The clouds of uncertainty are hovering above Ruben Amorim after the Manchester derby loss, and Fabrizio Romano has shared the latest on a tense situation at the club.
It’s no secret that Ruben Amorim has received more backing than any other manager with his record would have received at Man Utd.
He’s Ineos’s first proper appointment, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe has raved about him publicly many times before despite the results on the pitch.
However, at a certain point, the results become too poor to ignore, and Fabrizio Romano reports that the situation is getting tense at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim looks dejected during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ‘strong message’ during Manchester derby
31 points from 31 games, and unable to win back-to-back games at the club despite joining last November.
Any other manager in this situation at Man Utd would have been sacked long ago, let alone receive a backing of more than £250m to date and public statements of confidence.
However, the Manchester derby result, and more importantly, the performance on the day, sounded the alarm bells.
Jason Wilcox looked fed up in the stands, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, sitting with him, wouldn’t have liked what he saw either.
More United News
Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, said that Ratcliffe’s presence on matchday was a ‘strong message’ to reinforce his control over the situation.
He said: “I can guarantee that Sir Jim Ratcliffe being at the [Etihad] stadium is quite a strong message because he wants to be close to the squad, close to the staff, close to all the people at Manchester United now to understand what’s really needed to sort this situation.
“He is really present in this situation.”
Ruben Amorim’s ‘tense’ situation
Romano added that there is no chance Amorim will change his philosophy and style of play, and that repeating it in the press is his way of sending a message to the club.
Amorim is happy with the Man Utd squad and believes that the results will get better once the mentality of the team improves, which he has diagnosed as the main issue.
Romano said: “If at any moment Man United decide to fire the manager, this is a decision made from the club to change the philosophy because it’s the only way with Ruben Amorim, who is very clear on his position.
“He’s not going to change anything. We’re not getting the message from the club to change anything either, but the situation is getting difficult. The situation is getting tense.”
The challenge for Amorim won’t get any easier because United host Chelsea at Old Trafford next before a tricky away trip to Brentford.
A single home game against Sunderland follows before the international break, which ends with an away trip to Liverpool.
He needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat to prevent his position from becoming untenable, as the fixture list is relentless and things could get ugly quickly.