“Didn’t forget how to play football” – Füllkrug reflects on time away from Germany including Milan spell

By: Oliver Fisher

Niclas Füllkrug has again looked back on his time at AC Milan, joking that he ‘didn’t forget how to play football’.

Füllkrug joined Milan midway through the 2025-26 season on loan from West Ham and it was hoped that he could boost their Scudetto hopes, if not at least get them over the line in the top four battle. However, he scored just once and ultimately was not bought permanently.

The German headed back to Werder Bremen in the summer, and has been in remarkable form since. He has scored nine goals in the Bundesliga which makes him the top scorer, and 13 goals in 11 games across all competitions, at an average of one every 64 minutes.

As a result, he was called up by coach Jurgen Klopp for the final two UEFA Nations League group stage matches against Serbia and the Netherlands. Speaking at a press conference, he revisited his short stint with the Diavolo.

“I was never unhappy during my time abroad. I’m very grateful for those experiences because there’s so much more to life than football. Of course, football is very important, but when you live abroad, you can still separate your personal life from your professional one,” he said (via MilanNews).

“I took away many positive memories from those two years. The main problem was that I struggled to stay in shape. I didn’t forget how to play football during that time.”