Amorim’s Milan Faces Carrick’s United: A Preseason Showdown
The new season hasn’t even kicked off, and already Milan and Manchester United are walking very different paths.
At San Siro, there’s tension. Ruben Amorim has swapped the Old Trafford bench for the Milan dugout, carrying with him the weight of a disappointing stint in Manchester and the expectation of something far better in Italy. Fifth place in Serie A last season is not a benchmark Milan are prepared to accept again. Not under a new coach. Not with the scrutiny already this sharp.
Amorim’s first big call may come before a ball is even kicked: what to do with Rafael Leão. The forward’s future hangs in the air, his unsettled situation fuelling talk of a move away. Milan fans will scan the team sheet to see if he starts, plays from the bench, or disappears from the matchday squad entirely. Each option sends a different message.
They already know one name that won’t be there. Christian Pulisic remains out, still dealing with the injury that wrecked his World Cup. For Milan, it’s a creative spark missing at a time when they need as many attacking answers as possible.
Across the pitch, the mood at Manchester United is strikingly different. There’s something they haven’t had much of in recent years: optimism.
Michael Carrick begins his first full season in charge, having stepped in for Amorim in January and calmly steered United to third in the Premier League. That surge has bought him trust, time, and a sense of stability that has been rare at Old Trafford. The club feels more settled, the direction clearer.
New signing Youri Tielemans embodies that shift. United supporters will be eager to see how quickly he can stamp his authority on this team, whether his passing can knit together a side that already showed promise under Carrick’s measured hand.
This is no gentle friendly for either club. Milan open their Serie A campaign against Torino next weekend; United begin life in the new Premier League season away to Hull City. With competitive action looming, both Amorim and Carrick are expected to go strong, testing lineups that look very close to their first-choice elevens.
Old boss versus new. A coach under pressure against a coach riding a wave. Milan searching for certainty, United trying to build on it.
For a preseason match live on beIN SPORTS, there’s a lot more at stake than just fitness.
