Manchester United created a five-person shortlist after they gave the boot to Erik ten Hag, with one young Portuguese coach standing out among the rest
Sir Jim Ratcliffe consoles Ruben Amorim, head coach of Manchester United, after the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Estadio San Mames on May 21, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has backed Amorim on numerous occasions(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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Ruben Amorim beat the likes of Gareth Southgate and Graham Potter to the Manchester United job after Erik ten Hag was dismissed. Exactly a year on from the Dutchman's dismissal at Old Trafford, Amorim is still in the hot seat in Manchester and recently recorded his third win in a row against Brighton.
The Portuguese coach was part of a five-man shortlist to take over at the Theatre of Dreams, alongside Southgate, Potter, Thomas Frank and Xavi Hernandez. This was after Ten Hag's position at the club became untenable, with just four wins in 14 games across all competitions in the 2024/25 season.
The Dutchman was given the boot 115 days after United activated a 12-month contract extension, and former United star Ruud van Nistelrooy took interim charge of the club while the search for a new manager continued.
Amorim stood out amongst the rest as the frontrunner for the job, departing Sporting CP on November 1, 2024, to head to Manchester on a three-year deal. While the now-40-year-old's first year in charge was full of ups and downs, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has stuck by his manager despite fierce criticism.
The INEOS CEO, who owns a 25% stake in United and has control over football operations, told The Times earlier this year in March that Amorim deserves time to stamp his authority on the squad. At that point, United were sitting in the lower end of the Premier League table and had progressed through the Europa League - only to finish 15th and lose the European final to Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite the poor finish to the 2024/25 season, Ratcliffe saw the potential in Amorim. He said: "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?
"You know, you’re a young guy, you’ve come into the Premier League for the first time in your life, you’ve come in mid-season, it’s not your natural language. You have to give the guy a bit of a break.
Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United reacts during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Manchester United FC at London Stadium on October 27, 2024 in London, England.
Erik ten Hag was temporarily replaced by Ruud van Nistelrooy as the search for a manager began
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"I mean, give me a hard time, I have no problem with that. But give Ruben a break. I think he’s a good guy; he’s working hard, and I think he’s doing a great job."
When asked if he believed Amorim was the right man for the job, Ratcliffe added: "Yeah, I do, honestly. 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*** off. I like him."
Manchester United Manager Ruben Amorim celebrates the 4-2 win
during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on October 25, 2025 in Manchester, England.
Ruben Amorim is finally seeing some domestic success at United(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Amorim's attitude seems to have been a strong selling point for Ratcliffe, and it looks like the businessman has been right to stand by the young coach for the time being. Right now, United are sitting pretty in sixth place in the Premier League, recently recording wins over Sunderland, Brighton and reigning champions Liverpool at Anfield.
United are sitting level on points with city rivals Manchester City, and are just six points off first-placed Arsenal heading into November. Two tricky away days to Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur are coming up next but the feeling around Old Trafford is now one of hope rather than despair for fans.
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