While AC Milan’s summer friendly campaign got underway on Saturday against Rapid Wien in Austria, a quick scan down the fixture list shows that there are some much more daunting games to come.
There is quite a bit of concern and even some pessimism heading into Milan’s tour of the United States, and not just because games against Manchester City and Real Madrid await – arguably the two best teams in Europe – as well as one against Barcelona.
Paulo Fonseca began working with the group on July 8 and he has had a limited squad at his disposal because of those who have been away at major tournaments, some of whom will not even join the side in America.
Luka Jovic is back with the group, Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah will be soon too, while Rafael Leao and Noah Okafor are expected to take part in at least one of the games. However, Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, Tijjani Reijnders and the new signing Alvaro Morata won’t leave for the States.
Therefore, the is quite a large segment of the preseason that Fonseca will spend without the main stars and – while waiting for potential new signings – this in turn presents an opportunity for some ‘fringe’ players to impress and fight for a spot.
Clarity sought
Pierre Kalulu: The first name worth mentioning is Kalulu, though at present there does not seem to be any risk of him being sold or cast aside in any way. Thus, it is more a case of establishing a role for him within the team and a position in the hierarchy for that role.
The 2023-24 season was not kind to Kalulu. At the end of October he sustained a tear in his thigh muscle that kept him out for four months and 24 games across all competitions. Then when he had worked so hard to get back for the business end of the season, in mid-March he went down with a collateral ligament injury that saw him miss six weeks and a further eight games.
Nonetheless, he is young and his potential has already been glimpsed as he was a key part of the Scudetto-winning side. A new coach brings a clean slate, and it is a chance the Frenchman could grab with both hands.
As we recently reported, Fonseca has seen in Kalulu what he thought was missing from the current group of right-backs in the squad: a player who is good at defending and explosive when going forward.
That could therefore be his role and indications should arrive during the three games in the United States. The Emerson Royal rumours are doing the rounds again, but good signs from Kalulu could change the plans.
Filippo Terracciano: He was Milan’s only signing of the January transfer window as he arrived from Hellas Verona for around €4.5m, but he became somewhat of a forgotten man as he struggled to get regular minutes.
The 21-year-old is considered above all as a wild card. He can play on the right, it is his natural role, but he is not yet first or second choice given his young age. Against Rapid Wien he got some playing time on the left, potentially offering some signs on the role foreseen.
At present it feels like Terracciano is essentially competing with Alessandro Florenzi for the position of back-up left-back and right-back, yet because he has barely played it is not yet known if he can realistically challenge.
There have been rumours that Torino enquired about him but had the door firmly shut in their face, which speaks volumes about the faith that Milan have, though at his age getting regular minutes is important.
As mentioned, Theo will not join the team in the USA so there is the real chance of seeing him get three more appearances at left-back. From there, Fonseca will make a call on where he sees him in the depth chart on both flanks.
Yunus Musah: He was one of the last signing that Milan made during a busy 2023 summer transfer window and he had a strange first season, one where he alternated encouraging displays with ones where he looked more lost.
A large part of the responsibility for this falls in the shoulders of Stefano Pioli who has used him at right-back, wing-back and even as a right winger, which certainly are not his natural positions.
With Fonseca’s arrival and some potential formation fluidity, there seems to be two obvious spots that Musah can stake a claim for and in his home country too. The first is in the double pivot in a 4-2-3-1, the second is as a ball-carrying mezzala in a 4-3-3.
The former England youth international is definitely a player who has so far shown more box-to-box characteristics, and while waiting for further developments on targets like Youssouf Fofana and Lazar Samardzic, he will likely aim to put pressure on Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the RCM spot.
Noah Okafor: He had to make do with mostly appearances off the bench during his first season at Milan, but he ended with six Serie A goals to his name and with calls from fans to see more of him.
Milan knew when they signed him that they were getting a dynamic, energetic and versatile player, though there are still doubts about whether he is a back-up centre-forward or left winger, or if he might only work in a two-striker formation.
There is no real talk of a potential sale for Okafor, though he too must be wondering and thinking about if he will ever get a set role nailed down, even if Fonseca will have studied him in advance.
The Swiss international had a disappointing Euros where he got to know the bench a bit too well, and though he will not be there for all three games in the USA there will still be a chance to show the new coach exactly where he fits.
The sale candidates
Yacine Adli: He is a similar discussion to Musah in the sense that he was on the fringes for large parts of the 2023-24 campaign and has been asked to perform some difficult tasks towards the business end.
The former Bordeaux has waited for his chance in recent years and his attitude has been commendable. He arrives as a playmaker who could be used wider if needed, but then gradually transitioned back to being a regista in a double pivot.
There have been a number of reports suggesting his future at Milan is not certain and that Saudi Pro League clubs are sniffing around, though there seems to be nothing imminent at the moment regarding a departure.
