Milan's Gamble: Rúben Amorim's New Era Begins
Rúben Amorim returns to the touchline under a different kind of spotlight this season. No longer the brief, frustrated figure on the Manchester United bench, he walks into San Siro with Milan demanding an immediate upgrade on last year’s flat fifth-place finish in Serie A.
The mood could hardly contrast more sharply with his old club.
Milan’s uneasy reset
Milan enter the new campaign with questions everywhere you look. Amorim’s arrival is bold, but it is also a gamble. He left Old Trafford midway through last season after a disappointing stint, and now inherits a side that slipped out of the Champions League spots and never truly convinced in the title race.
The spotlight will inevitably fall on Rafael Leão. The winger’s future hangs in the air, his name constantly linked with a move away from the club. Milan fans will scan the teamsheet to see if he starts, plays limited minutes, or is left out altogether. Every decision will be read as a clue.
They already know they’ll be without Christian Pulisic. The American remains sidelined, still working his way back from the injury that wrecked his World Cup and has continued to stall his momentum. His absence strips Milan of a direct, creative option in the final third just as a new tactical era begins.
Uncertainty in the dugout. Uncertainty in attack. Milan’s reset comes with tension baked in.
United step forward with Carrick
On the other side, Manchester United arrive in a very different frame of mind. Michael Carrick is no longer the caretaker, the mid-season fix. He starts his first full campaign as United manager after guiding the club to third place in the Premier League following Amorim’s departure in January.
That finish has bought him trust and time. United feel more settled than they have in years. The structure around Carrick is clearer, the direction more obvious, and the squad looks better balanced.
New signing Youri Tielemans embodies that shift. The Belgian midfielder is expected to slide straight into Carrick’s system, bringing control, passing range, and a bit of edge in midfield. United fans will watch closely to see how quickly he knits into the side and how much responsibility Carrick hands him in what is, on paper, only a pre-season test.
Optimism at Old Trafford is cautious but real. This feels like a team moving forward, not just treading water.
Old boss, new boss
That’s what makes this meeting so intriguing. Milan and Manchester United both start their league seasons next weekend — Milan away to Torino, United facing Hull City — so neither coach can afford to treat this as a throwaway exercise.
The expectation is that both Amorim and Carrick will go strong. Near full-strength lineups, sharp tactical rehearsals, and very little hiding. For Amorim, it is a chance to show Milan fans that his ideas can travel, that the man who struggled in Manchester can thrive in Milan. For Carrick, it is another step in proving that last season’s surge to third was no fluke.
Former United coach against the current one. One club searching for clarity, the other trying to build on it.
The cameras of beIN SPORTS will be there as the curtain lifts. The real question is which side looks ready for opening night, and which still seems stuck in rehearsal.
