Milan Avoid Serious Saelemaekers Injury but Ankle Sprain Clouds the Restart

Milan Avoid Serious Saelemaekers Injury but Ankle Sprain Clouds the Restart

Alexis Saelemaekers sprained his right ankle on Milan's first day back at Milanello, but scans have ruled out bone fractures and capsuloligamentous damage, sparing the club a serious lay-off while still leaving the Belgian's availability for the Serie A resumption in doubt.

The 26-year-old suffered a twisting injury during Monday's session — the first for the club's non-international players after a week off — and was sent immediately for imaging. The examinations, carried out that afternoon, brought the relief Milan wanted: no lesions, no fracture, a sprain that will now be assessed day by day.

What It Means for the Sassuolo Game

The day-by-day nature of the recovery makes his presence when the league resumes difficult, though certainly not impossible, according to the morning editions of the Italian press. Milan return to action away to Sassuolo, and a squad already stretched across the wide areas will have to plan for the possibility that Saelemaekers misses it. The sprain came at the worst possible moment for Rúben Amorim, who had reportedly earmarked this break to work with the Belgian on a new role as a left-sided attacking midfielder.

A Blow to Amorim's October Plans

Milan face a demanding October — seven competitive matches in 31 days — and the plan had been to test the partnership of Christian Pulisic and Saelemaekers in the attacking-midfield line behind the centre-forward, the pairing seen against Lecce before the break. Those trials have been postponed. With Saelemaekers unavailable, Davide Moreira and Alphadjo Cisse are the names in contention to step into the wide roles, competing with Samuel Chukwueze and Davide Bartesaghi for minutes on the flanks.

The Wider Fitness Picture

There was more encouraging news elsewhere at Milanello. Strahinja Pavlovic's injury, assessed earlier on Tuesday, was also confirmed as not serious, meaning the Serbian defender should be available as the fixture list thickens. Twelve players returned to group training ahead of Friday's friendly, giving Amorim a base to build from even with his internationals still away.

Saelemaekers has delivered his best football this season coming off the bench, changing games with pace and directness, and Milan's supporters will hope this sprain costs him only the Sassuolo trip rather than the congested month that follows it.