Allegri said it clearly, "The ankle is fine."
That was a statement that slipped through the chaos of Torino-Milan, with all the focus before the match on Pulisic’s condition and on how the squad would respond after the first defeat since August. Pulisic recovered from the fever, traveled to Turin alone, then scored twice. Milan responded to the loss against Lazio in the Coppa Italia with a comeback win that mixed good moments and weak moments. The three points brought relief, yet there was concern for Leao. Tests today ruled out injuries, but the question stays the same. Santi, what is the issue?
After Tare's remark before Lecce-Milan, when he publicly dismissed the player on live TV hours before the close of the transfer window, Allegri always defended the Mexican striker. He stressed the difficulty of adapting to a new league, reminded everyone of his goals at Feyenoord, and kept sending positive signals about the future. In his latest press conference he followed the same line. “Santiago is working, we hope to reintegrate him partially with the group during the week. The ankle is fine. We hope to have him back, we need him. He is reliable, he worked hard for the team, he had many chances, he had three goals ruled out by a few millimetres, he scored many goals at Feyenoord, he did not forget how to score. Gimenez must come back, we are waiting for him and hope he can rejoin the group during the week.”
So what is different now?
Santi has been out since the second half of Atalanta-Milan, when he asked to come off in Bergamo because of this ankle issue. According to the player and his father, this has been a long-term problem that stopped him from reaching full condition. “In recent months I played with an ankle injury that did not let me perform at 100 percent or feel comfortable on the pitch. I wanted to keep helping the team, so I continued to play, but the pain kept increasing and it was time to stop. Now I need to recover and prepare to return as soon as possible. Thank you for the support, see you soon," as relayed via Milan News.
After more than a month out, and after Allegri first hoped to have him back for the derby, the return date is still unclear. Right now the squad needs its number 7 both for numbers and for quality. Allegri repeated this point. “We hope to have Gimenez back as soon as possible, he is important and we need him numerically. Technically and numerically.” With Leao out for the Sassuolo match, this would be the ideal moment for his return. Even without goals in Serie A, the Mexican’s heavy work has always helped the team.
