​Ruben Amorim has acknowledged that he made mistakes during his tenure as Manchester United manager, but emphasized that the experience taught him a great deal. Speaking at his first press conference since taking charge of AC Milan, Amorim reflected on his brief and tumultuous 14-month spell in the Premier League, which culminated in his sacking by United in January. He conceded that there were errors in his approach, yet he emphasized the learning curve that came with the job. “It’s hard to explain the mistakes because to do that I would need to recount the entire context of that last adventure,” Amorim said on Wednesday. “It’s difficult to detail every mistake. The only thing I can say is that I learned a lot and I made some mistakes. I didn’t have the opportunity—and I’m sorry for that—to speak to the Manchester United fans. I’m really proud to have served as their coach for a year during that period. But now is a different story. There were many things I could have done better in the last experience, but that’s how it goes sometimes. You have to learn to find the right moment to reach a higher level, and that’s my mindset here.”
Amorim was appointed United boss in November 2024 following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, yet he failed to reverse the club’s decline, guiding them to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League and a Europa League final loss to Tottenham. Even as the club sat sixth when he was dismissed, Amorim faced heavy scrutiny over his preferred 3-4-3 formation and his limited integration of academy players into the senior squad. “Everyone learns from their own experiences,” the 41-year-old Portuguese coach added. “I learned a lot. I made some mistakes. There are certain things I will try to change and there are some things you never change. But I believe I will be a better coach because of it.”
During his United tenure, Amorim registered 25 wins from 63 matches, with 23 defeats, and collected 15 wins in 47 Premier League fixtures, giving him a points-per-game average of 1.23—the lowest of any United manager in the Premier League era. Now, Amorim has taken the helm at AC Milan, signing a three-year contract to succeed Massimiliano Allegri and embark on a new chapter in his coaching career. He arrives at Milan with a different set of expectations and a fresh challenge, determined to apply the lessons learned in Manchester to achieving success in Serie A and European competition.