"A lost cause": Niclas Füllkrug's "unusual move" to Milan is turning into a disaster

The 32-year-old received some bad news even before last weekend, although it came as no surprise: national team manager Julian Nagelsmann left Füllkrug out of the penultimate squad ahead of the World Cup squad announcement. His recent performances had been too lacklustre, and most of his rivals were putting themselves in the spotlight: Deniz Undav is in superb form at VfB Stuttgart and is currently scoring goals on a conveyor belt, whilst Kai Havertz, who had recently been ruled out due to injury, is really hitting his stride at Arsenal.

One positive for Füllkrug was undoubtedly that Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri named him in the starting line-up for Saturday’s match against Torino for the first time since 11 January (!). A rare opportunity, then, which Füllkrug failed to capitalise on whatsoever. In the hosts’ 3-5-2 formation at San Siro – a very typical set-up for Italy – Füllkrug looked somewhat lost. Milan played a lot of long balls, hardly any of which he could control. He created no chances and was substituted after 70 lacklustre minutes. Coach Allegri later said it had been “complicated” for Füllkrug before the break.

Admittedly, the Milan side were a collective disappointment in the first half, but they went on to secure a 3-2 victory, whilst Füllkrug received the lowest ratings from the newspapers.

Rossoneri expert Andrea Longoni, for example, wrote in his column ‘Milan Hello’ on SPOX’s partner site Calciomercato of “two hopeless cases” in the Milan attack, referring to Füllkrug and former Leipzig player Christopher Nkunku, who was signed from Chelsea FC for a hefty fee before the season. Longoni’s verdict on the German: “He certainly won’t be staying. He didn’t cost a transfer fee, but one would have expected a bit more.”

And the high expectations surrounding Füllkrug weren’t entirely unfounded either. After admitting that his €27 million move from Borussia Dortmund to West Ham United in the Premier League in the summer of 2024 hadn’t worked out – partly due to persistent injury problems – he headed to Milan on loan in January amid great excitement. The stated aim was to gain match practice with the Scudetto contenders, boost his confidence and, in the process, earn brownie points with Nagelsmann.

“This club, with its big name and immense appeal, is emotionally overwhelming for me,” Füllkrug enthused, and he also made a promising start in the fashion capital. Although he broke his toe shortly after arriving there, he showed great resilience and, coming off the bench, scored the much-celebrated winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Lecce in mid-January.

“The toe is still broken,” Füllkrug revealed to kicker afterwards, explaining: “That was a bit of a setback, but it was a special move for me, so I told the club: if it’s an injury where it’s just a matter of putting up with the pain and nothing more serious – like a muscle problem – could happen, I don’t want to miss a game. At first they looked at me a bit askance, because it’s almost impossible to play in studded boots with a broken toe.” He emphasised that his courageous approach had “been worth it just for the goal alone”.

Around that time, Füllkrug also scored points with the Tifosi when he mimicked superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s drinking meme, turning it into a viral hit.

But that was pretty much it in terms of highlights from Füllkrug’s time at Milan. Manager Allegri gave him only limited playing time, and Füllkrug failed to earn himself more. A low point came in the 2-1 hard-fought win against newly promoted Pisa in February. Füllkrug missed a penalty and received the ultimate punishment from his manager: having come on as a substitute, he was taken off again after just 45 minutes.

In recent weeks, Füllkrug has continued to see little playing time. Instead, Allegri – who has long been rumoured in Italy to harbour a certain aversion to traditional centre-forwards – has repeatedly opted for a two-man strike force comprising the natural wingers Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, though neither has exactly covered themselves in glory. Leao’s role in the centre, in particular, is the subject of heated debate in Italy and is regularly criticised by experts. Former Milan captain Massimo Abrosini, for example, described the Portuguese player in that position as “a waste”.

Niclas Füllkrug’s performance statistics at Milan:

Appearances14Appearances over 90 minutes0Minutes played429Goals1Assists0

Generally speaking, despite the decent points haul and the chance of a first league title since 2022, Milan’s style of play is not for the connoisseur. Allegri’s 3-5-2 formation is designed for stability; flair and attacking prowess come second. Alongside Füllkrug, other attacking players such as the aforementioned Nkunku are also suffering as a result. Fans and experts are wondering whether a 4-3-3 might not promise better football. Allegri has switched to this system on several occasions this season when the run of play demanded it, and this approach has been rewarded on multiple occasions. Take, for example, Füllkrug’s winning goal against Lecce.

A 4-3-3 formation would also likely better showcase Füllkrug’s abilities as a header of the ball and a game-changer in the centre. However, it is unlikely that Allegri will deviate from his fundamental philosophy.

The coach has not publicly criticised Füllkrug so far, but ironically remarked a few days ago that his protégé needs “consistency”, because “without it, it’s difficult”.

So there is little hope of an improvement for the 33-year-old striker. On the contrary: Santiago Gimenez made his comeback at the weekend. The Mexican suffered a serious ankle injury at the end of last year. This was also one of the reasons for Füllkrug’s signing. The fact that former Feyenoord striker Gimenez is now fit again is likely to mean even fewer minutes on the pitch for the former Dortmund player.

It is therefore considered highly unlikely that Füllkrug’s spell at Milanello will extend beyond the summer. Although sporting director Igli Tare secured the club a buy-option for a comparatively low five million euros, this is unlikely to be exercised. Several other strikers are already under discussion, including Mateo Retegui (26, Al-Qadsiah), Joaquin Panichelli (23, Racing Strasbourg), Troy Parrott (24, AZ Alkmaar) and Serhou Guirassy (30, BVB).

Füllkrug is therefore likely to return to West Ham for the time being, where he remains under contract until 2028. And presumably the next transfer will then be on the cards, one that should bring him a sustained run of good form once again.

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