Ruben Amorim touched down in Milan on Monday and didn’t waste any time making his intentions clear. The Portuguese coach, fresh off a turbulent stint at Manchester United, walked off the plane and straight into his next big test: turning AC Milan back into a winner.
Speaking at the airport, Amorim didn’t downplay the size of the job. If anything, he leaned into it.
“I’m really very happy to be here. It’s an honour to be Milan’s coach,” he said. “It’s a big challenge. After the last one I’d promised myself to choose a smaller challenge, but I’m here and it’s even bigger. I’m really proud to be here.”
He’s not wrong. The last one was Manchester United, where Amorim lasted less than two full seasons before getting the boot. Now he’s walking into a Milan side that finished outside the Champions League spots last season. The rebuild is real, and it’s happening fast.
Already Busy on Day One
Amorim arrived ahead of schedule, which tells you something about how eager he is to get started. His first stop Monday is Casa Milan, the club’s headquarters, to get familiar with the setup. Tuesday he heads to Milanello, the training ground, to start laying down the groundwork with actual players.
The club also confirmed its first summer signing: Gonçalo Ramos, who’s currently on World Cup duty with Portugal. So Amorim won’t even get his new striker on the training pitch for a few weeks. That’s the kind of timing coaches hate, but he’ll deal with it.
“I just want to work with my players and my staff, and I’m truly happy to be here,” Amorim said. “In Milan to win? Of course. If you want to be Milan’s coach, you have to play for that.”
The Size of the Task
Milan finished outside the top four in Serie A last season, and that’s not something the club’s fans are used to accepting. RedBird Capital, the ownership group led by Gerry Cardinale, is putting its faith in a young, modern coach to reset the culture. Amorim is 41, comes with a reputation for developing talent and playing an aggressive, high-pressing style, and has European experience from his time at Sporting CP and United.
But the Milan job is different. This is a club with history, pressure, and a fanbase that doesn’t do patience well. Amorim knows that. He said as much.
“It’s a big challenge,” he repeated. And he meant it.
The Portuguese manager is expected to sit down with the club’s brass this week to finalize his staff and start mapping out the rest of the summer transfer window. With Ramos locked in and more moves likely coming, Amorim has a clear mandate: get Milan back into the Champions League and start competing for trophies again. No pressure.
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