Ruben Amorim reflects on a difficult spell at Manchester United and has used his first AC Milan media appearance to apologise to United supporters for staying quiet after his dismissal in January, stressing pride in the role despite poor Premier League results and a brief 14-month tenure.

Amorim is now head coach of AC Milan but had been removed by Manchester United after just over a year at Old Trafford, with the decision following a post-match press conference in which Amorim appeared to criticise the club hierarchy before the board chose to terminate the contract the next day.

Across all tournaments, Amorim led Manchester United in 63 fixtures, achieving 24 wins, 18 draws and 21 defeats, while in the Premier League specifically there were only 15 victories from 47 matches, which left Amorim with a 32% win rate, the lowest figure for any United manager in the competition era.

The 2024-25 Premier League season placed extra pressure on Amorim, as Manchester United ended that campaign in 15th position with just 42 points and 44 goals scored, which represented the club’s lowest finish, weakest points return and fewest goals in any Premier League season.

That run, which covered the final six months of Amorim’s time in charge, shaped perceptions of the project at Old Trafford and accelerated scrutiny of the coaching methods and game management, even as other competitions continued, with United’s league form ultimately proving central when leaders at the club assessed the future direction.

Following the dismissal in January, Amorim chose not to issue public statements or social media messages about Manchester United, maintaining silence while speculation continued, even as the club moved on with preparations for pre-season and the return of players to the Carrington training base.

Ruben Amorim Manchester United AC Milan reflections and apology

During Amorim’s first AC Milan press conference, questions focused on lessons taken from Manchester. Amorim admitted errors in that period and turned directly to the Old Trafford fanbase, offering overdue words that had not been shared immediately after the exit earlier in the year.

Amorim explained that outlining everything which went wrong would need more background than a short news conference allowed, saying: “It is hard to explain the mistakes as I would have to explain all the context of the last adventure,” and stressing that the experience had still provided learning opportunities.

Amorim continued that reflective theme, adding: “The only thing I can say is that I learn a lot and I did some mistakes. I didn’t have [the] opportunity and I am sorry for that to say something to the Manchester United fans at the moment, [but] I am really proud to have been their coach for a year. Now it is a different history.”

Looking ahead to the new role at AC Milan, Amorim also said: “There are a lot of things I could do better in the last experience. But sometimes it is like that. You need to learn to reach a different level. That is my thinking here. Everyone learns from their experience. I learn a lot. I did some mistakes. I will try to change, but there are some things you never change. I think I will be better. That is all.”