If you were to pick up the illustrated Milan dictionary for the 2026–27 season and turn to the adjective “indispensable,” well, it would not be difficult to find a picture of Adrien Rabiot there. The French midfielder became a key player last year under Massimiliano Allegri, who strongly wanted him in the Rossoneri squad after the row with Rowe when the two were both at Olympique Marseille, but he has also become indispensable for Ruben Amorim, writes Tuttosport in this morning's print edition.
His impact in the first five league matches has already been significant: two goals and two assists, putting him at the top of Milan’s internal ranking of the players who have made the biggest impact in the league in terms of goals and assists. That Rabiot is a player of another level is by now well known, but with Amorim’s arrival he has been given even greater responsibility and has been used in at least two different positions.
In the opening matches, he was often deployed in the line of attacking midfielders before moving back into midfield alongside veteran Luka Modrić with whom he has developed a very strong technical and personal understanding.
When the league resumes, scheduled for Sunday, 11 October at 6 p.m., at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia against the highly dangerous Sassuolo side coached by former Rossonero Alberto Aquilani, Milan and Amorim will want to be able to count fully on Rabiot’s high-level performances. This is also because, amid the demanding run of matches awaiting the Rossoneri between the league and the Europa League, it is foreseeable that he will be more important in some games than in others. Especially in Europe and in the derby on 31 October.
That is because, in the Europa League, after the disappointing home defeat against Benfica, Milan are under an obligation to start picking up points and scoring goals in order to finish among the top eight in the league phase, which would be a crucial step toward avoiding the February play-offs.
Rabiot is something of a unique player within Milan’s squad because of his ability to combine work rate and quality, since Musah and Jashari, for example, are two players who bring different characteristics to the team. Amorim will not want to do without Adrien in too many matches, but it will also be essential to manage his playing time carefully, alternating between starts and possible appearances from the bench.
The fact that Rabiot has maintained his central role in the team’s tactical setup while moving from a coach who, at Milan, adopted a more defensive style of football such as Allegri, to someone like Amorim, who wants his team to push much further forward, both in terms of attacking style and the intensity of the press, demonstrates a rule that is as simple as it is valid: top players can never be a problem for a coach and are capable of adapting their qualities to the demands of their managers.
AC Milan know very well how much influence Rabiot carries inside the dressing room. He is one of the team’s main leaders, and it is no secret that the club wants to improve and extend his contract.
Rabiot until 2030?
His current deal provides for a salary of €3.5 million plus bonuses and runs until 30 June 2028. The club, with Gerry Cardinale personally taking a leading role, wants to renew his contract by extending its duration, at least until 2030, with the possibility of increasing his basic salary, in what could, for all intents and purposes, be one of the last major contracts of 'Crazy Horse''s career.
