Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 'mistake' admission summed up what he's like after Man Utd boss sacked

Sir Jim Ratcliffe demonstrated he can eat humble pie after confessing there were "errors" made at Manchester United over Erik ten Hag's axing. Tuesday represents the first anniversary of Ten Hag getting the boot at Old Trafford, shortly before Ruben Amorim stepped in as his replacement.

United co-owner Ratcliffe gave Ten Hag his marching orders in October 2024, only a few months after the Dutchman had signed fresh terms. The Red Devils backed their former boss following his shock triumph over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, convinced the success would kickstart a turnaround. However, it proved not to be the case, and Ten Hag was given his marching orders with United languishing 14th in the Premier League. Shortly afterwards, Dan Ashworth was also shown the exit door as sporting director just months into his tenure.

Nobody knows where United could have been had they chosen to part company with Ten Hag during summer 2024 instead of offering him a lifeline. Nevertheless, Ratcliffe has already admitted his judgement was flawed in providing that second chance.

"Those decisions [delaying Ten Hag's dismissal and hiring Ashworth] were errors," said the United shareholder in March 2025. "There were some mitigating circumstances, but they were errors. I accept that and apologise.

"It wasn't just the FA Cup final. The fans were of the view that we'd like to stick with him. With Erik, there was an emotional response. We get criticised for being unemotional and there was a bit of emotion with that.

"If you look at the time we made the decision about Erik, the management team hadn't been in place more than five minutes. It became clearer three months later. We corrected it and are in a different place today."

That rings even truer now after United ventured into uncharted waters by climbing to sixth position in the standings. The Red Devils demolished Brighton 4-2 on Saturday to mark three consecutive league victories for the first time under Amorim.

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United have also secured four successive home wins since their defeat to Arsenal on the campaign's opening weekend. This has seen the club reclaim some of its former sheen after appearing so fragile at Old Trafford during periods of last season.

Amorim's squad sits equal on points with fierce rivals City and trails second-placed Bournemouth by merely two points. Following countless doubts about faith in Amorim's vision, there now seem to be indications their backing is bearing fruit.

The Portuguese mastermind has endured relentless criticism questioning whether he was also the correct choice for the position. While a lengthy journey packed with numerous obstacles remains ahead, there is restored confidence he and United possess the resources to navigate the challenges.

Ten Hag, meanwhile, returned to management last summer but was promptly dismissed once again at Bayer Leverkusen. His departure is proving beneficial not only for Amorim, but the leadership transformation also vindicates Ratcliffe and his colleagues - at least for now.