Ivan Jurić confirmed during the international break that Monza forward Patrick Cutrone is among the club's injured players being monitored, adding another layer of uncertainty to a side that has collected just one point from its opening three Serie A matches this season.
The timing matters because Monza can ill afford to lose options in attack. Jurić's side sits 17th in the table with a goal difference of minus four — four scored, eight conceded — and the squad is already navigating a difficult transition back to the top flight. Cutrone's availability for the next fixture is not guaranteed, and for a team that needs to find cohesion quickly, an extended absence from one of its forwards would compound an already strained situation.
Cutrone, 28, has made one Serie A appearance for Monza in 2026-27, registering neither a goal nor an assist and carrying an average match rating of 5.86 — a number that reflects limited impact rather than outright failure, but one that leaves little margin for the player to build a case while sidelined. His Coppa Italia contribution — two assists in one match, though for a different club and in a different competition — hints at a player capable of influencing games when fit and in rhythm. Those numbers belong to a separate context and cannot be transplanted here, but they are not irrelevant: they suggest Cutrone retains the technical capacity to contribute when given consistent opportunity.
The broader picture at Monza is one of collective struggle. Zeballos has arrived to reinforce the attacking options, and the club is managing movement in and out of the squad simultaneously. Jurić, a coach whose systems demand physical intensity and pressing discipline, needs bodies available and match-sharp. An injured Cutrone is not part of that equation.
With an AI overall of 68 out of 100 and a potential of 70, Cutrone profiles as a reliable Serie A-level forward rather than a transformative one — the kind of player whose value is cumulative, built through minutes, positioning, and link-up work rather than individual brilliance. That profile makes his fitness all the more important: he is not the sort of player who can walk back into a struggling side after a prolonged absence and immediately change its fortunes. He needs game time to function, and right now, game time is precisely what he cannot guarantee himself.
Monza's next weeks will test whether Jurić can stabilise the defensive numbers while waiting for his attacking options to become whole again.