Bad news at Milan from the medical report at Milanello. Coach Ruben Amorim will have to do without Alexis Saelemaekers, who stayed at home during the break because he was not called up by the new Belgium coach Mark van Bommel for the first Nations League fixtures.

During one of the last training sessions, the Belgian winger suffered a sprain trauma to his right ankle. Instrumental examinations fortunately ruled out bone injuries and capsulo‑ligamentous damage, but the problem sidelines the player at a delicate moment, while the Portuguese coach was working to consolidate him in the left attacking midfield role, a position where he performed very well against Lecce.

Milan hope to have the Belgian available as soon as possible. Regarding recovery time, the estimated prognosis is at least ten days: his presence is in strong doubt for the match against Sassuolo on 11 October in the Serie A resumption, while a return appears much more likely on 15 October against Salzburg in the Europa League or on 18 October at San Siro against Atalanta. The medical staff's absolute priority is to avoid strain and relapses, monitoring the situation day by day before making a definitive decision on the Reggio Emilia away match.

In the meantime, Amorim will use this second part of the break to study alternative solutions. The two main candidates to take Saelemaekers' place on the left attacking midfield are Alphadjo Cissé and Diego Moreira, both coming off an exciting start to the season marked by goals and excellent performances. The left attacking midfield slot best matches Cissé's technical characteristics, taking into account that during the summer the coach often used Moreira as a central midfield winger; however, the great form and enthusiasm of the former Strasbourg player could push Amorim to start the Portuguese from the first minute.