Ruben Amorim Returns: Manchester United vs AC Milan

Ruben Amorim and Manchester United meet again on Saturday, and there will be nothing friendly about the subtext.

Seven months after their stormy split, the former United boss now in charge of AC Milan will walk out in Poland to face the club that sacked him after a chaotic press conference at Elland Road. The pre-season billing feels too tame for the emotion wrapped around this one.

Kick-off is 15:45 UK time. The history starts long before that.

Carrick’s last dress rehearsal

For Michael Carrick, this is not about sentiment. It is his final chance to fine-tune Manchester United before the Premier League opener away to Hull, and he is expected to go as strong as injuries allow.

Senne Lammens should continue in goal. In front of him, Harry Maguire is set to return and take charge of the backline, a role he rebuilt under Amorim and has carried into Carrick’s tenure.

With Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt still sidelined, Carrick has a decision to make at centre-back. The choice is likely between Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven. Heaven, the young English defender, edges the race for a starting spot at this stage.

On the right, Diogo Dalot is pushing to hold off Noussair Mazraoui in a renewed duel for the full-back berth. On the left, there is barely a contest: Luke Shaw remains the clear first choice.

Mason Mount’s absence opens the door for the new midfield pairing. Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are expected to anchor the double pivot, with Bruno Fernandes operating just ahead of them as the creative hub and captain.

Up front, United are still without Benjamin Sesko, so the centre-forward role should again fall to Bryan Mbeumo. His presence through the middle allows Amad Diallo to keep his place on the right wing, while Matheus Cunha is tipped to start off the left, taking over from Patrick Dorgu.

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

This is as close as Carrick can get to his Hull blueprint. One more audition, no more hiding places.

Amorim’s return: warm embraces and cold shoulders

On the opposite bench, Ruben Amorim will scan that United lineup and see familiar faces everywhere. Some will walk over with a smile. Others will barely look his way.

Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, his compatriots, are among those who enjoyed working under him. Maguire, too, owes a large slice of his career revival to Amorim’s backing when his stock had rarely been lower.

Amad Diallo is another. The Ivorian winger produced his best spell in a United shirt under Amorim, whose faith in him cut through the noise. Italian reports have even suggested Amad could one day follow the Portuguese coach to Milan.

Not everyone will be so welcoming.

Marcus Rashford, if he gets on the pitch, will do so with a different energy entirely. The England forward is in line for his first United appearance in over 18 months, and he may do it against the man who came close to driving him out of his boyhood club. Their relationship never recovered; his exit under Amorim felt inevitable before the coaching change flipped the script.

Kobbie Mainoo sits in a similar category. During Amorim’s time at Carrington, the young midfielder was reduced to a peripheral role, often watching from the bench. Once Carrick arrived, Mainoo exploded into prominence, quickly becoming one of the defining figures of the new era. There is no nostalgia there, only a reminder of what he was denied.

Then there is Harry Amass. The young defender was once used, along with Chido Obi, as an example of struggling United youth prospects in a comment from Amorim that landed badly. Both players responded with thinly veiled posts on social media, which were swiftly deleted but not forgotten.

Those threads all converge in Poland. Old allies, old grievances, all wrapped inside a game that, on paper, is just a pre-season friendly.

For Carrick, it is a final tune-up. For Amorim, it is a reunion loaded with subplots. For several United players, it is something else entirely: a chance to show, in 90 minutes, how far they have come since he walked away.