Ruben Amorim’s £129m Sporting success gives Ineos confidence at Manchester United

Ruben Amorim is feeling the heat at Manchester United, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come out in his support.

The season hasn’t started well, with United sitting 10th in the Premier League after seven matches.

Ratcliffe has dismissed rumours of Amorim being sacked, stating his intention to give the Portuguese manager three years to turn things around.

While Amorim’s first year didn’t go as planned, fans are still behind him – though that support may not last if results don’t pick up soon.

Fans want to see improvement on the pitch, but Ineos and Ratcliffe are equally focused on boosting commercial performance off it.

Ratcliffe’s commercial push hits snag with Manchester United members board

Sir Jim Ratcliffe isn’t shy about wanting to boost Manchester United’s financial numbers. But standing in his way is a nine-member board tasked with keeping the club connected to its local roots and history. That board has already turned down one of Ineos’ big commercial plans: moving some training sessions from Carrington to a new office space set up by Ineos in London.

The members board made their stance clear: Carrington is Manchester United’s training ground and will stay that way. They agreed only three business meetings can be held at the new office each month. There was also pushback against other changes proposed by Ineos, including the switch of media days from Wednesday mornings to Fridays.

The current schedule had been working well for Amorim’s coaching team and players, so any shift risked causing disruption just before matches. Other proposals like team breakfasts before afternoon games were also rejected.

The most significant change approved so far is a £1billion rebuild of Old Trafford, expected to be completed by 2030/31. However, every step must get clearance from both Sir Jim Ratcliffe and CEO Omar Berrada before moving forward with construction companies bidding for contracts this summer.

Ruben Amorim oversaw a financial turnaround at Sporting

Since the Ineos takeover, United’s financial stability has been under the spotlight. The changes made have included significant job reductions and unpopular increases in ticket prices.

The club’s latest financial report showed revenues of £667m, and Ineos responded by rolling out ‘Project 90’, an initiative designed to add £90m to the balance sheet each year.