Manchester United suffered a 4-2 defeat to Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan in a pre-season friendly, with the Red Devils twice taking the lead only to be pegged back before a late Milan surge sealed the win.

Harry Maguire’s early header and Patrick Dorgu’s second-half strike both proved insufficient as goals from Samuel Chukwueze, Alphadjo Cisse, Goncalo Ramos and Ruben Loftus-Cheek completed the turnaround. It capped a tough afternoon for United, with Luke Shaw in particular struggling to deal with Milan’s pace and movement throughout.

But the result wasn’t the only talking point, as full-time brought an awkward moment between Amorim and some of his old squad.

Ruben Amorim’s Turbulent Spell in Charge of Manchester United

Amorim’s time at Old Trafford proved to be a turbulent one, with the Portuguese manager sacked in January after a difficult period of results left United struggling to keep pace in the Premier League table.

His methods and man-management style came in for repeated criticism during his tenure, with fallouts involving several first-team players eventually contributing to the club’s decision to part ways in January.

Michael Carrick has since overseen an upturn in form as interim boss, results that earned him the job on a full-time basis. Saturday’s win with Milan will have offered him some personal vindication, even if it came in a pre-season friendly rather than a competitive fixture.

Ruben Amorim Snubbed by Former United Players

Despite the result, full-time brought a warm reunion between Amorim and his former squad, with almost every player who worked under the Portuguese during his time in charge making a point of greeting him pitchside. The exceptions were notable: Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Diogo Dalot were all seen keeping their distance, choosing not to embrace their old manager.

Rashford in particular endured a well-documented fallout with Amorim that led to two separate loan spells away from Old Trafford, first with Aston Villa, before spending last season with Barcelona, while Mainoo also found himself frozen out of regular game time during the Portuguese’s tenure.

Dalot’s snub of the 41-year-old is far more bizarre, with no public fallout said to have taken place. The United full-back’s form was publicly challenged by Amorim, but Dalot later praised his manager at the time for raising standards.

Ruben Amorim appeared to have a cheeky dig at Manchester United manager Michael Carrick after he beat his old team 4-2 with AC Milan on Saturday.

The two teams met in a pre-season friendly at Tarczynski Arena in Poland. Amorim got the last laugh against his former employers despite seeing his team fall behind twice, to goals from Harry Maguire and Patrick Dorgu.

Those goals weren’t enough to secure victory, however, as Samuel Chukwueze, AlphadjoCisse, Goncalo Ramos and Ruben Loftus-Cheek completed a remarkable turnaround. On the day, the Italians deserved to emerge with a win.

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

When walking through the mixed zone following the pre-season win, Amorim was met by fans waiting to take pictures with him, as well as familiar media faces. Simon Stone, a BBC Sport reporter, had a brief encounter with the Portuguese tactician.

They shared a warm greeting before the journalist let Amorim know that his explosive press conferences were missed. After laughing off the comment, the 41-year-old then remarked: “More boring now.”

Of course, the man who now sits in Amorim’s seat at those press conferences is Michael Carrick. The former Red Devils midfielder is seen as a more composed and calm customer than Amorim proved to be at times.

He originally took over the role in January on a temporary basis, before being handed a permanent deal in the summer as Man Utd secured Champions League football.

Amorim Still ‘Loves Manchester United’ Despite Struggles

REUTERS/Daniele

Speaking in his post-match interview, the ex-United boss confirmed he still has positive feelings towards the English giants, despite how his spell at the club went.

When asked if it felt like he got revenge on his old team, he said (per Express Sport): “No, it’s a normal game. Since I signed with Milan, I haven’t felt anything about Manchester United. I’m just proud to have been at Manchester United and I still love Manchester United, but after signing with Milan, I don’t feel anything negative about anything because I’m very happy.

“I’m where I should be. So I just want to continue here. I wanted to win a game in pre-season to give our fans a good image.”

The 4-2 success was actually Amorim’s first victory since being appointed by the San Siro club earlier this summer. He started his tenure with the seven-time European champions with draws against Celtic and Inter Milan, before being beaten 3-0 by Chelsea.

Everton are said to be ready to make a move for Arsenal favourite Ben White as soon as a key domino drops. The Toffees have been pretty busy this summer, signing Brennan Johnson, Merlin Rohl, Tyrique George, Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard.

David Moyes is sensing an opportunity to take the next step to European qualification after seeing his side come pretty close but ultimately fall short last term. But the Scot clearly wants defensive reinforcements, particularly on the right, amid confirmed interest in Celtic’s Alistair Johnston.

That interest is now said to have cooled due to the Bhoys wanting to keep hold of the reliable full-back until late in the window due to their Champions League qualifiers, while there is also said to be a significant gap between the two sides’ valuations of the Canadian international.

In the meantime, Everton appear to be shopping elsewhere, and according to Football Insider, they are lining up a move for Arsenal star White. Arsenal are said to be pushing for a deal to sign Aston Villa defender Konsa, who can play both as a centre-back or a right-back, which means he is effectively a White replacement.

That means White could become available, and the report claims the Toffees are lining up a move for the England international should the Konsa domino drop. Arsenal also have Jurrien Timber who can play on the right or as a centre-back, while Villa are said to be pushing for a deal to land Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham to cover the right.

Everton currently have Jake O’Brien and Nathan Patterson, who can play on the right. Moyes appears to want a defender with a little more experience that he can also use centrally, but a move for White is not without risk due to the defender’s troubled recent injury history.

White games missed through injury during last five seasons

• 2025/26 – 13
• 2024/25 – 29
• 2023/24 – 2
• 2022/23 – 0
• 2021/22 – 2

White ticks a major Moyes box

White’s hard-working approach is something Moyes would love. Arteta has said previously: “Ben is a really talented player, he’s a fighter. He trains like he’s playing the Champions League final. That’s why he’s come a long way in such a short time in his career.”

Arteta added recently: “I’m very happy that we have Ben White back in the best version of himself. His attitude has been so positive, so good. When given the opportunity, you take it.” White may well have gone to the World Cup this summer, but injury scuppered his chances later in the season.

Everton are also looking at a deal to sign iconic right-back Kyle Walker this summer, as they look to replace Seamus Coleman.