Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has thrown his support behind under-fire manager Ruben Amorim, insisting that he is doing a 'really good job' despite the club's struggles in the Premier League. Amorim has made it clear he has no thoughts about sacking the Portuguese coach, who took over from Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford in November. He has overseen just five victories in 17 league matches and suffered eight defeats since arriving from Sporting.

Despite this, Ratcliffe remains confident in Amorim's abilities and believes injuries have played a part in the team's current predicament. Speaking to the BBC, Ratcliffe said: "If I actually look at the squad which is available to Ruben, I think he is doing a really good job to be honest. I think Ruben is an outstanding young manager. I really do. He's an excellent manager and I think he will be there for a long time.

"You are beginning to see a glimpse of what Ruben can produce. I think you saw a glimpse of it against Arsenal. How many players against Arsenal on the bench did you recognise? How many have ever worn a Manchester United shirt for [the first team]... as there's no squad left. We are down to the last 10 or 11 men in the squad really, of proper first-team players. Ruben is doing a super job."

Despite claims that the club had already abandoned their goal of winning a title by 2028, their 150th anniversary, Ratcliffe still seems to hold onto this ambition. The INEOS boss acknowledges that it requires some optimism, but appears defiant.

"I don't think it's mission impossible. I think it's good to have goals and objectives," Ratcliffe said. "If you look at Arsenal, if you look at Liverpool, if you look at the period of time it took them to get the house in order and get back to winning ways, that's probably slightly on the short end of the spectrum. But it's not impossible."

This story originally appeared on the Mirror