Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has flown into Manchester for talks with head coach Ruben Amorim after another dismal start to the season, according to reports.
The Portuguese manager was installed at Old Trafford in November 2024, but since then has been unable to reverse the stagnation that developed late on in previous manager Erik ten Hag’s term.
Man United finished a limp 15th in the Premier League standings at the end of the last campaign.
The Red Devils also missed out on alternate routes to European competition this season after defeat to Premier League rivals Tottenham in the Europa League final in Bilbao.
After being heavily backed in the summer transfer window – and afforded the luxury of an uninterrupted pre-season – fans were hopeful that Amorim & Co might be able to start the 2025-26 campaign on a brighter note.
But Man United have only won one match since their curtain-raiser against Arsenal – against newly promoted side Burnley.
Ruben Amorim sat down with Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Thursday afternoon after he flew in to Manchester for meetings
The co-owner was present for his team’s thrashing against derby rivals Manchester City
The team were also knocked out of the Carabao Dup by League Two strugglers Grimsby, meaning that Man United will only have one cup competition to contest when the FA Cup kicks off at the start of next year.
Amid the tumult at Carrington, Ratcliffe is believed to have descended ahead of the club’s Premier League match against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
As per the Athletic, Ratcliffe flew in via helicopter for a string of meetings at the club’s Manchester base, including with the beleaguered head coach.
But insiders have insisted that the meeting with Amorim had been planned a long time in advance, rather than being scheduled as crisis talks.
Regardless of the meeting’s initial intention, Man United’s challenging start will no doubt have been at the fore of Ratcliffe’s mind.
Amorim made a slew of recruitments during the window, with incoming players including Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens, and Benjamin Sesko costing the club a staggering £214million.
But new stars such as Sesko have been unable to impress yet, with critical flaws in both attack and defence remaining in the team.
Amorim has been bullish about his determination to continue espousing his playing philosophy despite difficult results.
Amorim even appeared to dare the Man United hierarchy to get rid of him should they want the team to play a different way after their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
‘I understand (the criticism) and I accept. It is not a record (of defeats) you should have in Manchester United,’ Amorim said. ‘There are a lot of things.
‘You have no idea what happened during these months but I accept that. I am not going to change. When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If not, you have to change the man.
‘We talk about that every game that we lose. I don’t believe in that in the system or whatever. I believe in my way and I am going to play my way until I want to change.’
Should Amorim move on from the club, it was thought that the manager could find a new role at Benfica, with presidential candidate Joao Noronha Lopes making no secret of his desire to lure the head coach back to Lisbon.
But such an appointment could likely be some way in the future, with former Man United manager Jose Mourinho confirmed as the Portuguese club’s latest manager on Thursday afternoon.
