Sir Jim Ratcliffe has formed a close bond with Ruben Amorim and has been a constant supporter of the Manchester United head coach.
It was ultimately Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe who made the call to sack Erik ten Hag and replace him with Ruben Amorim last season.
Omar Berrada pushed for Amorim to be the next head coach, and Ratcliffe agreed with United’s CEO over Dan Ashworth, who preferred a British manager.
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Even after a disastrous first few months in the job, Ratcliffe admired Amorim’s passion and decided to keep him on for the 2025/26 season.
A rocky start to the new season sparked rumours of a sacking, but in October, Ratcliffe showed full support for Amorim and made it clear he would be given time.
Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Just last month, Amorim’s job seemed in danger, but since then, United have gone on an unbeaten run of five matches in the Premier League.
According to Amorim, one of the biggest turning points in shifting the mood around the club was Ratcliffe’s public support.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave Ruben Amorim his support
Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That’s where I would be.
In an interview with Stan Sport, Amorim said: “If you remember when Jim gave that interview, that settled down a lot of the noise around the club, it changed completely. So that was really important for the team and it’s really important for me.”
“So those words had a huge impact, not on the way I do things, but the way people see what we are doing. So it was massive for us.”
Ineos have repaired Man Utd bond with boardroom
Under the Glazer ownership, there was a huge fracture between the fanbase, players, coaching staff and the boardroom.
Fans continue to protest against the Glazers for their complete lack of care during their time in charge of the club and Old Trafford.
Ineos have been far from perfect, and Ratcliffe has caused controversy in his own way, but there has been a significant improvement in terms of how the fans view the footballing structure of the club.
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In Berrada and Jason Wilcox, United finally have an elite-level structure of professionals who understand what it takes to run a top-level club.
While Ratcliffe is more separated, Amorim works closely with Berrada and Wilcox in his day-to-day duties as United boss. Fans can finally see a cohesive structure and a clear vision of where United are headed.