AC Milan midfielder Yunus Musah has taken another step in his club revival, and his recent form has made a strong case for a bigger role with the United States men’s national team. In last weekend’s Serie A match against Atalanta, Musah received a pass just beyond the centre circle and carried the ball forward with his trademark strength and authority. When no Atalanta player closed him down, he took a shot. The drive deflected off the arm of defender Relja Obric, earning the Rossoneri a penalty that Gonçalo Ramos converted, and Milan went on to win 3-2.
That moment, and his overall performance that day, was the latest sign of Musah’s rebirth at club level. Last season, he endured a nightmare campaign on loan at, ironically enough, Atalanta. He never established himself as a consistent presence in the starting line-up, and because he was on loan, there was little incentive for the club to invest in a player who might leave at the end of the season.
Musah made 29 appearances in all competitions last season, but they amounted to just 939 minutes on the pitch. Already this season, he has 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 for the United States, Musah sat poolside at the team hotel and was his usual upbeat, smiling self. He is, however, an older and wiser player than the one who burst onto the USMNT scene as a teenager during the 2022 FIFA World Cup cycle and started all four of the United States’ games in Qatar. The past few years have left their marks. The experiences caused discomfort, but he now appears stronger for them.
Confidence intact
The increase in playing time he has enjoyed at club level this season matches how he sees himself as a player, and 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 meant the most painful experience of all: falling out of contention for a place in the United States’ World Cup squad. Musah’s standing had slipped so far that when he was left off the roster, it did not come as a surprise.
He is experiencing a very different feeling now. He has not been flawless for Milan this season. Against Atalanta, he lost track of Gianluca Gaetano, who scored the visitors’ first goal. Overall, though, the U.S. midfielder has been one of Milan’s most improved and important players in 2026-27.
The numbers support what the eye test suggests. 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% last campaign. His defensive work has also improved, with a higher percentage of duels won (61.3%, up from 52.2%) and tackles won (60.0%, up 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 favourite 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 boost. The pair have complementary skill sets, with Modric supplying 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.”
He 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, whether his position or his teammates, would matter without the backing of the manager. In Ruben Amorim, Musah has that backing in abundance.
Amid speculation last summer that Musah was on his way out of Milan, a text from Amorim during pre-season told the player 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, a multiple trophy winner with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus and a World Cup runner-up with France, returned to the line-up from an early-season injury, Amorim still found a way to get Musah on to the pitch.
The communication between the two has been clear, too.
“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 towards the international stage
Musah’s club form has yet to fully carry over to the USMNT. During the September and October four-game international window, he logged 132 minutes, with one start and two substitute appearances. That figure carries a caveat, however. Part of head coach Mauricio Pochettino‘s brief for the window was to give the next generation of players their international debuts, so playing time was spread around.
Even without the younger players, competition in the centre of the U.S. midfield remains fierce. 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. A change in form or an improvement in fitness for any of them could leave Musah on the outside looking in when the USMNT reconvenes for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Jamaica in little more than 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.