Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri proclaimed that throughout his career, he only had one genuine centre-forward at his disposal in Gonzalo Higuain.

The 58-year-old is currently in his second tenure with the Rossoneri, and he also had two spells at Juventus, an illustrious one between 2014 and 2019, and a less memorable second between 2021 and 2024.

Therefore, the Livorno native has overseen some of the finest strikers in Serie A over the past 15 years or so. And yet, he only describes one of them as a genuine marksman.

Max Allegri reveals Gonzalo Higuain as the only genuine No.9 he has had in his career

This season, Rafael Leao has been leading the line for Milan, often supported by Christian Pulisic. On the other hand, the club’s supposed centre-forwards, Santi Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku, have been relegated to the bench due to their uninspiring form.

Nevertheless, Allegri argues that the absence of a natural No.9 is not a real issue for the Diavolo, as aside from Hiugian, he never relied on a ‘true centre-forward’.

“We’ve talked about it many times. Of true centre-forwards at Juventus and Milan, but also at Cagliari, I’ve only had one, Higuain,” said the Milan manager in his pre-match press conference on Sunday (via JuventusNews24).

(Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

“Mandzukic was versatile, as he also played left wing. Ibrahimovic, Robinho, Cassano, and Pato… Ibra was much better at sending the others forward; he then played centre-forward later in his career.

“It’s a question of characteristics; I have to try to put them in the best possible condition. The important thing, however, is to score goals. Right now, two of our four forwards have scored 10 goals. We need goals from Nkunku, Gimenez, the midfielders, and the defenders.”

Higuain was an instant hit at Juventus

Allegri had Higuain at his disposal between 2016 and 2018, where he formed a formidable trio with his compatriot Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic. Juventus then decided to sacrifice the Argentine bomber following the groundbreaking arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.

El Pipita spent a year on loan between Milan and Chelsea, before returning to Juventus under the orders of Maurizio Sarri, who requested a reunion with his old Napoli pupil.

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