The Portuguese coach has had a difficult start to life at Old Trafford since replacing Erik ten Hag as manager in November but the club's co-owner is confident that the former Sporting Lisbon boss will be a success at United.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Ratcliffe said: "If I actually look at the squad which is available to Ruben, I think he is doing a really good job to be honest.

"I think Ruben is an outstanding young manager. I really do. He's an excellent manager and I think he will be there for a long time."

Ratcliffe also praised Amorim for making his own mark on the team - with moves such as sending out-of-favour striker Marcus Rashford on loan to Aston Villa.

The INEOS businessman said: "He is, as most great coaches are, an emotional character. Ruben is not perfect but I am a great supporter of Ruben.

"He wants a dressing room that is full of people who are totally committed to winning football matches. He won't tolerate people who don't have 100 per cent of that attitude. The players have to be in the same box."

United are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table and Ratcliffe offered a damning assessment of the team's squad - stating that some are "overpaid" and "not good enough" to play for the Red Devils.

He said: "Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.

"We've got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future.

"There are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno (Fernandes), he's a fantastic footballer."