LONDON.- The British billionaire Jim Ratcliffeco-owner of Manchester Unitedwill judge over “three years” the ability of Ruben Amorim to be a “great coach,” he declared in an interview broadcast Thursday.
The 40-year-old Portuguese has a mediocre record since his arrival in November 2024, both in the championship (15th last season, 10th currently) and in national cups.
Ratcliffe believes that the former Sporting de Portugal coach, even if he hasn’t “had the best of seasons”, is a “good guy” who deserves time.
“Ruben must prove that he is a great coach over three years. That is where I would place myself,” declared in the podcast The Business, produced by The Times and The Sunday Times, the minority shareholder (29% of the shares) of Manchester United and in charge of operations linked to the soccer.
The pressure around the Portuguese increased after a bad start to the season: three defeats in seven championship games, in addition to being eliminated in the League Cup by a 4th division team.
Several of the most influential voices in the English sports media, such as Wayne Rooney, former Manchester United player, or Jamie Carragher, have expressed the opinion that the relationship between the coach and the Mancunian club was destined to fail. Amorim even admitted that at times he “felt like resigning.”
“Sometimes I don’t understand the press. They want immediate success. They think it’s like a switch, you know? You arrive, press a button and everything will be rosy from the next day. You can’t run a club like Manchester United by reacting impulsively to what certain journalists who launch themselves every week say,” Ratcliffe reacted.
The founder of the chemical group INEOS, popular upon his arrival at Old Trafford, has turned some of the fans against him for unappreciated measures: job cuts and layoffs, stopping free meals for employees, etc.
“The expenses were simply too high. There are fantastic people at Manchester United, but there was also a certain level of mediocrity and the organization had become too heavy,” he defended.
“I have been criticized a lot for eliminating free meals, but no one has ever given me a meal,” he justified.
New year of losses
In September, the northwest English club announced annual net losses for the sixth consecutive year, but a record turnover of 666.5 million pounds (769 million euros, 895.8 million dollars).
“The more liquidity you have, the better your team will be. It’s like in Formula 1: the better your car, the faster you go (…) That’s why we have dedicated a large part of our first year to establishing healthy and lasting foundations for the club.”
Tenth before the international break, Manchester United will return to action in the Premier League on October 19 in Liverpool, current champion and historic rival of the Red Devils.
