With hope building that Mike Maignan is finally close to returning to the AC Milan XI, his comeback will be a significant moment for us.
The 27-year-old was last in action in Serie A for the Rossoneri back in September in our defeat to Napoli, with a troublesome calf injury ruling him out since as he has suffered setbacks along the way.
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Naturally, there is caution as he seemingly enters the final stages of his latest rehabilitation, and there will undoubtedly be patience from the Milan coaching and medical staff this week as Maignan looks to take a significant step towards a return to the pitch.
“A return to the team in the next ten days is planned,” Paolo Maldini told DAZN this weekend, as quoted by MilanNews. “Then it will take time. A goalkeeper who hasn’t played for so long must regain his awareness.
“Having had two setbacks, he must be careful. We also went through one possibility of surgery but it was avoided and in ten days he should be available.”
The hope is that Maignan will be in contention to return to the starting line-up at the beginning of March, with encounters against Tottenham and Monza this month undoubtedly coming too soon for him given that timeline touted above, while our clash with Atalanta on February 26 is unlikely too.
However, whether it’s our trip to Fiorentina on March 4 or the away leg against Tottenham in the Champions League four days later, the French international will likely be pushing to displace Ciprian Tatarusanu by then, provided all goes to plan in the coming weeks.
His return will represent a significant boost for us, given how influential and important he has been since he arrived.
Milan conceded 31 goals in 38 Serie A games last season on our way to the Scudetto. In 22 outings so far this campaign, we’ve already conceded 30 goals and have the worst defensive record of the top eight sides in the standings.
That’s not to suggest that those problems have all been down to Maignan’s absence as the defence and team as a whole haven’t been good enough in that phase of the game for some time now, but the Frenchman’s presence between the posts is huge for us.
In 48 appearances for Milan to date, he has conceded 42 goals and kept 21 clean sheets. His organisation of the backline and his physical presence both when commanding his box and making saves puts him at a high level of performance, something that Tatarusanu hasn’t been able to replicate as has struggled with consistency and reliability.
The Romanian shot-stopper has had his moments, but it doesn’t come close to what Maignan has offered since he arrived in 2021, and it’s vital we get him back in the coming weeks.
It’s not just the defensive side that makes him so important either, as with his composure and distribution out from the back and his influence in allowing us to play higher up the pitch given his speed to come out when needed, it all makes him a key cog in our preferred style of play.
With Fikayo Tomori and Ismael Bennacer returning from injury this week and having seen some positive signs from Malick Thiaw last time out, there is real hope now that Milan can rediscover our defensive solidity and resilience. That in turn can hopefully be the foundation of an extended and improved run of form between now and the end of the season.