outside opinions.
“The media sometimes expect overnight success,” he said.
“They think you can just flick a switch and everything’s fixed. That’s not how things work at a club like Manchester United.”
“You can’t run a big club like United by reacting every time a journalist writes something negative.”
Glazers Still Involved, But Ratcliffe Makes Football Decisions
Although the Glazer family still owns the majority of Manchester United, Ratcliffe controls football matters, including management decisions, through his company INEOS, which owns just under 30% of the club.
He said the Glazers often get a bad reputation but are actually “passionate” about the club. When asked if they could tell him to sack Amorim, he said:
“That’s not going to happen.”
United Aims to Be the World’s Most Profitable Football Club
Last month, United revealed that they had reduced their losses from £113.2 million to £33 million in the year leading to June 2025.
This came after two rounds of job cuts, affecting over 400 staff, including long-serving employees. Areas like scouting were heavily reduced.
Ratcliffe faced criticism not just for the job losses, but also for ending long-standing staff benefits like free lunches. He defended the changes:
“The costs were just too high. There are many great people at Manchester United, but also some mediocrity. The club had become bloated.”
“People complained about the free lunches being removed – but no one’s ever given me a free lunch.”
He added:
“There are two sides to a football club – the business and the football. Like it or not, the biggest link between results and any other factor is profitability.
The more money you have, the better squad you can build.”
“Last year, we had record-high revenue and the second-highest profits ever. That will improve.
I believe Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world. From that, I hope we’ll build long-term, top-level football success.”