Man Utd chief Jason Wilcox makes plea to Sir Jim Ratcliffe after Ruben Amorim decision

Manchester United's director of football Jason Wilcox has appealed to minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe for the time to orchestrate a turnaround at Old Trafford. Mounting pressure has started to weigh on United boss Ruben Amorim, alongside Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada, following last weekend's loss to Manchester City.

United suffered through a woeful 2024/25 campaign and have managed just four points from their first four Premier League fixtures this term, with the derby defeat serving as yet another setback. Ratcliffe jetted into Carrington for discussions with United personnel on Thursday, with the club's current struggles dominating the agenda.

The minority shareholder held talks with Amorim regarding the 'data around the team', with the Portuguese manager emphasising he retained complete support from ownership. Wilcox has now made his own appeal for patience during a rare public outing this week.

Addressing guests at a gala dinner marking the 40th anniversary of the Association of Manchester United Players, he declared: "I just pray that we get the opportunity to turn it around and I really feel that it's not will we win again, it's when we'll win again.

"It has been a rollercoaster! I came in last April, around 18 months ago, and it's been a real challenge I can't lie. I thought the club was in a much better place than it was. We had no football identity, we lacked alignment between ownership, the CEO, football and the academy and we've just been working so hard behind the scenes."

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In the interview, which was shared by Man United the Religion's YouTube channel, Wilcox added: "The football club needed to go through a period of transformation without doubt. Forget the redundancies. The whole structure of Manchester United needed to change. It's really important we have a leaner workforce that provides accountability and responsibility... now we've got a platform to rebuild."

Despite disappointing results, there's a sense amongst some that the club is heading in the proper direction, regardless of external scrutiny surrounding Amorim. During his press conference this week, the United manager quipped that Ratcliffe had presented him with a fresh contract, before revealing details of their discussion.

"New contract, he was offering me a new contract!" Amorim joked. "No, it's normal things just to show the support, explaining that it's a long project.

"He said many times this is my first season. For me, it's not. But normal things. I spoke with him, with Omar, with Jason, just trying to see all the data around the team. A normal meeting and we had several. But in this moment, it's normal people pay attention to that.

"This is the club with the most pressure in the world. We want to win and, again, you can say whatever. I think last year I was very critical of the way we play."

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