Ruben Amorim's last chance? Man Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe keen to stick with struggling head coach but demands improved results including crucial win against Sunderland

United's start has followed a similar theme to life under Amorim last term. They sit 14th in the table, with just two Premier League wins to their name and already dumped out of the Carabao Cup in embarrassing fashion by League Two side Grimsby. Nevertheless, the latest reports suggest Sir Jim Ratcliffe is still keen to stick with the man who replaced Erik ten Hag as head coach, and that the ex-Sporting boss has no plans to walk away from the gig. 

Despite the public display of support from Ratcliffe, there is an understanding across the media that if things do not take an upward turn for United - sooner rather than later - the hierarchy in Manchester will have no choice but to swing the axe and dismiss Amorim.

It would mark the removal of the sixth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and another admission of failure to replicate the famed success of the Scotsman and Premier League icon.

United have lost just one of their three Premier League home games in 2025-26, and that was against a formidable Arsenal side. Since then, they have taken points from Burnley and Chelsea at Old Trafford, but the visit of Sunderland poses a new challenge for Amorim and Co. The recently promoted Black Cats have been in excellent form since returning from the Championship, sitting sixth, and four points ahead of their opponents. That gap could open up to seven with a win on the road this weekend, a result that could spell the end of Amorim's time at the club. 

Further reports have gone as far as to suggest a loss to Sunderland would be the final straw for the top dogs at the club. United were humiliated once again by Brentford last time out in the division, and Amorim's refusal to adapt his tactics or make so much as a formation tweak is causing growing frustration among both the fanbase and the staff at Carrington. 

Ratcliffe is certainly faced with a tough decision, as it would cost upwards of £12million to sack Amorim, another small fortune that would be added to the pile of wasted funds on replacing managers in the last decade. And after missing out on European football entirely last season - thanks to the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham - the Red Devils are desperate not to repeat that failure in 2025-26.

Captain Bruno Fernandes has cut a frustrated figure in the opening six games of this campaign, and he is not the only one. The word behind closed doors is that a number of Amorim's squad is losing faith in his ability to lead the club of the dark and deep hole they have found themselves in, and the noise in the media will not be helping.

Several ex-players and pundits have piled criticism on United's current crop, something the head coach has validated. He said: "My players, I guarantee you, they are listening to you, all those opinions, and they are putting that inside because we are not winning games. But they have to believe in me because I watch more games [of United] than you guys combined. So my biggest problem is for my players [to] believe in you guys when you say the problem of our team is the system.

"I get crazy about that because I can see the team. I see this team playing in a different system and I can point you that the way we do or play in different systems, we need to play the same way, with the same power, with the same intensity, with the same focus. If you do that, it doesn’t matter the system. If you win, everything is OK. If you lose, you are doubting everything about yourself, about your team-mates, about the coach, everything. And that is normal."

Amorim now faces a very tough decision. Does he stick to his beliefs and risk going down in a blaze of fire as we charge into the next international break? Or does he finally swallow his pride and make a few changes to guarantee more points on the board? Things do not get much easier for United after hosting Sunderland. When the players return from the break, they travel to Liverpool in a match that has the potential to cause unthinkable damage to both Amorim's and United's reputation. So the task is simple: Amorim must start winning, at all costs.