Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has defended the wave of sackings overseen by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, calling them a “clear path” to success.
Since Ratcliffe’s INEOS took sporting control midway through last season, United has implemented widespread cutbacks, recently confirming that around 200 employees will be made redundant as part of a “transformation plan.” This follows last summer’s layoffs of approximately 250 staff members, a move expected to save the club £30 million.
Despite these cost-cutting measures, United has spent heavily on managerial changes, paying over £21 million to sack Erik ten Hag and appoint Amorim. Additionally, former sporting director Dan Ashworth received a £4.1 million payout after being dismissed just five months into his tenure.
Amorim, however, remains optimistic about the club’s direction. When asked to highlight a positive aspect of United, the Portuguese coach pointed to the leadership of his new bosses, backing their vision for the club’s future.
“I see a clear path, I see that from the board also,” Amorim insisted. “They are doing difficult changes, they are not popular, but they are doing them because they have a vision. That is clear.
“But in the future we need to show some results – because you can make a lot of changes and if we don’t have results, people won’t feel confidence and happy. The good thing is we have a clear path, now it’s hard but we are doing things to achieve success in the future.”
Ruben Amorim previously expressed sympathy for those losing their jobs at Manchester United, even admitting some responsibility due to the team’s poor performances.
United’s failure to qualify for last season’s Champions League—under former manager Erik ten Hag—meant missing out on the financial windfall that comes with Europe’s top competition.
While the Red Devils are currently the highest earners in this season’s Europa League, their £18.7 million prize money haul is still less than Swiss side Young Boys, who earned £24.9 million despite finishing with the worst record in the Champions League league phase.
Sitting 14th in the Premier League with only 11 games remaining, United faces an uphill battle to qualify for any European competition through their league position.
Winning the FA Cup would secure a Europa League spot, but if they triumph in the Europa League itself, they would earn a backdoor entry into next season’s Champions League.
