CM: Camarda and four ‘false nine’ candidates – how Amorim could cope without Ramos

AC Milan have been dealt two injury blows on the eve of the Bournemouth game, with one of them being Goncalo Ramos.

Calciomercato.com confirm that Ramos will be unavailable for at least the next match, which will be the Europa League clash away to Bournemouth in England. The feeling, however, is that the stoppage could be longer.

In fact, initial rumours speak of a muscle overload in the soleus of the left calf. The Portuguese forward will not make the trip to England and instead will undergo scans to determine the true extent of his injury.

Who will play in his place?

The natural replacement for Ramos is of course Francesco Camarda. He started the last Europa League match against Red Bull Salzburg, and seems to be the guarantee to get the nod against Bournemouth too.

Depending on how long Ramos’ absence will be, Amorim will decide match by match who the best replacement is. Instantly, though, the feeling is that Camarda’s playing time this season in the coming games could increase.

However, Amorim could also consider playing with a system and relying on a false nine. Pulisic has already played in that position, and Alphadjo Cisse is also seen as one of the alternatives that could be deployed as a point of attack.

The Italian’s dominant performance against Salzburg demonstrated his affinity in front of the net, with three goals, all scored in different ways. He has also played as the focal point in the Italy U21 team led by coach Silvio Baldini, scoring against Poland the last time he did so.

Are there any other alternatives? In addition to bringing in a talent like Levis Asanji from Milan Futuro, Ruben Loftus-Cheek could also become a good solution in the absence of Ramos. Amorim, naturally, hopes to not be without the No.9 for too long though.