'Helicopter visit': Ratcliffe steps in at Carrington as pressure mounts on Amorim
Manchester United have endured a nightmare start to the 2025-26 campaign, scraping just one win from their opening five matches.
The Athletic have now revealed that Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe flew into the club’s Carrington training ground in a helicopter on Thursday for a series of meetings.
One of those meetings was with manager Ruben Amorim, with United’s disastrous form firmly on the agenda.
Ratcliffe is seeking to work through issues facing Amorim at the club.
The Red Devils recently lost 3-0 to Manchester City, despite Pep Guardiola’s men looking highly unconvincing.
Amorim has refused to budge from his 3-4-2-1 system, doubling down on big selection gambles such as deploying club captain Bruno Fernandes in central midfield.
The 31-year-old has predominantly played as an attacking midfielder.
He has been one of the best in that role in the Premier League for over five years now.
However, Amorim wants Fernandes to orchestrate the play from a deeper role.
Another unpopular choice has been to treat Kobbie Mainoo as the fourth-choice midfielder.
Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte have not done well enough, but they are still ahead of Mainoo in the pecking order.
Amorim believes Mainoo must improve his pace and positional awareness to play as a number six or a number eight.
The Portuguese head coach will mark his one-year anniversary at the club next month.
However, poor results and unflattering performances have led some fans to question whether he is the right man for the job.
A string of another 3-4 poor results could force INEOS to sack him and start another tiring cycle of hiring a manager.
Amorim wears his heart on his sleeve, never shying away from showing his emotions.
His stubborn streak has been evident, as he continues to stick rigidly to his tactical philosophy.
He also admitted to the media that only a change of manager would bring a change of tactics at United.
Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .