Yunus Musah’s shot deflected off Atalanta defender Relja Obric in last weekend’s Serie A match, earning AC Milan a penalty that Gonçalo Ramos converted in a 3-2 win. The goal-line moment capped a performance that marks 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 presence in the starting lineup, and because he was on loan, there was little incentive to invest in a player who might leave at the end of the season. He made 29 appearances in all competitions, but those amounted 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, while on international duty with the United States, Musah sat poolside at the team hotel, as upbeat and smiling as ever. However, he is an older and wiser player than the teenager who burst onto the USMNT scene during the 2022 FIFA World Cup cycle and started each of the U.S.’s four games in Qatar. The past few years have left their marks on him. The experiences caused discomfort, but he now appears to be stronger for them.
Confidence and a return to form
The increase in playing time at club level this season matches how Musah views himself as a player. 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 joint interview with Yahoo! Sports. “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.”
That lack of playing time also cost him a place in the reckoning for a World Cup roster spot with the U.S. men’s national team. His standing was such that when he was left off the World Cup squad, it came as no surprise.
Musah is experiencing a very different situation 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, though, the American 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, the 23-year-old has been cleaner on the ball in Serie A this season, completing 92.6% of his passes compared with 88.0% in the previous campaign. His defensive work has also improved, as he is winning a greater percentage of duels (61.3%, up from 52.2%) and tackles (60.0%, up from 37.5%).
Position, partnership and belief
Musah’s situation has benefited from a return to his preferred central midfield role, after spending much of the previous campaign as a wingback. He admitted that the seeds of his improvement were sown on the training ground with Atalanta. He gradually grew more comfortable in a two-man central midfield, adjusting 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 been another boon. The two have complementary skill sets, with Modric supplying the cultured passes while Musah does more 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.”
None of this would matter without the manager’s faith, and in Ruben Amorim, Musah has plenty of it. Amid speculation last summer that he was on his way out of 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 pitch.
The communication between the two has been clear, too.
“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.”
Looking ahead with the USMNT
Musah’s club form has yet to fully carry over to the USMNT. During the September/October four-game international window, he logged 132 minutes, with one start and two appearances off the bench. That figure comes with a caveat, however. Part of manager Mauricio Pochettino’s remit for the window was to give international debuts to the next generation, so playing time was spread around.
Competition in the centre of the U.S. midfield remains fierce. Juventus’ Weston McKennie, Atlético Madrid’s Johnny Cardoso, Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris and Lyon’s Tanner Tessmann were all omitted from the recent squad for a variety of reasons. If their form or health improves, Musah could find himself on the outside looking in when the USMNT reconvenes for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Jamaica in just over two weeks.
The positive for Musah is that his club form puts him in greater control of his international future, and his recent experiences should help him weather whatever obstacles lie ahead.