AC Milan doctors told Conceicao to bench Pulisic vs. Bologna

 Christian Pulisic hasn't overcome his fitness issues quite yet.

AC Milan manager Sérgio Conceição has said team doctors told him prior to Thursday's loss at Bologna that Pulisic wasn't able to start the match.

Pulisic came on in the 61st minute of a game Milan lost 2-1, a second straight league defeat and another blow to the club's hopes of finishing in the top four.

Ahead of Sunday's game against Lazio, Conceição revealed that Pulisic is still struggling with his fitness.

“On the day of the match against Bologna, the doctors told me [Pulisic] couldn’t start the match," the Portuguese manager said. "At that moment, I had to find a solution, I had to move [Yunus] Musah and put João [Félix] on who shouldn’t have played from the start.

"I’ll tell you the truth. [Pulisic] has had a small physical problem for a month and we have to manage it. You can see it in his physical freshness.”

Conceição's words echo what he said two weeks ago, when he revealed that Pulisic didn't have 90 minutes in his legs. Ironically, the American did play the full match the following day, a 2-1 defeat to Torino.

Pulisic has struggled with muscle injuries in recent months. He missed a Jan. 18 match against Juventus with a muscle issue, and also missed nearly the entire month of December with calf and ankle injuries.

Despite his recent fitness issues, Pulisic is tied for the team lead in goals with 12 and leads Milan with nine assists.

Milan goes into Sunday's match desperately in need of a win. The Rossoneri are in eighth place, six points behind fifth-place Lazio.