The Portuguese apology tour lands in Milan
Ruben Amorim is back, and he is already playing the hits. The man who spent 14 months turning Old Trafford into a high-end therapy session finally broke his silence. Landing at the airport in Italy on Monday, Amorim offered a belated apology to the Manchester United faithful. It was classic Amorim: charming, slightly defensive, and masterfully shifting the focus away from the pitch. You can read the full timeline of this saga on Sky Sports' live updates.
He admitted that he made mistakes and learned a lot during his chaotic tenure in England. He expressed pride in coaching the club, even though it ended with him getting sacked in January. Still, United fans are probably rolling their eyes at the sentimentality. The guy left the club in absolute shambles, overseeing their worst Premier League finish in history.
Remember how it ended for him at Old Trafford? The final straw was a fiery press conference after a 1-1 draw at Leeds, where he took a not-so-subtle swipe at the board. Now, he is taking over AC Milan, a club he claims is an even bigger challenge than the one he just left. He promised himself he would take a smaller job next, but apparently, the allure of San Siro was too strong to resist.
"The only thing I can say is that I learned a lot and I made 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."
Amorim also managed to lose a Europa League final to Tottenham. That is a level of bottling that should be studied in universities. Forgive us if we do not shed a tear for his sentimental homecoming in Milan. The circus has moved to Serie A, and we can only wish the Milanese public the best of luck dealing with the drama.
Michael Carrick inherits the midfield wasteland
With Amorim gone, Michael Carrick is the guy tasked with cleaning up the mess. He did a remarkable job steering the ship to a third-place finish and securing Champions League football last season. But as the players return to Carrington for pre-season today, reports from Sky Sports News indicate that Carrick is looking at a midfield depth chart that looks like a post-apocalyptic movie.
Casemiro has packed his bags and departed, leaving a massive hole in the defensive midfield slot. To make matters worse, Manuel Ugarte is out long-term with a devastating ACL injury. That leaves Kobbie Mainoo as the only fit, senior midfielder currently walking through the door at Carrington. You cannot run a Champions League campaign with a single teenage midfielder, no matter how good he is.
United has been trying to buy help, but the early summer window has been a lesson in frustration. They got priced out of moves for Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, with the latter choosing to join Tottenham instead. It was looking incredibly bleak until the board decided to open the checkbook and raid Stamford Bridge.
In a move that feels like classic Premier League chaos, United agreed a £50m package yesterday to sign Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos. The deal is structured as £48m guaranteed plus £2m in add-ons, with Chelsea retaining a ten per cent sell-on clause. Santos is heading for his medical, and United fans are desperately hoping he is the real deal.
Santos is a talented kid, but he was completely blocked at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea did not qualify for Europe, and they decided to lock down Moises Caicedo until 2033. That is not a contract; that is a prison sentence. United also have a £38m deal lined up for Atalanta midfielder Ederson, whose medical was delayed because Brazil got knocked out of the World Cup round of 16 by Norway.
The Tchouameni pipe dream meets Jose Mourinho
For a few days, United fans were allowed to dream of the ultimate midfield prize. Reports out of Spain on Monday suggested that United were willing to put crazy money on the table for Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. The Spanish publication AS even ran the story as their main headline, sparking wild speculation that a deal was close.
But let us be real for a second: this was always a fantasy. Real Madrid were never going to let him go easily and slapped a massive £86m price tag on him. The player himself made it clear he wants to stay in Madrid. To put the final nail in the coffin, Jose Mourinho has returned to the Bernabeu as manager.
Mourinho has reportedly designated Tchouameni as a vital component of his plans for the upcoming campaign. There are even whispers from France that the midfielder might sign a new contract at the Bernabeu soon. The idea of United landing him was always a distant dream, and now it is officially dead.
With Tchouameni off the table, United are looking at other options, including Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott. But Scott is not going to be cheap, and Bournemouth are under no pressure to sell their prized asset. United's recruitment department is running out of time, and the pressure is mounting on Carrick to deliver results with a patched-up squad.
The Marcus Rashford circus is back in town
While the midfield is a disaster, the forward line is dealing with its own soap opera. According to the latest gossip from Sky's transfer tracker, the biggest question mark heading into the Dublin pre-season camp next month is the future of Marcus Rashford. The Sun reports that United are actively trying to sell the England forward before the squad flies out to Ireland.
Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, but the Catalan giants decided not to trigger their option to buy him permanently. According to reports, Barcelona looked at his wage packet and his inconsistent form and decided to pass. That leaves United with a massive problem: what do you do with a player on huge wages who has lost his spark?
The Guardian reports a completely different story, claiming that Carrick has plans to reintegrate Rashford into the first-team squad. Reintegrating him feels like a massive gamble for a manager who needs a unified dressing room. Rashford's body language has been a constant talking point for years, and a manager like Carrick cannot afford any passengers.
If United keep him, they risk another season of media speculation and dressing room tension. If they sell him, they will have to take a massive hit on his value and find a buyer willing to match his salary. It is a classic Manchester United dilemma: stuck between a rock and a hard place with an expensive homegrown star.
As the squad returns to training, the clock is ticking for the board. They have addressed the midfield crisis with the Santos and Ederson deals, but the squad still looks incredibly thin. Carrick is saying all the right things in the club yearbook, but deep down, he must know that this season is going to be a massive uphill battle.
Manchester United's early season matches on television
If you want to watch the unfolding drama, Sky Sports has already announced its broadcast schedule for the start of the season. Four of Manchester United's first five Premier League matches will be shown live on Sky. Here is the schedule for their opening fixtures:
- August 22: Hull City (A) - 12:30 PM
- August 30: Ipswich Town (H) - 4:30 PM
- September 6: Everton (A) - 2:00 PM
- September 13: Manchester City (H) - 4:30 PM
- September 20: Fulham (A) - 4:30 PM
With a brutal Manchester derby scheduled for mid-September, Carrick needs his new midfield signings to gel immediately. Otherwise, that match against City could turn into an absolute bloodbath on national television.
