'Offering me a new contract!' - Ruben Amorim sees funny side of showdown talks with Man Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Ratcliffe travelled to Carrington to meet Amorim on Thursday, along with CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox. Manchester United have only one league win from their first four games and were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town. Despite the scrutiny, Amorim said the meeting was simply to discuss data, progress and support, and joked that the hierarchy are handing him a new deal.

"New contract, he was offering me a new contract!" Amorim joked when asked about Ratcliffe’s visit. He added: "No, it’s normal things, just to show the support, explaining that it’s a long project. I spoke with him, Omar and Jason, just trying to see all the data around the team. A normal meeting.

"This is football and this is the club with more pressure, maybe, than any in the world, but we want to win. We need to be more aggressive and more clinical. The rest, I think we are improving compared to last year."

Amorim is still searching for consistency after an expensive summer rebuild and remains under pressure following a 3-0 defeat to rivals Manchester City. While he believes the team are playing better overall, results remain underwhelming. Ratcliffe’s visit was framed as a show of support, but the spotlight will only intensify if results do not improve quickly, with Amorim not willing to drop his 3-4-3 system.

United face Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday in a must-win clash to ease the tension around Amorim. The Red Devils are without a win against the Blues in their last three meetings.