Every international break brings anxiety for club fans who fear injuries, and the latest one has hit Milan with two key players hurt. Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot are both expected to spend nearly a month in the treatment room, going from decisive on the pitch to sidelined for different incidents that ended the same way.
Rabiot’s injury: what happened and recovery time
Let’s start with Adrien Rabiot, the most recent case. During France’s final training session before their trip to Iceland, the Rossoneri midfielder felt discomfort in his calf. The French medical staff ran a “basic” and “not fully detailed” test at the national team camp instead of a hospital. The scan did not reveal a soleus muscle injury, which is why no report was sent to Milan’s medical team. Rabiot then traveled to Iceland, sat on the bench, and later returned to Milanello. Today, more detailed tests revealed the real extent of the injury.
The situation is serious, and the handling of it by France’s medical staff raises questions. Though often described as meticulous, they have been at the center of several controversies, including cases involving Mike Maignan in October 2022 and later, as well as recent issues with Dembélé, Barcola (which drew an angry PSG statement), Upamecano, and Mbappé. The damage is done, and Rabiot is expected to be out for about a month, targeting a return for the derby on November 23. In the next international break, Milan will likely do everything within regulations to keep Rabiot at Milanello instead of letting him join the national team if Deschamps calls him up.
Pulisic’s injury: tests tomorrow, Milan angry with Pochettino
Christian Pulisic will arrive in Italy tonight after flight delays. Tomorrow, he will undergo scans to assess the extent of a right hamstring issue that forced him off during the match against Australia. Milan are furious with Pochettino and his selfish management of the player. The former PSG and Tottenham coach used Pulisic sparingly in the first friendly against Ecuador, putting him on only late in the game, but then started him two nights ago even though he wasn’t fully fit and needed to be managed carefully.
Given that the match was a friendly played in temperatures around 20 degrees higher than the first one, some common sense was expected, but it didn’t happen. Relations between Milan and the US national team are now strained. Tomorrow’s medical results will determine the severity of the injury and his recovery timeline. As with Rabiot, it’s hoped Pulisic will skip the November international break if he isn’t fully fit. Pochettino may also owe Milan an apology for failing to protect the player.
Source: Milan News
