Portugal Colonial - Ratcliffe gives Amorim three years to prove himself at Man Utd

Amorim has endured constant speculation that he faces the sack throughout this season as United lurched from one crisis to another.

The former Sporting Lisbon boss, who was hired by Ratcliffe in November 2024, admitted earlier this term that he had considered quitting during United's darkest moments.

Amorim's side finished 15th in the Premier League last season -- their lowest final top-flight position since 1973-74 -- and squandered a chance to qualify for the Champions League when they lost the Europa League final to fellow strugglers Tottenham.

Tenth-placed United have fared little better this season, losing three of their first seven league games and crashing to a shock League Cup defeat at fourth-tier Grimsby.

Amorim has yet to record successive Premier League wins since replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag, with a trip to champions Liverpool next up for United after the international break.

Despite the talk that Amorim, whose side beat promoted Sunderland in their last game, remains in danger of being axed Ratcliffe said the 40-year-old would be given time to turn things around.

"He has not had the best of seasons. Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years. That's where I would be," Ratcliffe told The Business podcast, produced by The Times and The Sunday Times.

"The press, sometimes I don't understand. 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."

- 'No free lunches' -

Ratcliffe has owned just under 30 percent of United since February 2024, when he took control of football operations at the 20-time English champions.

That left the Glazer family, who have endured numerous fan protests since taking over in 2005, still in overall charge at Old Trafford.

United haven't won the English title since 2013, while their last European trophy was the 2017 Europa League.

Asked what would happen if the Glazers told him to sack Amorim, Ratcliffe said: "It's not going to happen."

The INEOS chief said the Glazers were happy for him to take charge, adding: "That probably sums it up. We're local and they're the other side of the pond.

"That's a long way away to try and manage a football club as big, as complex as Manchester United. We're here with feet on the ground.

"They get a bad rap but they are really nice people and they are really passionate about the club."

Ratcliffe has also come in from criticism after controversial cuts designed to drive down costs at United saw around 450 jobs axed and the removal of perks like subsidised staff lunches.

"The costs were just too high. There are some fantastic people at Manchester United, but there was also a level of mediocrity and it had become bloated," he said.

"I got a lot of flak for the free lunches, but no-one's ever given me a free lunch.

"The biggest correlation, like it or not, between results and any external factor is profitability. The more cash you have got, the better squad you can build.

"So a lot of what we have done in the first year is spend an awful lot of time putting the club on a sustainable, healthy footing."

E.Raimundo--PC