Chukwueze flying in Milan pre-season

Nigeria striker Samuel Chukwueze is sending heads turning with consistent top-draw displays for AC Milan in their build up to the 2024/25 season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The club shelled out €20m plus up to a further €8m in add-ons to secure the winger from Villarreal, where he had scored 13 goals and provided 11 assists in 50 competitive games. Great things were expected of the Nigeria international at San Siro, but he barely made a blip in his debut Italian campaign, scoring once and rendering two assists in 12 starts of 24 Serie A appearances.

Along with being slowly settled in and the absolute explosion of Christian Pulisic, playing on the right wing, Chukwueze also had injury problems and missed large chunks of the season on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. He hardly ever played a full 90 minutes in the Milan jersey, either used as a late substitute when his teammates were flagging or pushed into the starting XI during an injury crisis. Just as he started to make an impact with his only goal in March and two assists, another injury struck and ended his term early.

The 27-year-old is proving to be a decent investment for the club, making promising flashes of what he could do and what he has shown so far in their pre-season explain why the club invested that much in him.

The pace that made him famous is finally back now that he’s fully fit; the cut inside from the right flank to shoot or cross with the left foot makes him a little more unpredictable than Pulisic in that role. It also means he could feasibly play as a trequartista in a more central position, or even a false 9.

The U17 World Cup winner provided two assists in a 3-2 win over Manchester City and scored the only goal to beat Real Madrid too. His confidence is sky high, and it shows, as at last he is taking opponents on and beating them.

He is getting a clean slate now and seems ready to hit the ground running, generating more excitement than many of the new signings. The stage is set, and 2024-25 can be truly the campaign for Chukwueze to make his mark in the Milan jersey.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]