Amorim sack? 'Good guy' Amorim given Man Utd PROMISE as Ratcliffe makes totally inaccurate Mikel Arteta claim

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly insisted that Ruben Amorim is not under threat of the sack, and, having revealed how long he will be given to prove himself, has taken aim at the media for their handling of the Portuguese coach.

The 40-year-old’s time in charge of the Red Devils has been nothing short of a disaster. Having taken on the role last November, he was unable to spark a revival and they ultimately finished 15th in the Premier League. And defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final also left Manchester United without European football for only the second time in 35 years.

After starting this season in indifferent form – United are currently 10th going into the international break – the pressure dial has been firmly cranked up on Amorim and he effectively went into their last game, at home to Sunderland, needing to avoid a defeat to prevent the pressure becoming unbearable.

To that end, we revealed how the United board were trying to persuade Amorim to make some changes to his line-up heading into the game.

And while the pressure was alleviated somewhat by a much-needed 2-0 win over the Black Cats, Ratcliffe insists he has no desire to sack Amorim and insists judgement will be held back for three years – the length of his contract with the club.

In a wide-ranging interview that covered a wealth of topics, Ratcliffe admitted United had not had the best start to the season.

“He has not had the best of seasons,” Ratcliffe told The Business. “Amorim is a good guy. I would say Ruben needs to demonstrate that he’s a great coach over three years.”

Ratcliffe then proceeded to draw comparisons with where United are at now under and how Arsenal began life under Mikel Arteta, though conveniently overlooking the fact that the Spaniard won the FA Cup some six months after his appointment.

“That’s where I would be – three years – because football is not overnight. Look at Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, he had a miserable time the first couple of years.”

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Ratcliffe hits out at media handling of Amorim

While performances on the field have not been great, Ratcliffe has taken aim at the media’s handling of the club’s situation and feels the former Sporting CP coach has been harshly treated.

“The press, sometimes I don’t understand. They want overnight success,” he continued.

“They think it’s a light switch. You know, you flick a switch and it’s all going to be roses tomorrow. You can’t run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week.”

The businessman – Britain’s second-wealthiest man, worth an estimated $17.2bn (£12.8bn, €14.75m) – has also defended his decision to make a series of cost-cutting exercises at the club, insisting they were needed to safeguard the future of the club.

The costs were just too high. There are some fantastic people at Manchester United, but there was also a level of mediocrity and it had become bloated. I got a lot of flak for the free lunches, but no-one’s ever given me a free lunch.”

On his relationship with the club’s majority shareholders, the US-based Glazers, and why they were happy for him to take the reins, he added: “That probably sums it up.

“We’re local, and they’re the other side of the pond. That’s a long way away to try and manage a football club as big and as complex as Manchester United. We’re here with feet on the ground.”

Latest Man Utd news: Interest in classy free agent ramped up; record signing tipped

If United are to return to the top of the English game, they may well need some more stellar signings to help them get there.

And with thoughts already turning to the 2026 transfer windows, Amorim and Co. have been linked with a couple of big-name signings over the last 24 hours.

Firstly, according to reports in Germany, United are positioning themselves at the very front of the queue to sign a top Bayern Munich star, who this summer is due to become a free agent, though competition is predictably tough.

Elsewhere, fanciful reports in Spain have claimed United are weighing up a move for an elite Barcelona star – and are prepared to shatter their transfer record to sign the player in question.

On the outgoing front, Joshua Zirkzee is understood to be raging at his lack of opportunities this season and ‘wants out’ in January.

Zirkzee isn’t the only high-profile United star seeking to leave Old Trafford in January, though.

Finally, Paul Scholes has outlined exactly how Man Utd’s clash with Liverpool after the international break will go, with the outcome already inevitable.

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