'Who in Italy has a player like Christian Pulisic?' - AC Milan legend heaps praise on 'very strong' USMNT star & gives verdict on former club's Serie A title chances

Pulisic headed to Milan in 2023 when severing ties with Premier League giants Chelsea. He had become a Champions League winner with the Blues, but felt the time was right to embrace a new challenge. He settled quickly in Italy - with golf pro girlfriend Alexa Melton paying regular visits to Europe - and is now considered to be captain material with club and country.

Personal bests have been recorded on the goal front, raising that bar from 15 to 17 across the last two campaigns, and he has found the target on six occasions through eight appearances this term. That haul could have been even better had the 27-year-old not skied a penalty in Milan’s 0-0 draw with old adversaries Juventus.

Despite that miss, Pulisic has helped Milan to third place in the Serie A table and forms part of an attacking unit that has got Rossoneri icon Nesta excited. The World Cup-winning defender, who spent 10 years at San Siro in his playing days, told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I’m in love with [Rafael] Leao, I’d always like to have him in my team. He’s a difference-maker, [Massimiliano] Allegri needs to find a way to make him consistent. It’s true that with talented players, performance and consistency almost never go hand in hand. If you do special things, you can’t do them forever. Rafa can improve his attitude. [Christopher] Nkunku is also a good player. And who in Italy has a player like Pulisic? He’s very strong, impressive: he can play wide, behind the striker, or in the box. He offers a lot of options and provides goals, assists, and runs. You can’t ask for more. [Santiago] Gimenez? I think he’s better than what we’ve seen so far; he arrived at a difficult time. But if he wants to carve out space for himself, he needs to score more."

Luka Modric is another superstar to have been added to Milan’s ranks, with the Ballon d’Or-winning Croatian joining as a free agent after 13 memorable years at Real Madrid. There is no sign of the 40-year-old midfielder slowing down, with Nesta adding: “Seeing him on the pitch is a beauty, he thrilled me. Not since the days of [Andrea] Pirlo has there been someone like him at San Siro. With him, Milan is certainly stronger. The team has lost Theo [Hernandez], but in many other positions they are more competitive. With two or three more players, it becomes even more interesting: I hope this is a starting point. Which ones? A defender, a striker, even though I understand it’s difficult to get good ones, and on the wings.

“About Luka, I’ll add that I didn’t think he’d run so much; with Napoli he’d come in and out, mess up the passing lanes and then get back into position. He has an intelligence that few have, he has football in his head, that’s where he’s different. As long as he has the ball, he can play until he’s 70.”

Despite being impressed by what he has seen from Milan’s class of 2025-26, Nesta is not convinced that they are “ready to carry the weight of having to win the Scudetto”. For now, Allegri is charged with moving them in the right direction - having missed out on European qualification last season.

Any kind of title challenge, while also remaining competitive in domestic cup action, should help to convince USMNT star Pulisic - who is working his way towards a home World Cup in 2026 - that a contract extension offer first put on the table several months ago needs to be signed.