Ruben Amorim reveals Sir Jim Ratcliffe chat amid Man Utd sack talk ahead of Chelsea

Ruben Amorim has insisted that even the Pope couldn't persuade him to alter his methods after receiving assurances from Sir Jim Ratcliffe that there's no need to worry about his Manchester United future.

The Portuguese manager is facing increasing scrutiny following the club's poorest top-flight season in 51 years, with their Europa League final defeat to Tottenhamfollowed by a disappointing beginning to the current campaign. United endured a humiliating Carabao Cup elimination at the hands of League Two side Grimsby, whilst Sunday's 3-0 Manchester derby defeat to City left them with merely four points from their opening four Premier League fixtures.

Amorim acknowledges the focus will be firmly on him ahead of Saturday evening's clash with Chelsea, though he feels confident of boardroom support after discussions with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Thursday at Carrington. When questioned about their conversation, the United manager responded with a chuckle: "New contract. He was offering me a new contract.

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"No, it's normal things, just to show the support, explaining that it's a long project. He said many times 'this is my third season'. For me it's not, but normal things.

"(I) spoke with him, with Omar (Berrada, chief executive), with Jason (Wilcox, director of football) just trying to see all the data around the team, so a normal meeting and we had several. But in this moment it is normal people pay attention to that."

United have received a boost ahead of their clash with Chelsea, as Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount return from injury after missing last weekend's match at the Etihad Stadium. Following the defeat to City, Amorim stated that "when I want to change my philosophy I will change but, if not, you have to change the man" – a sentiment he claims was not discussed with Ratcliffe.

"No, no, no," he asserted. "Not once. Not even the Pope, it will not change...this is my job, this is my responsibility, this is my life, so I will not change that, but I will change the system.

"There will be an evolution, but we need to make all the good steps To tell you, if I’m a player and I have a coach that with a lot of pressure – it doesn’t matter if he’s all around the world – is saying ‘you need to change the system’ and I’m going to change in this moment, they will look at me in a different way.

“So, when you think about the impact that any decision is going to have on the team, everything is important. So, I will say the same thing. This will have an evolution. I’m doing things my way. Some guys do it in a different way, but it will change, so I hope to have the time to change, but it will change.”

Amorim, who confirmed there was "no contact" with his former club Benfica before Jose Mourinho took over this week, is focused on achieving success with United, having reshaped the squad over the summer. Alejandro Garnacho is set to return to Old Trafford for the first time since his controversial £40million move to Chelsea, one of several high-profile departures.

The Argentine international comes back on the heels of Marcus Rashford, another member of the so-called "bomb squad", netting a double for Barcelona at Newcastle. However, Amorim isn't worried about such moves backfiring.

"Guys, I'm not concerned about that," Amorim stated when questioned about Garnacho. "I just want to win games.

"I don't care who plays for the opponent, what people are going to say in the end, if the other player is going to play well. They are good players, and they will play well if things happen. I'm just focused on winning the game. That is my only concern."

When Rashford's Champions League performance was brought up, Amorim quickly added: "And Rasmus (Hojlund). Rasmus scoring the first goal for Napoli, so I'm really happy for Rasmus also."