Milan’s meeting with Lecce has become an early measure of patience as much as points. Gonçalo Ramos arrived as the centre-forward around whom the club’s summer investment was built, with a fee worth more than €70 million including bonuses, but his opening return has been one goal in five competitive appearances. Ruben Amorim needs a response from his side, and particularly from the Portuguese striker, before the season’s next demanding stretch begins.
There is some perspective in Ramos’s record. Fast starts have not been his habit. In his first season at Paris Saint-Germain, 2023-24, he did not score in his first five outings but finished the campaign with 14 goals. The following year he reached 19, only beginning his scoring run in November after a serious injury disrupted his early months.
That background offers Milan reason not to turn a slow opening into a verdict. Yet the recent evidence is less comfortable: Ramos has failed to put a shot on target in each of the last three matches against Juventus, Lazio and Benfica. For a forward signed to decide games in the penalty area, that is the figure Amorim wants to change against Lecce.
Amorim wants Ramos closer to goal
Amorim has accepted that Milan must provide their striker with clearer chances. He does not believe Ramos should simply reduce his work for the team, but wants him to spend more of the match near the opposition box, as Milan have worked on in training.
The coach’s selection could underline that intention. Christian Pulisic is expected to be ready for his first start of the season in an advanced role after appearances from the bench against Lazio and Benfica. The American has not scored for Milan in 2026, an unusual run for a player who has regularly been influential since joining the club.
His return against Lazio was encouraging. Pulisic made his first seasonal appearance during Milan’s spirited second-half recovery and supplied the assist for the first of Moreira’s two goals, which brought the match level.
Alexis Saelemaekers could support Ramos alongside Pulisic. He remains the only Milan player to have assisted the Portuguese forward so far, setting up the goal that opened the match against Venezia at San Siro on 28 August.
Since that victory, Milan have neither won nor consistently convinced, with the second half against Lazio the main exception. That sequence has intensified scrutiny around Amorim, though a home win over Lecce would quickly give the coach and his squad more breathing room.
Selection points towards an attacking Milan
Amorim may choose Samuel Chukwueze and Moreira as the wide pair, although Estupinan is currently favoured on the left. With Pulisic and Saelemaekers operating behind Ramos, and Luka Modric alongside Adrien Rabiot in midfield, Milan would field a distinctly attacking side.
The calculation is clear. A win would take Milan into the international break on 11 points from five matches. That would leave the leaders only two points away and maintain a points projection over 38 rounds consistent with Champions League qualification.
The value of a calmer week is increased by what follows after the three-week break. Milan face a demanding run across Serie A and the Europa League, with four away games in five: Sassuolo, Salzburg, Bournemouth and Udinese. Maurizio Sarri’s Atalanta visit San Siro in between.
Camarda remains an option for the future
Francesco Camarda, formerly of Lecce, is not yet being asked to carry the burden of replacing or pressuring Ramos. The 18-year-old has played only five minutes in 2026-27, appearing late against Lazio after Amorim substituted Ramos in the hope that the young forward could find a decisive moment.
It remains the only occasion on which Ramos has been taken off this season. Milan’s position is understandable: they need their major signing to find rhythm, while placing immediate responsibility on Camarda during an unsettled period would be demanding and unfair.
For now, waiting for Ramos is both a choice and a necessity. Milan’s immediate challenge is to create the kind of chances that allow their striker to rediscover the scoring rhythm that, historically, has tended to arrive after a slow beginning.
