'I'll die with this philosophy' - Ruben Amorim copies Arsenal after Man Utd disaster

11 Sept 2026 15:15 BST | 6 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Make us your Google favourite

Ruben Amorim has big plans for AC Milan, and the former Manchester United boss is looking to copy Mikel Arteta's success at Arsenal in a bid to resuscitate Serie A's fallen giant.

Article continues under the video

The Portuguese coach succeeded Massimiliano Allegri on the Rossoneri hot seat in the summer following a massive clear-out in the wake of the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League.

For a long time, Milan looked on course to return to Europe's premier competition quite comfortably last term. However, a remarkable late-season collapse, winning just three of their final 10 games, saw the 19-time champions drop down to fifth and ultimately miss out.

The fallout from what ownership called an "unequivocal failure" was enormous. Allegri was unceremoniously sacked, and so too were Milan's technical director, sporting director and CEO.

In short, the entire sporting leadership was removed and restructured. Instead of replacing the dismissed directors, owner Gerry Cardinale took on a more hands-on role, while Hendrick Almstadt was tasked with overseeing transfers as the so-called "head of player trading."

Amorim's rebuild

So, when Amorim was appointed, he entered a club with a major power vacuum. Naturally, this enabled the 41-year-old to exert significant influence over Milan's transfer business this summer.

It is perhaps not far-fetched to say that Milan would not have agreed to shell out an eye-watering €74 million on Amorim's compatriot Goncalo Ramos - PSG's backup centre-forward - had a more traditional leadership structure been in place.

A whopping €165m was spent on new signings this summer, while only €87m was raised via sales. Consequently, there is huge pressure on Amorim to succeed. Unlike at Man Utd, where he was often overruled on recruitment decisions, this is his team. There are no excuses.

His start to life at the San Siro was certainly successful. After getting one over on Man Utd in the final pre-season friendly, Milan beat Torino and Venezia in their opening two games of the campaign before drawing 1-1 with Juventus.

Amorim is aware of the pressure he is under, but he insists that Rome - or in this case Milan - wasn't built in a day. "We have to win, but we also have to understand that right now we're building something and we need time," he said ahead of Saturday's clash with high-flying Lazio.

"However, this doesn't depend on me: time is in the hands of the owners and the management. My only goal is that we have to win on Saturday: for me, that's the only thing that matters."

However, he then invoked Mikel Arteta's Arsenal to prove his point that you can't expect to immediately be successful at a club in need of a comprehensive revamp.

"Certainly, if we look at the best teams in the world, which team won the last championship in England? Arsenal. How many years did they take to win a title?"

The coach added: "Inter and Juventus had a foundation. We have to build on that same foundation to be able to win consistently. If we want to win once in a while, it's possible, but if we want to win consistently, we need time to build."

Amorim signed six players this summer - the same number he bought during his entire Man Utd stint - but he recognises that he can't solely rely on the fresh faces; he also needs the old guard to step up and pull their weight.

What's going on with Pulisic?

While several of last season's key players, like Strahinja Pavlovic, Koni de Winter and Luka Modric, have played prominent roles under Amorim so far, there has been one notable exception: Christian Pulisic.

The American forward has yet to make an appearance despite having been part of every matchday squad. Pulisic, who has had a disastrous calendar year for Milan so far, is said to be "unhappy" with the current state of affairs.

The 27-year-old hasn't scored a goal for his club since December and could have departed during the most recent transfer window. In fact, ahead of the World Cup, there was an expectation that Pulisic would leave Milan and become the face of Major League Soccer this summer.

Though there was strong interest, particularly from New York City FC, things didn't pan out that way. Pulisic, somewhat surprisingly, was not part of Amorim's summer clear-out, and the Portuguese was adamant that the club keep the winger.

So, why hasn't he played yet? Amorim says that it is due to his fitness. Pulisic suffered two injuries at the World Cup and just hasn't been deemed fit enough yet. However, he is set to feature for the first time against Lazio on Saturday.

"I won't reveal the lineup; I'll just say that we'll definitely have a very strong team on the pitch," Amorim explained. "Pulisic is training well now... He'll play tomorrow, I don't know if he'll start or come off the bench, but he'll definitely get a few minutes.

"He's had several injuries, and when managing the group, I like not to penalise those who train better. I'll die with this philosophy. I really like Pulisic; he's an important player and he'll play a lot, but we also need to understand my vision of things."

Pulisic is under contract until next year, although Milan have the option to extend his deal until 2028. If he turns out to be as important as Amorim says he will - and helps the coach build his own version of Arsenal - his triumphant return to the US may have to be postponed again.