Ruben Amorim has responded calmly to a pessimistic prediction made by Sir Alex Ferguson regarding how long it may take Manchester United to return to the summit of the Premier League. While the Portuguese coach does not fully share the legendary manager’s view, he was quick to acknowledge Ferguson’s vast experience and influence.
Manchester United have now gone 12 years without a league title since their last triumph in the 2012/13 season, which also marked the end of Ferguson’s iconic 27-year reign at Old Trafford. During that period, Ferguson amassed an extraordinary 13 English league titles, cementing his status as the most successful manager in the competition’s history.
Since his retirement in 2013, United have struggled to find stability. Amorim is the club’s seventh permanent manager in the post-Ferguson era, and this season has once again highlighted how far the club remains from genuine title contention.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Stark Prediction
Ferguson recently suggested that Manchester United could face a prolonged wait before reclaiming domestic supremacy. Speaking to Press Box PR, the 83-year-old estimated that it might take close to a decade for United to return to the top of English football.
Despite the bleak outlook, Ferguson praised Amorim’s character and resilience, drawing parallels between the current situation at Old Trafford and his own early years at the club.
“He has a good personality. It’s not easy,” Ferguson said. “I remember my early days when Liverpool were dominating. They were an incredible club, winning European Cups and everything else. But even then, it took them 31 years to win the league again.”
Ferguson stressed that rebuilding a fallen giant requires patience and long-term planning.
“We are in a similar situation now,” he added. “It could be 10 years, maybe 11, because football works in cycles. Everything has to be thought through carefully, and recruitment has to be far better than it has been.”
Amorim’s Measured Disagreement
While Amorim openly respects Ferguson’s knowledge of English football, he does not believe Manchester United’s wait will be quite as long.
“He understands football far better than I do, especially English football,” Amorim admitted. “But I don’t think we will need that long to win the league.”
The United manager emphasized that modern football moves faster than in previous eras, with improved data analysis, scouting, and squad planning potentially accelerating a club’s revival.
A Familiar Rebuild From Sporting CP
Manchester United’s current predicament has often been compared to Sporting CP, where Amorim made his name as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches. When he took over Sporting, the club was deep in a rebuilding phase and had not won the Portuguese league title for 19 years.
Remarkably, Amorim needed just one season to guide Sporting back to championship glory, restoring belief and identity in the process. That success played a major role in convincing United to appoint him in November 2024.
However, the scale of the challenge at Old Trafford is considerably larger. Since 2013, United have finished as league runners-up only twice—under Jose Mourinho in 2017/18 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020/21. Outside of those campaigns, the club has largely drifted away from the title race.
Last season marked a new low, with United finishing 15th—their worst league position in the club’s history—during Amorim’s first months in charge.
Belief in a Faster Turnaround
Despite the setbacks, Amorim remains convinced that progress can come sooner rather than later. His contract at Manchester United runs until the summer of 2027, but he believes the club can return to the top end of the table within that timeframe.
“I don’t know which manager will be here when it happens,” Amorim said. “But I truly believe we can compete for the title in the next few years. I don’t think it will take that long, even though in football nothing is guaranteed.”
His comments suggest a pragmatic optimism—an acknowledgment of the difficulty ahead, balanced by confidence in the structural changes being implemented behind the scenes.
INEOS and the Long-Term Vision
Manchester United’s co-owners INEOS are reportedly aligned with Amorim’s belief. According to sources close to the club, the ownership group has set an internal target of winning the Premier League again by 2028, one year after Amorim’s current contract expires.
That ambition signals trust in the Portuguese coach and recognition that sustained success will require continuity rather than constant managerial turnover.
Recruitment, squad balance, and cultural reset have all been identified as key pillars of the rebuilding project. Amorim’s track record at Sporting suggests he is comfortable working within long-term frameworks, focusing on clear identity and disciplined planning.
Respect Without Agreement
While Sir Alex Ferguson’s warning serves as a reminder of the scale of United’s decline, Amorim’s response reflects a manager unwilling to accept inevitability. He respects the past but is focused firmly on shaping the future.
For Manchester United supporters, the contrast between Ferguson’s caution and Amorim’s belief captures the tension surrounding the club: realism shaped by years of disappointment, and hope driven by the promise of renewal.
Whether United’s return to the top takes five years or ten, the direction is now clear. Under Amorim, the club is committed to a rebuild grounded in patience—but fueled by the belief that success does not need to be a distant dream.
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