Ruben Amorim's return to English football turned sour again as his AC Milan side were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in the Europa League on Thursday night. The former Manchester United boss saw his team slip to a heavy defeat at the Vitality Stadium, with home fans taunting him with a familiar chant.
Maignan's red card and a bizarre substitution
Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was sent off in the first half for a double-handed push into the face of Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams. In the aftermath, Amorim attempted to replace the keeper without taking off an outfield player, a move that drew attention for its confusion.
Marcus Tavernier converted a penalty to put Bournemouth 2-0 up after Justin Kluivert had opened the scoring. Amine Adli curled in a free-kick in the second half to complete the scoring.
Fans remind Amorim of past struggles
As the game neared its end, Bournemouth supporters chanted: "Ruben Amorim, it's happened again!" - a reference to his previous results against the Cherries. Amorim faced Bournemouth twice as United boss and failed to win either time, losing 3-0 at Old Trafford in December 2024 and drawing 4-4 at the same venue a year later.
Amorim has had an inconsistent start at Milan, sitting fourth in Serie A but 24th in the Europa League standings. He has stuck with his three-at-the-back system, which ultimately contributed to his downfall at United.
Amorim's adaptability and United exit
Despite his commitment to the formation, Amorim hinted earlier this season that he would be willing to adapt. "I change all the time, we need to start with a base, we have two months of work," he said after a 2-0 defeat by Benfica. "We lost tonight, but we will find the solutions to adapt to these games, because we need to create an idea, but we also need to win, so of course we can adapt."
Amorim was sacked by Manchester United in January after a turbulent 14-month tenure, with the club sixth in the table following a £250 million summer outlay on signings. He was replaced by Michael Carrick, who led United back to the Champions League but is now under pressure himself after winning just two of 11 games in all competitions this season.
