Yunus Musah’s strength and drive helped set up AC Milan’s 3-2 win over Atalanta in last weekend’s Serie A match. He carried the ball forward from just beyond the center 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 the latest sign of Musah’s rebirth at club level.
Last season, Musah endured a nightmare 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. He made 29 appearances in all competitions, but those added up 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, Musah sat poolside at the team hotel while on international duty with the United States. He was as upbeat and smiling as ever, but he is an older, 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 U.S.’s games in Qatar. The past few years have left some callouses on him. Acquiring them was uncomfortable, but he now appears stronger for it.
His rising playing time at club level matches how he 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 recent 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.”
The lack of playing time also led to the most painful experience of his season: falling out of contention for a spot on the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup roster. Given his standing at the time, his omission did not come as a surprise.
Musah is experiencing a very different feeling 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, however, the 23-year-old U.S. midfielder has become one of Milan’s most improved and important players in 2026-27.
The numbers support what the eye test shows. According to TruMedia, Musah 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, as he is winning a higher percentage of duels (61.3% compared with 52.2%) and tackles (60.0% compared with 37.5%).
A Return to Central Midfield
Musah’s situation has improved with a return to his preferred central midfield role. He spent much of last season as a wingback. He admitted that the seeds of his improvement were planted on the training ground at Atalanta, where he gradually grew more comfortable in a two-man central midfield. He adjusted 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 Luka Modric has also benefited him. The two have complementary skill sets: Modric delivers the cultured passes, 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.”
Faith From the Manager
None of these factors would matter without the manager’s trust. Ruben Amorim has given Musah plenty of it. Amid speculation last summer that Musah was leaving 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 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.
The communication between the two has been clear.
“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 Toward the USMNT
Musah’s club form has not yet fully carried over to the national team. During the September and October four-game international window, he logged 132 minutes, starting once and appearing twice as a substitute. That figure needs context. Part of manager Mauricio Pochettino’s goal for the window was to give the next generation of players their international debuts, so playing time was spread around.
Competition in the U.S. midfield remains intense even without those young players. 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 window 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 USMNT reconvenes for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal against Jamaica in just over two weeks.
Still, Musah’s club form gives him greater control over his international future. His recent experiences should also help him handle whatever obstacles stand in his way.