After missing the first two league matches against Cremonese and Lecce due to a calf injury suffered in mid-August during the Coppa Italia game against Bari, Rafael Leao is ready to return for Max Allegri after the international break, when Milan face Bologna at San Siro. His recovery is going well. Next week he will rejoin full training and then will be included in the squad for the match against the Emilian side.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, after a strong pre-season, the calf injury slowed Leao down, but in Allegri’s 3-5-2 he will be the designated number nine, regardless of whether Pulisic or the new signing Nkunku plays alongside him. A switch to 4-3-2-1 later on is possible, but for Leao little would change since he would still be the focal point of Milan’s attack. Expectations around him are higher than ever. He is required to finally make the leap in quality that he has yet to achieve.
Leao's attitude:
Allegri is convinced he has struck the right chords with Rafa, who from the first day of training camp at Milanello showed a different attitude compared to previous years. His path to maturity also includes some reminders and rules to follow. “Allegri and Ibrahimovic ask me to use social media less,” Rafa admitted in a recent Twitch stream. His main focus must remain the pitch, where he has to prove once and for all that he is a complete top player.
