When Christian Pulisic’s name didn’t appear in Milan’s starting lineup for the trip to Parma, some fans were certainly caught off guard. The American forward had just returned from injury and was fully expected to start in what promised to be a crucial Serie A fixture. Yet, as Milan chases the summit of the league table, head coach Massimiliano Allegri made a decision that has prompted both curiosity and calculation.
The match against Parma marks the final test before the international break — a stretch in which Milan has quietly rebuilt momentum and belief. The nail-biting victory over Roma extended the Rossoneri’s unbeaten run to ten games across all competitions and brought them within one point of league leader Napoli.
Allegri, who has urged his squad to remain “focused and clinical” before the derby against Inter later this month, acknowledged that the club’s title aspirations depend on consistency. However, despite the optimism, the experienced Italian tactician faces a balancing act — managing fatigue and form across a squad recovering from multiple injuries.
While Adrien Rabiot and Santiago Gimenez remain unavailable, Pulisic’s return was seen as a major boost. The American had been sidelined since early October, and his comeback was supposed to inject fresh creativity into Milan’s attack. Instead, his exclusion from the starting XI raised a question: why bring him back only to bench him?
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Pulisic’s road back from injury
To understand Allegri’s decision, one has to look back at Pulisic’s October setback. The winger sustained a low-grade hamstring injury during a U.S. Men’s National Team friendly against Australia — an incident that supposedly frustrated the Rossoneri’s technical staff. Reports from ESPN and Calciomercatorevealed that the player had been carrying ankle soreness before the match, but was still fielded by U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, a move the Italian outfit privately viewed as “an unnecessary risk.”
The 27-year-old was replaced after just 30 minutes and subsequently missed four Milan fixtures, including wins over Fiorentina and Roma. His recovery process, though steady, required patience. By this week, he had taken part in two full training sessions and was officially declared fit. “He has trained twice with the team. He’s doing well physically and won’t need much work to regain fitness because of his physicality,” Allegri said during his pre-match press conference.
Yet he added a note of caution: “I don’t know how many minutes he can play.” That statement, initially brushed off, hinted at what was to come — Pulisic being eased back through controlled minutes, not immediately thrust into a high-intensity starting role.
Christian Pulisic of AC Milan reacts.
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Why is Pulisic on the bench?
The decision not to start Pulisic isn’t disciplinary nor tactical; it’s precautionary. After missing nearly a month, Allegri wants to manage the American’s workload carefully, especially with the Derby della Madonnina scheduled for November 23. The staff’s priority is to avoid any setback that could risk re-injury ahead of the club’s most demanding stretch of the season.
By keeping the American forward on the bench, Milan retains a potent weapon for the second half — a fresh player capable of breaking compact defenses and providing spark if the game demands it. His pace, dribbling, and vision make him an ideal impact substitute against a Gialloblu side expected to defend deep and counter.
