After the excellent two matches played with his national team, Rafael Leao returned to Italy yesterday to be, from today, available to Paulo Fonseca for the next commitments; the Portuguese striker, barring sensational surprises, will start on Saturday against Udinese at San Siro and on Tuesday in the already delicate Champions League match against Brugge also at San Siro.
Leao’s words
However, what caused discussion yesterday were the words of the AC Milan number 10 after the draw between his Portugal and Scotland: “I feel at the highest level in the national team. When I’m here (in Portugal, ed.) I feel everyone’s support. The coach also has a lot of faith in me and this is crucial for my game. The coach asked me for depth and one-on-ones and to do the best I can. Basically, to play my game to create opportunities very short; we had little space and the coach wanted me to make deep movements with and without the ball.”
The explanation
The recipient of these statements, however, is not Paulo Fonseca, just as Milan or the Milan fans are not understood. Leao simply spoke about his new role within the Portuguese team, of which he is now a permanent starter, explaining that he feels all the trust of coach Martinez and his compatriots. Then it’s clear, the comparison is easy: at Milan, at the moment, he is full of criticism and has to adapt to Fonseca’s new game, so he certainly isn’t confident. But no barbs.