What Jim Ratcliffe last told Ruben Amorim about his Manchester United future after 'embarrassing' admission
Man Utd were beaten 2-0 by West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Ruben Amorim shouldered the blame for Manchester United’s dire domestic form after they lost 2-0 at home to West Ham United over the weekend. United are now 16th in the Premier League table and have lost 17 times in the competition all season.
No matter what happens in the final three matches of the season, United's campaign will be hugely disappointing, even if they win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League. It has raised fresh speculation over the future of Amorim, who was only appointed United head coach back in November.
The 40-year-old has endured a testing start to life at Old Trafford, though he has earned praise for an attempt to implement a distinct style of play on a team he inherited during a campaign. There is still a belief Amorim could turn things around if given the financial backing required and a full pre-season, though the recent defeat to West Ham was another reminder of just how hard that will be.
Ruben Amorim 'embarrassed' by United situation
Speaking after the 2-0 home defeat to West Ham on Sunday afternoon, Ruben Amorim admitted he was 'embarrassed' by the situation he is in as Manchester United head coach. "It's not the players' fault. It's my fault, I'm responsible," he said in his post-match press conference. "If we cannot change that really fast, we should give our place to different persons," the boss admitted to reporters watching his Man United side fall to defeat again.
"I feel how a manager of Manchester United is supposed to feel in that position - embarrassed. It’s hard to accept. We need to be more aggressive, and we need to feel that it is the end of the world when we are not winning a game. Especially when we are not winning.
"So it's a big problem that we have here at the club. It's a decisive moment in the history of the club. We need to address that. It's a big problem because it's mentally. We are not scared of losing a game as Manchester United. We don't have that fear anymore and that is the most dangerous thing that a big club can have."
What Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has not spoken publicly about Ruben Amorim for a couple of months now, but was full of praise for the Manchester United head coach back in March. Although their Premier League form has not improved much since then, United have enjoyed success in Europe, and United could yet earn Champions League qualification.
"I think he’s done a great job in the circumstances, frankly, with the squad that he’s had available, the fact he came in mid-season," Ratcliffe told The Times and The Telegraph. "Everybody expects miracles overnight. It’s not the way, not real life in my view. I mean, you saw the performance yesterday (against Arsenal). It was, I thought, a really impressive performance. They could not have worked harder. They couldn’t have been more committed.
"And if you looked at the names on the bench, there weren’t many you recognised, were there? Half the squad’s missing for Ruben. If you look at the top eight players in terms of salaries in Manchester United, 50 percent of those are not available to Ruben. You’ve got Mason Mount, you’ve got Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford has gone, and Jadon Sancho (on loan at Chelsea). And he’s got a bunch of other injuries as you know, so I think he’s done a fantastic job."
"I think coaches are emotional and Ruben’s no exception to that. And he’s a young coach. And he’s not perfect. You know, he’s not a guy who … he’s got to be good on the stage, but we want him to be good on the grass. And part of that is life on the stage, isn’t it? I really, really like Ruben. He’s a very thoughtful guy. Every time I go to the training ground, I speak to Ruben. I sit down and have a cup of coffee with him and tell him where it’s going wrong, and he tells me to f**k off. I like him."