Paulo Fonesca insists Christian Pulisic 'can play anywhere in attack' as AC Milan boss lauds 'very intelligent' USMNT star after dazzling display against Barcelona

After Milan's 2-2 pre-season friendly draw with Barca, where Pulisic scored and bagged an assist before his side won 4-3 on penalties, manager Fonseca spoke about the 25-year-old being utilised as a number 10 going forward - while also talking up his attacking talent.

He said in a post-match press conference: “Pulisic had a fantastic match for me. I really like seeing him in this position with great participation. What does he bring to Milan? He had a great first season, he will continue to be very important, I have no doubts.

“He played as a 10 in the first half. In the second half we played without strikers, with Pulisic and [Ruben] Loftus-Cheek as two number 10s. Christian can play anywhere in attack, he is very, very intelligent. I liked seeing him there and [Alexis] Saelemaekers as a full-back, today we started with a different structure in build-up, more attacking.”

Following Pulisic's move from Chelsea to Milan in 2023, the United States international had an impressive debut season - scoring 15 goals and bagging 11 assists. Now, Milan will hope he can kick on this term, after failing to win any silverware in 2023-24, under Fonseca's tutelage.

Following the end of their pre-season friendly fixtures, Milan begin their Serie A campaign on Saturday, August 17, at home to Torino. Pulisic will be in line to start the game, but it's not yet clear where Fonseca will decide to play him once competitive action gets back underway.