Christian Pulisic will make his 2026-27 season debut this weekend, according to AC Milan coach Ruben Amorim.
The American star has been an unused substituted for each of Milan's opening three matches, which Amorim said has left him "upset."
But Pulisic is set to play a part against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, Sept. 12.
“You’ll see him tomorrow, I don’t know if he’ll start or play during the game. I think he’ll play a few minutes," Amorim said at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 11.
"I really like him as a player. He’s upset because he’s had zero minutes so far, and I like that in my players."
Pulisic has been working his way back from an injury suffered in the World Cup, but has been back in training since mid-August. Amorim said
that the 27-year-old has also been recovering from a knock he took in his first training session back.
“Don’t forget he had an injury in the summer, and then in the first training session he had a knock and stopped," the Portuguese manager said.
With Pulisic sidelined, 19-year-old Alphadjo Cisse has scored twice in Milan's opening three games. Amorim hinted that the teenager's strong performances have contributed to Pulisic's lack of game time so far.
"I won’t remove anyone who’s doing well just to name a player," he said. "This is my way of managing the group, and I’ll die with these principles."
But Amorim insisted that Pulisic, who has been one of Milan's most important players since his 2023 arrival, would see plenty of playing time this season, particularly with the Rossoneri set to begin Europa League play next week.
“Pulisic is very important to me. After the international break, there are eight weeks with three games a week: everyone will be tired from all the playing time. Pulisic is important and will play a lot of games," Amorim said.“But you have to understand the context and my history to understand why I make certain choices. But you’ll see Pulisic starting this weekend.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AC Milan coach says 'upset' Pulisic set to make season debut
