‘Captain America’ Christian Pulisic ‘can’t always save’ AC Milan as legendary coach tells Rossoneri they are ‘too dependent’ on USMNT star

The United States international is, despite enduring the odd injury setback this season, very much in that race at present. Pulisic has eight goals to his name in the Italian top-flight and has reached double figures across all competitions.

Inter striker Lautaro Martinez is the leading marksman in Serie A at the start of 2026, but is only one effort clear of Pulisic. The World Cup-winning Argentine is a central striker and more proven performer in the final third of the field.

Pulisic is showing that he can keep pace with the best in the business, but can impressive individual standards be maintained in a collective bid for Scudetto glory? He may need to in order for Milan to cross the line in first place.

Quizzed on who will end 2025-26 as Serie A’s leading scorer - with Napoli loanee Rasmus Hojlund, Roma playmaker Matias Soule and Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz also in the mix - Capello told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Lautaro is a regular at scoring important goals, so it would be easy to answer with the Inter captain. However, I’m also very impressed by Hojlund, who is in sensational form and can reassure Antonio Conte about Lukaku’s return.

“A little further back, I see the strikers of Milan, Juventus and Roma. The Rossoneri are too dependent on Pulisic, especially without [Rafael] Leao, but the American can’t always save his team-mates from trouble.

“Yildiz is a great talent, he’s finding exceptional consistency in both goals and assists, but we mustn’t forget that he’s still very young. Finally, Soule has 11-12 goals under his belt, but he hasn’t yet been decisive in big matches.”

Ex-Milan player and manager Capello has previously said of Pulisic’s value to the Rossoneri cause and how they can get the best out of him: “Pulisic can truly play anywhere; he even looks perfect in his current role in a 3-5-2 formation. He moves well, he has quality and speed and makes vertical runs. I feel that starting in a central position suits him better. He becomes more dangerous when he’s free to move.”

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Pulisic continues to star on a regular basis when fit, with Milan looking to help the 27-year-old add to his medal collection. He savoured Supercoppa Italiana glory last season and now has his sights set on the Serie A crown.

Capello added on that quest, with Milan benefitting from a lack of midweek action in Europe: “Massimiliano Allegri will always have the week off to focus his players on a single objective, having also been eliminated from the Coppa Italia.

“In the first part of the season, Milan had a few slumps in concentration against smaller teams, but I expect Max, taking advantage of the ‘lighter’ schedule compared to their rivals, to fix things. And you can do this if you have plenty of time to prepare not only tactically, but above all psychologically for each match.

“There’s another aspect not to be underestimated: cup competitions, in addition to the physical and especially mental energy, sometimes sap your enthusiasm. A bad result or elimination, for example, can also generate negative consequences on the league campaign, because they make the whole atmosphere more burdensome.”

Milan will be hoping that they can sustain a title challenge in 2025-26 as they need to convince Pulisic that they are heading in the right direction. A talismanic presence at San Siro has delayed the signing of a new contract.

Fresh talks are said to have been lined up for the spring, with the Rossoneri confident that an agreement can be reached, but they need to match the ambition of a man that will be leading his country into a home World Cup this summer.