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AC Milan made Christopher Nkunku their most expensive summer signing, and they are yet to see any real return on their investment.
As MilanNews report, Nkunku signed from Chelsea in the summer for around €40m and is currently a notable absentee in terms of attacking production. With his still-subdued physical condition and a position on the pitch that is still unclear, he will have to shift gears soon.
One goal so far
The only time that Nkunku has been able to get the red balloon out of his pocket came in the Coppa Italia against Lecce, where he started alongside Santiago Gimenez. It was a goal that highlighted all the Frenchman’s qualities, even as a No.9.
He looked promising when operating from inside the penalty area, but he certainly is not a natural centre-forward like Olivier Giroud, to name an example. Nkunku is something different: more of a second striker who drops deeper to get involved and finds space, drifting wide at times.
Is that enough? Not at a time when Massimiliano Allegri is short on attacking options and his striker is not scoring goals, while Christian Pulisic – the most prolific forward – is out injured. In a period like this, a player of Nkunku’s quality must and can do more.
Getting up to speed
One mitigating factor is the condition that Nkunku arrived in. Despite doing preseason with Chelsea (where he scored in and won the Club World Cup), once he arrived at Milan the gravity of the situation was immediately apparent.
He’s not at his best physically, and he’s also recovering from a big toe injury that he sustained while playing for the national team. He needs time, of course, but it’s November and a lot of time has already passed.
Against Atalanta he had a strange performance in the second half, having come on for Leao. He got on the ball plenty and yet when he had the opening to shoot, he tried to find a team-mate every time. More character is needed, and against Roma a response will be expected.
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