MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 15: Manchester United minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe before the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Manchester United FC at Etihad Stadium on December 15, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe offered his honest thoughts on some of Ruben Amorim's major decisions
Sir Jim Ratcliffe praised Ruben Amorim's tough treatment of Manchester United trio Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Alejandro Garnacho.
Amorim had a rough start to his tenure after taking over in November, handling tense situations like loaning £81m signing Antony to Real Betis and Rashford to Aston Villa till the end of the season. He also excluded Garnacho from United's squad for the Manchester derby due to poor performances in training, but the Argentine has since earned back Amorim's faith by regularly featuring in the starting 11.
While Garnacho has impressed in flashes, both Antony and Rashford have hit the ground running at the Benito Villamarin Stadium and Villa Park respectively. Coinciding with their new leases of life, United forwards Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have entered a goal-shy period.
Despite the contrasting periods of form of the United attackers and the improved performances of Rashford and Antony away from Old Trafford, Ratcliffe backed Amorim's player-management style.
Ratcliffe, when asked by Gary Neville on the Overlap whether he supported Amorim's tough tactics, confidently said: "Correct. I do, yes (support Amorim's handling). I think he's doing the right thing with the players.
"He has to be in charge of the dressing room. You played in the dressing room, where the boss was the boss at the end of the day. He's got a set of principles and he wants the players to abide by his set of principles, which are you have to be totally and utterly committed to winning the next football match. That's what he wants. If you abide by those principles, you potentially have a seat in the dressing room."
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 28: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of Manchester United, speaks to Marcus Rashford of Manchester United as he prepares to enter the pitch as a substitute during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between Manchester United and FK Bodo/Glimt at Old Trafford on November 28, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Amorim froze Rashford out of the United squad ( Image: Justin Setterfield, Getty Images)
So far Amorim's tactical choices haven't shifted United from 14th, the position they were stuck in when he took over after Erik ten Hag was sacked.
Meanwhile, Rashford may not have scored at Villa Park yet, but he's been a beam of positivity in the Midlands. With an impressive tally of three assists in eight games, including setting up both goals in the crucial 2-1 win over Chelsea, fans are questioning if United should've let him go. Nonetheless, Ratcliffe had only praise for the decision to move Rashford out of the club.
The INEOS boss said: "He's moved out of Manchester and maybe that's a good thing for him. I am very pleased he is doing well. It's good to see because he has got tremendous talent.
Antony has three goals and three assists in nine appearances for Betis
"But for whatever reason it wasn't working in Manchester for the past couple of seasons. But he is a very talented footballer, Rashford."
Up next, United face a defining second leg against Real Sociedad in the Europa League. As United prepare for the La Liga giants, Rashford will be readying himself for Villa's Champions League second leg against Club Brugge, having already been involved in the 3-1 first-leg triumph in Belgium.
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