Amorim is heading into his first full season with Man Utd
In a candid interview, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has lifted the lid on his relationship with chairman Jim Ratcliffe.
As well as reflecting on a difficult first nine months at Old Trafford, Amorim spoke of how he felt the team would struggle in matches before he had left his home to attend matches.
United finished 15th in the Premier League last season, their worst-ever Premier League season, but Amorim is refreshingly honest about his side’s prospects.
On Ratcliffe’s messages
“We speak on the phone, he sends me messages, he sends me gifs. You call it gifs? Joking.
“So we have this kind of relationship. I think it’s really easy to deal with Jim. Easy in the sense that if you know your stuff, if you know how to explain any decision, you’ll be fine with him.
“If you try to use some bulls**t in big words with him, he’s going to knock you. So for me it’s really easy. I will say whatever I need to say with, of course, a lot of respect, like with everybody, I know that he’s the owner of the club, I know my place.
“But when I need to say something, I will say it naturally. With no bulls**t – I can say that – with no bulls**t, I’m not around the subject, I’m really direct. I think it’s something that he likes a lot.”
On feeling Man Utd’s struggle even before games
“To tell you the truth, it’s not how I returned to my house after the games, it was how I left to go to the games, because I felt that sometimes we will struggle.
“All the struggles we had in games, I felt it before. That was the hardest part.
“To go to the games and know that we are not going to be competitive – I was really frustrated.”
On Alejandro Garnacho
“Garnacho is a really talented boy. But sometimes things don’t work out.
“You cannot explain specifically what it is. It’s clear he wants a different thing with a different leadership.
“They want new challenges. The market is open. I’m just working with the players that I think are going to stay.”
On dealing with pressure
“This is not the moment I felt most pressure in my life. I had to finish my career as a player really quickly because of the injuries.
“I remember me and my wife had an Excel spreadsheet with all the money that we have and all the things that I need. I want to help my family. I felt the pressure in that time.
“Nowadays, it’s more like an ego thing. I want to be manager of Manchester United for a while.
“I took five years to choose this club. I don’t want to fail.”
