On the eve of AC Milan’s Serie A match against Juventus at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, manager Stefano Pioli spoke to the media and addressed a number of issues, including an injury update on his squad.
After returning from international service with the Super Eagles, Pioli confirmed that Samuel Chukweze is unavailable for selection against the Bianconeri.
The winger injured his left hamstring during Nigeria’s training camp in Portugal and was ruled out of the game against Mozambique on Monday, October 16.
Pioli has not given a timetable for Chukwueze’s recovery, but he is considered iffy for Nigeria’s key 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
In quotes related by AC Milan’s official website, Pioli said: “We recover Kalulu and Krunić, Loftus-
Cheek is healed but he is not 100% so he won’t be there, I hope we can recover him for the Champions League.
“Instead we lose Chukwueze and Sportiello. Since the beginning of the year we have had four muscle injuries.”
Chukwueze has been second fiddle on the right wing to former Chelsea star Christian Pulisic, making only three starts out of a potential ten since the start of the 2023-2024 season.
Pioli is certain that Luka Romero can fill the shoes of Nigeria’s international.
When asked who would replace Chukwueze, he said, “Luka is the natural alternative to Pulisic at the moment, and I would be very happy if he managed to find space in these matches, because he is working very well and deserves it.”
After their match against Juventus, Milan will go to Paris to face PSG in the Champions League before facing Napoli and Udinese.
Leave a Reply