Christian Pulisic has denied rumors that he had a falling out with new AC Milan manager Sergio Conceicao — going as far as to calling the rumors “unacceptable lies.”
Italian media outlets began swirling around reports that Pulisic had a falling out with Conceicao due to the fact that he didn’t start the last two Serie A matches against Empoli and Hellas Verona, but started in their loss to Feyenoord in the Champions League round of 32 this week.
La Repubblica apparently spoke of “extreme tension” between the American and the Conceicao, who took over for fired coach Paulo Fonseca just before the New Year. The Portuguese gaffer has had a respectable start to life at San Siro, winning the Suppercopa Italiana and only losing once in the Serie A, but the Champions League loss to Feyenoord would have felt disappointing.
In an unusual move, the official AC Milan account on X posted a quote by Pulisic, saying: “I have never argued with the Coach and I have never asked to leave. I am very happy at Milan and I want to continue wearing this shirt. Reading these lies is unacceptable, but let’s all continue to remain united and fight together on the pitch, for the Club and for our fans.”
Pulisic notably fell out with a number of managers during his time at Premier League team Chelsea. In his book “Pulisic: My Journey So Far,” he expressed disappointment with manager Thomas Tuchel claiming he was “misled” about starting matches — specifically the Champions League semifinal vs Real Madrid, where he was benched at the last minute. Under manager Graham Potter, rumors swirled once again that he was unhappy with his role at the club.
AC Milan’s next game is against Torino in the Serie A on Saturday, February 22nd.
