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Ruben Amorim has apologized to Manchester United fans for failing to publicly address them following his departure from Old Trafford in January, acknowledging it was among several "mistakes" he made — though he admitted it would have been too "hard" to go through each one individually.
Amorim's time in Manchester was largely disastrous, with very little to show for it. Amid repeated bouts of blunt self-reflection, the Portuguese manager guided United to their worst-ever Premier League finish, suffered defeat in the Europa League final against a Tottenham Hotspur side that finished even lower in the table, and was knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the second round by fourth-tier Grimsby Town.
The widely criticized stint finally came to an end only after Amorim publicly turned on his own club hierarchy.
Having stayed silent for the six months between his dismissal at United and his appointment at AC Milan, Amorim was finally pressed on the subject this week. "It is hard to explain the mistakes," the Portuguese coach told reporters at his maiden press conference as the new Rossoneri boss. "It is hard to tell you about every mistake, but I learned a lot.
"I made some mistakes. I didn't have the opportunity to say something to the Manchester United fans at that moment, and I am sorry for that. I am really proud to have been their coach for a year, but now it is a different history.
"There are a lot of things that I could have done better at the last experience. But sometimes it is like that. You have to learn to find the right spots to reach a different level."
What Mistakes Did Ruben Amorim Make at Man Utd?
Amorim didn't have the time or desire to run through every error he made at Manchester United during his first official appearance as Milan's new manager. It was easy to see why — there were simply too many to count.
The most glaring issue was his unwavering commitment to the 3-4-2-1 formation that had brought him tremendous success at Sporting CP but proved ill-suited to the United squad available to him. The English press seized on this point, and it eventually became apparent that Amorim was letting his pride override what he himself knew was best for the team.
After declaring that not even the Pope could persuade him to abandon his favored system, Amorim finally switched shape against Newcastle United the day after Christmas. Having ultimately bowed to logic — which yielded a victory — Amorim astonishingly revealed he had held firm for so long simply to avoid appearing as though he had caved to media pressure.
"When you [journalists] talk about changing the system all the time, I cannot change because the players will understand that I am changing because of you," the United boss claimed, seemingly unaware of the mental fragility he was inadvertently exposing.
Manchester United sack Ruben Amorim. pic.twitter.com/8g8mTQ3NvH
Amorim's manner of communication landed him in trouble throughout his 14 months in England. The former Portugal international, nicknamed "the Poet" by Cristiano Ronaldo, repeatedly found himself tangled in his own words — whether delivering harsh criticism toward individuals or the squad as a whole. That tendency to alienate key players, most notably Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, served no one well.
Yet the most significant mistake Amorim made came before he had even taken charge of his first United game. The two-time Portuguese top-flight champion with Sporting had been on an unbeaten run in the 2024–25 season when United came knocking. Amorim initially pushed to join at the end of the season, only to be handed an ultimatum: now or never.
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Even the error of joining mid-season might have been mitigated had the coach gained a clearer understanding of what his role would entail. As Amorim made unmistakably clear in his final, explosive outburst as a Manchester United employee, he saw himself as "manager" rather than merely "coach" — a distinction that should have granted him influence over matters extending beyond the pitch.
However, United had specifically announced Amorim as Manchester United's new "head coach." Evidently, that memo never reached him.