Niclas Füllkrug leaves a positive impression in his first appearance in a Milan jersey. He feels “already at home”.
Not much was missing to crown his debut for AC Milan: In the final phase, Niclas Füllkrug set up his attacking colleague Christian Pulisic, but the former Dortmund player failed against goalkeeper Elia Caprile.
Even though his first goal involvement was not yet achieved, Füllkrug was completely satisfied after his first minutes in a Milan jersey.
Niclas Füllkrug celebrates his first victory in a Milan jersey
“Perfect debut, perfect start to the year,” wrote the 32-year-old after the 1-0 victory against Cagliari Calcio, which secured the Rossoneri at least until Sunday first place in Serie A ahead of city rivals Inter.
After Milan Debut: Füllkrug Feels “Already at Home”
Just a few hours after his official presentation, Füllkrug was substituted in the 69th minute for the only goalscorer of the evening, Rafael Leao (50th).
“It was a great honor for me to be able to play my first game right away! I already feel at home, even though the first home game is still ahead – I can hardly wait!” Füllkrug added and thanked the fans with a “Grazie” for their support.
The response to his first appearance for his new club was positive. The Rossoneri fan portals, in particular, were impressed. Milan News saw “a good start,” while Milannews24 spoke of a “successful debut.”
Praise from Coach Allegri – Does Füllkrug Solve a Milan Problem?
The national press sees Füllkrug as the solution to the attacking problem of coach Massimiliano Allegri’s team. For La Repubblica , the German international is “finally a true center forward” in the team. For the Corriere dello Sport , Füllkrug’s loan “is in the process of solving the center forward problem.”
Füllkrug also received words of praise from coach Allegri. “I liked Füllkrug,” Allegri said on MilanTV . “He came in with a lot of commitment and verve.”
Füllkrug Fights for World Cup Ticket
Barely twelve hours before the match in Cagliari, Milan had officially announced the loan of the attacker. The loan deal initially runs until the end of the season, but Milan also secured a purchase option.
After a personally unsatisfactory time in the Premier League with West Ham United, partly due to injuries, Füllkrug now wants to bring himself back into the focus of the national team in Italy and thus secure his ticket for the World Cup.
The 24-time international (14 goals) played his last international match at the Nations League Final Four last June.