Ruben Amorim's Reunion with Manchester United: Emotions Run High

Ruben Amorim and Manchester United were never meant to end quietly. Their 14-month spell together collapsed in January amid noise, frustration and a brutal parting shot at Elland Road, where INEOS cut ties with the Portuguese coach after a stormy press conference.

Now they meet again. Not in Manchester, not in Milan, but in Poland, where Amorim’s new club AC Milan face United in the final game of pre-season on Saturday, kick-off 15:45 UK time. A friendly on paper. Anything but for those involved.

Carrick’s last dress rehearsal

For Michael Carrick, this is the final tune-up before the real thing. Hull await on the opening day of the Premier League season, and this match offers one last chance to lock in his strongest available XI.

Senne Lammens is expected to keep his place in goal. In front of him, Harry Maguire should step back into the role Amorim helped restore: organiser, enforcer, leader of the back line.

With Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt still sidelined, Carrick has a straight choice alongside Maguire – Leny Yoro or Ayden Heaven. The young English defender has edged ahead in that race and is tipped to start. On the right, Diogo Dalot looks set to get the nod in his renewed duel with Noussair Mazraoui, while Luke Shaw, virtually unchallenged, should continue at left-back.

Mason Mount remains unavailable, so the midfield axis is likely to be new. Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are expected to pair up in the double pivot, with Bruno Fernandes operating in his familiar advanced role just ahead of them.

Up front, United are still without Benjamin Sesko, whose injury keeps him out of the squad. Bryan Mbeumo is poised to lead the line again. That opens the right flank for Amad Diallo, with Matheus Cunha likely to step in on the left, replacing Patrick Dorgu.

Probable Man Utd XI (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Tielemans, Santos; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo.

Amorim’s mixed emotions

When Amorim scans that United lineup, he will see familiar faces and complicated histories.

There will be warmth. Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, compatriots and trusted lieutenants during his Old Trafford spell, are expected to start. Maguire, whose United career had veered towards a dead end, found a second life under Amorim’s management. The Portuguese coach also holds Amad in high regard; the winger enjoyed his best stretch in a United shirt under Amorim, and reports in Italy have even linked him with a reunion at Milan.

But the other side of the story sits on Carrick’s bench.

Marcus Rashford, if involved, carries perhaps the most charged subplot of all. The England forward has not played for United in over 18 months. His decline and eventual exile from the team unfolded largely on Amorim’s watch, and the relationship never recovered. Now, fate lines up the possibility that his first appearance back in United colours comes against the man widely seen as having pushed him towards the exit.

Kobbie Mainoo’s trajectory tells a different tale of that era. Under Amorim, the midfielder was reduced to the role of spectator, a bench option rather than a central figure. Since Carrick’s arrival, Mainoo has exploded, becoming a symbol of the new regime’s faith in youth and dynamism. Any reunion between player and former coach will be cool at best.

Then there is Harry Amass. The young defender found himself unexpectedly dragged into the spotlight when Amorim publicly used him and Chido Obi as examples of struggling United youth prospects. The reaction was swift and sharp: both players posted cryptic, pointed messages on social media before quickly deleting them. The damage, though, was done.

All of that history now converges in a pre-season fixture that suddenly feels far from routine. For Carrick, it is about sharpening a team for Hull. For Amorim, it is about bedding in at Milan.

For several players on both sides, it is something else entirely: a chance to show, in 90 minutes, who really moved on.