Ruben Amorim Faces Manchester United Again as AC Milan Manager
Ruben Amorim and Manchester United are about to share a touchline again, and there will be nothing friendly about it.
Seven months after their stormy split – a 14-month stint ending with INEOS pulling the trigger in the aftermath of a chaotic press conference at Elland Road – Amorim now walks out as AC Milan manager to face the club that sacked him. The setting is Poland, the occasion a pre-season friendly, but the sub-plot is pure drama. Kick-off is on Saturday at 15:45 UK time.
This is not just another warm-up game. For Michael Carrick, it is the final rehearsal before the Premier League opener at Hull. For Amorim, it is a collision with his past, packed with both allies and adversaries.
Carrick’s last audition before Hull
Carrick is expected to go as strong as fitness allows. This is the dress rehearsal, not a training exercise.
Senne Lammens should keep his place in goal. In front of him, Harry Maguire is set to return as the leader of the backline, a role Amorim helped restore after the defender’s difficult spell in Manchester.
With Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt still unavailable, Carrick must choose between Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven as Maguire’s partner. Heaven, the young Englishman, has edged ahead in that race and could be trusted again from the start.
On the right, Diogo Dalot is pushing to nail down the spot in his renewed duel with Noussair Mazraoui. Dalot’s history with Amorim adds an extra layer, but his form gives him the edge. On the opposite flank, Luke Shaw faces virtually no competition and should continue at left-back.
The midfield tells its own story of transition. Mason Mount remains out, so Carrick is likely to lean on his two new signings at the base: Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos in a double pivot. Ahead of them, Bruno Fernandes will operate in his familiar No.10 role, linking play and carrying the armband.
Up front, injuries dictate the shape. Benjamin Sesko is still sidelined, so Bryan Mbeumo is expected to lead the line again. That opens the right wing for Amad Diallo, who flourished under Amorim’s brief tenure. On the left, Matheus Cunha is poised to come in for Patrick Dorgu, adding more incision and creativity from that side.
Probable Manchester United XI (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Tielemans, Santos; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo.
Amorim’s mixed reunions: respect, resentment, and a few scars
When Amorim scans the United lineup, he will see familiar faces who owe him plenty – and a few who would happily never see him again.
Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are chief among the former. The Portuguese pair enjoyed a strong relationship with their compatriot, who backed them on and off the pitch. Maguire, too, found a second life under Amorim, his Old Trafford career nudged back from the brink by a coach who trusted him when others hesitated.
Then there is Amad. The Ivorian’s best spell in a United shirt came with Amorim in charge, his minutes and confidence climbing together. His performances were so eye-catching that reports in Italy have linked him with a possible reunion at Milan somewhere down the line. On Saturday, he lines up against the man who helped launch that upward curve.
Not everyone on Carrick’s bench will be so nostalgic.
Marcus Rashford, in particular, has every reason to circle this fixture. The England international is on the verge of making his first appearance for United in more than 18 months – and he could do it against the coach who, in the eyes of many around the club, played a central role in driving him towards the exit door of his boyhood team.
Kobbie Mainoo sits in a similar emotional orbit. Under Amorim, he was reduced largely to a spectator, pushed to the fringes just as his talent demanded the opposite. Once Carrick arrived, Mainoo’s rise was rapid, his performances exploding into the spotlight. The contrast is stark, and the memory of that earlier marginalisation will not have faded quickly.
Harry Amass has his own history with the new Milan boss. Amorim once used Amass and Chido Obi as examples of struggling United youth products, a public critique that did not land well. The pair appeared to respond with cryptic posts on social media, quickly deleted but not forgotten. It was a flashpoint that underlined the growing disconnect between Amorim and parts of the club’s academy.
Now those threads all knot together again in a neutral stadium in Poland. Officially, it is a pre-season tune-up. For Carrick, it is a final look at his strongest XI before the real thing starts. For Amorim, it is something far sharper: a chance to stare down his old employers, measure his new project against the club that cast him aside, and discover who has really moved on.
