Sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie has thrown his support behind new Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim and believes that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is likely to be pleased with the appointment due to their matching dispositions.
Before the dismissal of Erik ten Hag at the end of October, Ratcliffe had emphasised that any decisions regarding Ten Hag's future would rest with the United sports directors rather than himself.
The swift hiring of Amorim following Ten Hag's exit—just four days afterwards—suggests confidence in Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox, and Omar Berrada to make a solid recommendation for his successor.
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Despite losing his first game in charge against Arsenal on Wednesday, Amorim's impact has been positively felt, as performances have stepped up a gear.
Ainslie, who has ties to Ratcliffe via the America's Cup challenging team INEOS Britannia, told The Sports Agents podcast that Sir Jim is not just an investor but someone deeply immersed in his ventures, insisting,:"He does get really involved.
"He's hands on, Jim, and we report to him. On the last campaign, we reported once every six weeks – something like that on average – either here in London or in Monaco. He's super interested in the details and wants to be part of that decision-making process."
Admitting his occasional frustration due to his lack of sailing background, the sports star confessed: "I've got to be honest with you, there are a couple of moments when not having that sailing background can be frustrating where you're trying to explain something.
"And then somebody like Jim, who's got so much experience across so many broad spectrums, can come up with something that you, you know, is kind of genius really, and that you haven't thought about it because you're just too focused."
When questioned about whether Amorim's no-nonsense style would suit Ratcliffe, Ainslie said, "I think so. Yeah, no bulls***, just getting on with it.
"I'm not a football person, but I just from what I understand with what Ruben's done in Portugal, it's pretty impressive. Direct, and get to the core.
"And that's what Jim is all about, you know? He's a very hard businessman, his investments in sport, you know, it's all about success, results."
