Chukwueze vs Moreira: 3 areas Super Eagles star must improve at AC Milan

Super Eagles star Samuel Chukwueze faces a huge battle to earn a regular place at AC Milan, with Diego Moreira providing strong competition for places in Ruben Amorim’s squad.

Chukwueze appeared to have worked his way back into Milan’s plans following Amorim’s arrival at the club. The Nigerian winger had spent last season on loan at Fulham, where he showed flashes of his quality, but the Premier League side ultimately decided against taking up their option to sign him permanently.

His return to San Siro handed the 27-year-old another opportunity to revive his Milan career, with Amorim publicly backing his ability to beat defenders and offer something different in attack. 

The Super Eagles forward has since been used in the right wing-back role, with Amorim’s preference to use a 3-4-2-1 formation.

However, Moreira’s arrival has added another obstacle in Chukwueze’s fight for regular minutes. The Belgian attacker has quickly shown his quality and offers Amorim several options across the attacking positions.

With Chukwueze still working his way back to full fitness after injury, he may have to improve in a few key areas to gain an edge over his teammate.

Chukwueze must improve productivity

Samuel Chukwueze’s biggest strength has always been his pace and ability to take on defenders in one-on-one situations. However, the Nigerian forward needs to turn more of those promising moments into goals and assists.

Moreira appears to have an edge in this area, with his attacking contributions making him a more direct threat in the final third. For Chukwueze, improving his decision-making in the final pass and becoming more consistent in front of goal could make a major difference.

The Belgian star has contributed four goals and three assists across all competitions this season, while Chukwueze, in contrast, has provided only two assists this season.

The Super Eagles star has shown in the past that he can produce important moments, but he now needs to deliver them more regularly if he is to become a trusted starter under Amorim.

Moreira is a bigger set-piece threat

Another area where Moreira could give the Super Eagles star serious competition is from set pieces. Moreira has already demonstrated his ability to make an impact from dead-ball situations, including assisting from a corner and scoring from a free kick in Milan’s 3-1 win over Inter Milan.

Chukwueze is not known as a major set-piece specialist, which means developing this part of his game could give him another way to contribute to the team.

Moreira is more versatile than Chukwueze 

Moreira’s ability to operate in multiple positions is another quality that could work in his favour. Chukwueze, meanwhile, has mainly built his career as a right winger, where he can use his left foot to cut inside and create chances. While he has the ability to play on either flank, becoming more comfortable in other attacking roles could improve his chances of earning regular minutes.

His versatility, pace and dribbling remain valuable assets, but with competition growing at Milan, the Nigerian star will need to add more to his game.

The Super Eagles star is still recovering from injury, and his immediate focus will be on returning to full fitness. Once he does, however, he will have a big opportunity to prove that he deserves a regular role in Amorim’s plans.