At the moment the overwhelming feeling is that we don’t know what Adli is currently nor what he can be. That being said, the most natural positions based on his attributes are as a deputy to Tijjani Reijnders – i.e. a creative presence – or even back in his preferred No.10 role.
Tommaso Pobega: The future of Pobega remains up in the air as he is aware that getting regular minutes every week is the only real way to develop, but doing so would mean that he probably has to leave the club that he grew up supporting.
Last season the 24-year-old spent a long time on the sidelines due to a pretty severe tendon issue in his hip that he sustained during a win over Monza towards the end of 2023. That inevitably affected his game time and performance, given he didn’t feature much when he recovered.
The latest suggestion is that he could be used as a counterpart in the Lazar Samardzic operation. At present there is a seat on the plane to the United States with his name on it and he will get the chance to show he could be a useful asset to Fonseca.
Alexis Saelemaekers: There was some surprise when Saelemaekers returned from his season-long loan at Bologna given they had an option to make the deal permanent and chose not to, probably due to the change in coach mostly.
The Belgian has had quite a lot of attention since being back at Milanello and he was named the MOTM in our player ratings from the Rapid game, thanks to his creativity in the attacking phase, going on several menacing runs and drawing what should have been a penalty.
It still seems very likely that he will be sold because of the sheer number of forwards in the squad, but what is worth noting is that the ex-Anderlecht man played almost exclusively as a left winger last season, cutting in onto his preferred right foot. Could he fight for the Leao deputy position?
Daniel Maldini: He went on loan to Empoli last season until January and then went to Monza where he did much better, scoring four goals in 11 appearances, but it remains to be seen which shirt he will wear in the 2024-25 season.
Maldini, like Saelemaekers, was a surprise protagonist in the first friendly as he got the assist for Alessandro Florenzi’s opener. He played in the centre-forward role but drifted from the penalty box a fair bit.
Most reliable sources agree that a sale remains the most likely scenario for the 22-year-old, with Monza and Torino among the sides linked. The former remain ahead because Adriano Galliani intensified contacts and had a verbal agreement over a four-year contract.
Luka Jovic: He earned a one-year extension with the nine goals he scored last season. Like Okafor, he earned a knack for being the man to call off the bench to try and unlock a game that was not going the right way.
However, doubts have arisen about whether he will actually stay. After signing Alvaro Morata it seems the plan is to go for another striker and Niclas Fullkrug is the name at the top of the list. This, in turn, would limit the Serbian’s playing time.
Milan know that if they were to sell Jovic they would get a pure capital gain, having signed him on a free from Fiorentina. Keeping him as a third choice seems logical, though that might entail fighting with Okafor for the scraps of minutes that are left.
Lorenzo Colombo: Now, the man that inspired this article. Colombo returned from his loan spell at Monza earlier in the summer and Fonseca has since been keeping a close eye on the youngster.
According to our information, the striker’s supposed exit isn’t as certain as some might think. The new boss wants to bring him to the pre-season tour in the USA and evaluate his performances before making a final decision.
Colombo struggled with Monza during the 2024-25 campaign, lacking consistency and only bagging four goals. Despite this, Empoli showed concrete interest and appeared to be on the verge of signing him while Torino are keen too, but the brakes have been slammed.
The future
Alex Jimenez: Jimenez joined Milan last summer on loan from Real Madrid with the option to make the deal permanent for €5m. The Rossoneri have since exercised that option which shows how much they rate the Spaniard.
The current feeling is that Jimenez will join the select group of players who shuttle between the first team and Milan Futuro. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s comments earlier in the month made it clear that he is currently viewed as Theo Hernandez’s deputy.
How he performs in the three friendlies against top European opponents might just be decisive in determining if he does in fact start the season with the big boys or if he heads to join Daniele Bonera’s side.
Mattia Liberali: There was a name that stuck out to any in the starting line-up for the friendly against Rapid as Fonseca opted to give Liberali a chance to show what he can do. He played in the playmaker position behind Lorenzo Colombo for the first half.
Having been close to losing him to Benfica a year ago, the Milan management want to protect and develop the gems in their system and that is something the Milan Futuro project was created with the exact intention of doing.
Due to the shortage of forwards available, there is a genuine chance that Liberali gets minutes against Manchester City at the very least, and what a chance that would be to show that you are not far away from ready.
Chaka Traore: The winger left the club on loan in January, joining Palermo on loan with an option to buy, a formula which surprised some given how highly Traore has been talked about.
The Ivorian got some minutes with the senior team last season which even resulted in him scoring his first goal in Serie A. Now the teenager will be assessed by Fonseca, and it feels like the U23 team could be ideal for him
However, offers have arrived from Italy and abroad, and the Jan-Carlo Simic case shows that these kinds of bids will be taken into consideration.
The others: Three players featured in the second half against Rapid who should go on the USA tour but whose immediate futures seem clear.
Lorenzo Torriani could get more minutes with Mike Maignan absent but looks destined to be part of the Futuro, while the same can be said for right-back Andrea Bakoune and midfielder Hugo Cuenca.