AC Milan midfielder Musah has returned to form at club level this season, and his recent performance in a 3-2 Serie A win over Atalanta showed it. He carried the ball forward from just beyond the centre circle, and when no Atalanta player closed him down, he took a shot. His drive deflected off the arm of defender Relja Obric, earning a penalty that Gonçalo Ramos converted.
The play was just the latest sign of Musah’s revival. Last season, he endured a difficult campaign while on loan at, ironically enough, Atalanta. He never established himself as a consistent starter, and because he was on loan, there was little incentive for the club to invest in a player who might leave at season’s end.
Musah made 29 appearances in all competitions last season, amounting to just 939 minutes of play. This season, he has already logged 572 minutes in all competitions, putting him more than halfway to last season’s total just two months into the campaign.
Earlier this month, while on international duty with the United States, Musah sat poolside at the team hotel, as upbeat and smiling as ever. However, he is an older and wiser player than the one who burst onto the USMNT scene as a teenager during the 2022 FIFA World Cup cycle, when he started each of the U.S.’s four games in Qatar. The past few years have left their mark on him. The experiences caused discomfort, but he now appears stronger for them.
A Mindset Shaped by Frustration
The uptick in his playing time at club level is in line with how Musah views himself as a player. 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 with two outlets. “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 meant he endured the most painful experience of all: falling out of contention for a spot on the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup roster. Given his standing, his omission did not come as a surprise.
Musah is experiencing a very different sensation now. He has not been perfect for Milan this season. Against Atalanta, he lost track of Gianluca Gaetano, who scored Atalanta’s first goal. Overall, though, the U.S. midfielder has been one of Milan’s most improved and important players in 2026-27.
The numbers back up what the eye test shows. 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% during the previous campaign. His defensive effectiveness has also improved, as he is winning a greater percentage of duels (61.3% from 52.2%) and tackles (60.0% from 37.5%).
Back in the Middle
Musah’s situation has been helped by a return to his preferred central midfield role, after spending much of the previous campaign as a wingback. He admitted that the seeds of his improvement were sown on the training ground with Atalanta. He gradually grew more comfortable in a two-man central midfield, adjusting his positioning and body shape, and he developed a better sense of when and where to take risks. Knowing where he will line up each week has also helped.
“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 the legendary Luka Modric has been another benefit. The pair have complementary skill sets, with Modric delivering the cultured passes while Musah does more 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.”
Faith From the Manager
None of these factors, whether his position or his teammates, would matter without the manager’s backing. Musah has that in abundance 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 his doubts, but Amorim has backed his words with action. Even when Adrien Rabiot, a winner of several trophies with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus and a World Cup runner-up with France, returned from an early-season injury, Amorim still found a way to get Musah onto the field.
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.”
International Picture
Musah’s club form has yet to fully carry over to the USMNT. During the September/October four-game international window, he logged 132 minutes, with one start and two appearances off the bench. That figure comes with a caveat. Part of manager Mauricio Pochettino’s remit for the window was to give international debuts to the next generation of players, so playing time was spread around.
Competition in the centre of the U.S. midfield remains strong. Juventus’ Weston McKennie, Atlético Madrid’s Johnny Cardoso, Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris and Lyon’s Tanner Tessmann were all left out of the recent squad for a variety of reasons. If their form or health improves, Musah could find himself on the outside looking in when the USMNT reconvenes for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Jamaica in just over two weeks.
The positive for Musah is that his club form gives him greater control over his international future. His recent experiences should also help him weather whatever obstacles lie ahead.