alvyn sanches endrick amorim
AC Milan remain on the hunt for a left-footed attacking midfielder ahead of the winter window, a report has claimed.
As Calciomercato.com report, Ruben Amorim can use the long break to strengthen his tactical principles, which already began to come to life against Lecce after a somewhat difficult first few games of the campaign.
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Amorim always starts his teams with a 3-4-2-1 formation with a positional block. He did so at Sporting CP and – albeit with less success – at Manchester United too. The attacking midfielders in this system are crucial in linking the play and providing service for the striker.
In this sense, Christian Pulisic’s return to the line-up is a big boost, but a left-footed attacking midfielder is still missing. Summer signing Omari Hutchinson can help as a rotation option but is ‘not yet ready to be a starter’.
The names on the list
There’s a name circled in red, at the very top of Gerry Cardinale and Ruben Amorim’s wish list: Real Madrid’s Endrick. The Brazilian international had already been negotiated over for two weeks in August, but José Mourinho’s resistance nipped any Rossoneri hopes in the bud.
Endrick ishighly sought after because he has top-notch technical ability, is left-footed, and can play both as a striker and as a lone attacking midfielder. In short, he is seen as the perfect signing for this team.
Endrick #19 of Brazil
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
The feasibility of the deal depends on Real Madrid’s assessment and whether Florentino Perez decides to open up to an exit, even if only temporarily. In that case, Milan would be ready to join a discussion with other interested clubs, including Roma.
Milan continue to work on other options too in case the door remains closed. Alvyn Sanches is an option, currently at BSC Young Boys and considered one of the best Swiss talents around. Bobby Gardiner put his name forward, and he has seven goal contributions in 10 games this season.
Hutchinson meanwhile performed well in the second half at the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio as a substitute, but much less so in his start against Benfica at San Siro in the Europa League opener. In short, we have too small a sample size to judge him.
The idea of seeing him become a permanent Milan player is already a difficult path given the option to buy agreed with Nottingham Forest is set at close to €50m. It will take something special to convince Cardinale to invest such a significant sum to acquire him permanently next summer.