Alphadjo Cisse’s first month at Milan offered the promise of an unexpected opening act, but Ruben Amorim’s choice against Lecce suggested that the next part of his season may demand patience. The 19-year-old remained unused on the bench, a reminder that a bright start does not guarantee a fixed place once a squad’s hierarchy begins to settle.
Cisse is now with Italy’s Under-21 side rather than Roberto Mancini’s senior group, working under Silvio Baldini ahead of two October fixtures: Armenia away on Thursday 1 October at 18:30, followed by Poland in Pescara on 5 October. It is an appropriate stage for a player of his age, and Cisse has spoken of using his Milan experience to develop further.
“Being at Milan is helping me improve,” he said, adding that he hopes to bring what he is learning at club level into the Under-21 camp. For the moment, the international break gives him training time, while the more complicated question waits at Milanello: where exactly will he sit in Amorim’s plans when club football resumes?
A changing contest behind the forwards
At the beginning of the campaign, Amorim generally paired contrasting attacking midfielders: a more technical option, usually Cisse, alongside a stronger and more physical player. Ruben Loftus-Cheek filled that latter role before Adrien Rabiot became another solution.
The Lecce match brought a different arrangement. Christian Pulisic and Alexis Saelemaekers were used together in the two advanced midfield positions, giving Milan a smaller and more mobile pairing. Amorim is expected to alternate between those alternatives over the coming weeks, but the competition has become considerably sharper for Cisse.
Pulisic is regarded as Milan’s leading option in that role when fit, while Saelemaekers’ performance against Lecce strengthened his case. Crucially, Amorim sees the Belgian as an attacking midfielder rather than the right-sided player he had been during Stefano Pioli’s time. That redefinition gives Saelemaekers a more direct claim on the same spaces Cisse has occupied.
Looking towards Sassuolo-Milan and the immediate run of fixtures, Pulisic and Saelemaekers have improved their standing after staying at Milanello during the break. Rabiot remains a dependable presence, capable of finding a place either in midfield or further forward. Loftus-Cheek and Cisse, meanwhile, face a less certain spell.
There is still one important protection for the young Milan player: the calendar. With matches arriving twice a week, Amorim will need alternatives and rotation. Cisse may no longer be the automatic technical choice behind the forwards, but the season is long enough for a 19-year-old to turn a pause in his progress into another opportunity.
