AC Milan is the wrong move for Marcus Rashford: Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao's presence mean Man Utd outcast should look elsewhere for January transfer

It needs to be immediately acknowledged that Milan don't have an awful lot of money, and certainly not enough to sign Rashford on a permanent basis - or even just cover his wages for the duration of a six-month loan. Consequently, there's no chance of the former Stretford End icon becoming a cult hero on the Curva Sud unless United agree to subsidise his salary until the end of the season.

Truth be told, given the club's financial constraints, it's strange that Rashford has even emerged as a serious transfer target for Milan - particularly when one considers that they are not exactly lacking in wingers. On the contrary, the Rossoneri are arguably better stocked in wide areas than in any other part of the pitch.

Of course, the word is that Noah Okafor, who has been directly involved in just three goals this season, is on his way out of San Siro, with RB Leipzig his most likely destination. Samuel Chukwueze has also proven infuriatingly ineffective since joining from Villarreal in 2023, while teenager Alex Jimenez, who has been used on the left wing in recent weeks, is a full-back by trade.

Nonetheless, there are two significant obstacles standing in the way of Rashford and regular game time in a wide role at Milan, one of whom is Pulisic.

When Pulisic first arrived at Milan, there was some doubt over where exactly he would be deployed. After all, the American's preferred position was on the left flank, which was the sole preserve of Rafael Leao at San Siro.

However, Pulisic, to his enormous credit, has shown himself to be a fantastically versatile forward, excelling on both the right wing and as a No.10. Indeed, the United States star is now Milan's most consistent attacker and their most reliable source of goals and assists, of which he has 15 in total in all competitions this season - more than anyone else at the club despite losing four games in December to a calf problem.

Basically, there is just no way Rashford gets into the Milan attack ahead of Pulisic on current form.

Leao is a slightly different case to Pulisic. The Portuguese polarises opinions. His output and attitude have been an almost constant cause for concern this term, a topic of almost incessant debate among supporters and pundits divided over whether the club should cash in on their most valuable asset or continue trying to build a team around him.

Leao was even repeatedly benched in October by former coach Paulo Fonseca because of his substandard defensive work. However, the ex-Roma boss was subsequently sacked due to a dismal run of results in Serie A just before the turn of the year and, as Leao so thrillingly underlined with his Supercoppa heroics against Inter, he remains Milan's most talented player - and by some distance.

The Rossoneri were 2-0 down when the 25-year-old came off the bench against Inter but ended up triumphing 3-2 thanks in no small part to a typically devastating dribble from Leao that left Tammy Abraham with an injury-time tap-in to win the game.

Leao has long been a figure of frustration at Milan. Former Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti once admitted that if he were still calling the shots at San Siro, he'd feel compelled to "beat him up" on a regular basis in order to maximise the Portugal international’s undeniably enormous potential.

Milan's new boss, Sergio Conceicao, also stated after the Supercoppa success that Leao "can become the best player in the world" - if he wants it badly enough. Tellingly, Leao was quick to compliment his compatriot's immediate impact at Milan, with the former Porto coach having only succeeded Fonseca at the helm three days before the Supercoppa win over Juventus.

"What he has done in only a few days is incredible," Leao enthused. "What he's saying, I need that, and I felt that energy everyone needed. I think the change is visible on and off the field."

Leao certainly looked like a new man against Inter, and if he starts reproducing his brilliant best, it's almost impossible to see Rashford starting ahead of him on the left-hand side of Conceicao's favoured 4-3-3 formation.

Conceicao could, of course, play Rashford, Pulisic and Leao off Alvaro Morata, who did an excellent job for Spain at Euro 2024 creating time and space for the three gifted attackers stationed behind him. However, that would mean sacrificing the extra man in midfield that the new manager seems intent on utilising to give greater protection to a brittle backline.

It's difficult, then, to work out how Conceicao could accommodate Rashford, Pulisic and Leao unless he plays the Manchester United man through the middle - which doesn't exactly look like a recipe for success. Granted, Milan are crying out for a prolific No.9 - which Morata has never been and, at 32, never will be. The jury is still very much out on Abraham despite his Supercoppa winner, and while Francesco Camarda is clearly a player of enormous potential, the Italian is still only 16.

In that context, Milan's interest in resurrecting the Rashford of 2022-23 is understandable, but he spent the majority of that campaign playing on the left and he's never hidden the fact that he often feels frustrated up front.

"[Playing on the] left makes it easier to stay in the game," he told Gary Neville on The Overlap in July 2023. "When I was younger, I always wanted to be involved in the game and that's why I think I struggle with playing centre-forward sometimes, because of my [lack of] patience."

Patience may also be required if he does indeed join Milan, which is hardly ideal. Having been frozen out of the first-team picture at United for a month, Rashford needs regular football right now - and in his best role too. He's just not guaranteed to get it at San Siro.