Manchester United closed out their pre-season schedule on Saturday with a friendly against AC Milan in Wroclaw, a fixture loaded with storylines as Ruben Amorim faced the club that dismissed him just months earlier.
Amorim was sacked in January after a turbulent 14-month spell at Old Trafford, finishing with a 38 per cent win rate, the lowest of any permanent United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. His exit followed a public outburst directed at the club's hierarchy, and he was out of work for several months before taking charge at Milan in June. The Portuguese has struggled to hit the ground running at the San Siro, with draws against Celtic and Inter followed by a heavy 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, leaving him still searching for his first win as Rossoneri boss.
Speaking at his Milan unveiling earlier in the summer, Amorim reflected candidly on his time in Manchester. "It's hard to explain the mistakes because for that I would have to explain all the context of the last adventure," he said. "It's hard to say to you every mistake. The only thing to say is I learned a lot and I did make some mistakes. I didn't have the opportunity, and I'm sorry for that, to say something to the Manchester United fans, I'm really proud to be their coach for a year in that time."
For United, the bigger story centred on Marcus Rashford, who was named among the substitutes and poised to make his first appearance for the club since December 2024. The 28-year-old spent time away on loan at both Aston Villa and Barcelona after falling out of favour under Amorim, and returned to Old Trafford this summer once Barcelona opted against a permanent deal. Despite interest from other Premier League clubs, including Tottenham, manager Michael Carrick indicated Rashford remains part of his plans going forward. "He's our player. He's come back great, like any other player. I've known him a long time, he gives us something a bit different," Carrick said. "He's been in great spirits since he's been back, he's been back two or three days."
Carrick made six changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Leeds in Dublin in midweek before winning on penalties. Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Youri Tielemans, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha all came into the starting XI, while Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, Harry Amass, Tyler Fletcher, Joshua Zirkzee and Bryan Mbeumo dropped to the bench. Senne Lammens, Ayden Heaven, Andrey Santos, Amad Diallo and Patrick Dorgu retained their places. Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez also returned to the squad following the post-World Cup break, though Benjamin Sesko remained unavailable.
Milan handed a first start to record signing Goncalo Ramos, who joined from PSG for a fee in the region of €74 million plus add-ons and had previously only appeared as a substitute against Chelsea. Rafael Leao was absent, with the club citing a quad injury amid ongoing speculation about his future and reported friction with Amorim, claims the winger has denied. Reports have also suggested Amorim has identified several players surplus to his requirements at Milan, including former Chelsea duo Fikayo Tomori and Christopher Nkunku, along with left-back Pervis Estupinan.
United's pre-season form featured wins over Rosenborg and Atletico Madrid, a draw with Paris Saint-Germain, and a shootout victory over Leeds after a 1-1 stalemate in which Mazraoui scored the winning spot-kick. The only defeat came against Wrexham earlier in the summer. Carrick's side now turn their attention to the Premier League opener away at newly promoted Hull City next Saturday, with the manager confirming the club's intention to strengthen the squad further before the transfer window closes. "We've done really good business. So we're delighted with that, but we want more, we need more, we keep looking for how we can do that, so that never stops," Carrick said.
Based on reporting from The Independent and Standard Sport.