Ruben Amorim was in a positive mood after his new club AC Milan beat Manchester United 4-2 in Wroclaw, and a joking comment to reporters highlighted what has changed at United since his departure.
Amorim was already coming under a bit of pressure at AC Milan before watching his side beat Manchester United on Saturday. Of course, there are plenty of caveats to the result, not least the mass changes made in the second half that interrupted the flow of the game. But still, it wasn't a great look for United's players to be undone by a system they simply could not adapt to during Amorim's time at Old Trafford.
Amorim's reaction to beating his former side
"No. For me, it was just a normal match," Amorim told Sky Sport Italia afterwards when asked about the significance of beating his former side. "Since I signed with Milan, I've felt nothing about Manchester United. I'm just proud to have been at Man United and I still love the club, but after signing with Milan, I [feel] nothing bad about anything because I'm very happy, because I'm in the place where I want to be. I just want to continue here."
As Amorim bounced out of the Tarczynski Arena, he briefly greeted members of the United press pack before heading onto the coach. In a short exchange with the Manchester Evening News' Tyrone Marshall, Amorim made a telling comment. When it was put to him that reporters had missed his press conferences, he joked: "More boring now?" before moving on.
Contrast with Carrick's calm approach
While it was clearly a joke, it did outline an often underestimated positive of Michael Carrick's tenure. Throughout his Old Trafford stint, Amorim's press conferences were just as big as the 90 minutes that followed. "You can see on the bench we miss a bit of pace on the bench, but I would put [Manchester United goalkeeper coach Jorge] Vital before a player who doesn't give the maximum every day," Amorim infamously said in response to a question about Marcus Rashford's repeated absence.
"I think it is the feeling of entitlement that we have in our club. Sometimes strong words is not bad words. Sometimes difficult moments is not a bad thing for the kids. We don't need to be always with accolades in everything, in every situation," Amorim said about some of the academy players.
And who can forget the outburst that eventually got him sacked following the draw at Leeds in January. "I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United. That is clear. I know that my name is not [Thomas] Tuchel, is not [Antonio] Conte, is not [Jose] Mourinho, but I'm the manager of Manchester United," he said. "It's going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decided to change. That was my point. I want to finish with that. I'm not going to quit. I will do my job until other guy is coming here to replace me."
Carrick's steady hand at United
His time at the club was abruptly ended the following day and Carrick was appointed in mid-January, initially on an interim basis. Sir Jim Ratcliffe once praised Amorim for his directness. The Portuguese head coach never shied away from making his opinions known and, as a ruthless businessman, Ratcliffe respected that. While the Ineos founder might have admired this, that approach only works until it doesn't.
Once Carrick was in the hotseat, press conferences no longer became another battleground. The 45-year-old has treated them with the same composure he had in the middle of the park for United. That sense of calm has rubbed off on the players and the results have followed. It doesn't mean to say Carrick is a soft touch. His reaction after the defeat at Newcastle told you everything about the standards he sets. But he gives off a sense of control. Too often Amorim felt like he was battling against the tide and at a club like United that approach is destined to eventually fail.
Ironically, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher praised Carrick this week for ending the 'circus' around the club, before in the next breath suggesting he does not have the 'stardust' to win the Premier League or Champions League. Amorim certainly had an edge, but all too often it would be to the detriment of United. Having a manager like Carrick who approaches everything with a level head is an overlooked positive. Amorim was certainly box office, but everything seems much calmer at United these days.
