Milan lose Chukwueze for two months

Milan appear to have traded one immediate problem for another before the trip to Udinese: Gonçalo Ramos is expected to be available again, while Samuel Chukwueze is reportedly facing at least two months out with a hip issue.

Football Italia, citing Corriere della Sera via MilanNews, reported that Chukwueze has seen a specialist over a problem in his left hip and has begun a course of injections. The winger is due to be reassessed, but the expectation in that report is that he will not return before the end of the year.

That matters beyond losing a wide player for one fixture. Chukwueze’s absence would remove him from the derby against Inter on October 31 and from a crowded stretch of matches in which rotation is not a luxury but part of staying upright. Milan are already carrying other long-term absences, and the price of that starts to show when a squad has to absorb European and domestic games at the same time.

There is better news for Ruben Amorim in attack. Football Italia reported that Ramos, who missed the 3-0 Europa League defeat at Bournemouth because of fatigue in his left calf, returned to full training after a scan showed no injury.

That is not a cosmetic boost. Milan had to improvise without him against Bournemouth, with Ardon Jashari and Alphadjo Cisse used to lead the line. A team can survive one night of makeshift arrangements; if it becomes the default, the season starts asking different questions. Ramos gives Amorim a recognised focal point back, and that changes how Milan can approach the Udinese match.

The awkward part is that the good and bad news arrive in the same breath. Ramos returning helps restore structure through the middle, but Chukwueze’s expected layoff strips pace and directness from the flank. One problem solved, another extended. That is often how squad management looks in October: not crisis in the theatrical sense, just options narrowing one by one.

Football Italia also said Milan’s interest in recalling Zachary Athekame from his loan at Lyon is linked to Chukwueze’s absence. If that move gathers pace, it would be a sign that this is being treated as a squad problem rather than a short interruption.

Milan head to Udinese still unbeaten in Serie A, according to Football Italia. The record is useful. The more urgent fact is that unbeaten runs do not protect depth, and depth is what takes the first hit when the calendar tightens.