Ruben Amorim may leave Man Utd this month after Sir Jim Ratcliffe ruthless streak shown

deciding to sack if they suffer defeat in the final is unlikely, but not inconceivable under ruthless regime. The Red Devils' part-owner has already proven that he isn't afraid to accept his mistakes and swing the axe early if he doesn't like the direction of travel.

The direction of travel since sacking Erik ten Hag in November has been steep, but worryingly downwards rather than the traditional 'bounce' a new head coach offers. Amorim's saving grace is a widespread acceptance that he needs the chance to offload the mediocre players he inherited and recruit higher-quality replacements that suit his system.

Sir Jim has openly accepted that the decision to retain faith in Ten Hag despite a record-low eighth-place Premier League finish last season was a mistake.

He seemingly learned his lesson a month after axing the Dutchman through the shock departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth.

Having been in the job for just five months, the same time he spent on gardening leave at Newcastle United, Sir Jim swallowed the inevitable bad publicity to prevent a bigger issue downstream.

"I mean, at the end of the day, it was chemistry. Maybe a bit more than chemistry, but let's just say chemistry and it didn't work," the 72-year-old told The Overlap in March.

"I know it's an unpopular decision and it's seen as an error, and it was an error [to appoint Ashworth].

"But again, I think slightly in our defence, we did recognise it as being something that would not work and, therefore, we decided we would make a change.

"What would have been far easier, because of the scrutiny that we knew we would get in the media, would have been to live with it, but I wasn't prepared to live with it.

"That has to be part of our mentality at Manchester United. Even though we're having to make unpopular decisions, if we think it's the right thing, then we're going to do it."

Amorim has emphatically beaten the record-low position set by Ten Hag, albeit with his predecessor's help through a dismal start to the campaign that led to his dismissal.

United could finish as low as 17th, the lowest-possible position a Premier League club can dip without getting relegation.

It has been a different story in the Europa League. The M16 giants are the only unbeaten club among all 100 that entered UEFA's three major competitions this season.

Amorim has won nine and drawn two of his such matches, guiding United to an unlikely final. Clinching a third trophy and Champions League qualification at the death would send fans into the summer happy.

However, Sir Jim and United have paid the price for handing around £200m to Ten Hag last summer, a coach they didn't fully back.

Will the INEOS kingpin risk setting the club back further by hosting a summer of spending for a three-at-the-back system that has shown no signs of success in the Premier League?

Or will he not be able to live with doubling down on a project that has started so terribly, just as he couldn't with Ashworth? Unlikely, but not inconceivable.