Milan, this Chukwueze could be your new signing. Amorim is counting on him, the change of role and the breakthrough against Manchester United: what future now?
If one player has convinced Amorim to trust him in pre-season, it is Samuel Chukwueze.
The Portuguese manager has reinvented him in an entirely new role and the signs, especially after the latest friendly against Manchester United, have been hugely positive.
Could he be Milan's real new signing this season?
A new Chukwueze
Back from his loan spell at Fulham, where he made 23 Premier League appearances with 3 goals and 4 assists, he had looked destined to leave again this summer.
Instead, Amorim has put full faith in him during AC Milan's pre-season, using him in a role that is almost entirely new for Chukwueze: right wing-back in the 3-4-2-1.
For a player whose game is built around attacking, it had looked a tough role to master, especially with the defensive work it demands. But the Nigerian has shown he can play it exactly as Amorim wants, with the manager relying heavily on width to build his attacking moves.
The big match against Manchester United
In the latest friendly against United, Chukwueze showed exactly how useful he could be for AC Milan.
He scored once and supplied two precise assists for Cissé and Goncalo Ramos. He was always involved and at the heart of the action, so much so that Amorim kept him on when every other outfield player came off.
That is an important sign of how much the Portuguese coach is counting on his bursts, even if he knows there is still room to improve, especially out of possession.
Saelemaekers further forward
Right now, Chukwueze is virtually Milan's only option on the right side of midfield, after the sale of Athekame and Saelemaekers' move into a more advanced attacking midfield role, the same position Italiano used him in at Bologna.
The Belgian can clearly also play as a wing-back, but for now Amorim sees him a few yards further forward, in the position that should really belong to Leao.
Another option will certainly arrive from the transfer market, but as things stand before the official matches, Chukwueze is the starting midfielder on the right flank.
The real new signing of AC Milan?
He and Jashari have effectively given AC Milan two new signings from within.
The reasons are different, of course, but both are driven by the same urge to carve out an important role in the Rossoneri setup.
Chukwueze, in particular, has completely reinvented himself. He could now offer AC Milan exactly what they were missing.
In every sense, he feels like a new signing, above all at zero cost, and that matters right now.
