Yunus Musah is central to the plans of the new head coach Paulo Fonseca, according to a report, and they have even rejected a request for information from abroad.
According to Calciomercato.com, Musah is very much key to Fonseca’s project, as he revealed in his post-match press conference following the win over Real Madrid in which the midfielder came off the bench and impressed.
“I am 200% sure that he is the type of player for our game. He showed it today, in 30 minutes: he was incredible with only a few days of work with us,” he said.
“I have a lot of confidence in him. I think he can be very important for our team. But obviously he has to improve many things. My opinion? He has the right characteristics to play in this position in our game [the double pivot].”
Fonseca has clear ideas on how to use Musah and that is in the midfield tandem rather than in the right-back or wing-back spot where Stefano Pioli put him at times last season. The new manager thinks he has pace and physical characteristics to help in both phases.
Not only that, but the ex-Lille boss has seen that the American can also take on tactical instructions and is learning the movements that he must make make to be in the right position to receive the ball and begin driving downfield.
This is all music to the ears of the management who bought him from Valencia for €20m with the idea of seeing him blossom into an all-action midfielder. The feeling is that he will ‘never play again’ out on the flanks.
In short, he is not a player who can be sold ‘unless for a truly extraordinary sum’. In recent days, Lyon asked for information on Musah and their interest is strong, but Fonseca considers him fundamental to implementing his game so they were rebuffed.
20M€ was too much for French international Fofana, one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1, but was completely ok for Musah the right winger/running back turned midfielder. His poor performances even earned him the star label. I’m sure Fonseca didn’t receive any pressure from the management here.
« We have 50 million fans in America and we want to focus on them. » Jerry, July 2024
Fofana has one year on his contract! Monaco can’t ask his market value they don’t have any leverage. Milan is playing a waiting game either it goes well at the end and we pay 15 million less or it doesn’t and we move on.
Musah was also in his final year at Valencia yet it did not stop them from spending 20 millions on him. Or 28 millions for Chuk, also in final year of contract.
Fact is, we lack a player like Fofana in midfield and management are goofing around with their insulting offers.
Milan did offer 20 million. Monaco want 35 million. 20 million for Fofana is fair. What’s insulting?
Bro they reportedly started with an offer of 14M€…
Then it’s not because you repeat every day that 20M€ is a fair offer that it is. It’s your opinion. Maybe it is, maybe it is not, but in the end that negotiation has been lousy af.
Musah contract was until 2026. Chukwueze was bought for 20 million plus 5 million in bonuses and that was also after a long negotiation.
Fofana is in his last season of his contract and Milan did offer 20 million. It is a fair offer. Monaco want 35 million, but they won’t get it.
And at this point, we won’t get a DM either.
You’re talking as if we’re somehow winning if we don’t get a DM.
Thats great!
From our midfield he has the most potential to be a world-class player, Reijnders is a good player but he has his limits both physical and speed also about RLC is lack of speed.
Musah has agility, pace, and strength, if he finds his form he could be one of the best.
It is more a matter of him developing skill than finding form. He is extremely raw and that’s not always a good thing
Yeah, and there is a lot of potential there, I hope he can do it.
94 games for Valencia, 39 for USA, 30 for Milan and he’s going to be 22 this year. Saying he’s raw is just a lousy excuse. But sure, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt considering Pioli misused him previous season. Hopefully he will find his feet in a double pivot role cause god knows we lack there badly.
Id not count the USMNT games for muxh besides bad habits and tactical simplicity. We are pretty terrible when put up against the lines of Argentina, Brazil, France, etc.
I didn’t see much from Musah in the Copa individually, but that was true for Puli, McKennie etc relatively speaking.
His physical characteristics are great. But dude needs to be available, pass quicker, more accurately etc.
My hope is Fonzy will be the right coach to bring him up a level or two this year. Musah could be the destroyer we are longing for.
Musah was played all over last year so it’s hard to judge a young player, new to the team in that situation. If it works out for him, he can be an N’Golo type player. I am not saying as he will be asgood as Kante (Kante light), but a fast player who covers ground, defends well, dribbles well, but is lacking in quality in the final third. He just needs to read the game better and settle into a partnership with another player in the double pivot.
A guy that Pioli used basically in any position he could think ok…. come on, a young player needs also consistency and we are asking that when Pioli made a complete mess with him?
And even in that mess, there were a lot of good moments. Give the guy a chance, consistency in a position and I think most of us will be pleasantly surprised
I still maintain and believe that there’s a lot of player in Musah waiting to be unlocked. I hope Fonseca can do that because I feel Musah can be a better DM than Kessie ever was.
HOWEVER, the belief in Musah shouldn’t be used as an excuse to not bring in an actual DM …
^^ This
Musah needs to come off the bench as an impact sub regularly and in a consistent position primarily.
He can get his starts for rotation and injury.
He sure can run and he’s got good feet. The only problem is that last season he largely used those attributes to carry the ball into pockets of trouble.
Hard to say. He’s good but is he going to start? If we get Fofana and are only playing 2 in the middle then surely it’s Fofana and RLC/Reijnders. He’ll get minutes but is that enough to fulfil this ‘potential’ tag he’s clinging on to (which is ok for probably 1 more season)?
I suspect if he didn’t sell shirts to Americans he’d be in the same boat as Pobega and Adli.
All that said I kinda like I’m, and assuming he stays, lets hope he really pushes on.
The only shirt that sells in the US is Puli.
I’d love it if @admin could get a breakdown and dispel this notion that Musah is a US icon.
Due happened to be born here. He was raised in Italy. He chose the USMNT because he’d get to play.
The USMNT is not something many follow. Heck in a game against Mexico in the US, MX has bigger turnout of supporters.
Musah was bought on potential and should be judged on fulfilling it.
It wasn’t a dig at America – that’s not the side I fall on. Although I agree, it would be interesting to know the breakdown, as I suspect he sells considerably more shirts to American fans than Pobega does to Italian fans, for example.
I agree he was bought on potential but he is running out of time to fulfil it. At the end of this season he’ll be 23; how long does anyone get to fulfil potential once they’re firmly in their 20s? Two seasons, three at a push? I was mostly posing whether he will get the minutes he needs in a key season for him, in an already packed midfield?
As I said, I like the lad and hope he pushes on. My gut says he’s very good, not great – lets hope he finds the space he needs.
My bad, he’ll still be 22.
Didn’t take it as a dig at all.
I think many here assume football to be a bigger deal than it is in the US. Easy enough to do if your from a nation where it is.
I used to go to a sold out Q2 in Austin TX to watch our MLS team play. Maybe would see a couple dozen national team shirts. Maybe a few Juve. I saw one ACM. (Ever)
So statements about Jersey sales simply are not sensible except for Puli. Same with the claim of 50m ACM supporters in the US. May 50m of us can spell ACM.
I sure hope your gut is right! We need that physical profile in our midfield as so many have pointed out.
It’s not about selling jerseys anyway. The more Americans we have in the team, the more US football fans will identify to that team and not only those who are already Milan fans. Pulisic AND Musah were at the Yankees game. I bet that Pulisic will be the captain of the team soon.
I believe Musah will develop into good DM if he is being maintained and trained in that position, not here today and there next day like Pioli employed him. Krunic looked better as DM (in Pioli’s eyes) because he tended to play safe, while Musah is more agresive. So far Fonseca has shown indication that he might has capability to unlock players potential, so I hope he can bring Musah into better DM.
And sure, so far it was just friendly games, and we still need to see how Fonseca does in the league. And I support him surely for now.