Ruben Amorim has thrown down the gauntlet to his Manchester United United squad, urging them to prove co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wrong after his scathing remarks about some players being "overpriced" or "not good enough". In a candid interview with the BBC, Ratcliffe singled out Casemiro, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Antony and Jadon Sancho, stating they "are not good enough and some probably are overpaid".
The Red Devils splashed out a hefty £60million, potentially rising to £70m, for Casemiro from Real Madrid, making him the club's top earner at over £300,000 per week. Antony's transfer from Ajax saw his wages skyrocket to around £200,000 weekly, with the deal costing up to £86.3m.
Onana and Hojlund were later snapped up for £47.2m and £64m, potentially increasing to £72m respectively, while Sancho set United back by £72.9m in 2021. Despite their high-profile moves, both Sancho and Antony have been offloaded on loan to Chelsea and Real Betis. Meanwhile, Onana, Casemiro, and Hojlund are all in contention to play in Thursday's Europa League round-of-16 second leg against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford.
Amorim didn't shy away from the current situation, admitting: "I think if we are being honest in this moment, everybody, me, all the players, we are underperforming this season. So we can always change that and I include myself in that part of the underperforming."
Casemiro has been singled out by the club's hierarchy for needing to step up his game, as the Red Devils aim to turn their season around. "You are talking about players like Casemiro, for example, that won everything and we know these kind of players can play so much better," Amorim added. "That is the focus. He was honest on that, the focus is to change his mind and change all the people's minds.
"If you are a top player playing in this club, even me, a lot of people say I am not good enough for the club, my feeling is that you can change that with results. In training, I feel that they want this really bad, especially for tomorrow."
Ratcliffe couldn't hide his admiration for manager Amorim during recent media appearances, praising the Portuguese's efforts despite United languishing at 14th in the Premier League table. Ratcliffe enthused that Amorim has done a "great job" even though the team faces its worst finish since their 1974 relegation.
With the Europa League still in play, United have a chance to redeem their season and clinch a Champions League spot. Ratcliffe humorously shared an insight into his interactions with Amorim: "I tell him where it's going wrong, and he tells me to f**k off".
Amorim himself spoke positively about his rapport with Ratcliffe, saying, "I think we are really blunt and honest with each other. He's a little bit of a character, we are quite similar [in] that.
"I always felt the support of the board and especially Sir Jim. I cannot tell you the conversations but they are simple conversations, clear conversations and honest conversations."
Amorim affirmed that his players hadn't expressed any concerns regarding Ratcliffe's remarks, stating: "No, nothing. I didn't feel nothing. I really enjoyed the training today."
This article first appeared on the Manchester Evening News.