Christian Pulisic is not certain of a start in the derby against Inter on Sunday night, given that his physical condition is still not the best.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
As Calciomercato.com recall, Pulisic was the one who decided the last derby on November 23rd, tucking in a rebound from Alexis Saelemaekers’ shot. Since then, Inter’s record in the league is 14 wins and one draw in 15 games, allowing them to take a 10-point lead at the top.
Doubts emerge
Meanwhile, Pulisic is in a bit of a rut. In 2026, the forward is yet to score a goal or register an assist, and the aiming errors against Parma and Cremonese have left their mark, as has a challenging period in terms of physical condition.
With four days remaining until the highly anticipated match against Inter, which represents the very last chance for Allegri’s Milan to try and keep the Scudetto race alive, some doubts about his starting presence are beginning to surface.
Pulisic hadn’t started at least two games since early January – against Genoa and Fiorentina between January 8th and 11th, to be precise – and has been forced to ration his efforts due to some very bothersome bursitis that has shown a decidedly different performance from his usual form.
Allegri is considering some changes to an attack that has struggled significantly in terms of production and conversion of chances in the last three matches (Como, Parma and Cremonese). Rafael Leao is certain to start, so the question mark becomes the other spot.
The alternatives
Niclas Fullkrug has started only once since joining Milan, remaining on the pitch for the first 60 minutes against Fiorentina. He has scored only against Lecce on January 18th, having made a couple of positive substitute appearances.
Allegri still seems to consider him more of a wild card to unlock opposing defences in the closing stages of matches, and barring any unexpected surprises, that should be the case in the derby as well.
Christopher Nkunku may have a better chance. After a difficult initial experience at Milan, he’s begun to offer something more since the end of last year. After scoring a brace against Verona on December 28th, he already made his mark in early January against Fiorentina, Como and Bologna on February 3.
He earned two more starts against Pisa and Como, only to be relegated to the bench again against Parma and Cremonese, where he then provided the assist for Leao’s 2-0 goal. So, at present, the Frenchman could get the nod over the American.