Christian Pulisic is set to take part in Milan's match against Lazio in Serie A tomorrow, according to Ruben Amorim, after spending the start of the season on zero official minutes.
Amorim said on Friday that Pulisic will feature, though he stopped short of confirming whether the attacker will start or come off the bench. His expectation is that Pulisic will at least play a few minutes, which would mark his first official action of the season.
Why Pulisic had not played yet
Pulisic had been sidelined after an injury and a knock in his first training session, which delayed his return and kept him out of official matches before the Friday press conference. That left Milan without one of their key attackers for the opening stretch of the campaign.
Amorim also made clear that he will not rush players back simply because of reputation. He said it does not matter if someone is a big name and that he will not leave out players who are performing well just to fit in anyone else. In his view, talent matters, but passion and ferocity are just as important in the way Milan want to play.
What the Lazio match means
The timing matters because Lazio arrive having won all three of their opening Serie A matches. Amorim described them as a team with a lot of pace, very aggressive in their approach and clear in their identity.
For Milan, this is also the start of an important run. Amorim said the team will soon enter an eight-week period in which it will play three matches a week after the break, so getting Pulisic back into the mix now could help ease him into a demanding schedule.
The only question left is how much he will play. Amorim did not rule out either option, saying Pulisic could start or be used from the bench. Either way, the expectation is that he finally gets on the pitch against Lazio.
