Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s claim that Ruben Amorim has three years to prove himself at Man Utd has been slammed, with an ex-player warning poor results could soon cost him his job
Ruben Amorim has been told to treat Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments on his future with caution(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Ruben Amorim has been warned that Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s claim that he has three years to prove himself at Manchester United is “ridiculous”. The Portuguese head coach is approaching the one-year anniversary of his appointment at Old Trafford, but has failed to deliver results so far.
United finished 15th in the Premier League last season and, despite spending more than £200million on fresh talent during the summer transfer window, they have lost three of their first seven games this term. Reports recently emerged that Amorim was at risk of being sacked had the Red Devils not beaten Sunderland before the international break.
That speculation was dismissed by United co-owner Ratcliffe, who said Amorim would need three years to show he is a “great coach”. The Ineos owner’s comments, made during an interview on the Times’ The Business podcast, have now been torn apart by former United goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Contrary to Ratcliffe’s remarks, the ex-England and Wrexham shot-stopper believes it will only take a short run of poor results for Amorim to be relieved of his duties this season.
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, Foster said: “Nobody’s got three years, it’s ridiculous. You can’t ever say that. If Man United go and lose five out of their next six games, he’ll get sacked. It’s as simple as that.
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“That’s how football works nowadays and I don’t care who you are. Arsenal could be the same, or even Liverpool could be the same. If you lose five or six out of seven or eight, you’re getting chopped.”
Asked if Amorim will be given time to succeed, Ratcliffe said: “Yes. That is where I would be. Three years. Because football is not overnight. It’s three years. You also look at [Mikel] Arteta at Arsenal. He had a miserable time over the first couple of years.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has given his thoughts on Ruben Amorim’s future(Image: Getty Images)
“We have to be patient. We have a long-term plan. It isn’t a light switch. You can’t run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week.”
Despite Ratcliffe’s backing, Amorim has only managed to register 37 points out of a possible 102 in the Premier League during his stint in charge. United’s humiliating loss to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup in August did little to aid his cause.
Reports surfaced recently that club chiefs have held discussions with key squad members to assess the current situation. United chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox are understood to have led the talks.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among the leading figures whose opinions are said to have been sought. While it’s been claimed the discussions were informal, the alleged move has been seen as an indicator that all is not well at United.
Oliver Glasner, Eddie Howe, Gareth Southgate and Diego Simeone are among the managers who have been linked with the United job should it become vacant. However, the current signals from the club suggest that Amorim’s position is safe, at least for the time being.
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