Today officially marks the beginning of the second week of work at Milanello under Ruben Amorim, AC Milan’s new head coach.
This week will conclude with a friendly against Celtic in Glasgow on Saturday at 16:00 CEST, which comes before the tour to the Asia-Pacific region. A lot of work is already underway on the Portuguese’s much-discussed 3-4-2-1 formation, one that Milan will use in 2026-27.
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The contribution of the wing-back is crucial in this tactical set-up, so it’s important to take stock of the situation regarding departures and, above all, arrivals. Milan will have to intervene in the transfer market in this position as well. Speaking of markets, Visit Oxibet for the latest odds.
The right flank is certainly more crowded than the left. Last year, for much of the season, the starter on that side was Alexis Saelemaekers. It remains to be seen where Amorim sees him best: as a wide defender or as an attacking midfielder behind the striker.
Then there’s Zachary Athekame, who is certainly more suited to playing as a wing-back and who has shown signs of improvement towards the end of the season. The real variables, however, are the two returning from loan: Yunus Musah and Samuel Chukwueze.
Amorim has tried the latter out on the right flank, rather than in the attacking midfield as previously thought. This experiment will be further tested in Glasgow and could influence Milan‘s transfer window. If he proves to be convincing, the right flank could remain as it is.
As for the left flank , everything at this stage revolves around the future of Pervis Estupinan. The Ecuadorian will return to Milanello on July 24, and the latest rumours suggest Amorim wants to see him in action before finalising a possible sale.
What is certain is that Aston Villa are pushing and have already reached an agreement with the player over personal terms, with a fee now under discussion between the Rossoneri directors and their counterparts at Villa.
The only other true left-back is Davide Bartesaghi, who started out very well last year, but dropped off a bit towards the end. Under the new manager, the possibility of a role as a left-sided centre-back cannot be ruled out, a role he did well in during his one year with Milan Futuro.
Here the depth is much shorter, especially if Estupinan leaves. So, it will be necessary to potentially go out an invest in a new starter, bringing in a player with the characteristics required by Amorim.
