Pervis Estupiñán and Yunus Musah both looked ill-suited to Ruben Amorim's football in the friendly defeat to Inter in Perth, according to MilanNews.
Amorim is still bedding in his 3-4-2-1 during pre-season, and the derby offered a first live read on how the current squad fits it. On the evidence of Perth, two of the players brought in or inherited are raising doubts about their place in that structure.
Estupiñán came on at half-time for Davide Bartesaghi and struggled almost immediately with his reading of situations and his handling of the ball. Milan lost their shape on the left, and Inter's opening goal early in the second half came from a move worked down that side.
The former Brighton full-back then picked up a yellow card for a challenge on Yan Bisseck, coming off worse from the collision and looking dazed. He offered little going forward either.
Amorim had admired Estupiñán as a Premier League opponent, but these early signs suggest the now-stalled deal with Aston Villa might have been worth pursuing before Milan moved on to other options.
Musah lasted 62 minutes alongside Youssouf Fofana in the double pivot, showing energy and willingness without controlling the tempo in the centre. In Amorim's midfield, the two players in front of the defence need to give the side its orientation, vertical passing and positional discipline, and the American shows those qualities only in flashes. The issue is technique rather than effort.
Selling both could free up space and money for players who suit Amorim's demands more naturally. Persisting with them, MilanNews argue, risks letting two pre-season doubts harden into problems that run through the season.
From here, the calls belong to Amorim and the mercato: commit to what he has, or reshape the spine of the team around what his system asks for.