AC Milan boss Ruben Amorim will face Michael Carrick's Manchester United in a pre-season friendly on Saturday. Carrick wasted no time scrapping eight of his Portuguese predecessor's policies upon his appointment.
Amorim's Difficult Spell at Old Trafford
Having spent a dismal 14 months as manager at Old Trafford, Amorim will be reunited with his former employers in Wroclaw, Poland, as Milan, who hired him in June, square off against United. The 41-year-old was dismissed by United in January, having first arrived at the club from Sporting CP in November 2024.
During his time in charge, United finished a lowly 15th in the Premier League, lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the Europa League final and were consistently criticised for their manager's lacklustre, rigid tactics. A shock penalty shootout loss to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup stands out as a true low point during the Portuguese coach's time in charge.
Carrick's Reforms
Carrick took up the reins on a temporary basis in January and was a revelation, helping United qualify for the Champions League. Having been awarded the role full-time in May, he will now duel with Amorim, having torn up eight of the rules the Milan boss abided by in Manchester.
One of the first rules Carrick abolished was the requirement that players report for recovery sessions the day after a match. Erik ten Hag also made his players do this, but Carrick instead has opted for sessions two days after a game.
Food was also banned from the dressing room under Amorim, as he tried to emphasise the importance of his players' fitness. Carrick eliminated this rule in an attempt to make the dressing room a more informal, safe space.
Training and Matchday Changes
Debriefs after a game were irregular under Amorim, but Carrick insists that post-game, every player must remain in the changing room until they feel they've been heard positively. Amorim would often dismiss players without a word.
The Portuguese boss was also rigid about when his players arrived for home games. But Carrick's United turn up for matches later. In fact, when his side beat Manchester City in January, they got to the ground 15 minutes later than usual.
United's training sessions also looked rather different under Amorim. He favoured lengthy, low-intensity sessions with a heavy tactical emphasis. Carrick has ramped up the intensity and the sessions are much shorter.
Staff and Formation Overhaul
Carrick's assistants also play a much greater role under this regime. Amorim prevented his coaching staff from giving players instructions, but the likes of Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate, Carrick's assistants, now take a hands-on approach.
Of course, United's formation changed when Amorim was dismissed. He utilised a 3-4-3 formation, which placed value on width, building out from the back and intense pressing. Carrick shifted to a 4-2-3-1, allowing Kobbie Mainoo to be reintegrated whilst building a balanced defensive and attacking structure.
Lastly, United's pre-season tour schedule has been altered under Carrick. With Amorim at the helm, they visited the United States on tour, but Carrick has broken a 25-year tradition of heading to far-flung destinations by spending his entire pre-season in Europe.
This has somewhat paid off, too. Although they lost 1-0 to Wrexham in their first friendly, a 5-0 win against Rosenborg and a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid followed. Having drawn 1-1 with European champions PSG last time out, it's now time for Amorim and Carrick to go head-to-head.
