Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Francesco Camarda will remain at AC Milan this season, speaking to Sky after the striker came off the bench to score twice in a 2-2 friendly draw with Celtic.
The question of Camarda's future matters because the 17-year-old sits in an awkward spot. He is Italy's most hyped academy forward in years, the youngest goalscorer in Serie A history, but he needs minutes to develop and Milan are actively shopping for a senior number nine. A loan looked like the logical path. Amorim's words push against that, and they carry weight given how thin Milan's attacking options currently look.
Milan were second best for 45 minutes in Glasgow. Errors from Strahinja Pavlović and Samuele Ricci let Duran and Forrest punish them, and against a Celtic side that opens its competitive season in nine days, Milan gave the ball away far too often.
The half-time changes flipped it. Camarda won a penalty within two minutes of the restart and buried it himself, then headed home a Samuel Chukwueze cross five minutes later. Two touches of real quality from a teenager who was supposed to be a bit-part figure this summer.
Asked directly about the performance, Amorim did not hedge. “Camarda must stay with us. I have great faith in him and in the young players who are working with us. I don't want to talk about individuals, but what I can say is that Camarda will stay with us this season.”
On the match as a whole, Amorim pointed to the group being early in its physical work. “The boys tried to do the work we need to do. It wasn't easy today,” he said, before admitting his pressing scheme is not yet understood. “This idea isn't assimilated yet within the team, but it's there. The game needs to be better controlled with ball possession.”
There was also a fitness note worth flagging. Mario Gila, the summer defensive signing, came off with a problem, though Amorim played it down: “Gila felt something, but I don't think it's anything serious. I hope and think he'll recover soon.”
If Amorim's word holds, the challenge becomes minutes. Keeping Camarda only helps him if he plays, and that depends entirely on who Milan bring in ahead of him before the window shuts.