Christopher Nkunku and Christian Pulisic share much more than people might think, starting with their first name (Chris) and their height (177 cm). But the similarities between the Frenchman and the American go beyond that, which is why there is hope the latest arrival can follow in the footsteps of Milan’s No. 11, who in the last two seasons has revived a career that once looked stuck on a dead track. And soon we might see them starting together.
The footsteps
This morning La Gazzetta dello Sport highlighted the many parallels between Nkunku and Pulisic. Both followed almost identical paths. They left home young and made their mark in Germany: the American at Borussia Dortmund, the Frenchman at RB Leipzig. Both were then sold for big money to Chelsea, curiously for the exact same fee: 65 million euros. In London, through highs and lows and injuries, they eventually fell out of favor. AC Milan then offered them a second chance, at half the price or even less. Pulisic has seized it, and Nkunku intends to do the same this season.
In the win over Bologna, they both started on the bench for different reasons, and we saw them together only in the final minutes. Nkunku made an excellent impact: in less than a minute he earned two penalties in one move, which were then inexplicably overturned by VAR. Overall, despite not yet being in peak condition, the Frenchman showed sharpness and clear technical readiness. For this reason, Massimiliano Allegri, who will be suspended, might choose to start them together on Saturday night in Udine. Rafael Leao is still injured, and Santi Gimenez is going through a personal crisis that needs addressing. Pulisic and Nkunku could form a new attacking pair for Milan, unusual and hard to predict. When Rafa returns, things might become even more interesting with the option of a 3-4-3 or 3-4-1-2. But it is still too early to think that far ahead.
