Ruben Loftus-Cheek looked like a summer departure, but three preseason starts under Ruben Amorim have shifted the picture at Milan.
The Englishman went into the window as one of the names the club expected to move on, and the reasons behind that have not gone away. According to MilanVibes, Amorim is now finalising his squad and several players are set to be told they can find new homes. Loftus-Cheek starting all three friendlies suggests he may not be among them.
The case for selling is straightforward. His contract runs to 2027, his salary sits high on the wage bill, and management have been openly frustrated with his output over the past few seasons. All of that has kept pushing him toward the exit.
The pitch is telling a different story. As of August 10, MilanVibes report a strong chance of Loftus-Cheek starting the opener against Torino, barring a late market twist or a quick recovery from Pulisic. Once August 24 arrives, the situation could open up again.
Part of this comes down to circumstance rather than pure conviction. The former Chelsea man's run of starts in that part of the pitch stems partly from a lack of alternatives available to Amorim right now. Even so, he has been one of the most used players in preseason, clocking around 180 minutes across the three matches, which is close to a full share for a friendly schedule.
Everything sharpens once Amorim confirms which players fall outside his plans, and three consecutive starts carry weight in that conversation.
From here, the decision sits with Amorim and how the final weeks of the mercato play out.