Leao heading for Milan bench again as Fonseca keeps questioning his star status | OneFootball

Rafael Leao is once again set to start on the bench when Milan host Napoli on Tuesday as his relationship with coach Paulo Fonseca is becoming increasingly delicate.

The Portuguese star has just one goal from 10 appearances in all competitions this season, and he was recently benched in the Rossoneri’s last Serie A game against Udinese before being subbed off after 60 minutes during their 3-1 win over Club Brugge in the Champions League, which was secured thanks to his replacement Noah Okafor.

Leao set for another Milan bench against Napoli

As much as Fonseca insisted that Leao has ‘worked well’ in recent days and there’s ‘no case’, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the manager expects a ‘leap in quality’ and ‘mentality’ from his striker, which is why he’s likely to bench him again, this time in a high-profile fixture that sees the Rossoneri against the Serie A leaders.

While no clear argument occurred between the two, the newspaper adds that Leao wasn’t happy with his coach’s recent decisions as nobody ever questioned his star status as Fonseca is doing.

MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 14: Theo Hernandez of AC Milan celebrates with his team-mate Rafael Leao after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 14, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

However, Leao could still have a chance to make an impact on the game by coming on in the second half and helping his side in a tough match that will see them forced to do without Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders, ruled out with a red card ban as a result of the postponement of the Rossoneri’s fixture at Bologna.