Jean-Philippe Mateta has thanked the AC Milan medical staff for identifying the issue that led to his proposed move collapsing.

Back in January, Mateta was very close to becoming a new Milan player . The Rossoneri were searching for a centre-forward and were pressing for the Frenchman, who had already been considered during the previous summer transfer window.

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Negotiations between Milan and Crystal Palace were progressing quickly, to the point that Mateta underwent a medical with the Rossoneri. However, it was the medical staff that had concerns about Mateta’s knee condition.

In-depth tests conducted by Dr. Mazzoni found an issue that caused the club to pull the plug on the deal entirely . Mateta spoke about it in an interview with Canal Plus, in which he expressed a sense of gratitude.

“The deal fell through because of my medical examination. My knee was more serious than they told me. It’s not something I easily process, I didn’t think the situation was so serious,” he said (via MilanVibes ).

“I don’t regret anything, because if I hadn’t had that medical examination, I would have had this knee problem with me. Luckily, I had the examination and found out exactly what my condition was. I thank them for their foresight.”