Milan are showing signs of recovery after a turbulent spell, but the injury list threatening to undermine their momentum remains the defining story around the club. The 2-0 victory at Udinese on Sunday, secured through goals from Christian Pulisic and Omari Hutchinson, erased the damage of a heavy 3-0 Europa League defeat to Bournemouth and lifted the Rossoneri to fifth in Serie A with 18 points from eight games. The win mattered as much for what it revealed about the squad's depth as for the three points it delivered.

Ruben Amorim was forced to field several fringe players due to the absence of Adrien Rabiot, Mario Gila and Diego Moreira, all injured in the days before the match. Luca Bartesaghi, Hutchinson and teenage debutant Sankhoun Diawara all performed well, giving the manager genuine selection options going forward. The response from the squad eased some of the pressure that had been building around Amorim following the Bournemouth collapse.

The injury situation has since worsened. Ruben Loftus-Cheek picked up a problem during the Udinese match and will miss several weeks, bringing the total number of unavailable players to eight ahead of Wednesday's Serie A fixture against Bologna at San Siro. Whether Rabiot, Gila and Moreira can recover in time for the derby against Inter on 31 October is the question now dominating the club's week.