Amorim ditches the 3-4-3 at Milan after the failed system that cost him his job at United

Fourteen months. That's how long Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 experiment lasted at Manchester United. And apparently, the lesson stuck. Now settled in on the AC Milan bench, the Portuguese coach has made it clear he has no intention of making the same mistake twice.

The numbers don't lie: of 63 matches managed at Old Trafford, he won just 24. A win rate that eventually cost him his job, and one that now serves as a personal warning in Milan. Amorim admitted as much in comments carried by Gazzetta dello Sport:

I can't repeat my mistakes from Manchester United, if we don't have the characteristics to play a certain style, then we'll adapt.Ruben Amorim

And he didn't stop at making promises. This past weekend, in a 3-0 win over Lecce in Serie A, Milan lined up with a back four, shelving the three-center-back setup that defined him in England. The goals came from Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira, proof that the tactical shift didn't cost the team any bite.

Still, Amorim doesn't want this read as a permanent farewell to his original idea. "We will build with three again, but we'll see. Here in Italy the coaches are very good, especially at going man for man against opponents," he explained, leaving the door open to bring back his signature setup whenever the situation calls for it.

The Modric case and the team's balance

One of the names carrying the most weight in the Portuguese coach's plans is Luka Modric, who at 41 remains a fixture in Milan's midfield. Amorim was clear about how he plans to manage the Croatian: "With Modric we need to have the ball for a long time, but he's ready to play every match we need him for. If we only play transition games, that's not good for him."

With this approach, Milan sits fifth in Serie A after five matchdays, just two points behind leaders Roma. A start that, while not spectacular, shows a team willing to adapt to its opponent, something that never quite clicked in Manchester.

Meanwhile, back at Old Trafford, life goes on without him. United, now under the permanent charge of Michael Carrick (who first arrived as caretaker after Amorim's departure), have started the Premier League season with just one win in five matches. A reality that, in some way, reinforces the idea that the problems Amorim left behind weren't his alone.