Backing, but no free pass
Rafael Leao had looked to be heading for the exit at AC Milan. The Portuguese forward is now keeping everyone guessing over his future, after insisting only recently that his focus was purely on the pitch.
Ruben Amorim spoke this morning, the day after the Rossoneri beat Manchester United in a pre-season friendly. Asked about his countryman, the Portuguese coach chose to back him in public.
“He is one of our players, and we are really happy with him. He is a player who cost a lot,” he said. The wording says plenty. You do not normally feel the need to mention a player’s fee when everything is calm.
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An attack that has become crowded
Amorim’s next comments made the real point. “We will see, but he has to fight for it. I think Cisse, based on the way he is playing, will make it difficult for him. Saelemaekers has changed position, so it will be hard. Pulisic is back. So we have a lot of players and they will all be fighting for a place.”
Four names in three sentences. The message is pretty clear: Milan’s forward pecking order is back up for grabs, and Leao no longer has any guarantees.
The coach also touched on his fitness. “Is he carrying an injury? I do not know, I do not think it is serious.” It was hardly a reassuring answer, and it said plenty about the current distance between the pair.
What it means for the transfer window
No door has been shut, either to him staying or leaving. Amorim is simply setting the terms for staying, which shifts the pressure back onto the player.
For a forward long sold as the face of Milan’s project, the change in status is stark. There are still two weeks left in the transfer window to see whether Leao accepts the new reality, or decides he would rather find a place elsewhere where the argument is over before it starts.
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