Last January, Ruben Amorim left Manchester United with one of the weakest records in the club’s recent history. Now he is unbeaten in his first seven Serie A games with AC Milan. What changed, and how real is the turnaround? Here is a look at both sides.
A Win That Almost Slipped Away
Sunday at San Siro was not pretty. AC Milan beat Atalanta 3-2, but they had to hang on. Milan went passive in the last 20 minutes, and Atalanta got back into the game.
The win still meant a lot to Ruben Amorim. He had never beaten Atalanta before. He met them four times with Sporting in the Europa League and got two draws and two defeats. It was also Milan’s first league win over Atalanta since February 2023.
The numbers backed Milan up. Their expected goals were 2.41, against 1.65 for Atalanta. Now Milan have four wins and three draws from seven Serie A games. They are unbeaten. Only two other Milan coaches started that well, Hector Puricelli in 1955 and Luis Carniglia in 1963.
He also won on his Serie A debut in August, against Torino. That is a long way from where Amorim was last winter. To see how far he has come, you have to go back to Old Trafford.
Where It Went Wrong at United
Amorim took charge of Manchester United in November 2024. He left on January 5, 2026, after a 1-1 draw with Leeds. United were sixth in the league. In 63 games, he won 24, drew 18 and lost 21.
That is a win rate of 38%. It is the lowest of any permanent United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
The end was messy too. After the Leeds draw, he said he was “the manager of Manchester United, not just the coach”. He also criticized the sporting director, Jason Wilcox, and the scouting team over January signings. The club let him go, and Darren Fletcher took over as interim manager.
Reports at the time pointed to one problem. He was slow to change his style at Old Trafford. That was the story people kept telling about his time in England.
So the question in Italy was simple. Would he do it again?
What He Changed in Italy
In September, Amorim said he would not repeat his United mistakes. At Milan, he now lets his players play with more freedom. He still makes the final call, but he listens first.
He is also open about the limits of his squad. “Sometimes we don’t have the perfect characteristics to play in that way,” he said. In another game, he may go back to building from the back with three defenders. He knows Italian teams often mark man to man, so he mixes up how Milan attack.
The results show it. Milan beat Lecce 3-0 at San Siro. It was their second home league win in a row with a clean sheet. That had not happened since 2020-21.
The players look freer too. Adrien Rabiot has been involved in a goal in four straight matches. That is a first for him in a top-five European league. The last Milan midfielder to do it in Serie A was Hakan Çalhanoğlu in December 2020.
A coach who bends the plan to fit his players gets more from them. That is a very different Amorim from the one people remember from England. But seven games is still only seven games.
A Fair Dose of Caution
After six rounds, Milan were fifth with 12 points. Inter and Lazio had 16 each, and Roma had 14. Roma were also unbeaten, with four wins and two draws.
Milan have dropped points too, away at Lazio and Juventus. Then they drew 1-1 at Sassuolo, when Rabiot scored after a pass from Luka Modric. Amorim has not hidden from this. “It’s a process, I think we should have more points,” he said.
I like that quote. A coach who says his team deserves more is not buying his own hype. After an unbeaten start, that is a healthy way to think.
The race at the top is a good story for Serie A fans in Canada. Roma are still in it, and Inter and Lazio are not letting go. Anyone who likes to back a team in a race like this can compare online betting sites first. Check the licence, the payment options such as Interac, and the age limit in your province.
Is This a Real Turnaround?
Go back to Sunday at San Siro. Milan had to hang on in the end. That one match shows both sides of the story, the good and the shaky.
The good side is clear. Amorim changed how he works, and the results followed. The cautious side is clear too. Seven games is a small sample, and the big tests are still ahead.
My view is that the reputation has moved faster than the proof. The real test will be the teams at the top, Inter, Lazio and Roma. If Milan stay unbeaten against them, the United years will look like a lesson and not a label.