Christopher Nkunku did not board AC Milan’s flight to Glasgow this evening after a muscle problem ruled him out of the friendly against Celtic. It is the clearest early setback for Milan on a trip that should have been about measuring the squad, not counting absentees.
The match arrives now because Milan are using it to assess the team’s physical condition ahead of the season, and the timing makes Nkunku’s absence stand out immediately. Fans searching for Celtic Vs Milan are looking for a simple answer: why one of the main names was left behind, who else was not on the plane, and what this says about the squad that will be seen tomorrow.
Nkunku’s issue is not described in broader terms, only as a muscle problem, but that is enough to keep him out of the journey to Scotland and out of the first chance to be tested in front of Celtic. AC Milan will arrive in Glasgow this evening and play tomorrow, with the match offering an early look at how the group is shaping up physically after a busy start to the build-up.
There is another layer to the trip. Pervis Estupinan stayed at Milanello and will join the squad later on the tour in Australia, while Pietro Terracciano is set to do the same. That leaves this friendly as both a first test for the senior group and a look at the younger players training with Gabbia and his team-mates. Amorim called up Borsani, Bouyer, Kostic, Ossola, Vladimirov, Vos, Pittarella and Guernier for the match, and Camarda and Comotto arrived with fresh deals already signed.
That blend of a first-team check-up and a youth audition is what gives the fixture its value, but it also exposes the downside of pre-season in plain sight. Milan wanted Glasgow to be a useful snapshot of fitness and depth; instead, the opening frame already includes one missing attacker and a reminder that the season is only just beginning to sort out who is ready and who is not.
The unanswered question is not whether Milan can play Celtic tomorrow. It is how long Nkunku will be unavailable, because his absence has already turned a routine friendly into the first real test of the club’s forward planning.
