Jason Wilcox stance on Ruben Amorim sack emerges as extraordinary Man Utd counter-claims made

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox’s stance on sacking Ruben Amorim as the club’s manager has been revealed by a source, amid claims that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already met with a potential replacement for the Portuguese boss.

Amorim is under immense pressure, as Man Utd’s results and performances go from bad to worse. The 3-1 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday means that Man Utd are now 15^th in the Premier League table with just seven points from six matches.

Man Utd endured a hugely disappointing campaign in the 2024/25 season, too. After replacing Erik ten Hag as the manager in November 2024, Amorim could only lead the Red Devils to a 15^th-place finish in the Premier League table.

Although Man Utd reached the final of the Europa League in 2024/25, they lost it to Tottenham Hotspur, meaning that the Red Devils are not involved in any European competition this season.

According to talkSPORT, Man Utd have already sounded out three potential replacements for Amorim, with the club’s co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, personally meeting former England boss Gareth Southgate.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola are also on Man Utd’s radar.

United in Focus, a Manchester United-centric news outlet, has backed talkSPORT’s claim that Ratcliffe and Southgate have already met.

The report has even claimed that Man Utd have ‘sounded out’ Michael Carrick as an interim manager should the Red Devils decide to get rid of Amorim if results do not improve in the coming weeks.

Carrick took interim charge of the Man Utd first team after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked.

However, according to BBC Sport, Man Utd are ‘supportive’ of Amorim, with journalist Simon Stone adding that ‘minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is backing Amorim’.

Ratcliffe believes that he should judge Amorim on a full season and is not planning to sack the Portuguese anytime soon.

The Daily Mail has also reported that Ratcliffe is behind Amorim and is ‘refusing to panic’.

TBR has added that Man Utd director of football, Jason Wilcox, is ‘keen to see Amorim succeed’ at Old Trafford.

READ MORE 🔴⚫ Man Utd: Three reasons why Ruben Amorim has to be sacked after Brentford defeat

What are BBC and Sky pundits saying about Ruben Amorim’s future at Man Utd?

While Man Utd, for now, are sticking behind Amorim, a number of well-known figures in football believe that things need to change at Old Trafford.

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer said on BBC Match of the Day: “Ruben Amorim is under massive pressure.

“I think the hierarchy have made so many errors since coming to the club, they can’t be seen to have made another in appointing this manager. I think he is very fortunate.”

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown noted: “They don’t look good enough. You then look at it and he only has a win percentage 1% more than Graham Potter, who has been sacked. How is he still in the job?

“If he was 12 months after Ferguson, this would have been done weeks ago.”

Ashley Williams, who played for Everton and Wales in his career, has openly called Man Utd to sack Amorim.

William said on BBC Final Score: “I don’t want to say they change manager, but how long can this continue? It seems to be every week that we’re talking about it.

“I’m a fan of managers who have a style and stick to it. That isn’t working. You have to adapt.

“I don’t see where Manchester United go with this unless they change manager.”

Meanwhile, former Man Utd defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville told NBC Sports’ Rebecca Lowe: “I am very worried, Rebecca; there is no point in me sitting here and saying I’m not.

“The levels of performance, the results and the substitutions yesterday. I saw something at the end of the Grimsby game that they lost in the Carabao Cup a couple of weeks ago, which was Mason Mount ending up at left wing-back.

“We admire managers who are stubborn and resilient around their system, we want them to stick to their plan, but when you have Mason Mount playing at left-back, you are going to look pretty stupid.

“It has happened twice now and it can’t happen. The first time I thought it was unforgivable and yesterday it happened again.

“He changes his back three and his back five every single game and the performances and the results are just unacceptable.

“I’m really, really worried. I would never go on television, as I know how difficult a manager’s job can be, and say a manager should be sacked, but I suspect the hierarchy at Manchester United are going to want to see a turnaround.”

Despite mounting speculation on his future, Amorim himself is staying calm and confident.

The Mirror quotes Amorim as saying after the match against Brentford: “I am always comfortable with the job. I am not concerned, it is not my decision. I will do the best I can every minute I am here. I am never concerned about my job, I am not that kind of guy.

“I’m always doing my job. If I win, I’m in a different state of mind. That is normal, but I’m always confident because I know what to do. I’ve always taken a lot of responsibility on your own shoulders.

“We can play better and we need to play better. It’s like ups and downs. When you win, you feel that everything, the momentum, is here.

“When you lose, you go back to the same place and you fight again for one win that can help you to create the momentum.

“I cannot tell you more than I say every time I lose the game. Sometimes you see one team that performs really well and you see improvements. And then sometimes you have some games that you don’t see that improvement.

“That gives you the confidence to say that Manchester United is going to get back. So it’s always the same conversation. It depends on the next game. So let’s try to win the next game and to improve certain things.”

Latest Man Utd news: Liverpool competition, new goalkeeper on wishlist

As Man Utd struggle to score goals, it is perplexing that the Red Devils do not want to sign an in-form striker who is out of contract at his club at the end of the season.

TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, has reported that Man Utd are not planning to sign the international striker, which has opened the door for Newcastle United to swoop in and potentially make a bid for him in the January transfer window.

While signing a new striker is not on the Red Devils’ agenda, Man Utd are competing with Liverpool to sign one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, another source has claimed that Man Utd are planning to sign a new goalkeeper in 2026, despite the acquisition of Senne Lammens in the summer of 2025.

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