Amorim emerges as AC Milan favourite six months after Manchester United sacking

Ruben Amorim has emerged as AC Milan’s top managerial target, just six months after his acrimonious departure from Manchester United, with the Portuguese coach understood to have held talks with the Italian club following their split with Massimiliano Allegri at the end of the season.

Milan had initially set their sights on Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, but the Spaniard’s appointment by Liverpool redirected their search. According to The Athletic, Amorim is now the frontrunner, with Oliver Glasner, Mauricio Pochettino and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness also on the club’s radar.

Adding an intriguing layer to the potential appointment is the reported involvement of Ralf Rangnick. The Austrian, currently managing the national team, has been interviewed by Milan for a head of football position — a role that would place him directly above any incoming head coach, including Amorim. The club is said to have been in direct contact with Rangnick over the arrangement.

The prospect of the two men working together carries a certain irony. Both served Manchester United — Rangnick as interim manager from December 2021 before a planned consultancy role that never materialised, and Amorim from November 2024 until his dismissal earlier this year. Neither left Old Trafford with much to show for their time there, and both carry strong tactical convictions that proved difficult to implement at the club.

Amorim was sacked after a 1-1 draw at Leeds United, having publicly criticised the United board in a post-match press conference. His final words to the media were characteristically blunt: “I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach. Every department, the scouting department, the sport director needs to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.”

Amorim remained committed throughout his tenure to his preferred 3-4-3 system, even as results failed to improve. Rangnick, similarly, attempted to install his high-intensity gegenpressing approach during his brief spell at United but found little traction in the short time available to him.

Whether the two men’s overlapping philosophies would complement or clash at Milan remains an open question — but for Amorim, a move to Serie A would represent a significant reset after a turbulent introduction to English football management.