Amorim takes charge at Milan with a sly dig at Manchester United, set to face his former club next month! Ratcliffe saves £10 million

On Monday, Ruben Amorim traveled to Milan, Italy, to start his role at AC Milan, opening a fresh phase in his managerial journey. His arrival at Milanello signaled the end of a financial obligation for Manchester United. Appointed last month as Milan's new boss on a three-year deal, Amorim's pay only began upon his official start, freeing United from further salary compensation.

The 41-year-old Portuguese touched down at Milan's Linate Airport on Monday, beaming with joy as he prepared to begin his work at the Italian giants. Speaking to Italian media, Amorim compared his new job to his unhappy stint at Manchester United, taking another veiled swipe at his former club.

Amorim was sacked by Manchester United in January, ending his 14-month tenure. During his time at Old Trafford, the young Portuguese coach had an unpleasant experience, with his 3-4-3 formation heavily criticized—especially as football director Jason Wilcox, who saw himself as a "true manager," often interfered in tactics. Amorim repeatedly lamented that "a storm was coming" at United.

Now, Amorim hasn't forgotten the struggles he faced at Manchester United, subtly hinting they were a massive challenge. However, he also warned Milan fans that tough times might lie ahead, suggesting the "Rossoneri's" revival could be just as daunting as the Red Devils' journey.

Amorim replaced Massimiliano Allegri, who lost a crucial match to Cagliari on the final day of last season, missing out on Champions League qualification. While excited about his new Italian adventure, Amorim remains clear-eyed about the difficulty of the task ahead.

"I'm delighted to be here; it's an honor to coach Milan," Amorim said. "Why did I choose Milan? If you've seen my past interviews, you'll understand that Milan is a special club to me. It's a huge challenge, but I accepted it—even though after my last challenge at United, I told myself I should take on something smaller. Maybe this is an even bigger challenge. I'm honored to be here, and my team and I are proud."

AC Milan finished last season 17 points behind Serie A champions Inter Milan. Despite that gap with their city rivals, Amorim insists he will bring success to the Rossoneri. "I came to Milan to win. If you're the Milan coach, you have to do that and maintain that mindset," he said. "I'm not naive; I know there's a lot of work to do, but if you're the Milan coach, you must give everything to win."

Manchester United's CEO Omar Berrada recently mentioned Amorim, suggesting his failure at Old Trafford stemmed from being too stubborn and boxed into a corner. However, the Red Devils executive paid tribute to Amorim, thanking him for improving the dressing room culture, which laid the groundwork for Michael Carrick to steer the team back to the Champions League.

"Looking back at the appointment of Ruben (Amorim), I think United's choice was entirely reasonable," Berrada said. "At the time, he was a very successful coach, having achieved outstanding results at Sporting Lisbon. He was young, energetic, and had a clear football philosophy. We felt he could connect and communicate with the players in the dressing room. I believe Ruben did many good things and contributed to last season's success."

The Red Devils executive added: "He helped raise the level in the dressing room and was involved in the summer signings of four new players, who had a very positive impact on performances. But his difficulties may have stemmed from the size of the club—this is what I've reflected on. At United, your ideas and decisions are constantly under scrutiny, and he may have struggled to handle that. It's not that the club's size overwhelmed him; rather, he backed himself into a corner. He was very stubborn about his ideas, trying to prove to everyone that they worked."

Berrada continued: "In a volatile team like United, losing two or three games in a row feels like the end of the world. So I think it was hard to manage. We also have to remember that he joined mid-season, without a preseason or time to implement his tactical philosophy. By the second season, he finally had a summer to instill his ideas, and we saw a very good start, with strong performances in several matches. But the shadow of the previous season still lingered. He couldn't find a way out at the right time, so we had to make a change. When Carrick arrived in January, the team turned things around."

Amorim agreed to a £15 million severance package with Manchester United in January after being dismissed. However, after his appointment by Milan, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that United could save between £8 million and £10 million in compensation, depending on how many assistants he brought from Carrington to Milan. For Ratcliffe, this amounts to a £20,000 weekly wage saving for the club—something to celebrate.

Interestingly, before Amorim's appointment was confirmed, Manchester United and AC Milan had already agreed to a preseason friendly match on August 15 at the Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw, Poland.

That match will be United's final preseason game before the start of the new Premier League season, with all players back in the squad, facing their former manager once again. The most anticipated figure among them is England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, whose story with Amorim is well known to everyone.