CM: Castillejo could have left Milan in January, now he leads Europe in a key statistic

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan winger Samu Castillejo is one of the players who has undergone a rapid transformation since the start of the year under Stefano Pioli’s new system.

According to Calciomercato.com, the Spaniard – who arrived at Milan in 2018 in the deal that saw Carlos Bacca move the other way to Villarreal – was close to a return to LaLiga in January. Relegation-threatened Espanyol made an attempt to sign him but Castillejo didn’t want to know: he wanted to stay and was happy at Milan.

Now, the No.7 has taken ownership of the right wing position that was Suso’s before. In the 4-2-3-1 of Pioli, he has become the player who has created the most chances for his team-mates of any player in Europe’s top five league, as per WhoScored.

He’s making up for lost time, but he did not need to convince Paolo Maldini. As soon as he was purchased, the current Milan director spoke of his optimism regarding his arrival.

“Who intrigues me the most? Castillejo, for his personality, his type of game and his characteristics. I think he can be a great surprise,” he said.

The surprise factor has now become certainty, and that extends beyond the summer which seems to be the stage for another revolution at Milan.

Tags AC Milan Samu Castillejo
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