Milan, will a left-footed attacking midfielder arrive in January? The names in their sights and what is emerging about Hutchinson's future
Milan, the squad is still under construction: assessments under way over an attacking-midfield signing for the January transfer window
Ruben Amorim can use the long break to sharpen the tactical principles that had already started to emerge against Lecce after a slightly tentative opening spell. Amorim always sets his teams up in a 3-4-2-1, built around a positional block. He did it at Sporting and, with fewer results, at Manchester United, and the attacking midfielders are central to it all: the Portuguese manager gives them freedom on the condition they create play by drifting inside. In that sense, Pulisic offers a more vertical evolution, so there is still a lack of a left-footed attacking midfielder because Hutchinson can help with the rotations but is not yet ready to start.
Endrick the favourite
One name sits right at the top of the list for Cardinale and Amorim: Endrick of Real Madrid. The Brazil international had already been targeted for two weeks in August, but the resistance of Josè Mourinho killed off any Rossoneri hopes before they could even begin. Endrick is very popular because he has top-level technical quality, is left-footed and can play both as a support striker and as a lone centre-forward. In short, he would be the perfect signing for this Milan side.
Everything hinges on Real Madrid's assessment and on whether Florentino Perez decides to open the door to a sale, even on a temporary basis. If that happens, AC Milan will be ready to join the queue, with Roma among the other clubs already interested.
Sanches one of the alternatives
AC Milan are still working to bring Amorim reinforcements in the attacking midfield role, and one of the most likely names is Alvyn Sanches, a Swiss-born 2003 player owned by Young Boys. The left-footed attacking midfielder has the ideal qualities for the former Manchester United manager's system, which relies on two players operating around the central striker. Sanches is considered one of the best young Swiss talents around, and the Rossoneri scouting department have admired and tracked him for quite some time. Gardiner has put his name forward, but it now all depends on Gerry Cardinale's decision.
Hutchinson’s future
He looked sharp in his cameo off the bench at the Olimpico against Lazio, but offered far less when he got the chance to start against Benfica at San Siro in AC Milan's first Europa League game. That is still nowhere near enough to pass even a partial judgement on Omari Hutchinson: the 2003-born player from RedHill arrived at AC Milan on a loan deal worth around €4 million. The task facing the Englishman with a Jamaican passport is clearly complicated, especially with the option to buy from Nottingham Forest set at a figure close to €50 million: it will take something out of the ordinary to convince Cardinale to invest such a significant sum to sign him on a permanent deal next summer.
