Sergiño Dest had something to prove in Qatar and he did it shining for the USMNT in a difficult group for the inexperienced Americans. With the spotlight on Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, and Tyler Adams, the AC Milan defender quietly provided some of the best performances of his career at the biggest stage.
Dest’s complete body of work at the World Cup may make him the USMNT’s best player, with decisive dribbles and forward play, but most importantly Dest look comfortable defending, a trait often lacking during his Barcelona and early Milan days.
Dest has played a total of 9 games for the Italian giants while on loan from Barcelona, the FIFA World Cup plus what the AC Milan brass see day in, and day out have made the club decide that keeping Dest is the best option.
AC Milan to purchase Sergiño Dest outright
According to HITC, Dest had some interest from Premier League side Leeds United, but AC Milan will not wait until the end of the season to decide on Dest, instead the club will go ahead and purchase Sergiño Dest’s contract from Barcelona for a reported $20 million.
Dest was loaned to AC Milan after a rather up and down 72 matches at Barcelona, where Dest’s name was thrown in the mud at times or used as transfer bait. At the World Cup the perception of Dest changed tenfold with solid tackles, dangerous runs, and impressive dribbling skills.
Dest provided an assist in Christian Pulisic’s game winning goal against Iran and was one of the best players for the USMNT against the Netherlands in their 3-1 defeat. Overall, many pundits believe that Tyler Adams, Tim Weah, and Sergiño Dest were the top three performers for the United States at the FIFA World Cup.