Amorim's warning over young star Alphadjo Cisse: "We must not put pressure on him"
Ruben Amorim has urged caution over AC Milan's 19-year-old Alphadjo Cisse, insisting the teenager is only at 50% of his potential after his Salzburg hat-trick.
Ruben Amorim has called for no pressure to be heaped on AC Milan's 19-year-old rising star Alphadjo Cisse.
The youngster, who has caught the eye with his performances for Milan's first team this season, shone most recently against Salzburg in the UEFA Europa League. Cisse scored a hat-trick as the Italian side beat the Austrian outfit 4-0 to claim their first win in the competition, and in doing so became the youngest Italian player ever to score a hat-trick in the major European competitions.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of the Europa League meeting with Bournemouth, Amorim said expectations around the emerging star needed to be kept in check.
"I think we shouldn't blow this out of proportion or put pressure on young players," said the Portuguese coach. "We need to explain to them that football is a game of ups and downs and that everything can change in an instant. We are only at the very beginning of the road with Cisse. Right now he is at just 50% of his potential, and there are still things he needs to work on to reach the very top. Let's give him time. He is doing really well, but we must not forget how quickly things change in football."
Amorim, who has won 6 of his last 7 matches in the Europa League group stage and is yet to lose away from home (W4, D2), failed to win any of his 3 meetings with Bournemouth during his time in charge of Manchester United (D2, L1).
Milan, meanwhile, have won just 2 of their 22 European away matches on English soil (D7, L13), with those victories coming against Manchester United in February 2005 and Newcastle United in December 2023.
Amorim also assessed the change at the opposition under new head coach Marco Rose. "I sense the same rhythm and the same high press - that is Rose's football mentality," he said. "They have a quality squad and a very good transfer policy. Despite the turnover of players, I don't see a big difference in their playing identity. Our responsibility is to go out there and fight to the very end for the win."