Amorim praises Milan after Udinese win as muscle injuries mount

Ruben Amorim said he was delighted with Milan’s response as they beat Udinese 2-0 in Serie A, while warning that the club’s demanding European schedule was contributing to a fresh muscle injury in almost every match.

Milan’s victory came after a difficult period, including a 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth in the Europa League on Thursday. They played with 10 men for more than an hour in that match.

“I’m extremely happy for the players and proud of them because, before the game, we spoke about the need to be competitive from the first minute, and I believe we managed to do that,” Amorim told DAZN.

Milan were able to withstand pressure as the game progressed and maintain control despite tiring in the second half.

“Even when we felt tired in the second half, we were able to control the match, so I’m very happy with the team,” Amorim added. “Now we have to think about the next game.”

The team faced Udinese with a lengthy injury list that included Adrien Rabiot, Diego Moreira, Mario Gila and Samuel Chukwueze.

“When you look at the fixture schedule in Europe, you realise it has become impossible,” said Amorim. “In every match, a new player suffers a muscle injury.”

He said every member of the squad had to be ready to contribute, stressing that his responsibilities extended beyond preparing the team for its next fixture.

“My job is not only to prepare the team to win the next match, even though that is what people expect,” said Amorim. “It is also about helping Milan in the future. For that to happen, the players must take part, get opportunities and feel important.”

Asked whether Milan needed more time to develop, Amorim said the schedule often left little opportunity to address weaknesses exposed in previous matches.

“We need time to work on several things, but sometimes we do not even have enough time to deal with the problems that appeared in the previous game,” he said.

Amorim also declined to discuss his choice for the Ballon d’Or, focusing instead on Milan’s meeting with Bologna in two days.

“If the winner is not a Milan player, I don’t care,” he said. “All I’m concerned about is finding out who will be able to recover and play in two days.”

Christian Pulisic opened the scoring after a quickly taken free-kick by Luka Modric. Omari Hutchinson added the second when he followed up after Ardon Jashari’s shot was saved.

Despite dropping points on several occasions this season, Milan remain unbeaten in Serie A. The result took them to 18 points, level with Roma in third place.