Amorim set to take charge at AC Milan five months after Manchester United sacking

Ruben Amorim is set to return to management as AC Milan’s new head coach, five months after his dismissal from Manchester United. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday that a verbal agreement has been reached on a contract valid until June 2028, with an option to extend until June 2029, and that Amorim will sign the deal this week.

Milan moved for the 47-year-old after parting ways with Massimiliano Allegri, who was sacked following a fifth-place finish in Serie A last season — a result the club described as “an unequivocal failure”. The appointment ends a search that had drawn in several high-profile names, including Mauricio Pochettino, Oliver Glasner, and Ralf Rangnick.

Amorim’s tenure at Old Trafford was a difficult one. Despite steering United to the Europa League final in 2024/25, he never delivered the consistent performances demanded by the club’s supporters or board, and his win rate fell sharply from the 71.3% he had maintained at Sporting Lisbon to just 39.7% in England.

At Milan, Amorim inherits a club eager to close the gap on city rivals Inter, who have claimed their 20th and 21st Serie A titles since Milan last lifted the Scudetto in 2021/22. Restoring domestic competitiveness will be his primary challenge in what remains one of European football’s most scrutinised jobs.

Pochettino, who had been among those linked with the role, was otherwise occupied at the weekend — his United States side opened their World Cup campaign with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. Glasner, meanwhile, departed Crystal Palace at the end of the season after leading them to UEFA Conference League glory.

Amorim’s swift return to a club of Milan’s stature underlines the regard in which he is still held across European football, despite the turbulence of his time in the Premier League.