Christian Pulisic’s transfer to AC Milan was met with a lot of speculation on how the American star would perform in a new league, but after an impactful first season in Italy, expectations are high for the 25-year-old.
Pulisic joined up with Rafael Leao in the Rossoneri attack, helping AC Milan finish in the top four of Serie A and also feature in the UEFA Champions and Europa League competitions. The U.S. men’s national team captain scored 15 goals and added 11 assists in 50 combined appearances, making quite the impact in a new environment.
Similar to Pulisic, the 25-year-old Leao also registered double-digit goals (15) and assists (14), serving as one of the top performers for the Rossoneri. Both players will be needed to deliver more of the same during the 2024-25 campaign if AC Milan aims to fight for domestic silverware across multiple competitions.
Despite mainly serving as a winger, Leao hopes to have Pulisic at the No. 10 role this season and expects him to replicate his statistics in Year No. 2.
“I knew the quality of Christian [Pulisic]. When he arrived, I sent him a message and I told him ‘bro, let’s kill them’. I needed someone like him,” Leao said in ESPN’s Futbol Americas show. “I’m very happy to have him as a team-mate, he’s a player who can change the game in a second. I’m happy with him and I expect him to repeat himself, or rather maybe improve further in the season that is about to begin.
“I’m not a coach, but I prefer Christian when he plays as a number 10. From the center he has the ability to occupy space both on the left and on the right,” Leao added. “I think he can be very dangerous in that position, but in general he does very well both as an attacking midfielder and on the right. As a 10 he would give me some assists, we could play fast, with one-twos or with a touch in the middle of the field. He can do everything.”
AC Milan opens its Serie A campaign on August 17 against…
Source link : https://sbisoccer.com/2024/07/rafael-leao-on-christian-pulisic-i-prefer-him-in-the-no-10-role
Author : Larry Henry Jr
Publish date : 2024-07-31 16:36:30
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