Ruben Amorim couldn’t help but aim a dig at Manchester United when dissecting AC Milan’s 2-0 defeat to Benfica on Wednesday.Goals from Dodi Lukebakio and Jakub Kaminski saw the Italian giants fall to a home reverse in their first Europa League game of the season.Amorim criticised his players rather than the system following defeat to BenficaAnd the Portuguese boss compared the loss to the Liga Portugal side to his struggles at Manchester United.An issue that Amorim frequently complained about during his ill-fated Old Trafford stint was that the players weren’t equipped to abide by his three-at-the-back demands up until his United exit.Amorim struck a similar chord as he criticised his players rather than the system following the European loss.What did Amorim say?“I think you are a little bit right,” Amorim said when asked about his squad in the wake of the Benfica defeat.“I know at Manchester United and Milan, two big clubs with the pressure to win, people expect everything in just a few months, and I feel the same pressure here.“I think this team is a little bit different, they are more accustomed to working with three defenders, they are a little bit faster, a little bit stronger.“Of course, I don’t have the clear characteristics that are perfect at this moment, but it is impossible when you take on a new team to have those perfect characteristics right away.”The 41-year-old, however, pleaded for patience, though admitted that failure, no matter the stature of the club, is possible.“I know it will take time, but I also know that there is big pressure at this club, yet I prefer this kind of job because if I need to fail one day, I want to fail big,” Amorim added.“I have a lot of passion for this club, I want to help this club to be better, I don’t know if I will have the time, but I look at my players and I think they are listening to everything that I say in training, and that gives me hope we can solve these problems.”Amorim is working hard to get his ideas across to his playersAC Milan’s season so farAmorim enjoyed a winning start to life in Italy as he oversaw a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Torino on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Serie A season.And the Rossoneri followed that up with 2-0 home win over Venezia.However, defeat to Benfica extended AC Milan’s winless run to three matches after the Italian giants were held to back-to-back draws at Juventus and Lazio, respectively.Next up for Amorim and AC Milan, they welcome of Lecce on Sunday ahead of the extended international break.