Musah admits start under Fonseca has been intense and jokes about Milan exit talk | OneFootball

Yunus Musah had a hand in AC Milan’s comeback against Torino last night, and he lifted the lid on what the new head coach Paulo Fonseca has been like so far.

Milan paid around €20m to sign Musah from Valencia last summer and his first season at the club ended up being up and down, as he alternated positive appearances with some where he struggled a bit more, though he rarely got to start games.

Stefano Pioli even used the American as a wing-back and a right-back at times, plus as a right winger on one occasion, which was not particularly helpful in terms of bolting down a set role for the young midfielder.

There were reports that Lyon asked for information on Musah recently and that there interest is strong, but Fonseca considers him fundamental to implementing his game so they were rebuffed, and now a big second season awaits.

Musah gave an interview to The Athletic in which he spoke in detail about the path that has led him to this point and what the future might hold for him, having made the big leap to Milan last year.

Yunus Musah is back in New York, the city where he was born, and reflecting on the wanderlust that has taken him to play at English, Spanish and Italian clubs all by the age of 21.

Where does your wanderlust (desire to explore) come from?

“I guess I get some of it from my dad. He left aged 16. He tells me stories about it. It is very inspiring. We now have a great life in Europe. So credit to him, he went through all of that to get us where we are with a lot less money [than we have now].”

What do those stories involve?

“The stories of migrants. He had to do a lot of things — so, for example, when he was in Italy, he was sleeping in cars and he slept outside. He used to take a bike two hours away from work — there and back, so that’s four hours.

“Then, he upgraded to a motorcycle and then eventually to a car. This was before I was born. But it just makes me feel really grateful. Sometimes it just grounds me a lot. Why are you complaining about small things when your dad went through this? It’s very eye-opening. I’m very thankful.”

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What is it like having Zlatan Ibrahimovic around?

“He has a presence. It’s nice. He comes to speak to us. He’s a great mentor. Everyone knows how it is… he is demanding and pushes you. He says, ‘We’re at Milan, we need to win. It’s not good enough to win some games and not others. Everyone wants to come to this club, so we’re not guaranteed our positions here’. Things like this; it keeps you on your toes.”

What are your personal aims?

“I’d love to play so many games, be really involved, score goals – all of the good stuff. Every season, you start with ambitions and things that you want to improve on. I also want titles.”

What has it been like under Fonseca so far?

“It’s a lot of information. I am learning a lot, he is helping me with my body shape, receiving the ball, connections with the centre-backs, just helping me be able to play with the ball as a midfielder; getting it, moving it on.”

There were rumours you might leave…

“I see myself here this season, the manager has not kicked me out (laughs). So I’m going to stay here and I want to work so hard to play many games and be really impactful.”

What are your earliest memories of playing football in Italy?

“My mum had an oriental shop. We lived in a block of flats. Our house is up there (points up). And then the shop was downstairs. There was a little park on the side, and we used to play in the park all summer. And then when we got tired, we’d go to the shop and get a drink because she had a Coca-Cola fridge, and then go back outside.

“African foods, yam, plantain chips. This was when there were phone booths in shops, so she had those too. As a child, I never saw anything financially. And I felt like we were rich. We weren’t, but my parents made it seem like we were. We got everything we needed, food-wise.

“I wasn’t fussed about clothes or anything, but when I look back, we just had what we needed. And my parents never, ever made us feel like we didn’t have money. But actually, they were always struggling and always working really hard. There were five of us to look after. They’re amazing people.”

Did your parents want you to be a footballer?

“No. My parents just wanted me to have a great education, something they didn’t get. So they wanted me to have an education that obviously would help to get a good job. I was also playing football because I just loved it. And then eventually when things got more serious, they saw that it had a possibility. Then they pushed me as well.”

Your family devout Muslims, do you attribute your success to your faith?

“It is everything. A massive role. I strongly believe that without God, I wouldn’t be in this position, because there are millions of people that work hard and it’s just not meant for them to be in certain positions, even though they work probably harder than me. They have their own pathway. This is my pathway and I’m grateful for it. And I have to really appreciate that this is chosen for me.”

What was your time like at Arsenal?

“The other players were ahead of me. They’d been playing there already, and technically they were more gifted than me. And I just had to work hard. And eventually, I became one of the best. Bukayo is doing the same things now that he was doing at academy level, and he’s doing them even better now, even though it’s harder to do it at senior level.

“The difference is he didn’t play on the right in his youth. He played left-back and left-wing. It’s impressive. He’s improved as well, it’s crazy. Sometimes you see players do better in the youth teams because it is easier. But then he’s actually doing better in men’s football. He stands out even more now.”

You captained an England U15s game which Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala started on the bench…

“I’m not surprised at the level they’re playing at. What surprised me was those three players – Cole, Jude and Jamal – all of their growth spurts. They were small players before, and now they’ve all shot up and they’re taller than me. But playing-wise, I’m not surprised at all.”

At 16, you left Arsenal for Valencia. Why?

“I just wanted to pursue my passion and my goals. I also had self-belief as well. I believe in God — those things together make me feel like I can make big decisions. I was 16. I felt like I could start getting into first-team training at least. At Arsenal, I don’t think I would have got the chance.

“So I was willing to go wherever I was going to get the chance at a good level. I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, I’m going to make this decision’. And whether it starts well or not, I’m going to stick by it until it works out for me. And, thankfully, it ended up working out.”

Did he have a lot of clubs to choose from?

“I had a lot of options. I could have gone to every English club, really. Valencia had the best pathway for me. Valencia was also pushing a lot of young players. They had the most convincing project. And I’m so grateful I went there. It was amazing.”

How do you reflect on the USA’s Copa America campaign?

“We learned a lot of things, obviously, both personally and collectively as well, [like] managing games. I didn’t have a big role in this Copa America, but when I did, I don’t think I impacted (things) as much as I should have. You don’t get these chances so often, so you have to impact it when you get them. I have got to learn that.

“From a team perspective, just make sure you take care of business in games like the Bolivia one and Panama one, against rivals in games that you should win. You need to beat them. It’s as simple as that.”

The Copa did have one outcome, as Berhalter was fired…

“It was tough seeing Gregg leave. He was the manager that brought me in. Great manager, great guy. So it was very sad to see. Hopefully, the next manager can be as good as Greg and help us achieve big things.”