Ruben Amorim will use the derby against Inter to keep testing which players fit his 3-4-2-1, with Samuel Chukwueze, Koni De Winter and Ruben Loftus-Cheek among the men on trial in new or unfamiliar roles.
With the squad now close to complete, Amorim finally has enough bodies to judge who suits his system. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he has approached the process without fixed ideas, and the players have made themselves fully available, adapting to reshaped roles where asked.
Chukwueze at right wing-back is no longer an experiment in isolation. After trialling it from the first day of camp and a positive showing against Celtic, the derby will show whether the solution holds up against stronger opposition.
On the opposite flank, Pervis Estupiñán is set for his preseason debut. The Ecuadorian looked close to Aston Villa before Amorim blocked the move, and now he has the chance to win over the manager after a difficult season. Alexis Saelemaekers is another to watch, an option as an inverted left wing-back, though his natural home remains the right, where he has played at Milan, Bologna and Roma.
In defence, De Winter was deployed as the central centre-back of the back three, the role Matteo Gabbia occupies, having previously featured as an outside centre-back under Massimiliano Allegri. With Fikayo Tomori attracting interest and possibly on his way out, De Winter is being weighed as the anchor of the three-man line, provided he can move the ball with the pace and precision Amorim demands. Alongside him, Sékou Diawara, recently arrived from Troyes, is auditioning as Strahinja Pavlović's deputy and preparing for his derby debut.
Milan have not closed the door on another defender, ideally an elite passer, but that would require David Odogu leaving on loan and Tomori's sale first. Without those exits, the Rossoneri risk carrying too many bodies in that area.
In midfield, Luka Modrić and Adrien Rabiot are the intended starters, though Rabiot is not in Perth and Modrić can only feature briefly before Chelsea in Jakarta on Saturday. Ardon Jashari stays in the group, while Youssouf Fofana, Yunus Musah and Samuel Ricci are still fighting for their place. Ricci returned yesterday after a bout of tonsillitis and will be assessed in the coming days.
Fofana and Musah both impressed in the double pivot against Celtic and have a chance to nail down a role, with Musah's ability to shift wide an added point in his favour. Christian Comotto has shown promise too, but must prove he deserves regular minutes in 2026-27.
Further forward, Loftus-Cheek is the man Amorim wants to try as one of the two attacking midfielders, a position he has filled before in his career. His profile differs from Rafael Leão, Christopher Nkunku, who will operate on the right, and Christian Pulisic, but his physicality and experience could matter across a long season. Aurélien Guernier, signed from Birmingham officially for Milan Futuro, will also be watched closely and could get a decent run against Inter.
From here, the derby is Amorim's laboratory, and the men who convince him this week are the ones who shape how Milan line up when the season starts for real.