Moreira is in a hurry. The three goals he has scored in his last 66 minutes of Serie A action, all coming off the bench, have highlighted the need to rely more decisively on the winger signed from Strasbourg in the summer. A €50 million signing plus bonuses, he is particularly delighting Gerry Cardinale, who has completely fallen for the Belgian. On Sunday evening, the RedBird chief personally went down to the touchline during the pre-match warm-up to embrace “his” Moreira. Diego returned the gesture and then thanked him in his own way, scoring his first goal at San Siro and celebrating in front of the Curva Sud after replacing Saelemaekers in the 24th minute of the second half, as pointed out via Gazzetta dello Sport today.
In Milan’s first six matches, the former Strasbourg winger has started just once, on the opening day against Juventus. Despite that, with three goals, Moreira is the Rossoneri’s leading scorer in the early stages of the season. So much so that there are questions being asked about what the Belgian has to do to earn a starting place.
"It’s not up to me to decide, because if I could, I would choose to start every game... It depends on the coach. He decides what he believes is the best XI. We’ll see if I can return to the starting line-up after the break, but for now, everything is fine."
The ball, then, is in Ruben Amorim’s court, with the Portuguese coach once again choosing to use Moreira as a weapon off the bench against Lecce. But beyond when to play him, there is also the question of where to play Cardinale’s new favourite.
Moreira Versatility
On his Serie A debut at the Allianz Stadium, his only start so far, the Belgian was deployed as a right-sided wing-back. This was no coincidence: Moreira filled in for Chukwueze, whom Amorim has reinvented as a tireless outlet on the flank. When the Portuguese coach opts to start with the Nigerian, it is difficult for him to also use the former Strasbourg man on the opposite flank.
The pair of attacking wing-backs have only been seen together twice, both times during games in which Milan were trailing. Against Lazio, the move worked, with the Rossoneri turning around a match that had appeared almost lost thanks to Moreira’s brace, with the Belgian operating as a left-sided wing-back. Against Benfica in the Europa League, however, despite a positive 33-minute cameo, the Belgian was unable to repeat the feat and inspire a comeback with his attacking threat down the left.
Against Lecce, meanwhile, Amorim tried an interesting variation, pushing Moreira into the attacking midfield two behind Gonçalo Ramos. To be precise, however, Milan often shifted into a 4-4-2 on Sunday evening, with the Benfica academy graduate operating as an attacking left winger.
It was an interesting experiment from Amorim because, for the first time, Moreira had another left-footed wide player behind him, Estupiñán initially and then Bartesaghi, meaning the team was not left too exposed. But where does Diego prefer to play?
"Anywhere. I like starting on the right or left, further forward or further back. I’m happy to play anywhere and I always give my best," the Belgian replied diplomatically.
Moreira, along with De Winter but not Saelemaekers, who was left out of Belgium’s squad for these opening Nations League fixtures, will be on international duty during the three-week break, with Italy their first opponents. But once he returns, with a run of fixtures coming in quick succession, he will certainly have opportunities to convince Amorim to finally hand him a starting spot.
