Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘panicked’ over Ruben Amorim amid ‘massive’ Man United sack verdict
Matt Le Tissier thinks that Man United could challenge for the Champions League places this season if they are able to follow up their win against Liverpool with more good form.
The Premier League icon has exclusively told Football Insider that while last weekend’s win against Liverpool should give Man United confidence, Ruben Amorim will still be under pressure if things don’t go their way in the next few weeks.
United have had an inconsistent start to the 2025-26 season which looks to be improving following back-to-back wins for the first time since Amorim took over.
He has been under pressure over the last few months, but club owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe moved to back Amorim recently and insisted that he will need three years at Old Trafford before being fully judged by the board.
United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield last Sunday (19 October) as Harry Maguire headed home a late winner to send them into ninth place with 13 points, just one point off Chelsea in fifth.
Amorim lifts pressure after consecutive United wins
United beat Sunderland 2-0 prior to the international break, and they now take on Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday (25 October) as they aim to make it three wins in three.
Amorim’s side are not partaking in any European football this season after they fell short in the Europa League final last season against Tottenham, and they have only played in the Champions League once in the last four campaigns.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Amorim needs to build on his side’s win against Liverpool with further successes against Brighton and then Nottingham Forest on 1 November to be safe in his job.
Jamie Carragher recently ripped into Red Devils owner Ratcliffe, insisting that “nobody believes” that Amorim will be United boss in three years time, and he clearly needs to oversee a strong 2025-26 campaign to still be in place by next May, regardless of Ratcliffe’s comments.
Le Tissier backs United to compete for top-five despite potential ‘clamour’ for Amorim sack
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier insisted that United can compete for the Champions League places if they continue their recent form, but admitted that Amorim’s position is still not safe despite Ratcliffe’s public backing.
He said: “The whole thing with Jim Ratcliffe, I think it sounded to me like he was put on the spot a little bit there and he panicked a little bit when he was in that interview.
“I think he was perhaps just trying to take the pressure off of the situation at Man United. I don’t think anybody’s under any illusions that if Man United were to lose their next four or five games in a row there wouldn’t be a massive clamour for Ruben Amorim to lose his job.
“So what that result (against Liverpool) will do is obviously give a massive confidence boost to the squad and we might just see that manifest itself in Man United’s next few fixtures.
“They could go on a decent winning run because, at the moment, you look at the league table, I know they’re down in mid-table, but they’re actually only a couple of points off Liverpool.
“It’s pretty tight in that top area. So if they can string together two or three results, all of a sudden they’re back in Champions League contention.“