Niclas Füllkrug’s loan away from West Ham hasn’t gone to plan and his return is almost certain.
Towards the end of December, Sport Witness covered the German’s move to AC Milan. This transfer was seen as key, with the Rossoneri having faced multiple issues in attack, but that hasn’t changed. Füllkrug was seen as a fix to those issues despite never making a mark in London.
The German scored against Lecce, coming up with a crucial winner late in the game. But that hasn’t proved enough, as the striker missed a penalty against Pisa and has started only twice since then. Manager Max Allegri doesn’t seem convinced and uses him mainly as a back-up.
Increasingly, there have been signs he will return to West Ham at the end of the season. Milan are likely to undergo a makeover in attack and will seek younger players.
Füllkrug has now been told to take a long, hard look at himself and return to Germany.
Füllkrug held responsible for failures
Former Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg striker Patrick Helmes spoke to MilanNews about the 33-year-old and was asked about his well-documented struggles.
Helmes made it clear that he needs to iron out his problems with the Milan staff because he is at fault.
“It’s up to him to address this issue with the AC Milan staff. The club gave him this platform to express himself and the chance to score. And ultimately, if you don’t do that, you have to take responsibility.”
The former Germany international said Füllkrug’s failures are all his own fault.
“And in the long run, he’s simply not playing well. This isn’t the club’s or his teammates’ fault. Füllkrug should take a look in the mirror.”
The West Ham player was also told to return home to the Bundesliga and find form again.
“The Bundesliga is his home, and if he wants to get back to playing, he should start over in Germany. Is the Bundesliga better suited to his characteristics? I don’t know.”
Helmes went on to express doubts whether the ex-Dortmund man can even star in Germany anymore.
“With the kind of player he is, we thought the same thing about England. But without consistency abroad, he’s struggled. I’d advise him to return home to relaunch himself. But he’s at an age where not much is possible anymore.”
Our take: Helmes harsh on compatriot
Nothing can change that the last two years have been a big waste for Füllkrug. But he isn’t the only one who deserves to be called out for that.
Milan’s attack has been dysfunctional for weeks, leaving players like Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic struggling. There has been a lack of service and there have been structural problems in Max Allegri’s system.
Füllkrug alone can’t fix that. At West Ham, he faced multiple fitness problems that have also held him back in Italy.
