United co-owner Ratcliffe said last week that Amorim needs three years to prove he is a “great coach” at Old Trafford and that he would not be influenced by “knee-jerk reactions”.
Amorim is seeking back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since taking charge at United last November when his side visit champions Liverpool on Sunday.
And while he recognises the support of Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox, the United head coach acknowledged that their patience would be tested if results do not improve.
“He tells me all the time, sometimes with a message after games, but you know, I know and Jim knows that football is not like that,” said Amorim, whose side are currently 10th in the table. “The most important thing is the next game. You cannot control − even with owners − you cannot control the next day in football.
“So I know that, but it’s really good to hear that. Also because of the noise, but Omar and Jason tell me that all the time.
Manchester Utd owner Jim Ratcliffe
Manchester Utd owner Jim Ratcliffe
“First of all, I can feel it, it’s not just that thing that people talk about. But I feel it every day, and again, sometimes the pressure that I put on the team or on myself is so much bigger than them.”
Amorim also said that it was important such public backing did not lull people into a false sense of security and that pressure to deliver can be a force for good.
“I know that it’s going to take a while, but I don’t want to think like that,” he said. “I said that last year. But. of course, it’s really good to hear that. I think it helps our fans to understand that leadership is going to take a while.
“But at the same moment, I don’t like that, because it will give a feeling that we have time to work things out. So I don’t want that feeling here in our club. Again, the most important thing is the next game, it’s good to feel the support, but we need to prove in football and especially in big clubs that every weekend we are ready to win games.”
United have won merely once at Anfield in the past nine years dating back to a 1-0 victory in January 2016 when Wayne Rooney scored. Amorim has tended to fare a little better against some of the Premier League’s bigger clubs than against some of the less high-profile clubs and believes that may be down to his players struggling to cope with the expectation of winning.
When people do not expect Manchester United to win that game maybe it’s easier for the players to perform
“I don’t know, but maybe the expectations − when you have to win and the response of winning, it’s so much harder to play like that,” said Amorim, who has doubts over the fitness of defender Noussair Mazraoui.
“That’s why when you play in big clubs you need to win every match, especially when people are expecting you to win. We have some difficulties sometimes to deal with that.
“When people do not expect Manchester United to win that game maybe it’s easier for the players to perform and we need to change that.
“But to change that we need to have confidence to win more games, to have more points, to feel more free to play the game. So I think that is the main reason.”
Ratcliffe also claimed United’s academy has “really slipped” but, while Amorim was reluctant to pass judgment given his own struggles over the past year, he admitted there was scope for improvement.
“I think we can always improve,” he said. “I am not the best guy because I am here for a year and our results are not so good.
“So I’m not going to be the guy to say that the academy is not in good shape. What I know is that especially now, with the [financial] fair play rules, with the feeling for the club, the academy is really important. We need to take care of that.
“We also need to give the right conditions for all the people to do a better job. We are paying attention to that, we are bringing people, always in contact with Travis Binnion [the U21 manager], trying to bring the right kids for training, make that relationship with the academy.
“We have a lot to improve, not just in the academy, but in the aspects of the club.”