Fonseca: ‘Milan more solid now, Rafael Leao injury not serious’ | OneFootball

Paulo Fonseca sees improved ‘solidity’ from Milan in their 1-0 victory away to Verona and has an important update on Rafael Leao’s injury scare.

The situation was far from simple at the Stadio Bentegodi, as with one win from five Serie A games, there were also eight players out injured including Alvaro Morata, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Rafael Leao also went off with a left flexor issue after 32 minutes, forcing yet more tactical experiments with Alex Jimenez in a more advanced role.

They emerged victorious in Verona thanks to Tijjani Reijnders firing in the inspired Youssouf Fofana assist, his fourth Serie A goal of the campaign.

“The first half was somewhat inevitable with so many players missing and not winning the most recent match, so we were sluggish,” Fonseca told DAZN.

“It’s true that we did not allow Verona much and dominated possession, but without being aggressive in the final third. We made too many wrong decisions, that is also down to a lack of confidence, because we had the ball so often near the penalty area and should’ve done better.

“As I said, without so many players at the moment and our current form, I am satisfied with the victory, which was the most important thing. It was a much-deserved win, we kept a clean sheet and showed more stability in defence. We need to improve in attack, but that’s our current moment affecting confidence.”

Matteo Gabbia and Malick Thiaw are now the first-choice central defenders, pushing Fikayo Tomori onto the bench, while Theo Hernandez was dropped for the second game in a row by Fonseca.

“The centre-backs did very well, so did Fofana and Terracciano in midfield when shielding the defence. This stability is important to have so that we can then attack with more confidence. I am seeing increased stability in every game.”

Fonseca reassures Milan after Leao injury

epa11787603 Milan’s Rafael Leao during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and AC Milan, in Verona, Italy, 20 December 2024. EPA-EFE/EMANUELE PENNACCHIO

Rafael Leao was spotted telling the Milan medical staff that he felt a twinge and the initial reports point to a left flexor issue, so are there any updates?

“I spoke to Rafa, it doesn’t seem to be anything particularly special. It was more a preventative measure, he didn’t want to risk it and felt this twinge, but it’s nothing major,” assured Fonseca.

There were eight players missing this evening, plus Kevin Zeroli not fully fit and Theo Hernandez in poor form, so is there an explanation for all these injuries?

“Theo Hernandez is not injured, Rafa is nothing serious, Pulisic arrived injured from international duty and Morata has tonsillitis. The main problem we had was with Musah and Loftus-Cheek, because the others are not situations we can control,” concluded Fonseca.

The mood in the Milan camp remains very strained indeed, as after the fans camped outside the event for the club’s 125th anniversary, they continually chanted insults in Verona demanding President Gerry Cardinale and RedBird sell the club.

That seems less likely after this evening’s statement confirming the refinancing deal with Elliott to 2028.

The chants continued even after the final whistle when the players went to salute the travelling fans.