Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said it might take three years for Amorim to prove himself and a defeat at Anfield is unlikely to mean the Portuguese manager’s position at Old Trafford is under threat
During the international break, there has been quite a bit of news coming out of Manchester United. Well, out of Manchester United PLC, to be precise.
Some casual speculation about a possible takeover and some relatively positive news about land needed for a new 100,000-seater stadium have meant the stock market value of the club has soared. Before trading opened in New York on Thursday, United’s share price was $18.24. On the previous Thursday, it was as low as $15.40.
As there are 172 million shares in United, that means an increase in overall value of around half a billion dollars in a single week. As they are the main shareholders, that is great news for the Glazers and for Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
READ MORE: Man Utd confident of agreeing deal for new 100,000-seater Old TraffordREAD MORE: Alan Shearer calls out Alexander Isak with damning verdict on £125m Liverpool star
Monaco Jim owns roughly 29 percent of United while the Glazers, over in Florida, own 49 percent. Some rudimentary maths tells you that, in that particular week-long stock market spell, the value of Ratcliffe’s stake went up by $145million (£108m) and the value of the Glazers’ stake went up by $245million (£182m).
And United did not play a single match in that time. No wonder Ratcliffe and the Glazers do not appear overly concerned about Ruben Amorim winning only 20 of his first 50 matches with United. Why should they be concerned?
Progress with a state-of-the-art complex which has the backing of local government, plus ever-increasing commercial strength, plus continuing takeover interest, adds up to more dollars on the club’s value. And that is the most prized target for the Glazers and Ratcliffe.
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I actually believe Amorim should indeed be given more time. But most owners would not be as patient as the Glazers and Ratcliffe appear to be. Most owners, though, probably don’t have the luxury of owning a club whose relative under-achievement on the field does not stop it being a commercial phenomenon.
And that luxury is what allows Ratcliffe to suggest Amorim might get three years to prove his worth. And that luxury is what pretty much gives Amorim a free hit against Liverpool.
Look, an absolute shellacking at Anfield will not do Amorim any favours but a bog-standard defeat at the hands of the Premier League champions will have no bearing on his United future. For United fans, there is no such thing as a free hit at Anfield but Amorim was beaten by Grimsby Town in Cleethorpes earlier this season and survived, so he will be ok with a loss at mighty Liverpool.
And that creates a strange dynamic going into the match. It feels like Arne Slot – after three defeats on the bounce – needs the win more than Amorim needs the win. It feels like Slot is under more pressure than Amorim is under.
Absolutely not in the sense that questions would be asked of Slot’s position, of course not – that would be utterly ludicrous, utterly bizarre, utterly laughable – but in the sense Amorim will want to prove he can respond to a tricky run. He will want to prove the summer’s big signings can be integrated quickly.
He will want to prove he can get Mohamed Salah back to his best form. He will want to prove he can fix Liverpool’s defensive issues.
Almost from day one, Slot – when not in the technical area – has been super-cool. But he has shown signs of mild irritation, most notably when claiming “pundits that favour some other clubs … cannot stop talking about £450million.”
That is the amount of money Liverpool spent in the summer, with Slot claiming these pundits “forget about £300million we sold for.” Well, they probably don’t forget, they just know it does not matter.
Never mind who Liverpool have sold for what, the club broke the British transfer record TWICE in one window. Just because you somehow managed to pocket over £50million for Darwin Nunez does not dilute the significance of the gargantuan spend.
Quite simply, expectations on Slot after a truly brilliant first season and marquee recruitment are sky-high. Expectations on Amorim, from the moneymen, are limited. That is why, going into this most fierce of fixtures, it almost feels as though Slot is the one feeling the heat, not Amorim.
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