AC Milan have found their man — and it's Ruben Amorim. Multiple reports confirm the former Manchester United manager is set to take charge at San Siro from July, ending one of the more chaotic coaching searches in recent Serie A memory.
He replaces Massimiliano Allegri, who departed at the end of the 2025-26 season as part of a sweeping clear-out triggered by Milan's failure to crack the top four in Serie A and qualify for the Champions League. CEO Giorgio Furlani, sporting director Igli Tare, recruitment chief Geoffrey Moncada — all gone. The club owner Gerry Cardinale and RedBird advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided nothing short of a full reset would do.
A long list of names that didn't make the cut
Amorim wasn't the only name on the table. Oliver Glasner was considered. Ralf Rangnick held multiple meetings about a head of football role — a broad remit that would have given him oversight of managers, directors, and recruitment decisions. Milan ultimately decided they didn't want that kind of structure, and Rangnick signed a new deal with Austria through 2028 on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino was also in the picture. The USMNT boss had two virtual meetings with Milan and showed genuine interest in taking over after the 2026 World Cup. His candidacy was tied to Ramon Planes, the former Barcelona sporting director who was also being considered for the sporting director vacancy left by Tare. When Milan shifted their sporting director target toward Eintracht Frankfurt's Markus Krosche, both Pochettino and Planes were dropped from consideration. Pochettino is now weighing his options once the World Cup concludes.
That Pochettino link deserves context: he reportedly acknowledged his representatives may have taken a meeting, with the story breaking just before Milan sacked Allegri. Messy timing, and a reminder of how chaotic this transition has been behind the scenes.
What Amorim inherits
Four managerial changes in under two years. No Champions League football next season. A squad that needs significant investment and a front office that's being rebuilt from scratch. Anyone pricing Milan as serious Serie A title contenders next season is getting well ahead of the evidence.
Amorim's 3-4-3 system worked at Sporting CP and showed flashes at United before the scale of that rebuild became apparent. Milan will give him more time and presumably more patience — but the pressure of returning to Europe's top table will be immediate. A club of Milan's stature doesn't sit outside the Champions League for long without consequences.
Krosche, if confirmed as sporting director, brings credibility — he built the Eintracht Frankfurt side that won the Europa League in 2022. That's the kind of operator Milan need if Amorim is to be given the tools to actually compete.
The Rossoneri are betting on a rebuild. The odds on it going smoothly, given recent history, are not short.
