Milan travel to Salzburg with a European response required, but the week also offers a clearer view of Diego Moreira’s growing place in Ruben Amorim’s side. The 22-year-old is no longer being selected merely to cover an absence or ease the load on others: his recent performances have put him at the front of the queue.
Moreira is expected to start in Austria, where Milan need a result after the disappointing defeat against Benfica. It would be his first European start for the Rossoneri, following a half-hour appearance from the bench in the Benfica match.
Quick facts
- Diego Moreira joined Milan from Strasbourg in the summer for €50 million.
- He has scored three goals in 217 minutes this season, averaging one every 72 minutes.
- Adrien Rabiot has also scored three times, but needed 396 minutes to reach that total.
- Moreira has played 11 Conference League matches for Strasbourg, including five starts.
- He has seven Belgium caps and started each of the country’s last three Nations League fixtures.
- Christian Pulisic and Moreira are the two confirmed pillars for the trip to Salzburg.
The Sassuolo match underlined why Milan’s staff see Moreira as more than a replacement for Alexis Saelemaekers, who is now injured but had already been overtaken in the pecking order. The Belgian can operate as a left-sided attacking midfielder near Pulisic, supporting the centre-forward, or cover the whole flank with defensive duties included.
His speed and willingness to run have been matched by composure in the final third. Even when Milan struggled to create room against Sassuolo, Moreira produced attacking moments and found the net again. His third goal took him level with Rabiot as the club’s leading scorer.
The return is particularly striking because Moreira has not yet scored in international football, either for his club or Belgium. Salzburg offers a chance to change that, although an assist would carry equal value after Amorim’s concern over the lack of service for Goncalo Ramos, especially crosses into the box.
On the left, Moreira has moved ahead not only of Saelemaekers but also Cisse, one of the early surprises of the campaign, and Hutchinson. Estupinan and Bartesaghi are also alternatives when Amorim is choosing a wing-back rather than an advanced creator.
His rise has been mirrored with Belgium. Moreira has become a regular starter for the national team, while Saelemaekers was left out of the latest squad. Milan owner Gerry Cardinale has also highlighted Moreira’s contribution, seeing evidence that the substantial summer investment is beginning to make sense.
Pulisic returns to the centre of the plan
Pulisic will also be in the starting picture in Austria. The American had a delayed beginning to the season, sitting out Milan’s first three league matches before appearing after the interval against Lazio, when he and Moreira helped drive the Rossoneri back from a two-goal deficit.
His first start came against Lecce before the international break, and he scored immediately. He then remained at Milanello rather than joining the United States, with his physical condition still being managed after the issues that slowed his opening weeks.
Against Sassuolo, Pulisic did not add another goal but remained among Milan’s liveliest attacking players. His most recent European strike came in January 2025 against Dinamo Zagreb, and he now heads to Salzburg seeking another decisive contribution.
Amorim intends to use him from the right of the attacking midfield line, while allowing him freedom to move inside and follow the spaces that develop around the ball. The coach’s approach with Pulisic and Moreira is similar: goals matter, but so does creating the route for Ramos or another teammate to finish.
The final nine places in Milan’s XI will be settled after the final training session and the flight to Salzburg. Yet the broader message before a demanding sequence of matches is firm: Amorim will reward form before making calculations about rotation.
He retains the full backing of Cardinale and the club, who believe a successful project needs time and unity as well as immediate results. Salzburg is therefore more than another European appointment. After Benfica, it is an early test of Milan’s standing, their coach’s authority and the players now forcing their way into the season’s main plot.
