GdS: ‘Füllkrug’s hour’ – why the striker could make an instant impact for Milan

Niclas Füllkrug will only officially become an AC Milan player on Friday, and later the same day he could become an instant hero.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall, Füllkrug has never scored a debut goal for a new club, whether during his many spells in Germany or his last, disappointing spell at West Ham. Milan, however, need him immediately.

A win in Cagliari could put them alone in the lead for a night, while awaiting Inter’s response against Bologna on Sunday. Not from the start, of course, but during the game. Rafael Leao, on the other hand, is ready to return as a starter, having been out since December 8.

Massimiliano Allegri also made this clear yesterday in his press conference, on the eve of the trip to Cagliari: “Leao can start, then I have to watch Pulisic. Füllkrug will be on the bench. Maybe I’ll break up the game a bit.”

The hero against Verona – Christopher Nkunku – will be out in Cagliari due to ankle pain. Christian Pulisic left with the squad last night but is a serious doubt. Thus, Leao will likely partner Ruben Loftus-Cheek as a second striker.

So, the attacking department is not in great shape, to say the least. Elsewhere, Matteo Gabbia has recovered for the bench, Youssouf Fofana is back from minute one and Strahinja Pavlovic will grit his teeth despite his fever.

The chance to make an instant impact

Füllkrug was supposed to make his debut later, at San Siro on January 8th against Genoa, due to timing issues with the registration process. However, a change in the regulations from the FIGC meant that players registered today – on the day the window opens – can play.

With transfers from abroad, a certain amount of caution is always warranted, given that the bureaucratic process also involves the offices of the two federations (FIGC and the Football Association). In Milan, however, they are confident there will be no problems.

Allegri said he was ‘very happy’ with the German’s arrival before the match against Verona, when the striker had just arrived in Italy from England, Max revealed why his addition could be important for Milan.

He said: “He’s unique; he has characteristics we don’t have in the squad.” What is the coach referring to? First and foremost, his physicality, even if ‘he’s still a little behind in terms of condition’, echoing the words of the Rossoneri coach a few days ago.

Füllkrug – in terms of size, muscle, and type of attacker – is different from Leao, Pulisic, Nkunku and Santi Gimenez. In the box, he’s deadly in the air, and out of it he helps the team move forward, shielding the ball, creating connections and drawing fouls.

The hope is that Leao will be the one to lead the way in the trip to Unipol Domus: he’s already scored six goals against Cagliari, his favourite opponent along with Fiorentina. Then, whether Milan is ahead or forced to play catch-up, the German’s introduction could be invaluable.