Yunus Musah helped AC Milan to a 3-2 Serie A win over Atalanta last weekend. His drive from just beyond the center circle deflected off the arm of defender Relja Obric, and Gonçalo Ramos converted the resulting penalty. The performance was the latest sign of Musah’s rebirth at club level.
A year ago, Musah endured a difficult campaign on loan at Atalanta. He never established himself as a consistent starter, and because he was on loan, the club had little reason to invest in a player who might leave at season’s end.
Musah made 29 appearances in all competitions that season, but those added up to just 939 minutes on the pitch. This season, he has already logged 572 minutes in all competitions, putting him more than halfway to last year’s total only two months into the campaign.
Earlier this month, Musah sat poolside at the team hotel while on international duty with the United States. He appeared as upbeat and smiling as ever, but he is also an older and wiser player than the teenager who burst onto the U.S. men’s national team scene during the 2022 FIFA World Cup cycle and started each of the Americans’ four games in Qatar. The past few years have left their marks on him. He endured discomfort along the way, but he now appears stronger for it.
Frustration Turned Into Motivation
The increase in playing time at club level matches how Musah sees himself. He retains complete confidence in his abilities.
“[It was] very frustrating, because I believe that I’m a player that’s a starter,” Musah said about last season in a joint interview. “I believe that I’m a starter, so having me as a starter on the bench and not getting used pretty much the whole season was really tough. If I felt that I didn’t have the qualities to play, then I would’ve put my hand up and say, ‘Yeah, I deserve to be on the bench.’ But I think that I have the qualities to be a starter, so it was a season that was [in some ways] a waste on the bench. But at the same time, I learned so much from it, so I wouldn’t necessarily say that it was a waste of a season because I learned a lot from it.”
That lack of playing time also cost him a spot in the reckoning for the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup roster. Musah’s standing had slipped so far that his omission did not surprise anyone.
He is experiencing a very different situation now. Musah has not been perfect for Milan this season. Against Atalanta, he lost track of Gianluca Gaetano, who scored the visitors’ first goal. Overall, however, the U.S. midfielder has become one of Milan’s most improved and important players in 2026-27, and Milan supporters have responded to his incisive play.
The numbers support what fans see on the pitch. According to TruMedia, the 23-year-old has been cleaner on the ball in Serie A this season, completing 92.6% of his passes compared with 88.0% in the previous campaign. He has also become more effective defensively, winning a higher percentage of duels (61.3% versus 52.2%) and tackles (60.0% versus 37.5%).
Back in the Middle
Musah has benefited from a return to his preferred central midfield role after spending much of the previous season as a wingback. He traces the seeds of his improvement to training sessions with Atalanta. He gradually grew more comfortable in a two-man central midfield, refined his positioning and body shape, and developed a better sense of when and where to take risks. Knowing where he will line up each week has also helped him.
“I love playing in middle. It’s my favorite position,” Musah said. “And it’s nice to just concentrate on one position and try to get better just in one position rather than always changing.”
Playing alongside Luka Modric has also helped. The two have complementary skill sets: Modric supplies the cultured passing, while Musah handles much of the running and defensive work. Musah also absorbs lessons from the Croatia captain’s vast experience, which includes six UEFA Champions League titles and four LaLiga crowns with Real Madrid.
“It’s amazing, really. I’m learning a lot from [Modric], and at his age he’s still running so much,” Musah said. “He’s so fit and is very decisive for us. He’s still our best player.”
Musah added, “He talks to us a lot, and also just in the manner in which he plays, he’s that kind of leader that shows you how it’s done.”
Trust From the Manager
None of these factors would matter without the backing of the manager. Musah has that backing from Ruben Amorim.
Amid speculation last summer that Musah was on his way out of Milan, a text from Amorim during preseason told the player that he was part of the new manager’s plans. Musah still had doubts, but Amorim has matched his words with action. Even when Adrien Rabiot returned to the lineup from an early-season injury, Amorim found a way to get Musah onto the field.
The communication between the two has been clear as well.
“He just transmits a lot of positivity, understanding,” Musah said of Amorim. “He just gives me, every game, just clear ideas on how to beat the opponent. I go into the game with a clear head because I know exactly what the manager’s asking from me. And then, he’s like, ‘Try whatever I’m telling you, and if it doesn’t work, it’s my fault.’ So it gives me a lot of freedom in my mind that I’m just doing what the manager’s saying, and most of the time it works.”
Building the Case for the U.S.
Musah’s club form has not yet fully carried over to the national team. During the September/October four-game international window, he logged 132 minutes, with one start and two appearances off the bench. That total comes with a caveat. Part of Mauricio Pochettino’s remit for the window was to give the next generation of players their international debuts, so minutes were spread around.
Competition in the U.S. center of midfield remains fierce. Weston McKennie of Juventus, Johnny Cardoso of Atlético Madrid, Aidan Morris of Middlesbrough and Tanner Tessmann of Lyon were all left out of the recent roster for various reasons. If any of his rivals regain form or improve their health, Musah could find himself on the outside looking in when the U.S. reconvenes for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Jamaica in a little over two weeks.
The positive for Musah is that his club form leaves him in greater control of his international future. His recent experiences should also help him weather whatever obstacles lie ahead.