Is Jim Ratcliffe Right To Give Ruben Amorim more time at Manchester United?

When Jim Ratcliffe joined Manchester United as a minority shareholder in 2023, a fever pitch began to ring around Old Trafford. After years of enduring the deeply unpopular Glazer family’s handling of the club, fans were exicted to see a light at the end of the tunnel – and one provided by a boyhood United fan, no less.

Sadly, it has not worked out quite that way. Ratcliffe’s tenure has been largely characterised by the same issues that have plagued United for what seems like an eternity. In fact, some would suggest he has worsened matters – his aloofness with making staff redundant has made him very few friends.

Likewise, the appointment of Ruben Amorim under Ratcliffe has raised questions. Today, we’ll look to answer just one – is Ratcliffe right to be paitient with the Portuguese head coach? Or is it time for the Red Devils to cut their losses?

Was Ruben Amorim the right man to begin with?

It is first worth considering if Amorim was deserving of the United job in the first place. Undeniably, he had been successful at Sporting CP, winning three Primeira Liga titles and two Portuguese Cups.

However, upon the sacking of Erik ten Hag last year, United were a club in turmoil. While Amorim arrived with an impressive resume, he had never dealt with a major ongoing crisis – and certainly not at a club the size of United’s.

Likewise, his man-management has appeared to be limited at best. Amorim rarely commands respect on the touchline – notably, during the Red Devils’ humiliating League Cup exit against Grimsby Town, Amorim was not seen barking orders from his technical area. Instead, he opted to hide in his dugout. This may be mere window dressing, but it set a poor – not to mention meek – example for the rest of the team.

Manchester United’s summer transfer window under Amorim

On the surface, the 2025 summer transfer window looked like a successful one for United. Players such as Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo are all high-quality operators, but the glaring issues in Amorim’s squad were ultimately left unresolved.

Notably, United often look all at sea in the middle of the park. Amorim only wants to play two in central midfield, but failed to sign players who are adept at playing in a midfield two. In fact, Amorim has not signed a single central midfielder during his time at Old Trafford.

Of course, there were other issues in the squad that needed fixing over the course of the summer. It was necessary to bolster United’s attacking ranks, but it has come at the expense of their midfield.

The final verdict

Financially, it has been a good decision to not sack Amorim as of yet, mainly because United will have to pay him a sum of £12 million if he is fired in the first year of his current deal. This clause will expire on November 1 – after that, all bets are off.

The main issue fans have with Amorim’s style of play is his stubborn rigidity. He will not deviate from his beloved 3-4-3, even in the most unfavourable of circumstances.

Compare Amorim’s approach to Pep Guardiola’s, for example. Guardiola often makes subtle changes to his team, usually to match his opponents. Amorim does not do this – his idea of a ‘Plan B’ is simply to do ‘Plan A’ again.

In the end, this will cost him. It makes United very easy to scout and prepare for – likewise, we have seen the Red Devils play teams they simply have no answer for.

Ratcliffe’s faith in Amorim is admirable, but ultimately misplaced. The Portugese is by no means a bad coach, but a task of this magintude – especially at such an early stage in his managerial career – has so far proven insurmountable.