Heads up, Martínez! Leão under close watch at Milan | OneFootball

Rafael Leão’s season at Milan has been marked by constant physical care, with the former Sporting player being subject to meticulous management by the Rossoneri technical staff, at a time when a decisive period of the season is approaching.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Massimiliano Allegri, Milan’s coach, has been forced to restrain the number 10’s desire to rack up more minutes due to a micro-muscular injury in the abductor area. The main concern is the risk of it developing into pubalgia, a problem that could sideline the winger for several weeks, and there is a possibility that the forward might not be considered by Roberto Martínez for the 2026 World Cup.

This concern led the Italian coach to bring Rafael Leão off the bench in the draw against Fiorentina, after the Portuguese player had completed 90 minutes against Genoa, a match in which he scored the goal that avoided defeat near the end. The management has been done “with tweezers”, in a clear attempt to protect one of the squad’s most valuable assets.

In statements made last December, Allegri was clear about his decision to leave the player out of the squad against Hellas Verona. The coach refused to use players who are not at full fitness, emphasizing that Leão was unable to reach his usual speed at that time.

In the 2025/26 season, playing for Milan, Rafael Leão – valued at 70 million euros – has played 15 matches: 13 in Serie A and two in the Coppa Italia. In the 956 minutes he has been on the pitch, the former Sporting player has scored eight goals and provided one assist.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.