Football Italia
·10 Desember 2024
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsFootball Italia
·10 Desember 2024
Milan star Christian Pulisic will be ruled out for weeks after sustaining a calf injury in his side’s 2-1 defeat at Atalanta, but his manager Paulo Fonseca explained he has ‘complete trust’ in the player he has already picked as his replacement for their upcoming Champions League clash.
The USMNT star is the Rossoneri’s top goalscorer, having found the net eight times from 20 games across all competition, and the news that he’ll miss all the remaining games in 2024 came as a huge blow for a side that struggle to find consistency.
epa11761083 Milan�s Christian Pulisic leaves the pitch after an injury during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Atalanta BC and AC Milan, in Bergamo, Italy, 06 December 2024. EPA-EFE/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA
However, their San Siro meeting with Red Star is crucial for Milan’s destiny in the Champions League, as a win is the only possible result to boost their chances of reaching the round-of-16 without going through the knockout round playoffs.
“Loftus-Cheek, I have complete trust in him,” Fonseca told reporters at a pre-match press conference when asked who would replace Pulisic as a trequartista against Red Star, as quoted by TMW.
MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 14: Ruben Loftus-Cheek of AC Milan competes for the ball with Gaetano Oristanio of Venezia FC during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 14, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
As a result, Samuel Chukwueze is likely to play on the right wing, although Yunus Musah has also been deployed in that position recently.