Francesco Camarda is set for the most significant evening of his Milan season in Salzburg, where Ruben Amorim plans to hand the 18-year-old striker a starting place in the Europa League. It is a decision that gives substance to the club’s promise to make room for its academy talent, rather than merely speaking of it between transfer windows.
Key takeaways
- Camarda will start against Salzburg as Milan rotate their side for the Europa League tie.
- Gonçalo Ramos is expected to begin on the bench for the first time this season after starting three of Portugal’s four recent international matches.
- The teenager has played only eight minutes for Milan this term, appearing late against Lazio and Lecce.
- Milan chose not to recruit another centre-forward, viewing Camarda as Ramos’s direct understudy.
- Christian Comotto could also receive an opportunity in Salzburg after spending recent months training with the first team.
Camarda’s opening arrives
For Camarda, the trip to Austria offers a route from occasional substitute to a proper first-team role. His eight minutes of action have been spread across two months and seven matches, a limited return for a reserve forward at a time when five substitutions have made attacking minutes more readily available.
He has nevertheless been kept close to the senior group, and Milan’s planning has been clear since the summer. After Camarda scored twice in a friendly against Celtic, Amorim confirmed that the player would remain at the club for the first six months of the campaign.
“Camarda will stay with us. We have great faith in him,” Amorim said after that match. The coach later explained why Milan had decided against bringing in another striker: “It helps me not to have other alternatives. If Gonçalo Ramos is unavailable, I play him. He must feel he is Ramos’s deputy, not the third option. That will help him develop faster.”
Salzburg is now the test of that policy. Ramos’s workload with Portugal has made a pause sensible, while Camarda has an opportunity to seek his first competitive European goal. He previously found the net twice against Celtic in pre-season, but has yet to register in UEFA competition.
There was a glimpse of his appetite on the Champions League stage two years ago, when he came on against Club Brugge at San Siro. Camarda celebrated what appeared to be a breakthrough goal in front of the Curva, only for it to be ruled out. The emotion remained, but not the goal on the scoresheet. At 18, he returns to European football with a fuller role and a clearer responsibility.
Milan’s academy promise extends beyond one striker
Camarda’s place in the squad is part of a broader line taken by the club. Gerry Cardinale renewed both Camarda and Comotto on significant terms, presenting their development as part of Milan’s long-term direction.
“Our commitment to them is fully consistent with the vision I have set out for the club,” Cardinale said. “We will prioritise players developed in our youth system, support their progress and maximise their potential so that they can contribute to the team’s success on the pitch. They both represent the best of Milan.”
Comotto’s path has been less visible so far, largely because of the competition in midfield. Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot occupy the leading positions, while Ardon Jashari arrived in a €35 million deal and Yunus Musah has become an important figure for Amorim.
Since August, Comotto has trained alongside Modric, his boyhood idol, and learned the rhythms of the senior side. He is not expected to begin in Salzburg, but a place from the bench is possible. Like Camarda, he was born in 2008. Milan’s task is to ensure that the opportunities promised to their young players become part of the season’s reality, while allowing them the time to learn from the mistakes that come with it.
