Ruben Amorim claimed his first victory as AC Milan head coach on 15th August 2026, masterminding a 4-2 comeback win over Manchester United in a pre-season friendly at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland. The Portuguese coach, sacked by United in January 2026 after 14 months, watched his new side twice come from behind against his old employers under Michael Carrick.
Harry Maguire headed United in front after two minutes from a Bruno Fernandes corner. Samuel Chukwueze equalised for Milan before the break. Patrick Dorgu restored United’s lead early in the second half, only for Alphadjo Cisse, Goncalo Ramos and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to complete the turnaround. Fernandes also missed a penalty. Marcus Rashford made his first United appearance since December 2024 as a substitute.
Amorim told reporters afterwards he still loves the club and felt nothing negative. “I’m just proud to have been at Manchester United and I still love the club, but after signing with Milan, I don’t feel anything negative about anything because I’m very happy,” he said. The result gave Milan their first win under him after earlier draws and a 3-0 loss to Chelsea.
From Sporting Star to United Exit
Born on 27th January 1985 in Lisbon, Amorim played as a midfielder for Belenenses and Benfica, winning three Primeira Liga titles and other domestic trophies with the latter. He earned 14 caps for Portugal and appeared at two World Cups.
He moved into coaching after retiring, starting at Casa Pia before a short successful spell at Braga. Sporting CP paid a big release fee to appoint him in March 2020. He delivered the club’s first league title in 19 years in 2020-21, plus another in 2023-24, along with cups. Those results made him one of Europe’s most wanted young coaches.
Manchester United paid around €11 million to bring him from Sporting in November 2024 on a deal running to
2027. He finished 15th in the Premier League in his first season, the club’s worst top-flight finish of the
Premier League era, and lost the 2025 Europa League final. Results improved somewhat the following campaign
but relations broke down. After a 1-1 draw at Leeds on 4th January 2026, Amorim publicly insisted he was the
manager, not just the coach, and that the scouting department and sporting director needed to do their jobs.
United announced his departure the next day. He left with a record of roughly 24 or 25 wins from 63 games
across all competitions.
Michael Carrick later stabilised the side and guided them to third place and Champions League qualification.
The Milan Move and Fresh Start
AC Milan appointed Amorim on 16th June 2026 on a two-year contract with an option for a third, replacing Massimiliano Allegri after the club finished fifth in Serie A and missed the Champions League. Italian reports put his net salary at about €3.5 million per season plus bonuses. The move also reduced the compensation United still owed him and his staff from the January sacking.
Amorim called the Milan job a bigger challenge than United. He has already begun shaping the squad, with Goncalo Ramos arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in a club-record deal. The 3-4-3 system that divided opinion at Old Trafford is back in use and looked sharper against United, particularly through the wing-backs.
Family Life Away from the Pitch
Amorim is married to interior designer Maria João Diogo. The couple wed in 2013 at the Palácio de S. Marcos in Coimbra and have two sons, Miguel and Manuel. Maria runs a design business and comes from a football-connected family. The family kept a low profile during the United years and returned to Portugal after the sacking before the Milan appointment.
Why the System Worked This Time
United under Amorim struggled to adapt to his preferred shape in the Premier League’s intensity and with the squad available at the time. At Milan the same ideas produced a clinical second-half performance against a United side still integrating returning players. Carrick has already torn up several of Amorim’s old rules at Old Trafford, yet the defensive soft centre that plagued the Portuguese’s tenure reappeared in Wroclaw.
The win does not erase the difficult United chapter, but it shows Amorim remains committed to his methods and can deliver results when the pieces fit. For Ghanaian fans who follow both the Premier League and Serie A closely, the reunion offered clear drama: the coach who arrived with huge expectation and left under a cloud got the last word, at least for one afternoon in Poland.
Amorim’s Milan now turn to the Serie A campaign with the task of restoring Champions League football. United prepare for their Premier League opener against Hull City knowing the defensive issues exposed by their former manager still need fixing.