Manchester United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe made an admission over one mistake he made since taking over at Old Trafford, and it relates to Ruben Amorim's future at the club
Jim Ratcliffe, Co-owner of Manchester United reacts prior to the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Manchester United FC at Stamford Bridge
Sir Jim Ratcliffe admitted his "error" in axing Erik ten Hag as Man United boss when he did
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe showed he can swallow his pride when admitting there were "errors" made at Manchester United regarding the handling of Erik ten Hag's dismissal. Tuesday marks the first anniversary of Ten Hag being sacked at Old Trafford, not long before Ruben Amorim took over as his successor.
United co-owner Ratcliffe fired Ten Hag in October 2024, just a few months after the Dutchman was handed a new deal. The Red Devils rewarded their former chief after he surprised Manchester City to lift the FA Cup, believing that the victory would signal the start of a revival.
It wasn't to be, however, and Ten Hag was shown the door with United sitting 14th in the Premier League at the time. And it wasn't long after that Dan Ashworth was also relieved of his duties as sporting director only a few months into the role.
There's no telling where United might be had they decided to cut ties with Ten Hag in the summer of 2024 rather than grant him a stay of execution. However, Ratcliffe has already conceded it was a mistake in his judgment to grant a reprieve.
"Those decisions [delaying Ten Hag's dismissal and hiring Ashworth] were errors," he said in March 2025. "There were some mitigating circumstances, but they were errors. I accept that and apologise.
"It wasn’t just the FA Cup final. The fans were of the view that we’d like to stick with him. With Erik, there was an emotional response. We get criticised for being unemotional and there was a bit of emotion with that.
"If you look at the time we made the decision about Erik, the management team hadn’t been in place more than five minutes. It became clearer three months later. We corrected it and are in a different place today."
That's even more true today after United entered unfamiliar territory having climbed to sixth in the table. The Red Devils beat Brighton 4-2 on Saturday to celebrate three straight league wins for the first time under the incumbent chief.
United have also now won four home games in a row since losing to Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season. That's seen the club restore some of its former lustre after looking so vulnerable at Old Trafford for stretches of last term and beyond.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford of INEOS meet Manager Erik ten Hag of Manchester United in the staff restaurant at Carrington Training Complex
Ratcliffe sacked Erik ten Hag only a few months after handing his manager a new deal
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Amorim's side sit level on points with bitter rivals City and are just two points below Bournemouth in second. And after so many questions of faith in Amorim's project, there appear to be signs of their investment paying off.
The Portuguese tactician has had to endure a torrent of scrutiny over whether he too was the right man for the job. And although a long road filled with many more potholes lies ahead, there is renewed trust he and United have the means to weather the journey.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, returned to coaching this past summer but was swiftly sacked once more at Bayer Leverkusen. His loss is proving to be not only Amorim's gain, but the change in leadership also vindicates Ratcliffe and his team - for now.
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