Marcus Rashford returned and Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty as Manchester United shipped three second-half goals en route to a 4-2 defeat by AC Milan.

It was a first reunion between United and former manager Ruben Amorim, but the Red Devils did not manage to get their own back against their disgraced ex-boss. In fact, this most frustrating of defeats was the Portuguese’s first win with his new club, where he has made a turbulent start to his tenure.

United, still without the likes of Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt, led twice on the day but were pegged back both times before a late flurry of two goals in three minutes put the result out of reach. United’s next outing will present Premier League action as they visit newly promoted Hull City, a week today.

The result was not becoming of United’s lively start. It did not take them long to open the scoring as Harry Maguire duly converted a Bruno Fernandes corner, losing his man and nodding home with aplomb.

From there, they kept their opponents pinned with a high press but struggled to punish them. The Rossoneri’s creativity at the other end left something to be desired, too, though Senne Lammens was able to impress with a pair of routine saves from Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

One opportunity was all they needed to get back in it, though, and it came when summer signing Goncalo Ramos snuck around the corner and squared for Samuel Chukwueze to tap home and equalise. The United back line did not cover themselves in glory in defending the chance, with Ayden Heaven and Luke Shaw both caught napping.

Not even three minutes later, United were handed a gilt-edge chance to equalise as Youri Tielemans went down in the box after minimal contact and earned a penalty. The generally reliable Fernandes, though, could not convert, Lorenzo Torriani making a smart stop down to his right to ensure the affair would remain level at the break.

More calamitous defending from Milan allowed United to restore their lead early in the second half. Patrick Dorgu pounced on an aimless Filippo Terracciano backpass and made no mistake slotting home - there was little Torriani could have done to deny this one.

The lead would not stand for long, though, as Samuel Chukwueze, back with a point to prove after spending an uninspiring loan at Fulham last season, found himself in far too much space and crossed for Alphadjo Cisse to equalise.

Ramos headed home a near-identical Chukwueze cross moments later to put Milan in front for the first time on the day, before Loftus-Cheek got in on the action, haring into that same vacant space on the right flank before burying a finish to double the advantage.

Rashford was brought on with half an hour left to play, making his first appearance in United colours for some 20 months, and looked lively enough on the right flank but could not affect a comeback. The same was true of Kobbie Mainoo, who came on at the same juncture but put in a quiet cameo after spending a frustrating summer on the fringes of England’s World Cup squad.