With the Serie A a week away from resuming as the international window is nearing a close, Milan await for a different and improved version of Portuguese winger Rafael Leao upon his return from the Nations League fixtures, as mentioned by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Since the 25-year-old took part in pre-season training with the Rossonerri following the Euros, many anticipated that Leao would rise to the occasion and lead Paulo Fonseca’s side, given that he is one of the players with the most experience at the club and the highest paid with a salary of €6.5m per-season.
However, the star forward has been very underwhelming as he struggled against Torino in the final third, showcased poor attitude towards the team in the Rossonerri’s 2-1 defeat to newly promoted side Parma, and was dropped by the former Lille boss when facing Lazio.
Despite Leao making an immediate impact against the Biancocelesti as he scored within 30 seconds after coming onto the pitch in order to level the score at the Olimpico, the Portuguese international caused major drama across the media as he isolated himself from Fonseca and the rest of the squad during the cooling break, standing at the complete opposite end of the pitch from the bench.
With Leao set to resume training with Milan early within the week after Portugal faces Scotland as the Diavolo prepare to host Venezia, in the hopes of seeking their first victory of the season.
Rafael Leao seeks to regain his starting spot for the Rossonerri as a difficult week of the campaign is underway as they face Liverpool in their opening match of the Champions League, as well as cross-city rivals Inter in the Derby della Madonnina shortly after.
Both the Milan staff and “tifosi” aspire to witness the version of Rafael Leao that earned him the MVP award in the season where he helped Pioli win the scudetto, in which he will play a pivotal role in the front-line in scoring goals and igniting a spark that will turn this horrendous start of the campaign around drastically.
