Who Would Have Bet on Chukwueze at the Start of the Season?
Just a few weeks ago he was considered surplus to requirements. A winger destined to leave, to the point where a loan move to Fulham with a purchase option had been arranged — an option that was ultimately not taken up. And yet, at the start of October 2026, Samuel Chukwueze is one of the cornerstones of Rúben Amorim‘s Milan, a player around whom the Portuguese coach has built part of his attacking project. A story of reinvention that rarely happens in football, and one that deserves to be told.
Amorim Changes Formation to Unleash Him: The Signal Is Unmistakable
The defining moment in this transformation came in the last match before the international break, against Lecce. In that game, Amorim made a significant tactical decision: he restructured the team’s shape, switching to a back four with a fullback tucked in on Chukwueze’s flank — Mario Gila — to relieve the Nigerian winger of defensive duties and allow him to focus entirely on the attacking phase.
This is no small adjustment. As highlighted in the piece on Amorim and the tactical shift that changed Milan, the Portuguese coach is not a dogmatist when it comes to formations: he prefers to mould the system around the characteristics of his players, rather than the other way around. With Chukwueze, he has once again demonstrated this philosophy.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Six Out of Six, Two Assists
The statistics tell a clear story. In this opening stretch of the season, Chukwueze has appeared in all six available matches — five in Serie A and one in the Europa League — with a starting rate approaching 80%. And it is not merely about being present: the 27-year-old winger has already contributed two assists, including a particularly outstanding one in the match against Juventus, when his introduction changed the course of the game with a decisive through ball that led to the opening goal.
These numbers paint the picture of a player at the peak of his athletic and technical maturity, finally placed in a context that allows him to perform without constraints.
Amorim Believed in Him from the Very Start of Pre-Season
The manager’s faith in Chukwueze did not come from nowhere. As early as the pre-season friendlies, Amorim had been fielding him consistently — an unmistakable sign of confidence. And at a press conference in June, the head coach had explicitly named the Nigerian among the players on whom he intended to build the new season’s Milan.
A vision that is proving correct: Chukwueze, at 27 and in the prime of his career, appears to have found the right guide to unlock his full potential. An attacking winger capable of beating his man, creating numerical superiority and providing the dynamism that Amorim’s game demands from his wide players.
Pulisic and Chukwueze: An Attack to Get Excited About
Today, meanwhile, Christian Pulisic — who stayed behind to train at Milanello during the break after not being called up by the United States national team — will meet fans at the San Siro store, a moment that reflects the increasingly close bond between the squad and the Rossoneri faithful.
With Pulisic and Chukwueze on the flanks, Amorim’s Milan can count on a pair of wide attackers of the very highest quality. And the fact that one of them was considered as good as gone just a few months ago makes the story all the more compelling.
