USMNT star Christian Pulisic gets Ronaldo comparison after missed chances - with AC Milan eager to avoid pointing finger of blame at 10-goal American

Pulisic has been a rare glimmer of hope for Milan across the last 18 months, with collective standards being allowed to dip at San Siro. That resulted in no European football being secured for the 2025-26 campaign.

While the odd wobble has been endured, Pulisic has continued to post personal bests and enhance his own reputation. He found the target on 17 occasions last season and is being lined up for a lucrative contract extension.

His stock would have risen even further had any of the big chances that fell his way against Fiorentina been taken. Pulisic was uncharacteristically wasteful in Florence - as Christopher Nkunku grabbed a 90th-minute equaliser - but head coach Massimiliano Allegri has no bones to pick with the United States international.

He told reporters when casting an eye over events at Stadio Artemio Franchi: “On Sunday, after 15 minutes, we had already been through on goal three times with Pulisic. If you score, the approach is right; if you don’t…everything is judged by the result.

“Against Roma at home, we had half an hour of terror, then we went ahead, and in the second half, we had four or five chances to score. That’s football. Then there are unexpected events that we need to manage.

“Ifs and buts get you nowhere. What if Pulisic had scored three goals in Florence…he didn’t. He had scored before, and maybe he’ll score again. We have to focus on our performances and improve our mental focus. We’re in the second half of the season, and there’s no more time to make up for mistakes.”

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Ex-Milan boss Fabio Capello is another that feels Pulisic should avoid criticism for his failings against Fiorentina, as only Brazilian icon R9 could have buried some of the opportunities that came his way.

The former Rossoneri player and coach told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Pulisic did it all, with the kind assistance of [Niclas] Fullkrug. The attacking duo created two or three chances to score out of nowhere, but the American uncharacteristically missed them all.

“Mistakes uncharacteristic of him, like when he tried to beat [David] de Gea instead of shooting, even though there was no space: in that space, only Ronaldo Fenomeno managed to dribble past the goalkeeper and score. But beyond the incidents, Milan’s attitude didn’t convince me right from the start.”

Milan have been held in their last two Serie A fixtures, and three of their last five, leading to them slipping six points adrift of arch-rivals Inter at the top of the table. They are now level with defending champions Napoli, while the chasing pack is bunching up behind them.

Allegri’s side still have 19 games left to in, which represents half a season, but are aware of the need to find greater consistency if they are to challenge for a first title since 2021-22.

Quizzed on whether this version of Milan is capable of landing the Scudetto, Capello - who won that prize on four occasions as a player and manager - added: “If it’s the one in Florence, definitely not. But I’d go even further: Milan had improved a lot in the first few months of the season, but now it seems to have slowed down.

“The standings say Inter are just six points ahead, but Juventus and Roma are climbing from behind. Allegri is right about this: the Rossoneri need to focus on fourth place before thinking big.”

A top four finish would be enough to earn Milan qualification for next season’s Champions League. Hitting that target would aid their contract talks with Pulisic, with the United States international still delaying the signing of an extension as he waits to discover what the short-term future will bring.