Yunus Musah had a hand in AC Milan’s comeback against Torino last night, and he lifted the lid on what the new head coach Paulo Fonseca has been like so far.
Milan paid around €20m to sign Musah from Valencia last summer and his first season at the club ended up being up and down, as he alternated positive appearances with some where he struggled a bit more, though he rarely got to start games.
Stefano Pioli even used the American as a wing-back and a right-back at times, plus as a right winger on one occasion, which was not particularly helpful in terms of bolting down a set role for the young midfielder.
There were reports that Lyon asked for information on Musah recently and that there interest is strong, but Fonseca considers him fundamental to implementing his game so they were rebuffed, and now a big second season awaits.
Musah gave an interview to The Athletic in which he spoke in detail about the path that has led him to this point and what the future might hold for him, having made the big leap to Milan last year.
Yunus Musah is back in New York, the city where he was born, and reflecting on the wanderlust that has taken him to play at English, Spanish and Italian clubs all by the age of 21.
Where does your wanderlust (desire to explore) come from?
“I guess I get some of it from my dad. He left aged 16. He tells me stories about it. It is very inspiring. We now have a great life in Europe. So credit to him, he went through all of that to get us where we are with a lot less money [than we have now].”
What do those stories involve?
“The stories of migrants. He had to do a lot of things — so, for example, when he was in Italy, he was sleeping in cars and he slept outside. He used to take a bike two hours away from work — there and back, so that’s four hours.
“Then, he upgraded to a motorcycle and then eventually to a car. This was before I was born. But it just makes me feel really grateful. Sometimes it just grounds me a lot. Why are you complaining about small things when your dad went through this? It’s very eye-opening. I’m very thankful.”
