For much of the past decade, Christian Pulisic has been the player around whom both AC Milan and the United States national team built their attacking plans. That status is now being quietly questioned, as younger talent emerges at club and international level and Pulisic's recent form fails to match his earlier standards.
Pulisic joined Milan in July 2023 and has since posted 43 goals and 28 assists across 138 appearances, numbers that speak to genuine quality. Yet silverware has been scarce: the only trophy of his Milan tenure so far is the 2025 Supercoppa Italia, won in Saudi Arabia. That imbalance between individual output and team success has defined much of his time in Italy.
This season has brought fresh complications. Pulisic suffered a lower-leg microfracture against Belgium at this summer's World Cup, sidelining him for weeks and delaying his first Serie A start of the campaign until mid-September. In Milan's recent trip to Sassuolo, he lined up in his customary right half-space role just behind striker Gonçalo Ramos.
Despite his reduced sharpness, Pulisic still draws defensive attention — Sassuolo set up to limit his influence more than that of other Milan attackers. He covered 5.3km in the first half alone, more than any other Milan player on the pitch, and played a key role in the buildup to Milan's goal, setting up the pass that preceded Luka Modrić's assist. But his overall end product remains thin: just one shot, blocked, and a created chance that was easily saved. Across his last 22 Serie A appearances, Pulisic has contributed a goal or assist in only four.
With 15 minutes remaining against Sassuolo, head coach Ruben Amorim substituted Pulisic for 19-year-old Alpha Cissè, a summer arrival from Hellas Verona who has impressed in limited minutes — two goals in 242 league minutes compared to Pulisic's one goal in 190 minutes under Amorim. The coach has been effusive about the teenager, declaring,