Ruben Amorim hasn’t even been in charge for a full week, but he’s already making it clear who’s on his radar. The new AC Milan boss named a 26-man squad for the start of preseason training on July 13 at Milanello, and the list is heavy on teenagers and loan returnees — a pretty direct signal that he wants to see what he’s working with before making any big decisions on transfers.
Mario Gila is the only new signing who’ll be there on Day 1. He came over from Lazio and will get tossed straight into sessions. Goncalo Ramos isn’t around yet — he’s still on break after Portugal’s World Cup run — so that opens up some reps for younger guys in the early practices.
Amorim told the club he wants to evaluate the current squad before pushing for more buys or sales this summer. That means a bunch of players who spent last season on loan are getting a real audition. Samuel Chukwueze, Francesco Camarda and Yunus Musah are all back and hungry to make an impression. None of them locked down a consistent role last year, and this camp is their best shot to change that.
A few names stick out
Aurelien Guernier is an 18-year-old winger who just joined from Birmingham City. He’s not a household name in Italy yet, but Amorim clearly wants a look. Same for striker Andrej Kostic, another young guy trying to carve out a path into the first team. Christian Comotto is fresh off representing Italy at the European Under-19 Championship and will be with the group.
Not everyone got the invite. Kevin Zeroli is absent because he ended his season late with Juve Stabia in the Serie B playoff push, but word around the club is he’s not expected to stay with Milan anyway. Warren Bondo is outright not part of the plans — he’ll train separately with a personal coach until he finds a new team.
The full camp roster
Goalkeepers: Bouyer, Pittarella, P Terracciano, Torriani. Defenders: Athekame, Bartesaghi, Gabbia, Gila, Karaca, Odogu, Pavlovic, F Terracciano, Tomori. Midfielders: A Cisse, Comotto, Fofana, Loftus-Cheek, Musah, Ricci. Forwards: Camarda, Chukwueze, Guernier, Idrissi, Kostic, Nkunku, Ossola.
A few of those names — Ossola, Idrissi, Athekame — aren’t exactly known quantities. That’s kind of the point. Amorim has a month to figure out which of these guys can actually help in Serie A and which ones need another loan or a permanent move. The answers start coming Monday.
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