CM: ‘At least 15 goals’ – Allegri outlines recipe for midfield duo to replace Reijnders’ output

One of the most interesting declarations from Massimiliano Allegri’s pre-Cremonese press conference was about getting goals from midfield.

The Rossoneri head coach was questioned on the middle of the pitch and whether or not Luka Modric could get the nod from minute one against Cremonese. He volunteered a target that he has set for two others in the department.

“This afternoon I’ll decide whether Modric will start or play during the match. Loftus-Cheek and Fofana have technique and physicality: by the end of the year, they must have scored at least 15 goals,” he said.

The goal is set

As Calciomercato.com, Milan are missing Tijjani Reijnders this season who scored 15 times across all competitions in 2024-25, before his big-money move to Manchester City. It seems, based on the comments from Allegri, that he thinks that output can be recreated in the aggregate.

Firstly, the new coach will field Fofana as a box-to-box midfielder and no longer a deep-lying player in front of the defence. In the last game against Bari, he played 15 metres further forward than usual, and now the aim is to vastly increase the one goal he netted last season.

Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the challenge for Ruben Loftus-Cheek is to get back to 2023-24. Ruben is a starter in Allegri’s mind, despite Ardon Jashari, Samuele Ricci and Luka Modric being present in the squad.

When he talks about the Englishman, Allegri’s eyes have a different, peculiar light, that of someone who has identified a potential key to the season. For a Champions League-calibre Milan, even without Reijnders.