Ruben Amorim took centre stage on his return to England as he was mocked by Bournemouth fans for a bizarre attempted substitution.

The Portuguese now heads up AC Milan after being sacked by Manchester United in January, following a dismal 15-month spell with the club.

He returned to English football for the first time on Thursday evening as the Rossoneri faced Bournemouth in the Europa League, but it was far from a fairytale comeback.

The Cherries romped to a one-sided 3-0 victory in the driving south-coast rain, while the visitors saw out the match with ten men after goalkeeper Mike Maignan was dismissed for pushing Tyler Adams in the face.

Amorim remonstrated animatedly with the fourth official to no avail, but then came in for ridicule from the home supporters for attempting to send on his replacement shot-stopper Lorenzo Torriani without withdrawing another player.

That led to comical scenes of confusion on the touchline, as Amorim again conferred with the match officials before eventually deciding to hook the Nottingham Forest loanee and one-time Chelsea starlet Omari Hutchinson.

Bournemouth fans gave Ruben Amorim plenty of stick on Thursday night

PA

Things began to unravel for Milan when Mike Maignan was dismissed with 28 minutes played

Getty

Bournemouth went 3-0 up in the second half after Amine Adli dispatched a tidy free-kick, and the home support gleefully took their chance to remind Amorim of a similar result from his previous post.

His Man United side were also beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford, just a month into his tenure with the club. “Ruben Amorim, it's happened again,” sang the Cherries faithful.

Amorim was on good form by that stage, though, and laughed off the jibe.

United once again find themselves in managerial turmoil as Amorim returned to the British Isles.

Head coach Michael Carrick, the Portuguese’s replacement, is under intense scrutiny and odds-on to win the Premier League sack race after Wednesday night’s defeat by Como left them winless in seven matches.

Asked to comment, though, Amorim insisted his admiration for the club had not faded, saying his struggles at Old Trafford are water under the bridge.

“The most important thing is that I am here as the manager of Milan, and I need to respect that,” he said.

“What I said when I signed for Manchester United, that I love that club and the people there, remains true.

“What happened since doesn't change that. That's all I want to say on the matter. I've moved on and I'm at another great club now. My club, Milan, has plenty of issues to address.

“I'm focused on my own life and our collective journey here because, as you know, at any big club, challenges are always just around the corner. So, I am fully focused on my work, my team, my players and my staff, not on what's happening at another club.”

Amorim has more Premier League opposition to come this season, with Sunderland due to visit the San Siro in December.