Today is the day that Christian Pulisic and Ruben Amorim will meet in person for the first time, and it promises to be an important moment.
As MilanNews recall, Pulisic suffered a hairline fracture and bone edema in his right tibia and fibula in mid-July, following the injury sustained during the World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium, which the USA ultimately lost.
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He returned to Milanello on July 30 and began his rehabilitation there. It remains to be seen whether he will be available for the first Serie A match against Ignazio Abate’s Torino, but regardless of his recovery, the American is destined to be a key player under Amorim.
Amorim’s vision
During his presentation press conference at Casa Milan, the Portuguese coach certainly didn’t hide his enthusiasm at working with Pulisic.
“He’s truly a very talented player. He got injured at the World Cup, we’ll have to figure that out. But he’s perfect for the way Italian football is, with teams that defend well: he can make the difference with a capital D,” he said.
“I have clear ideas about how I want to see him play. With his right foot on the left side, but also on the other side. Although I want him between the lines, not with his feet on the line. He’s well-liked at the club, the whole team is behind him to make the most of him. He’s very important to us.”
With those two sentences, Amorim said it all. While we wait to see what (and if) the transfer market brings, the only certainty in the attacking midfield is Pulisic. Unlike Leao, he’s a player who understands the spaces, movements, and positioning best suited to hurting opponents.
Without taking anything away from Leao – who has been devastating (except for last year) in the open field and starting from the touchline – the former Chelsea man is the kind of player who can be at his best between the lines.
The idea is for him to link well with Gonçalo Ramos, switching positions, passing in tight spaces, and central runs on the edge of the box. The No.11 will be the deciding factor in the Rossoneri’s attack, with his game made for pressing to generate high recoveries and shooting quickly.
Stefano Pioli and Paulo Fonseca have already asked for this from Pulisic. Both used him more centrally, closer to the striker, to communicate and finish in more comfortable positions. With Amorim, on paper, Chris has everything he needs to turn around a dreadful 2026 so far.
The leader we need in attack .. not that dumb cnt Leao
The leader that missed so many big chances and didn’t score for 6 months? Sure, that is needed. He isn’t any better than Leao.
He’s definitely better. He didn’t use to be but when Leao lost his burst of speed he became average at best.
Check their GA’s over last 2-3 seasons. Pretty much identical. What metrics do you use for “definitely better” because it isn’t scoring – the only real metric for an attacker …
Lots of comments from fans who don’t understand the game. His only purpose is to score. This guy should watch USFootball instead of soccer(fut all). He creates openings for all the players around him even when not scoring. Critical player in creating havoc on opponents.
No but the leader that single handedly carried the attack two seasons ago In goals.
Pulisic combines well with Balogun on the US national team. Ramos is a similar striker to Balogun – runs into space to receive balls, is good on short/give and go/1-2 passing, which Pulisic feeds off, as he did with Giroud in their 1 year together. I don’t see why Nkunku and Pulisic under Ramos would be a great attacking 3-some. If I were Amorim, I’d focus on acquiring a box-to-box midfielder replacement that’s better than Ricci and the likely departing Fofana.
sorry – meant to say “I don’t see why Nkunku and Pulisic under Ramos wouldn’t be a great attacking 3-some…”
He isn’t a WC player