Christian Pulisic is still waiting for his first minutes of the season, and Sunday's trip to Juventus could finally be the night he arrives.
The American has watched Milan's opening two games from the bench, zero minutes to his name so far, and Ruben Amorim has been clear about why. With a departure that reshaped the attack, the loss of Rafael Leão to a permanent move to Galatasaray, Milan are hunting for new leaders up front, and Pulisic is one of the players expected to fill that void. First, though, he has to get back on the pitch.
According to Calciomercato.com, Pulisic was benched for last Friday's win over Venezia and simply isn't ready yet to handle a large share of a match. Amorim confirmed as much after the game.
"He's a great talent. I simply have to manage my players' workloads, and right now we need to win. So it's difficult for Pulisic to find space, but he's still a very important player for us," the coach said.
That leaves the American behind Cissé and Loftus-Cheek in the pecking order, at least on current condition. His place is no longer guaranteed, with plenty of competition for the playmaker spots, and the message from Amorim is that Pulisic must earn his way back rather than trade on what he delivered up to the end of 2025.
The backdrop to all this is a summer where his future flickered in and out of focus. Major League Soccer side New York FC tried to lure him back to the United States, but the move never gained traction. Pulisic remains central to Gerry Cardinale's sporting and commercial plans, and in the coming weeks he will address his renewal in person.
The financial side is where it gets pointed. Pulisic's contract runs to 2027, and his agents have opened with a request to double his salary from €4m net to €8m net per season. A meeting somewhere in the middle is possible, but Milan want answers on the grass before they move at the negotiating table.
Sunday at the Allianz Stadium, the ground where he missed what would have been a winning penalty last season, offers Pulisic the first chance to provide one.