One of the tasks that Paulo Fonseca faces early in his AC Milan tenure is getting the best out of players who perhaps did not have a leading role last season.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, Fonseca is attempting to relaunch three players who did not seem central to the project coming into prseason: Samuel Chukwueze, Alexis Saelemaekers and Noah Okafor.
A new starter
Admittedly, Chukwueze did end last season on the up and – after the flashes in the Champions League group (two goals against Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle) – from mid-March to mid-May he consistently showed why he is worth €20m plus €8m in bonuses.
Overall, however, his season was full of darkness rather than light, both because Christian Pulisic’s starting spot was never in doubt and because he was held back by a couple of injuries plus his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, which took him away from Stefano Pioli in January.
A month ago, the winger thus began a mission to redeem himself and he did so with the belief that the change on the bench would allow him to find more opportunities, given that there is a clean slate for everyone.
In his debut against Rapid Vienna he showed a couple of interesting runs, but he left the best for the tour of the United States with the two carbon copy assists for Lorenzo Colombo against Manchester City and the decisive goal in the victory against Real Madrid.
The difference compared to the past is perhaps in the greater confidence he feels or perhaps in beginning preparations from the first day, while last summer he had to catch up after having arrived at the end of July.
The fact remains that – if Pulisic is used more frequently as an attacking midfielder – on the right the lane will be free for the Nigerian to get regular starts and impose himself in Serie as he had done in LaLiga.
