Milan face an unwelcome concern during the international break after Alexis Saelemaekers suffered a right-ankle injury in training at Milanello. The Belgian, who remained with the club after not being selected by his national team, was injured during the morning session, his first training appearance for a week.
A precautionary wait for Saelemaekers
Medical examinations confirmed a sprain to Saelemaekers’ right ankle, but brought a measure of relief for Milan and Ruben Amorim: there is no bone damage and no injury to the capsule or ligaments.
The club said that the winger sustained the ankle sprain in training and that the findings had ruled out more serious structural damage. His condition will now be monitored on a daily basis, with no definitive return date announced.
- Saelemaekers was not called up by Belgium and stayed at Milanello during the break.
- The problem occurred in a morning training session.
- Tests found a right-ankle sprain.
- No bone, capsular or ligament injury was detected.
- Milan will assess his recovery day by day.
A demanding run begins after the break
Amorim hopes to have Saelemaekers fully available once Serie A resumes, as Milan approach a stretch that will test both the squad’s depth and its early ambitions.
The Rossoneri return to league action on Sunday 11 October, travelling to the Mapei Stadium to face Sassuolo. Their European campaign resumes shortly afterwards with an away match against Salzburg in the Europa League, before Atalanta arrive at San Siro for the seventh league round.
- Sassuolo v Milan at the Mapei Stadium — Sunday 11 October.
- Salzburg v Milan in the Europa League.
- Milan v Atalanta at San Siro in Serie A round seven.
The importance of an early recovery
The forthcoming sequence will bring a match roughly every three days, making availability a central issue for Amorim. Milan cannot afford to lose ground on the leading group at the beginning of the campaign, and Saelemaekers’ progress will be closely watched before a pivotal run of domestic and European fixtures.
