Turnaround at home Milanin view of the home match against Udinese scheduled for today at 6.00 pm at San Siro: Rafael Leao should start from the bench. However, there is a clarification to be made: according to what he reports La Gazzetta dello Sportin the event of the Portuguese not being used from the 1st minute, it will not be due to the recent statements made when he was busy with his national team (“Here in Portugal I feel everyone’s support”, as if it wasn’t the same thing at Milanello”). Leao’s eventual benching will instead be due to a simple management of resources in view of a busy period between the championship and the Champions League.
Fonseca, who finished with knockouts against Leverkusen and Fiorentina before the break, needs the best men in the best conditions. Leao, for his part, in the last match played with Portugal – Tuesday against Scotland – played for 29 minutes plus injury time and therefore cannot be tired. The more than likely bench will not be a punitive choice in form, but in substance it is very similar. The hope is that he reacts positively, perhaps entering the match in progress.
The location of the club
Returning from his commitments with Portugal, Leao appeared to be in good physical condition but with a little low morale. Certainly, this lack of presence from the 1st minute won’t improve things. The club, as well as the coach, is convinced that the attacker will soon return to show his best version. Relations between the parties are not idyllic, but the feeling is that it is possible to quickly mend things with the person concerned without leading to a definitive break. He is certainly no longer untouchable on the Rossoneri board and his future will depend on how he goes in the coming months. At the moment, however, given the presence of a clause disproportionate to his return (175 million euros), no big club has come forward for him.