Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim insists he still has the backing of Jim Ratcliffe, shooting down suggestions that the co-owner’s visit to the club’s Carrington Training Ground on Thursday was anything more ominous than a regular meeting.
The Portuguese manager has overseen one win in four Premier League games and a shock League Cup exit to League Two (fourth-tier) Grimsby in a sputtering start to their season.
Media speculation is that the owners’ patience is wearing thin ahead of Saturday’s game against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
“(Ratcliffe) offered me a new contract,” Amorim said joking with reporters on Friday. “No, it’s normal things, just to show the support, explaining that it is a long project …
“But normal things, spoke with him, with Omar (Berrada, United CEO), with Jason (Wilcox, Director of Football), just trying to see all the data around the team.”
Ratcliffe’s visit comes ahead of a crucial home fixture , with United desperate to bounce back from last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City.
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Amorim confirmed that Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount are back and available for selection for Saturday’s game.
United is languishing in 14th, with its performances so far all but erasing pre-season optimism. Chelsea is fifth.
Amorim knows results have to improve.
“This is football and this is the club with more pressure maybe than any (other club) in the world,” he said.
“We want to win. Last year I was very critical of the way we played but now I think we are playing very well until the boxes – defending and attacking. We need to be more aggressive in the boxes, more clinical.”
Despite the growing scrutiny, Amorim believes his side are getting better, even if results have yet to reflect it.
“I think we are improving and we are in a better place than last year,” he added. “But we need to win. We lost against Arsenal and City. Here losing, especially in the beginning after last season, is a problem.”
Published on Sep 19, 2025
