Ruben Amorim and Manchester United: A Reunion Filled with Tension

Ruben Amorim and Manchester United were never supposed to meet again this soon. Not after that. Not after a 14-month spell that lurched from promise to chaos and ended with INEOS showing the Portuguese coach the door in the wake of a stormy press conference at Elland Road back in January.

Yet here they are, thrown together in Poland. Manchester United against AC Milan in the final game of pre-season, kick-off 15:45 UK time on Saturday. A friendly on paper. Anything but for some of those involved.

Carrick’s last dress rehearsal

For Michael Carrick, this is business, not nostalgia. It’s his last chance to sharpen his side before the Premier League opener away to Hull, and he is expected to go as strong as injuries allow.

Senne Lammens should keep his place in goal. In front of him, Harry Maguire is set to return and anchor the defence, a role he rebuilt under Amorim and has continued to grow into under Carrick.

With Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs de Ligt still sidelined, Carrick has a decision to make at centre-back. Leny Yoro or Ayden Heaven. The young English defender is slightly ahead in that race for now. On the right, Diogo Dalot is again favoured to edge out Noussair Mazraoui in a duel that has quietly intensified through the summer. On the left, Luke Shaw barely has a challenger.

In midfield, Mason Mount’s absence opens the door for the new boys. Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are expected to form the double pivot, with Bruno Fernandes operating in his familiar advanced role just ahead of them.

Up front, the injury to Benjamin Šeško keeps the door open for Bryan Mbeumo to lead the line once more. That should free Amad Diallo to start on the right wing, while Matheus Cunha is tipped to replace Patrick Dorgu on the left.

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

Old allies, new tension

When Amorim scans that United team sheet, he will see familiar faces. Some will greet him warmly. Others won’t bother to hide the chill.

Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, his compatriots, flourished under him. Amorim leaned heavily on their leadership and quality during his time at Carrington, and both are understood to hold him in high regard.

Maguire, too, owes a chapter of his revival to the Portuguese. Once a symbol of United’s defensive frailty, he found a way back under Amorim, who trusted him when others hesitated.

Then there is Amad. The Ivorian winger produced his best football in a United shirt under Amorim’s watch, finally looking like the player the club thought they had signed. His progress did not go unnoticed; reports in Italy have even suggested he could be a long-term target for Milan under the same coach who unlocked him.

Not everyone will be smiling, though. Carrick’s bench is likely to hold some of Amorim’s harshest critics.

Marcus Rashford tops that list. The England international is on the verge of his first appearance for United in over 18 months, and the irony is brutal: he could return to the pitch against the man widely seen as having driven him out of his boyhood club’s plans.

Kobbie Mainoo has his own score to settle. Under Amorim, he was pushed to the fringes, reduced to a bit-part role that baffled many inside the club. Once Carrick arrived, Mainoo exploded, seizing his chance and becoming central to United’s future almost overnight. The contrast tells its own story.

Harry Amass will not have forgotten either. During Amorim’s reign, the young defender and Chido Obi were held up as examples of struggling academy products, a move that landed badly in the dressing room. Both responded with pointed social media posts, thinly veiled but clear enough, before those messages were quickly deleted.

Now they all converge again, far from Manchester, in a Polish stadium hosting what is officially just a pre-season tune-up.

For Carrick, it is about rhythm, structure and one last look at his strongest XI. For Amorim, it is about Milan, progress and a clean slate.

For several players on both sides, though, it feels like unfinished business.