Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze joined AC Milan from Villarreal two years ago, but it has been a topsy-turvy experience for him since then, Soccernet.ng reports.
Before joining AC Milan, he had a good reputation, as he registered 37 goals and 31 assists in 207 appearances for the Yellow Submarine.
But it is a sharp contrast to the seven goals and four assists he has registered in his 58 appearances for the Rossoneri.
When coach Paulo Fonseca took over as AC Milan coach last summer, Chukwueze had a good start, as he featured in most of their pre-season games and impressed.
However, he failed to pin down a regular starting shirt at the start of the season. Due to his lack of game time, there were speculations that he would leave AC Milan for another club in the January transfer window. Chukwueze was linked with Arsenal, Fulham and Bologna but it did not work out.
In the final hours of the transfer window, there were reports that Fulham submitted a bid to AC Milan for Chukwueze, but it did not work out due to time constraints. Also, Chukwueze didn't appear to push for the transfer.
At the time, there were already talks that Chukwueze's game time would reduce significantly, especially after the signing of Joao Felix and Riccardo Sottil. Also, the new coach Sergio Conceicao does not see the Super Eagles star as an important member of the team.
Samuel Chukwueze's big mistake!
This season, Chukwueze has not played a lot of minutes, but there were already talks that his game time would drop further following Conceicao's appointment.
While this was not confirmed, there are always elements or truths in these speculations. And realistically, Chukwueze has not done enough to prove that he is better than Felix or Sottil.
When the links to Bologna and Fulham came up, he should have pushed for the transfer, as he even has a better chance at playing more at those clubs.
Since the end of the transfer window, the Rossoneri have played two games, and Chukwueze has not featured in both. This is a signal that perhaps Conceicao does not trust him enough. And this is surprising, as Chukwueze scored the goal that gave Conceicao his first Serie A home win at AC Milan.
Nonetheless, things could still improve for the Nigerian in the coming weeks if the other players get injured or they lose form.
But from the current outlook, it seems like Chukwueze has made a bad decision and he may have to move in the summer.
