Three Years Project! Ruben Amorim backed to succeed at United

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim needs three years to prove he is a “great” coach, according to the club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Amorim will complete a year at the Old Trafford helm in November but his record since arriving from Portuguese club Sporting has not been good. The Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League last season, their worst performance since the 1973-74 campaign in which they were relegated from the top flight.

Despite a summer transfer outlay in excess of £200m, they have already lost three times in the league this season and been knocked out of the EFL Cup by League Two Grimsby.

Although sources close to Ratcliffe had stressed Amorim was not in any immediate danger, a fresh round of speculation before last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Sunderland suggested Amorim was at risk of losing his job if United had failed to win.

However, in an interview on the Times’ The Business podcast, Ratcliffe says that was not the case and feels “good guy” Amorim will need an extended amount of time to prove his worth.

“He has not had the best of seasons,” said Ratcliffe.

“Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That’s where I would be.”

Despite former United players and fans insisting 40-year-old Amorim will not succeed at United, criticising him for refusing to change his 3-4-2-1 system, Ratcliffe says he is not interested in such talk and feels it comes from a position of ignorance.

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

Ratcliffe, who owns just under 30% of United, controls all the major football decisions, even though the Glazer family retain a majority stake in the club.

The Ineos owner acknowledges the Glazers, who took control of United courtesy of a leveraged buyout in 2005, get “a bad rap”.

He insists they are “passionate” about the club and, when asked if they might order him to sack Amorim, said: “That’s not going to happen.”