Ruben Amorim refused to guarantee Rafael Leão a starting place after Milan beat Manchester United 4-2 in their final pre-season friendly, pointing to the competition now building in the front line.
The result closed out the summer on a high, against Amorim's former club no less, but the coach was quick to shift focus to Sunday's Serie A opener against Torino and to insist that none of it counts until the season starts.
Speaking to Sky Sport after the match, Amorim was asked whether Leão would be fit for Torino. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't think it's a big deal, but I don't know if he'll be ready," he said, giving no clearer timeline on the Portuguese forward's availability.
On the bigger question of Leão's role, Amorim made clear the starting spot is no longer his by default. "I don't know. But he's our player. As I said, we're really happy with him. He's a really expensive player. So we'll see, but he has to fight. I think Alpha, with the way he's played, will make things difficult," he said, referencing the form of Alpha in attack.
He then laid out the depth he now has to pick from. "Saelemaekers has changed positions; it'll be tough. We have Pulisic coming back. So we have a lot of players and they'll be fighting for a place," Amorim added.
The coach also addressed the extended breaks handed to Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, and the decision to bench Luka Modrić, insisting it was his own call and not something the players requested. "Rabiot, Modric, and Maignan had more days off because they played more. That was important to me," he said, explaining that he had given them three additional days knowing they would not feature against United.
Maignan is expected to be available for the opener. "He's been training all the time. If you look at the number of games he's played in recent seasons with Milan, he plays every game. He'll be ready for the first match because it's a different position," Amorim said, while adding that Rabiot's situation would be assessed and calling him "a really important player for us."
For all the satisfaction of the scoreline, Amorim flagged one problem that carried over from the Celtic match. "I think we have to worry about the way we're conceding goals. Because we're giving away goals, both against Celtic and today," he said, before returning to his refrain that "preseason doesn't matter, we have to win next season."
Asked directly about facing United, the club he managed before joining Milan, he played down any personal edge. "Since I signed with Milan, I haven't felt anything for Manchester United," he said, adding that he still loves the club but is "very happy" and "where I want to be."
On whether the win would prompt fresh requests in the mercato, Amorim kept his cards close. "Now we have a plan. And we'll do what we think is best for the club, not just for today, but also for the future. So we'll see what happens," he said.
With Pulisic returning and Saelemaekers reshaped into a new role, the message to Leão is the one detail that will travel furthest before Sunday, and it is Amorim who decides who starts against Torino.