Ruben Amorim makes ‘new Man United contract’ claim following Sir Jim Ratcliffe crunch talks
Man United boss Ruben Amorim has joked about being offered a new contract by Sir Jim Ratcliffe after they held a meeting to discuss future plans amid uncertainty around his position in charge.
Ruben Amorim has been unable to turn Man United‘s dismal fortunes around over the last 11 months since he was hired in place of Erik ten Hag at the start of November last year.
He could only lead his side to a lowly 15th-placed league finish, the club’s worst ever since the formation of the Premier League, and things have not improved any this time around.
Man United lost 3-0 to arch-rivals Man City on Sunday (14 September) to further deepen their current woes under Amorim, with just four points now taken from their first four top-flight games of the new season.
Their poor league form, added to an embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town, has seen lots of speculation circulate around his future in recent days and weeks, but the Portuguese boss has chosen to deal with the talk with good humour rather than seriousness and sorrow.
Ruben Amorim makes Sir Jim Ratcliffe contract joke amid Man United uncertainty
The Athletic revealed on Thursday (18 September) that United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had flown into the club’s Carrington training ground for a number of meetings, including one with Amorim, with the numerous issues facing him believed to be on the agenda for their talk.
Aside from the meeting, Amorim has been busy preparing his players for a vital home clash against Chelsea on Saturday (20 September), and he was answering questions from the media in his press conference on Friday when asked about the details of his chat with the co-owner.
The Portuguese boss has been under increasing pressure to succeed, or likely be sacked, but he surprisingly replied in jest by saying: “He offered me a new contract! No, it was normal things just to show the support, explain it’s a long season.”
Despite the seemingly good-willed nature of their chat, Amorim could soon face Ratcliffe’s wrath if his side are unable to beat old rivals the Blues at Old Trafford this weekend.
Ratcliffe will be reluctant to sack Amorim for pay-off reasons
Man United players reportedly have concerns about Amorim’s methods and his ability to deal with the mounting pressure on both them and him right now after just one win in their first five games in all competitions so far this season.
Recent reports have also stated that Man United will have to pay Amorim £12million if they sack him within the first year of his contract at Old Trafford, with the anniversary of his appointment in just over six weeks time on 1 November.
| Games Managed | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points-per-game |
| 47 | 18 | 9 | 20 | 1.34 |
With that said, it does feel unlikely that Ratcliffe will wield the axe considering the club paid out £36.6million in compensation for the exits of Ten Hag and former sporting director Dan Ashworth in the last financial year, along with a whole host of staff redundancies.
Football Insider have revealed that Man United chiefs want to stick with Amorim, but there clearly has to be a feeling that their view is not truly based off on-field performances, and rather a reluctance to pay yet another failed head-coach off.